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Minnehaha County approves $1.6M change order to add shell space at Juvenile Justice Center; old detention building declared surplus
Summary
The county authorized Change Order No. 3 to add roughly 6,600 square feet of shell space to Phase 2 of the Juvenile Justice Center for $1,600,000, raising the GMP to $42.2 million and extending completion about 70 days; the commission also declared the existing juvenile detention facility and related assets surplus for demolition.
Tom Greco, Minnehaha County—commission administrative officer, told commissioners on Oct. 7 that Change Order No. 3 for the county—juvenile justice center project will add approximately 6,600 square feet of shell space to Phase 2 at a change order price of $1,600,000.
"This addition will not be finished; it will be built out, but it will not have final finishes done inside," Greco said, adding that the extra shell space uses earlier bid savings and will reduce future build-out costs. He said the change brings the guaranteed maximum price to $42,200,000 and increases substantial completion by about 70 days to Dec. 11, 2026.
Commissioners said the decision is intended to preserve capacity for future needs. "Less than $250 a square foot is a very good price for construction these days," the chair said during the debate, calling the expansion a prudent investment.
The commission voted to approve the change order by roll call.
Greco also asked the board to declare several items tied to the existing juvenile detention center surplus, including the building (original portions dating to 1969), the parking lot and multiple systems. He corrected a book-value error for the JDC parking lot to about $70,000 and said the control system's book value is about $40,000. The camera system, originally purchased for $66,000, had depreciated to about $16,000; staff expect to salvage a small number of cameras for use elsewhere on the campus but recommended demolition of the integrated control and camera systems as impractical to reuse.
A commissioner who toured Phase 1 praised the work of staff and contractors and moved approval of both the change order and the surplus disposition. The motions carried on roll calls.
What happens next: phase 1 occupancy is expected by the end of the month, Greco said; once staff and inhabitants move out of the existing juvenile detention center the county will proceed with demolition and Phase 2 construction including the approved shell-space addition.
