Officials dedicate new juvenile center in Cape Girardeau

Cape Girardeau County Associate Commissioner Charles Herbst called it a “historic day” as officials dedicated the 32nd Judicial Circuit’s new juvenile center Thursday afternoon in Cape Girardeau.

The 10,000-square-foot facility at 2137 Rust Ave. brings the juvenile staff together under one roof, Herbst said.

Previously, the juvenile employees and court personnel were in two buildings. Files, resource materials and programs now will be housed more efficiently in one location, Herbst said.

Associate Circuit Judge Scott Lipke, who presides over juvenile cases, praised the new facility.

Lipke said the new facility has space for attorneys to meet with clients and the courtroom is large enough to accommodate all the parties involved in juvenile cases from family members to case investigators.

Officials and community leaders enjoyed a reception after the dedication of the new juvenile center Thursday in Cape Girardeau.MARK BLISS

“You have all these people involved,” the judge told the crowd of about 50 county and court officials, state lawmakers and community leaders. “When I see three (attorney) tables out there, that is a beautiful thing.”

Lipke said, “These cases are very emotional. They can be adversarial. Emotions run very high. In the old Common Pleas Courthouse, you had people sitting five feet from each other that wanted to rip the other’s eyes out.”

In contrast, the new juvenile center has a spacious waiting room that can accommodate 70 people; family-friendly restrooms; a children’s area outfitted with a colorful mural; and comfortable meeting spaces.

In the new facility, Lipke said he no longer has to leave the courtroom to allow attorneys and their clients to have confidential discussions.

“This is bricks and mortar, but it is so much more than that,” Lipke told the audience. “It is going to help the system function much better, with hopefully better outcomes.”

Herbst, who spearheaded the juvenile-center project, said the new center replaces an aging facility in downtown Cape Girardeau that was considered a “temporary solution” when it opened in 1974.

Herbst said the former commercial building proved to be a good fit.

“After one visit to this location, I was convinced that this was a perfect opportunity to provide safe and sufficient space, not only for the juvenile staff, but also for establishment of a permanent courtroom,” he said.

Cape Girardeau County purchased the building and two-acre site for $505,000 in 2015. Renovations cost more than $200,000, according to Herbst.

Herbst said the county kept costs down by relying on county employees for much of the labor and obtaining much of the furniture in the form of surplus property from the federal government.

Randy Rhodes, chief juvenile officer for the judicial circuit of Cape Girardeau, Bollinger and Perry counties, said his staff handles about 1,200 juvenile referrals a year from police, social services and schools.

Juvenile officers began operating out of the new center earlier this summer, Rhodes said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

2137 Rust Ave., Cape Girardeau, Mo.