Parents oppose JDC near school
Posted on Wednesday, October 3, 2007
ROGERS - Residents and parents made it clear to a panel of county officials Tuesday night that they do not want a juvenile detention center in their neighborhood or near their children's school.
Benton County is under contract to purchase St. Mary's Hospital on the corner of 13 th and Walnut streets in Rogers for $ 7 million and is in the process of determining if the 255, 000-square-foot facility could feasibly be renovated into a juvenile detention center, as well as offices for many other county departments.
Dozens of people lined up to ask questions and make comments about the proposal at a community meeting at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church on Tuesday.
"I personally can't understand the logic of trying to put (the JDC ) up against an elementary school, and it doesn't seem to concern anybody," said St. Vincent de Paul parishioner John Denefe.
His comment elicited cheers from the audience, many of whom agreed that the JDC would pose safety threats to children at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School and Church, both just a block away from the hospital.
The feasibility of the project as a whole hinges on the cost of the JDC renovation and possibly - after the reaction of residents Tuesday - neighborhood acceptance. If the project is not feasible, the county will be reimbursed the $ 50, 000 it paid in earnest money for the hospital building, and the contract will be void.
JDC Director Dennis Cottrell, who has long been begging for a new JDC to solve the space crunch of the current facility in downtown Bentonville, assured residents Tuesday the facility would be at all times secure. He said detainees would neither be seen by outsiders nor be able to see beyond the walls of the facility.
"Our staff is trained to deal with problems," he said. "We go to great lengths to ensure safety."
Cottrell said that with tight security, including 36 cameras, a detainee has never escaped from the current facility. He pointed out that the same juveniles who spend time in the JDC also spend time in public places such as department stores and schools.
Tentative plans are to renovate the third floor of the hospital building into the detention center. A secure elevator and walkway would lead to a juvenile courtroom, a visitation room and an exercise area on the first floor of the building. A wall would be built to keep the exercise area out of view from the public.
Despite promises of safety from county officials, residents at the meeting continued to question the security of their children.
"There's nothing I can probably say to change that, but I will say it is a safe (facility )," Cottrell said. "Not one time has a neighbor come by to complain about the JDC."
Residents living near the hospital also expressed concerns that a juvenile detention center in the neighborhood would affect property values. Lee Johnson, who lives on 12 th Street, said real estate agents told her a JDC would cause resalability of homes in the area to plummet.
"I have a lot of friends and neighbors here who are obviously very concerned," Johnson said. "There are many people who will not buy a home in an area because they don't want to be near something like this."
Benton County Judge Gary Black told the group that the current JDC is near public parks, residential neighborhoods and just a few blocks away from public elementary schools.
"It's right downtown, right around the Square," Black said. "I've never had anyone come to my office and say, ' Judge Black, the Juvenile Detention Center has affected my property values. ."
Justice of the Peace Marge Wolf, who served as moderator at the meeting, validated the concerns of some of the residents, pointing out that she is a resident of the community and a member of the church.
"There's no good answer to it," she said. "I don't know how I would feel. I think I would be down there with you."
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
