Comment on Potential jail improvement projects discussed at Oklahoma County Jail Trust meeting

By Kayla BranchStaff writerkbranch@oklahoman.comDetails are slowly emerging on the Oklahoma County Jail Trust’s plans for spending the millions of dollars it received from the federal government’s COVID-19 relief funding.Trustees approved spending $3 million on "COVID-19 Resistance Maintenance Projects" during a Monday meeting, which includes repairing sewage, replacing water pipes and installing new exhaust vents, according to trust documents.A list of potential projects was also discussed for the bulk of the trust’s CARES Act funding, which was the COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress this spring and given to local governments.Roughly $47 million was given to Oklahoma County, and the decision to give more than $34 million to the trust has been hotly protested.Potential projects tied to this larger pot of money could be the installation of a new water management system, a remodel of the front lobby and a purchase of additional staff radios and cell phones.Some trustees worried that the items on the lists would not meet the CARES Act spending requirements, which state that all expenses have to be directly related to COVID.