Juvenile justice center due to open in Coupeville

COUPEVILLE – Island County will soon have the means to deal with its youngest offenders.

The county’s new $5.6 million juvenile justice center in Coupeville on Whidbey Island will likely be open for business within two weeks, assistant public works director Gwenn Maxfield said.

The building will house a juvenile and family court, and will allow young people to receive counseling, education and other services.

County leaders gathered at the new center in the 500 block of Main Street NE in Coupeville for a dedication ceremony last Thursday. Construction began in February 2005.

“It’s been a long process,” Island County Superior and Juvenile Court Administrator Michael Merringer said. “A lot of people have really advocated and stayed committed to the whole project. It’s really exciting to see that we’re so close to completion.”

The 15,600-square-foot building has 21 beds on two floors and can accommodate both boys and girls. The building has a control room, administrative offices, a classroom that can be partitioned and two dayrooms near the living quarters.

Last year, Island County paid to lock up about 10 juvenile inmates each day, Merringer said. Without its own detention center, Island County sent its juvenile offenders to Snohomish and Skagit counties to serve their time.

“I think it’s huge that when kids are in detention that they’re able to keep in contact with their families,” Merringer said.

The county has been planning the detention center since 1998, when residents approved a sales tax to help pay for the facility.

The county was required to build the detention center. Under state law, counties with more than 50,000 people must have one. The county’s population was nearly 80,000 in 2004.

The classroom can be split by a pull-down wall to separate boys and girls. The two-floor living areas can be split up as well.

“The most exciting part for me has been watching the project unfold from the designing to the actual facility,” Merringer said. “It’s been quite remarkable.”

Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.

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