Site search
sponsored by
News
After seven years of planning, a Churchill County juvenile detention facility is scheduled to break ground on North Broadway Street in November.
The 11,000 square-foot facility, when fully operational will have 16 beds and the Juvenile Probation Office will move there from its current location at Carson and First streets.
The new location currently has old metal buildings at the site, and those will be razed before construction begins on the detention center.
JPO Chief DeVere Karlson said the center will be a holding station where juveniles could be held for as long as 30 days while their cases are decided. She said the 16-bed facility will serve Churchill County for the next 20 to 25 years.
“The goal is to open up 16 beds, but we do not know about the economy or the demand,” she said.
While the funds to build the facility are in place, the resources to operate it are still being researched. She said the county has taken out a partial loan for the construction.
The future detention facility will closely resemble the design of one in Elko County which will save Churchill County funds. Lombard-Conrad Architects is offering a 40 percent discount on its fees since they are using a previous design.
Comptroller Alan Kalt said he anticipates the county needing medium-term financing for the project and will also use funds from geothermal rents and royalties.
Kalt, at a May 20 county commissioner meeting, said there is money in the capital improvements fund to cover construction, and added the facility would need high occupancy to work.
“We are mandated to provide this service to the community,” he said.
The location of the new facility is ideal because officers must be close to schools to react quickly to incidents.
Karlson said some beds will be leased to other counties, and added the center will open in phases with eight beds available initially.
The JPO staff will take shifts at the new facility, and Karlson said her office will hire a few part-time employees to help run it.
The JPO chief said the facility will not look like a detention center and instead will resemble an office building from the outside with a brick wall around it.
Karlson said having a detention center in the county will also provide safety for its officers, adding there is always a risk when a lone officer must transport a high risk juvenile to a detention center.
District Attorney Art Mallory said having a detention facility in town would be a huge benefit to the community. He said JPO officers could spend more time in the county rather using time to transport juveniles back and forth to other counties.
As the groundbreaking draws near, the JPO will schedule open meetings to discuss what is occurring.
“We are going to get a really good building,” Karlson said.
The 11,000 square-foot facility, when fully operational will have 16 beds and the Juvenile Probation Office will move there from its current location at Carson and First streets.
The new location currently has old metal buildings at the site, and those will be razed before construction begins on the detention center.
JPO Chief DeVere Karlson said the center will be a holding station where juveniles could be held for as long as 30 days while their cases are decided. She said the 16-bed facility will serve Churchill County for the next 20 to 25 years.
“The goal is to open up 16 beds, but we do not know about the economy or the demand,” she said.
While the funds to build the facility are in place, the resources to operate it are still being researched. She said the county has taken out a partial loan for the construction.
The future detention facility will closely resemble the design of one in Elko County which will save Churchill County funds. Lombard-Conrad Architects is offering a 40 percent discount on its fees since they are using a previous design.
Comptroller Alan Kalt said he anticipates the county needing medium-term financing for the project and will also use funds from geothermal rents and royalties.
Kalt, at a May 20 county commissioner meeting, said there is money in the capital improvements fund to cover construction, and added the facility would need high occupancy to work.
“We are mandated to provide this service to the community,” he said.
The location of the new facility is ideal because officers must be close to schools to react quickly to incidents.
Karlson said some beds will be leased to other counties, and added the center will open in phases with eight beds available initially.
The JPO staff will take shifts at the new facility, and Karlson said her office will hire a few part-time employees to help run it.
The JPO chief said the facility will not look like a detention center and instead will resemble an office building from the outside with a brick wall around it.
Karlson said having a detention center in the county will also provide safety for its officers, adding there is always a risk when a lone officer must transport a high risk juvenile to a detention center.
District Attorney Art Mallory said having a detention facility in town would be a huge benefit to the community. He said JPO officers could spend more time in the county rather using time to transport juveniles back and forth to other counties.
As the groundbreaking draws near, the JPO will schedule open meetings to discuss what is occurring.
“We are going to get a really good building,” Karlson said.
