Calhoun County plans to more than double the size of its juvenile home

The Calhoun County Juvenile Home has undergone a name change and will see an additional $8 million in planned renovations in future years to better match its facility with its mission of making positive change in young people's lives.

The 42-bed Marshall building is now known as the Calhoun County Youth Center after receiving approval Sept. 1 from the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners. As part of the rebranding, the facility has adopted a new logo that includes a phoenix — a symbol of rebirth and renewal.

The name change comes as the county board also has approved financing and design work for roughly $8 million worth of renovations to the aging facility built in 1957. Proposed upgrades include additional classrooms and common areas, along with a dedicated intake space for kids admitted to the facility.

The upgrades will more than double the facility's existing footprint, increasing from 15,760 square feet to roughly 33,105 square feet.

Construction is expected to begin in December, with a target completion date of June 2024.

"This project will allow the Youth Center to continue to operate on its current favorable site location, while extending the life of its structurally sound building mechanics and components," Calhoun County Administrator Kelli Scott said in a statement. "More importantly, renovation plans aim to greatly improve the comfort, safety and efficiency for employees and youth within the Youth Center, and to expand the size and capacity so that all operations will take place on the main level and not in the basement level."

The Youth Center provides short-term detention for kids ages 11 to 17 who are detained for misdemeanors, parole violations and felonies pending further court action.

Children are placed in the detention program by court order.

The Youth Center also offers a short-term behavioral treatment program. Empowered Youth Experience Success (EYES) aims to help youths with delinquent behavior analyze how they think and how their thinking affects their behavior and decision making.

The facility currently averages about 18 to 25 residents at any given time, and also accepts kids from other counties, according to Youth Center Director Tori Benden. Its annual revenue is approximately $722,700.

"We are very sought out," said Benden, acknowledging the facility serves 17 other counties throughout the state. "But that number has probably grown."

Not every county has a secure detention facility, she said, and numerous facilities throughout the state have closed in recent years, leaving many kids with no place to go.

The Youth Center has its own share of challenges. There are a number of cramped multi-purpose areas throughout the building, Benden explained, including a courtroom that also serves as a doctor's office and neighbors a staff bathroom.

Additionally, the building's classrooms are located in the basement, a less than ideal learning environment for kids, according to Benden. The overall layout of the space also makes it difficult for center staff to keep co-defendants separated from one another.

The Calhoun County Board of Commissioners in May authorized the county to issue up to $13 million in capital improvement bonds for the renovation and expansion of the center and energy improvements to all county-owned facilities.

"We (plan to) increase our bed space from 42 to 52 in hopes of providing more services and being able to house more kids for other counties in the state of because the need is so high right now," Benden said. "It’s really turning into a public safety issue."

The county has entered into an agreement with a company, Veregy, for renovations to the center, including solar energy, LED lighting and electrical system improvements designed to reduce energy use in the facility.

The energy savings generated by the improvements and the expected increase in revenues as a result of the center's added capacity to house more out-of-county residents will help fund the estimated $8 million in construction costs, Assistant County Administrator Brad Wilcox explained.

The renovations include the engineering and installation of roof-mounted solar array panels designed to achieve net-metering, where the solar energy generated is equal to the electricity purchased from the local utility.

Four new classrooms will also be added to the main level of the facility, along with a separate entrance and intake space for youths admitted to the center. Admissions are currently conducted in the same space where visitors enter the building, eliminating any possibility of privacy.

Renovations also include a shift to a modern podular design, with large common areas added in each wing of the facility that will allow youths to participate in programming and group counseling without traveling great distances, helping staff maintain proper separation between co-defendants, victims and offenders.

A large visitation area, with separate rooms available to accommodate private family and legal conversations, is also planned, among other improvements.

"It’s not just about youths being the center of what we do and the logo, it’s about really modernizing things and bringing us up to speed and having our look match what we’re doing with the kids inside the facility because we do great work," Benden said of the renovations.

"This really is a rebirth, it’s a new beginning," she continued. "Everybody deserves a second chance and I think that phoenix represents that."

Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter: G_SteeleBC

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Why Calhoun County plans to double the size of its juvenile home