Chelan Co. Contracts with Grant Co. for Use of Juvenile Detention Center

Chelan County has entered into an agreement that will allow nearby Grant County the use of its juvenile detention facility.

Chelan County Commissioner Kevin Overbay says most of the counties in Eastern Washington have traditionally transported their juvenile detainees to Martin Hall in Medical Lake.

"Grant County had reached an agreement to work with Martin Hall, but we reached out to them and said, 'hey, we have this facility that's a little closer to your county'. It's a place where we really want to try keep juveniles as close to home as we can with regards to incarceration."

The detention center in Chelan County can house a maximum of 50 juvenile inmates but usually only has about five on a daily basis.

Overbay says the partnership will benefit both sides in a variety of ways.

"We've got a great juvenile facility that will help them save some dollars in the years ahead and we'll (Chelan County) be able to receive some additional funding to help stand up and utilize a state-of-the-art facility that we currently have."

The contract between the two counties begins on March 1 and is currently slated to run through 2024.