FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners Tuesday approved a job description and range of pay for a programming and reentry coordinator for a substance use recovery program at the jail.

Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr., left, and Sgt. Ryan Close listen Tuesday to a county commissioner’s question about a position for the jail during the commissioners meeting in Farmington. Commissioners on Tuesday approved a job description and range of pay for a programming and reentry coordinator for a substance use recovery program at the jail. Donna M. Perry/Sun Journal

Commissioners voted in November to accept a $1 million federal grant over three years to address substance use recovery and resources for reentering society after being released from the county jail. About $500,000 of the grant is expected to pay for two corrections officers and a programming and reentry coordinator.

Sgt. Ryan Close partnered with MaineHealth Healthy Community Coalition to write and submit a grant in July to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, which partners with the U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the jail.

No local match is required.

Close told commissioners Tuesday that there is about $100,000 in the grant for a small renovation project, which includes moving a wall back 9 feet at the jail to allow three small offices to be built. The space is for treatment and programming for residents at the jail.

Related to the program, commissioners approved a job description for a programming and reentry coordinator. The position will be responsible for the creation, implementation, and recordkeeping while providing internal and external resources to clients at the jail with the goal of reducing recidivism, according to the commissioners’ information.

The range of pay for the coordinator is between $45,000 amd $85,000.

The purpose of the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant and Substance Use Program grant is to provide financial and technical assistance to states, local and tribal governments to develop, implement or expand efforts to identify, respond to, treat and support those affected by illicit opioids and stimulants and other drugs, according to its website.

The grant will give the jail access to treatment and connect those being released with resource providers who will help them stay off substances. It has the potential to help stop medication from being diverted from one person to another, Close said in November.

The program is expected to also make the jail safer for those in custody and for staff and other people working there, he said.

According to an overview of the grant on the Bureau of Justice Assistance website: “Our nation’s substance use problem is a public health emergency that threatens the wellbeing of individuals who use drugs and impacts the safety of communities.”