Crook County, Ore. – Crook county is preparing to put a bond measure for a new jail on the ballot in November.
The DLR Group was chosen as the pre-bond contractor in June, and is assisting with the process, and will present cost estimates and renderings to the public Tuesday.
The group has done design work for public safety facilities in several states including Oregon, where it provided similar services for the Deer Ridge Correctional Institution in Madras.
According to the pre-bond services contract, officials estimated the total project budget would not exceed $17 million and that the cost of construction was assumed to be $10 million to $13 million.
Together the legal and underwriting services are estimated to cost $100,000 to $110,000, fees that will only be paid if the bond measure passes.
The current jail is overcrowded, and some offenders are released early or aren’t jailed at all because of a lack of space for them.
The county jail, officials say, has long struggled with overcrowding. Crook County has rented beds from the Jefferson County jail for several years, according to The Bulletin archives.
The Jefferson County jail was built in 2001.
