Simplified: A new, $42 million juvenile justice center is expected to open later this month, according to county officials. And as the project came in under budget, the county is also looking at adding on even more space for the future.
Why it matters
- Discussions about the need for more space where kids who've committed crimes can be safely detained started several years ago, with plans for building a brand new facility dating back to 2022.
- Today, the first phase of the new facility is nearing completion, with plans to open later this month, according to Tom Greco, administrative officer for the Minnehaha County Commission.
- The project, which was initially pitched as a $50 million ordeal, is coming in under budget. That led commissioners on Tuesday to approve spending another $1.6 million to create shell space for future expansion to include courtroom and administrative space. That brings the total price tag to about $42.3 million.
"The intent is to build it now so when we do need it – and we know we’ll need it years down the road – it is there, and then the cost to deal with it will be significantly less," Greco told commissioners Tuesday morning.
Tell me more
The shell space will add another 6,600 square feet to the project, and Greco emphasized this won't add more beds for kids in custody.
- Rather, it'll provide the option for another courtroom and more office space to help take care of a kid's entire case on-site.
The new, 72,000-square-foot facility set to open later this month will have space for 64 beds, separated into eight-person pods. On average, there are about 30 kids in the existing juvenile detention center at any given time.
Learn more and see renderings here:
Megan Raposa
What happens next?
Media are expected to get a chance to tour the new facility next week ahead of its opening.
The second phase of the build-out – including more of the office/administrative/courtroom and the shell space for future growth – is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
