Logo courtesy of Butte County

OROVILLE, CA (MPG) - The Butte County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 16 approved a $1.5 million remodel of the Butte County Jail kitchen, along with a separate construction change order for the county’s jail expansion project, both on the consent agenda.

According to a staff report submitted by Jennifer Wilson, assistant director of the Department of General Services, the jail kitchen has reached the end of its functional life and requires modernization to maintain safe and compliant food service for inmates. 

The remodel will replace major appliances that can no longer be reliably repaired, install new epoxy flooring and washable wall coverings, seal walk-in refrigerators and freezers, and upgrade electrical, plumbing and potentially gas lines to support new equipment. 

Wilson noted that temporary kitchen and storage facilities will be used to ensure uninterrupted operations during construction. The Community Corrections Partnership approved the use of its available funds to finance the project, and supervisors authorized the capital project and budget amendment.

In a separate item, the Butte County Board of Supervisors also approved a $413,365 change order to jail expansion project that covers removal and replacement of existing pavement, including cement-treated base, and installation of site lighting at the administration entrance parking lot at 5 Gillick Way in Oroville.

Butte County’s long-awaited jail expansion is a $40 million project funded through the state’s SB 863 lease‑revenue bond program, which required a 10 percent local match. The Board of Supervisors submitted the application in 2015 and received the full award, allowing the county to move forward with long‑planned improvements to the Oroville jail campus. The State Public Works Board approved the construction contract with D.H. Slater and Son Inc. in May 2023, and construction has continued under state oversight.

As of November 2025, the county issued 93 change orders totaling $1.78 million and the project had remained under budget by about $500,000 before the remaining funds were allocated to complete pavement and lighting work at the administration entrance, county officials said.