Walls are being knocked down at Benton County’s juvenile justice center to begin the first substantial renovation in roughly 30 years.

County officials broke ground on the $21 million project at 5606 W. Canal Drive in early December, calling it a “long-awaited remodel that is set to enhance the facility’s structure and strengthen operations” in a release.

The layout of the building will change dramatically, with the current housing pods on the west side of the building – visible from Canal Drive – being demolished and replaced by new ones on the north side. Part of the gym building will be torn down to help create a secure and enclosed courtyard.

The first phase of construction is expected to wrap up by the end of 2025.

Years of planning

The construction comes after years of study, analysis and planning. Benton County even considered building an entirely new juvenile facility next to the Benton County Justice Center and new administration building on Okanogan Avenue. But Riley Ollero, the county’s construction manager, said it’s a project long overdue to bring the juvenile justice center up to current standards.

“We’re excited to get this one started,” he said.

The current facility was built in 1979, and in 1996 the addition of the current housing pods and other enhancements increased capacity to 40 youth. Since then, the building’s systems and infrastructure have aged while technology and best practices in juvenile rehabilitation have advanced, officials said.

Benton County is using some capital funds to pay for the project but also $10 million of its remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds, which were distributed by the federal government as relief funding during the Covid-19 pandemic. In exchange for fully funding the renovation, Franklin County has ceded its ownership and interest in the facility to Benton County and instead pays nearly $213,000 per month as a usage fee to house its detained youth there.

County officials weighed a number of factors in determining how to renovate the facility, or whether to stick with it at all, Ollero said. While the building is old and has some subpar components, “renovating was the most practical decision and best way to serve youth at the same time,” he said.

Ollero said the renovation will not require the county to move youth off-site as the new housing pods will be built and completed before the current ones are demolished. And there still will be a gym for youth to use as only part of the building it’s housed in will be demolished to create the new enclosed courtyard.

Improvements also will be made to security systems, access controls, and heating ventilation and air conditioning systems.

Design West designed the project. Chervenell Construction is the contractor.

Though the renovations are not intended to expand the facility’s youth capacity, Ollero said the new pods would be able to hold as many as 16 youth each if some rooms are changed to double occupancy. There also will be space to build one more additional housing pod if needed in the future.

The current housing pods have limited options for increasing capacity, he said.