Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Juvenile Center Construction topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Construction progressing at Cole County juvenile center; commissioners discuss selling old facility and scheduling tours
Summary
A presenter told commissioners the new juvenile center construction is progressing on schedule with steel and framing in place and interior work starting; commissioners discussed selling the existing juvenile facility, encouraging prospective buyers to fundraise before formal bids and scheduling tours when the site is empty of youth.
Commissioners received a construction update on the new juvenile center at Mont Saint Mary. The presenter showed photos, described steel erection and framing progress, and said interior work — plumbing, HVAC and other MEP trades — will proceed as roofing progresses.
"We've had steel going up and everything's leveled out down there... we're really starting to work inside a lot," the presenter said, and added that their sequencing has kept the March completion date intact despite a very wet spring.
Commissioners discussed disposition of the existing juvenile facility. One commissioner said the plan has been to sell the building but recommended delaying formal solicitations until potential buyers have time to fundraise; commissioners suggested targeting September or October to accept bids so interested parties can organize campaigns.
Staff offered to arrange site tours and photographs when there are no youth in detention, and a presenter said on-site staff and hard hats are available for supervised visits.
Why it matters: the new facility's progress and the planned sale of the current site affect county capital planning, transition logistics, and community groups that have expressed interest in acquiring the parcel.
Next steps: staff will coordinate tours for commissioners and interested parties and continue to monitor the project schedule; the commission did not take a final action on disposition but signaled intent to solicit bids later in the year.
