A proposal to refurbish the historic old Monterey County jail received an initial go-ahead Thursday — and the timing was perfect.

The action by the Historical Resources Review Board comes a week before the National Park Service is scheduled to come to Salinas to take public comment on a plan to commemorate farm labor leader Cesar Chavez in the national parks system. The Chavez link to the site could eventually lead to the abandoned jail’s designation as a national historic landmark.

The county public works project unanimously approved by the Historical Resources Review Board would spend up to $200,000 on a limited upgrade of the decaying building on West Alisal Street, where Chavez was jailed for nearly three weeks in 1970 for refusing to halt a grape boycott.

Work would include re-roofing the administration wing, weatherization, faade repairs and removal of the upper-level exercise yard enclosure. If the Board of Supervisors approves the project, the work would begin by May. No completion date has been set.

A previously $1 million renovation project would have preserved the 80-year-old jail’s administration wing for a historical display and other uses while demolishing much of the rest of the structure. But it was put on hold nearly two years ago and efforts by historic preservationists to raise money for renovating the building have largely stalled.

Mark Norris, of the Architectural Heritage Association, said he is hoping the jail will be declared a national landmark, arguing it is the only place Chavez was ever incarcerated. Norris said the designation would help the jail, which is already on the National Register of Historic Places, attract state and federal funding. He said he opposes any plan to raze part of the jail, and said any such proposal would require more study.

"The whole jail is historical," he said. "We want to avoid another hole in the ground or another parking lot. If we don’t preserve our state’s history, it will be gone."

According to the Park Service’s draft "Cesar Chavez special resource study," the jail has been identified as a potential nationally significant site, meaning that with more study it could qualify as a national landmark.

The draft study reviewed more than 100 sites in the western U.S. of significance to Chavez and the farm labor movement. It identified five sites as nationally significant, 11 sites as potentially significant and 24 sites that are potentially eligible for the national historic places register.

Included in the latter group were the Mexican American Political Association Office and the UFW Legal Offices in Salinas, and El Teatro Campesino in San Juan Bautista.

The study lists five management options aimed at managing, protecting or restoring the historic resources in an effort to promote public access and enjoyment of them.

Thursday’s meeting is 6:30 p.m. at the National Steinbeck Center in downtown Salinas. The public is invited to comment on the draft study and preservation options. National parks officials visited Salinas in May as part of the study process.

The public can comment on the study by email, regular mail or on the National Park Service website. Comments will be accepted through Nov. 14.

Debate about the jail’s future goes back years. The Board of Supervisors approved razing the building years ago, but court action halted the plans.

Norris said his organization wants to convert the jail to a museum and has a collection of material for display.

As part of its approval, the historical review board recommended avoiding damage to balusters near the front steps and removing fencing in front of the building, if possible.

Board member Salvador Munoz told county officials that if the building could be renovated enough so it could be used again to some extent, then it would help fundraising efforts. Munoz noted the city of Salinas is promoting its historic sites, and suggested improvements to the jail exterior could help the public’s appreciation of the structure.

Public works official Rich Sauerwein told the board there are limited funds available for the renovation work, noting the county’s budget is already tight.

Jim Johnson can be reached at 753-6753 or jjohnson@montereyherald.com.