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Sedgwick County officials outline capital plan: juvenile campus, election office move and admin building options
Summary
Commissioner Jim Howell reviewed several county capital projects at a Derby town hall, including a $22 million juvenile campus rebuild, the election office relocation, the county’s role in a state‑funded mental health hospital, and ongoing work to identify a long‑term county administrative building solution.
At a Feb. 1 town hall in Derby, Commissioner Jim Howell described multiple Sedgwick County capital projects in planning or early implementation and said the commission is weighing options to replace long‑term leased office space.
Howell identified projects and statuses: a planned $22 million rebuilding of the juvenile campus to consolidate residential and correctional spaces; county oversight and logistical support for a state‑funded mental‑health facility to be built near MacArthur and Meridian (state to own and operate the facility); a planned election office relocation to the former Walton’s building on 37th Street North (the county said it has not yet taken possession and remodeling is pending); and a newly sited comcare crisis center adjacent to the downtown bioscience campus.
Admin building options: Howell said the county currently occupies leased or temporary space (the Ruffin Building) and is evaluating several long‑term options: purchasing and remodeling an existing building downtown, constructing a new facility (which he estimated could exceed $40 million in construction costs and more than $50 million including contingency and furnishings), or co‑locating county offices in Wichita’s City Hall (which he said could require $25 million–$30 million in retrofit costs). He said the county is also considering lower‑cost suburban options if commissioners are willing to site offices outside downtown.
Timing and next steps: Howell said he hopes the commission can move out of the temporary Ruffin Building within roughly 18 months if a feasible option is secured; he said staff and outside realty consultants are producing property searches and proposals. He asked residents to consider tradeoffs between convenience for downtown users and long‑term cost savings.
Other capital notes: Howell said a regional bioscience campus nearby could create synergies for county services and training; he noted the county has committed to some ARPA and federal funds in recent years for pandemic response but said the final ARPA allocations were recently closed.
