PENDLETON — Umatilla County now has a contractor for renovating the county jail.

The board of commissioners at its meeting Wednesday, Dec. 1, voted 3-0 to award the $2.88 million contract for the project to 2KG Contractors Inc. of Portland. The board also approved the bid with two additional alternates, one for $55,000 and the other for $320,000.

The county does not bear the full cost for the project — $1.8 million is from the state.

Commissioner Dan Dorran said he was impressed with the county’s process for reviewing the bid, and commended Sheriff Terry Rowan for continuing to try to find funds for the project and commended staff on their work to make this project move forward. He said this is “without a doubt a county function that needs to take place.”

Board Chair Geroge Murdock gave credit to the city of Pendleton’s legislative committee for pushing for state lawmaker support for the jail renovation. Rowan also joined the chorus, thanking those who stayed on this “roller coaster ride for the last two years” to secure legislative support and funding for the project. Murdock called the project a credit to “remarkable example” of what bipartisanship can accomplish.

The board voted 3-0 in favor of the contract

“It’s exciting to see it come forward,” Murdock said.

The meeting was Murdock’s penultimate as chair of the board, and at the end of the meeting Dorran took a moment to recognize Murdock for his leadership of the county board, particularly on economic investments that will benefit the county.

Yet as Murdock wraps up his chairmanship of the county board, he already stepped into a new leadership role: The Association of Oregon Counties at its annual conference in November elected him as its president.