EPHRATA — The first phase of construction of the new Grant County Jail — demolition and site preparation — was supposed to start next week, but cooperative weather meant the project actually started in late January. Grant County Central Services Director Tom Gaines said footings, foundations and walls tentatively are scheduled to start going up in March or April.

When foundations will start going in and walls going up depends on the approval of a state-required environmental review. That process is still ongoing.

“We’re digging the sewer line right now,” Gaines said. “A lot of the demolition is done.”

The new jail will be at the location of the old Ephrata Raceway, at the intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way. The track and pits, the bleachers, the announcer booth and the concession stand have all been removed. 

As an old racetrack the site had contaminated dirt that had to be removed, Gaines said, and all that work is completed too. 

The size of the new jail means installing a lot of sewer lines, Gaines said. Selland Construction is the contractor for the first phase, and the company’s crews also are laying water lines, a project that will involve tunneling under SR 282. The site also must be leveled before construction can begin. 

“They’ve still got quite a bit of work to do,” Gaines said. 

However, the site preparation triggered further review under the Washington State Environmental Policy Act, a process known as SEPA.

“The amount of dirt we have to move is what triggered the SEPA in the first place,” Gaines said.

The process requires review by other state agencies, which prompted a response from the Washington Department of Transportation. Under discussion is the proposed roundabout at the SR 282-Nat Washington Way intersection. A roundabout has been planned for that intersection for a few years, but no construction date has been announced. 

Department of Transportation officials were concerned about traffic impacts at specific times of day if the jail is completed before the roundabout, Gaines said. County officials proposed a mitigation plan, Gaines said, and are waiting for the WSDOT’s response.

Site preparation can continue, but SEPA approval is required before the foundation can be poured and the actual construction of the building can start, Gaines said.

Grant County residents approved a one-tenth of 1% increase in the sales tax for law and justice projects in 2019, with some of the proceeds going to the jail project. Grant County Commissioners approved the sale of up to $90 million in construction bonds in summer 2022. 

The design is still being reviewed but includes room for 512 inmates, with room for isolation for inmates suffering from communicable diseases and some space for inmates with mental or behavioral health challenges. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office also will move to the new facility. 

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at [email protected].

    The old Ephrata Raceway grandstands come down at the site of the new Grant County Jail.