New Ogle County Jail nearing completion

OREGON — Construction on the new Ogle County Jail is wrapping up and Sheriff Brian VanVickle plans to host an open house in “mid-late November” at the new facility.

Detail work on the outside and interior along with landscaping are currently being completed. Furniture will arrive next month. There is no set date for the jail to open, VanVickle said. Training for staff must be done first.

“Sometime around the new year,” VanVickle said. “It depends on staffing and getting them trained and comfortable.”

VanVickle said the process has been going smooth due to the contractor, Gilbane Construction, having a history of work on detention centers. No major changes were made to plans in the process and the project is under budget, VanVickle said.

When Gilbane was in talks to build the jail, it looked at operations of the current jail and mirrored a lot of them in the new facility.

The old facility was built in the 1960s and has had its share of issues for inmates and staff.

“It was not meant to hold that many people,” VanVickle said. “It’s not ideal for the staff. There’s nowhere to eat lunch. They sit on milk crates and eat. It will be great for them.”

For inmates, there will be no more infrastructure issues like ventilation and sewer problems. There are also more amenities in the new facility.

“There’s an outdoor recreation area,” VanVickle said. “There will be fresh air. We will use those to provide a better place for them to be. It can change behavior in the jail. We can take care of issues in the cell blocks.”