Minnehaha County to spend up to $50 million to replace Juvenile Detention Center

New facility needed for capacity, safety reasons, officials argue

Minnehaha County will borrow up to $50 million to replace the Juvenile Detention Center with a new Juvenile Justice Center following a unanimous vote Tuesday.

And while it means an increase in property taxes – about $50 a year for a home valued at $300,000, according to Auditor Ben Kyte – there was no opposition to a decision that will have a lasting consequence on the community for decades to come.

And that’s a testament to the sustained education campaign undertaken by Minnehaha County officials over the last year and a half to educate the public about why a new Juvenile Justice Center is necessary. Tours have been provided to community groups and leaders to show why the current facility – built in 1969 – is inadequate for now and the future. That includes basic design, as well as the population it serves.

Commissioner Gerald Beninga put it starkly: “The youth we are serving today are totally different than the youth we were serving 50, 60 years ago.”

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