Site selection public comment invited at January 20, 2022 Board of Commissioners meeting

The Benton County Board of Commissioners will meet several times the week of January 17 to begin deliberations and make a final site selection decision for proposed Justice System Improvement Program (JSIP) facilities. A preliminary discussion is scheduled for Tuesday, January 18, as part of the commissioners’ regular Board meeting, followed by virtual public meeting on Thursday, January 20, at 5:30 p.m. to review site selection options. On Friday, January 21, a special Board meeting is scheduled for the commissioners to make a final decision.

Although public comment is available at Board meetings, time restrictions may be imposed. Individual comment may be limited to three minutes. Board meeting links and materials will be made available.

The two sites under consideration include a site in west Corvallis on Reservoir Road and a site in north Corvallis adjacent to the Hewlett-Packard campus. Benton County has secured a letter of intent with the owner of the west site, and negotiations continue with a representative of McFadden Ranch, LLC., for purchase of the north site.

The Board had additionally considered a site in south Corvallis, but dismissed the site in late November, with the option to revisit it if neither the west nor north Corvallis sites work out.