Old county jail demolition near completion

OREGON — Demolition of the old Ogle County Jail isn’t quite done, but is near completion.

Located at 107 South 5th St., in Oregon, the old jail was attached to the south side of the historic Ogle County Courthouse, a building in which many county officials still have offices.

“Right now, there’s a doorway that went into the lower level of the courthouse from the jail, and it’s still in place,” County Engineer Jeremy Ciesiel said. “We need to remove that door, remove the cinder block wall, and pour a reinforced concrete plug to seal it off.”

Frigid temperatures have delayed that work, he said. Once the weather improves, they’ll take care of it, Ciesiel said, noting that he doesn’t have a date for when the work will take place.

“We have a smaller fence around that area now to protect it,” he said.

On Oct. 18, Ogle County Board members accepted a $98,300 bid from Martin & Co., of Oregon, to demolish the old jail. The cost of demolition is being paid for for using American Rescue Plan Act monies; an expenditure also approved by board members on Oct. 18.

Martin crews began tearing down the 1969 cement block building on Dec. 5. Debris was removed and the basement has now been filled. Once completed, the site will be used for additional parking and as greenspace.

The new Ogle County Correctional Center opened in November 2020.