Freeborn County has concluded that remodeling the Western Grocery building for use as a juvenile detention facility is economically infeasible, after a survey conducted by Darryl Meyer, department of human services director, indicated there is too much cost and risk.

Thursday, October 18, 2001

Freeborn County has concluded that remodeling the Western Grocery building for use as a juvenile detention facility is economically infeasible, after a survey conducted by Darryl Meyer, department of human services director, indicated there is too much cost and risk.

The county board asked Meyer to explore the possibility in June after an engineering firm said remodeling the old building as a jail was impossible.

Meyer’s survey focused on the economic sustainability of the juvenile detention facility. It evaluated neither the structural feasibility nor associated costs of the remodeling.

Meyer pictured a facility that has two to four beds for short-term detention and six beds for long-term. State regulation demands separate private and public space by gender, and stipulates a minimum amount of per capita space. Some educational, recreational and social programs for the juveniles are also required.

The survey projected a $160 to $165 daily cost per person for staffing, which is &uot;too risky for the county,&uot; said Meyer.

Good staffs and programs are essential for building the credibility of the facility. &uot;We cannot just hire anybody for the facility. Advanced education and skill are necessary for many positions,&uot; Meyer said.

The fluid demand for the juvenile detention facility does not favor the scheme, either.

The funding for the service largely relies on expected income by receiving juveniles from other counties. Freeborn County currently sends out juveniles who received a court order to be detained to the facilities in several counties. A juvenile correction center in Olmsted County, for example, charges $200 a day.

But Meyer forecasts there would not be enough demand for the new facility in Freeborn County to generate sufficient income. Renting out is completely demand based, which makes it difficult for the county to calculate the revenue.

&uot;It is a very fragile business,&uot; said Meyer.

The Chain of Lakes Juvenile Resource Center in Fairmont went into de facto bankruptcy after only four years of operation in February due to insufficient demand for the facility.

The center had a capacity of 30 juveniles, but the average population during months before the shutdown was 9 to 12.

&uot;Running a juvenile detention facility is too costly and risky. Unless the county is willing to bear that cost, it is not feasible,&uot; Meyer said.