Lycoming County District Attorney Tom Marino hopes the county breaks ground in Lewis Township on a new juvenile rehabilitation/justice center by 2026.
Marino recently unveiled plans for the 140-to-200-bed, $60 million center on 57 acres. He first talked about the plans with WVIA News in September.
The district attorney envisions a center where troubled youths can find proper help better than any of the state’s 22 centers, Marino said.
“I think being out in the country gives a soothing effect to begin with. There's nowhere in town where I think it would fit, because it's more like a lodge setting that blends back into the top of a mountain, trees around it. I think it's an ideal location,” he said.
Initial plans were drafted but the county commissioners want a feasibility study to determine the cost and details of building it.
The study is expected to cost $90,000. The county commissioners committed $45,000 and Marino and his staff member, Katie de Silva, are looking for a matching $45,000.
“She's working with some state people and our legislators, office, our house members and Senate members getting money for us. I've been lobbying my colleagues that are still in Congress,” Marino said. “It's going to take some time. It's not going to be done overnight.”
In an earlier interview, Marino said the county usually requires 20 to 25 beds, but could attract youths from other states to help pay for it. The county pays about $700 a day to send kids to other states’ facilities, Marino said.
“Other states are going to hear about this and they will be sending kids in from, I mean, we're sending kids as far away as Texas, maybe Texas will send kids now to Pennsylvania,” he predicted.
The building could wrap around in a boomerang shape with less focus on hallways.
“I don't want a bunch of hallways, but enough to make sure that it's easier to travel so kids know where they're going,” he said.
Woodlands could surround the facility with multiple roads for “smooth” traffic flow.
“We're going to have to build a couple of roads to make sure that they're wide enough to make sure that it's going to carry the weight of what we have to the materials we have to get up there. We don't want just one way in and out, in case there's an emergency. We want maybe two or three ways in and out,” Marino said.
Marino added high-security cameras will surround road entrances. The center could include courtrooms for juvenile probation officers and judges.
The facility will include counselors, medical staff and educators. Marino wants every child to receive a high school diploma.
“We're going to have counseling rooms. And one thing that I'm insisting on is these the youth here, they all need counseling. So we're going to hire psychologists, psychiatrists, we're going to have medical staff on board,” Marino said. “We're going to have to teach reading, writing and arithmetic all over again. Once we get that done, and once we have the ability to persuade these kids, it's only going to improve what their future is going to be like.”
About 200 staff members could work there. The facility will focus on counseling, especially with parental/guardian involvement.
“I'm insisting that the parents or parents who are around must participate in this, according to what the psychologist and the psychiatrist say. If they refuse to, we'll have the court hold them in contempt because the parents need just as much counseling, probably more than the kids do,” he said.
An authority could oversee the facility’s functions. Marino said the board should have at least seven members. The state’s district attorney and commissioner associations will be involved too, Marino said.
The center would have a gymnasium with basketball courts and softball fields down the road, Marino said.
“We want these kids to get physical exercise, particularly in the winter, when it's too cold to go out. But in the spring and summer, it's going to be great,” he said.
Other additions could happen after construction. Marino wants opportunities for kids who have never experienced the outdoors.
“We need a good sized barn so we can teach these kids how to take care of animals, whether they're rabbits or whether it's a horse or it's a cow. They're going to be working and have gardens to raise vegetables that will go into the kitchens and be used, something that these kids have never been exposed to,” Marino said. “But the priority is getting the buildings put together, having the roads put in and everything we need to the startup shop.”
Marino and his office will work with Lewis Township if the center moves ahead. He shared the plans with township officials in November.
“They were very impressed with it and very excited about it. I think it will have a positive impact on the township,” Marino said.
Lewis Township officials didn’t respond to efforts to obtain comment.
Marino plans to seek financial support from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration.
“A handful of us are going to meet next week to go to the Capitol to meet with the governor's secretary that oversees a lot of where we can get money, plus our local and state legislators will be there as well,” Marino said.
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