In May, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners approved money for a host of security upgrades for the Guilford County Juvenile Detention Facility at 15 Lockheed Court out near Piedmont Triad International Airport.
Now, upon further review, county officials have decided to nearly double the $200,000 they originally planned to spend earlier this year.
The improvements at the facility are meant to make it safer for detention staff as well as for the youths being held there.
Some of the coming improvements are new high-tech controls on security doors, an upgrade of the intercom system, an expanded and improved video surveillance system and the replacement of the facility’s main control room, which county staff say is outdated.
On Thursday, Sept. 21, the Board of Commissioners is expected to increase the allocation for the project by nearly $184,000 to pay for security enhancements not originally anticipated. Over the summer, county staff determined that the scope of the project “is larger than previously estimated” and decided that the improvements should include more video surveillance cameras in the juvenile living units and a new “security housing station,” where detainees who display extreme or dangerous behavior can be securely separated from others in the facility.
Among other things, the additions will allow detention staff at the facility to recognize problems earlier and, when emergency situations do arise, give staff very fast access to the holding rooms.
The additional cost is estimated to be $183,680 – which will bring the total project cost to $383,680.
The commissioners are expected to pull the money out of the Guilford County Construction Fund. The board has closed out some completed capital projects this year with leftover money that has gone back into the Construction Fund.
Your county govt and tax dollars at work.