County eyes land for juvenile detention facility

SANDPOINT — Bonner County commissioners agreed on Tuesday to pursue negotiations with landowners to secure property for a new juvenile detention facility.

The county is eyeing several parcels south of the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office and north of Woodland Drive. The properties have appraised values ranging from $158,000 to $192,000.

“That was good news to me,” said Commission Chairman Joe Young, who expected the appraisals to come in higher.

The county hopes to strike an arrangement with the Panhandle Area Council to secure low-interest funding to pay for the acquisition of the property and a new juvenile facility. The county would acquire the land and the facility through a lease/purchase agreement.

Commissioners also met with Paul Ferguson, a commercial loan officer for PAC, which is taking the county’s conceptual plan under consideration.

It’s the third plan the county has embarked upon a plan to resolve its juvenile detention dilemma. A two-year override levy did not win voter approval and a previous lease/purchase proposal was rejected by a 1st District judge.

The county’s existing facility is no longer certified because of structural deficiencies associated with the renovated single-family residence. However, the Idaho Counties Risk Management Program has agreed to continue insuring the facility as long as the county continues to seek a solution.

“If we don’t have a viable plan and ICRMP backs away, we’re done,” Commissioner Lewis Rich said.

If the insurance falls away, Bonner County juveniles will have to be housed at the Region 1 lockup in Coeur d’Alene. County officials estimate that total reliance on that facility could cost a $1 million a year once transportation and attendant staffing costs are factored in.