The Delta County Board of Commissioners met within the walls of the new jail Tuesday. Normally, they meet on the other side of the county service building. 

The recreation room in the correctional facility was set up for the meeting.

Delta County Administrator Phil Strom said it was an opportunity to highlight the work put into the new jail and Sheriff’s office.

“I thought it was a good opportunity for the board to have the meeting in a different location and really showcase the facility that would be fun for the board as well as the public,” said Strom.

Strom gave a presentation on the history of the construction and handed out certificates to those involved in the construction.

It was the second meeting chaired by Pat Johnson who was elected chairman of the county board last week. He found out how effective the new jail is when he used a bathroom before the meeting.

“It was great until I locked myself in the bathroom. I was the longest incarcerated up to date,” he joked.

A Sheriff’s deputy had to be called to unlock the door. 

Johnson says the focus this year is to move the inmates into the new jail. The county has struggled with overcrowding at the current jail and who to release to keep the jail population down.

“Now the judges no longer has to say, ‘ok, who is the worse one and who is decent enough to be released back into the public.’ Now when a judge passes a sentence, that sentence can be enforced and the correction can actually occur,” Johnson said.

During the county meeting Tuesday, the board recognized the architect and contractor and three deputies who spearheaded the construction project during the past year.