It certainly would be great to see Benton County take care of its long-term needs related to its juvenile justice system. And with construction costs down, there might not bea better time to build.
We understand, then, the rationale behind the plan that the Benton County Long Range Planning Committee for Real Estate adopted last week. It calls for the county to purchase and renovate a buildingjust off Arkansas 12 (across from the Wal-Mart Distribution Center) to house the juvenile probation offices and court system; the county also would buy an adjacent lot to build a juvenile detention center. The project also would include remodeling of the current Juvenile Detention Center in downtown Bentonville so that it may be used as storage space and a detention area for inmates awaiting trial at the county courthouse.
Total cost of the plan, including contingency costs: $4.9 million.
That would nearly suck dry the money Benton County has on reserve for capital projects. And while there’s no such thing as the perfect plan for using these dollars, this plan strikes us as extremely problematic.
For one thing, it would virtually eliminate another idea that’s been the subject of much discussion: moving the Health Department to the Center for Nonprofits in Rogers. As we’ve said before, the center is an ideal home for the Health Department. Located in the middle of Benton County’s biggest city, the center is easily accessed by a large number of people; moreover, the Health Department is a natural fit with other organizations that call the center home - nonprofits that ensure that basic needs of the community are being met. At roughly $2 million (plus a nominal annual maintenance fee) for a 15-year lease - and then $1 a year every year after that - this move makes a lot of sense.
There are other concerns with the building plan.
Circuit Judge Jay Finch and his staff would be relocated to the new building, because Finch handles juvenile cases. But he handles other divisions of Circuit Court as well. Moving one judge out of downtown Bentonville would create a “record-keeping nightmare,” said Circuit Clerk Brenda DeShields.
Then there’s the question of how residents of the area will react to this plan. An apartment complex sits next door to the proposed site of the Juvenile Detention Center, and there are numerous homes within a one-mile radius. The building purchase is contingent on approval by the city of Bentonville’s Planning Commission and City Council. Once residents find out that a small jail is coming to their neighborhood, how many will raise a stink?
The NIMBY (not in my backyard) mindset already has been observed once in Bentonville this year. This summer, the city seemed poised to punch through a dead end in a residential neighborhood in order to link Northwest Fifth Street with North Walton Boulevard. Fifth Street residents rose up in protest, afraid that it would spoil the relative tranquility of their street. Council relented, and Northwest Fifth Street remained a dead end.
Aside from all of this, we can’t help but feel bothered by the fact that the county is proposing to spend $1.2 million on a building that sold at public auction for only $1 million just three months ago.
This building plan is expensive and comes with numerous flaws. The proposal to move the Health Department to Rogers - then renovate the current Health Department to accommodate other county offices now being housed in leased spaces - seems like a better alternative.
Opinion, Pages 5 on 11/19/2009
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