Let’s get the new juvenile hall built before costs go up again

Word is that construction is to finally start this coming week on a new juvenile hall here in Marysville.

The idea for the facility started some eight years ago when Colusa County was notified it would be awarded a grant worth several million dollars for a juvenile facility. Wise leaders in that county realized that building a juvenile hall there would not be efficient. Operational costs would have outstripped benefits. So the proposal was made to partner up with Sutter and Yuba Counties, which already had a bi-county agreement in place and were using a long-outdated and well-worn juvenile hall.

The governor signed a bill in 2013 redirecting the grant to all three counties.

It took some time to iron out an agreement on operational costs, getting the various reviews completed and working out conditions with the state. It took so long that original plans for the new facility had to be scaled back for affordability.

As it stands now, the state is providing more than $15 million and the counties are providing more than $6 million.

The new hall will be a 32-bed facility at 938 14th St., near the old juvenile hall in Marysville.

It’s too bad that all the time it took meant cost increases and cuts in the plans for the facility, but it will be a modern facility and accommodate the counties’ needs well. We’re glad it’s finally going to happen – let’s get it built before costs increase again.