Bill Summary for Bill Number Division of Youth Services Program Plan

Date: 03/12/2009

Final
Division of Youth Services Program Plan

COMMITTEE ON CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Approve the Northeast Region Youth Services Center	PASS

08:03 AM -- Division of Youth Services Program Plan

The committee was called to order. A quorum was present. Representative Riesberg discussed agenda items for upcoming committee meetings. Mr. John Gomez, Director, Division of Youth Corrections, Mr. Bradford Membel, Director, Division of Facilities Management, and Mr. Don Lawhead, Project Manager, Division of Facilities Management, all of the Department of Human Services, presented a request for the Northeast Region Youth Services Center program plan. Committee members received a copy of the facility program plan (on file with Legislative Council Staff), and a summary of the facility program plan, prepared by Legislative Council Staff (Attachment A). Mr. Gomez told the committee about the condition of the existing Adams County Youth Services Center in Brighton, and talked about why the facility needs to be replaced. He explained that the existing facility does not accommodate the youth detention and commitment needs for the northeast judicial districts. Mr. Gomez explained how the project's prior appropriation was spent to develop the facility program plan. Mr Gomez continued by giving an overview of the planned new facility, including its campus-like environment and housing plan.

08:12 AM

Mr. Gomez explained the need for single-level housing in order to mitigate suicide risk. He said the male and female population will be separated in different pods in the facility. He then outlined the planned recreational and programmatic space. Mr. Gomez discussed the need for dedicated vocational programming space and the department's plan to achieve the LEED Gold Standard for high-performance certification. Mr. Gomez then discussed the terms and conditions of the site purchase for the planned facility. Mr. Gomez explained that the site purchase was contingent on some funding deadlines, including: (1) December 31, 2013, the deadline to obtain state funding for the project's infrastructure costs; and (2) December 31, 2015, the deadline to obtain state funding for project construction. Mr. Gomez said these deadlines can be extended, if an extension is agreed upon by both the state and the developer. He said that if the state is unable to meet the funding deadlines, and no extension is agreed upon, then property ownership will revert to Adams County.

08:21 AM

Mr. Gomez addressed a question about a possible 20-bed expansion to the proposed facility and explained that a future expansion would add-on to two pods. Mr. Gomez then addressed a question about the number of full time nurses budgeted for the new facility. In response to a question, Mr. Gomez clarified the size of the new facility, including the number of male and female beds, and detention and commitment beds. Mr. Gomez and Mr. Lawhead answered a question about water rights for a well on the property. Mr. Lawhead explained that the department will hold shallow water rights on the property, and that this water will most likely be used to irrigate the Northeast Region Youth Services Center campus. Discussion ensued about future need in the northeast region for youth commitment and detention beds.

08:30 AM

Mr. Gomez talked about the impact of opening the new facility on other state-owned youth corrections facilities in the state. Senator Bacon commented on the condition of the existing Adams County Youth Services Center. Senator Kopp asked about the potential availability of federal dollars to fund part of the project's total cost. Discussion ensued.


BILL:	Division of Youth Services, Program Plan
TIME:	08:36:37 AM
MOVED:	Bacon
MOTION:	Approve the Northeast Region Youth Services Center facility program plan. The motion carried on a vote of 5-0-1.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Kopp	Yes
	McFadyen	Excused
	Schwartz	Yes
	Sonnenberg	Yes
	Bacon	Yes
	Riesberg	Yes

Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

Prior to the vote, Senator Bacon complimented the department on a well thought-out and thorough facility program plan.

08:38 AM

Representative Riesberg told the committee that it would prioritize state-funded requests on Tuesday, March 17. He talked about the committee's usual prioritization process. Discussion ensued about how FY 2008-09 state-funded projects were prioritized by the committee.

08:44 AM

The committee adjourned.