STATE FANS JUVENILE CENTER PLAN; MORE FED MONEY WILL LET STATE BUILD TWO CENTERS

The odds have doubled in favor of Cape Girardeau County securing a Missouri Division of Youth Services juvenile facility. Instead of one facility for Southeast Missouri, the state plans to build two in the region.

Mark Steward, director of the Division of Youth Services for the state, said the state has tentatively received funding for an additional 10 beds for the southeast region through the federal crime bill.

The additional funding, enough to increase the number of beds from 30 to 40, prompted state officials to take a second look at their construction plans, Steward said.

"Instead of a 10-bed facility and a 30-bed facility, it makes much more sense to look at two 20-bed facilities, one in the eastern part of the region and one in the western part of the region," he said.

Plans now call for the facilities to be classified as "moderate," Steward said.

"The first was going to be a secure facility that was more for the more serious offenders," he said. "These will be for the more moderate, in-the-middle kids" who have not committed such serious offenses.

Deadline for applications for the facilities has been extended to mid-March, Steward said, and "about 30" communities have requested information about the project.

Steward said he did not know how many communities have actually filed applications for the facilities.

Cape Girardeau County is one. Commissioners filed an application in February, hoping to bring the facility, 50 new jobs and a $1-million annual payroll to the community.

Commissioners planned to locate the facility, if Cape Girardeau were chosen, in Klaus Park, near Interstate 55.

Some neighbors in the area have protested placing a youth facility in the park. They spoke with county commissioners last week about their concerns, including a fear that the center would mean lower property values.

Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones said Monday that options are open concerning a potential site for the Division of Youth Services facility.

"As we tried to explain last week, these people are getting the cart ahead of the horse," he said. "We don't have the facility yet."

Whether or not Cape Girardeau County is selected for the regional center, commissioners say something must be done about the current, outdated juvenile detention center on Merriwether Street in Cape Girardeau.

Jones said he hopes to see the regional center built in Klaus Park. Then the county would consider building a new, adjoining local detention facility for juvenile offenders.

Jones said options remain open concerning the county facility also. A new structure, remodeling or additions to the existing building are all possibilities.

Jay Wood and Sandra Rempe of the Missouri Juvenile Justice Association met with commissioners Monday and outlined some problems with the existing center and offered their help in planning the remodeling of the center or design of a new center.

The association is contracted by state officials to monitor juvenile facilities in the state to make sure federal regulations are being met.

Wood and Rempe were in Cape Girardeau for the scheduled monitoring visit and also visited with commissioners. They said Cape Girardeau's current juvenile detention center meets compliance regulations, but the structure is antiquated by today's standards.

It was built in the early 1970s.

For example, Wood said, the building has an old-fashioned locking system, the shower facility is too small and the there is almost no room for classrooms or offices.

In addition, Rhodes and Wood said the number of juvenile offenders in Cape Girardeau and throughout the state is expected to rise over the next few years.

Wood said census data shows post-baby boomers are causing an increase in teen-age populations. As school populations and housing grow in an area, juvenile crime will grow also, he said.

Commissioners said they would like a written report about the problems at the current center. They also asked for information about other judicial circuits building new juvenile facilities.

"If we spend any money on an existing facility, I want to be satisfied that it's big enough and allows us to get all the functions under one roof," Commissioner Joe Gambill said. "Will it last for 15 years?"