CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – After over a year of discussion about the need for a juvenile resource center and possible locations, the Montgomery County Commission this week heard a proposed location: 739 Madison St. and 741 Madison St., an area next to the railroad tracks that has been home to God’s Sanctuary Church.

The resolution would appropriate $2.6 million from the 2023-24 budget to pay for the land. While the county currently has $2.2 million on hand for the acquisition, the other $400,000 would come from the undesignated fund balance of the County General Fund.

A little over a year ago, the county held a town hall meeting to discuss the idea of bringing a juvenile resource center to Clarksville. Commissioner David Shelton, who held the town hall meeting, also serves as the sponsor for the resolution.

Resource center vs. detention center

At Monday’s commission meeting, one point was made clear throughout the night: The commission is concerned about the well-being of juveniles in Montgomery County.

Director of Juvenile Court Edward Moss discussed the difference between a detention center and a resource center. “We have eight potential facilities we contract here in Tennessee,” Moss said. “Really, when I came on board, we talked about how we change the narrative. … How do we find ways to address resources to help families be more successful?

“As we go forward in Montgomery County, I think that’s going to be part of our process. Again, now understanding, detention is a part of it, but it’s the smallest part of what were really going to be doing. We’re going to try to find ways to address the needs and the concerns to change the environments to help those kids be successful.”

One way the juvenile resource center would do that is by providing the parents with opportunities to earn their GED, while also helping them obtain employment.

“We’re really trying to change the environment and behaviors; the last time I checked, 14-year-olds don’t control anything,” Moss said. “But if we can change the environment and help the parents help themselves, they can help police strong children.”

Commissioners highlight concerns

Commissioner Rashidah Leverett asked why 739 Madison and 741 Madison were chosen.

Moss said the sites were chosen based on a number of factors, including proximity to the court system in downtown Clarksville. He said there has to be some way for maneuvering attorneys, children, their families and case files around, which is how the location on Madison Street was suggested, being only six blocks from the Courts Center.

Leverett brought up that the location will back up to a 10-acre complex of tobacco snuff factories and warehouses that has been proposed for redevelopment into an innovative neighborhood.

Another concern was that the juvenile resource center would be in close proximity to Norman Smith Elementary, which is .7 miles south on Greenwood Avenue. Leverett suggested the county consider more secluded alternate locations.

Commissioner Nathan Burkholder said the public safety training complex on Dotsonville Road in his District 7 may be better suited, but Mayor Wes Golden and Moss said the distance between the court system and the center may be problematic as they maneuver attorneys, children, their families and case files.

In addition, there are no city bus routes to rural Montgomery County, creating a barrier to access for many low-income families that will most need the center’s services.

Cost of detention in other counties

Commissioner Lisa Prichard said that for the past 40 years, Montgomery County has funded placement of children in other detention centers in Tennessee.

“So, if we can figure anywhere from the first 10 years at a quarter of a million dollars a year, then for the last 30 years at a half million dollars a year and then add for inflation, it’ll come out to over $20 million that we’ve spent on taking children all over the state in trying to find places for them,” Prichard said.

“Then, these children have grown up and they’ve grown up dysfunctional, because we have not had any facilities to be able to help them become productive citizens. That is our ultimate purpose, to turn around the legacy of generational dysfunction in families. … $2.6 million is a drop in the bucket for what we have spent putting kids elsewhere.”

Commissioner Jeremiah Walker said $2.6 million may be a drop in the bucket for the land acquisition, but he’s concerned about the total cost of building and operating the facility.

“There’s a lot of things that go into this,” Walker said. “That’s why I think that this should be placed on hold until we can at least we can get some information on what it would cost to build this building.”

Golden said the county should be able to get costs from other facilities in Tennessee that have been built recently to get a better idea of the costs associated. Over the next week, Moss will lead a group of commissioners across the state to see how different detention centers operate.

After the meeting, Moss sent Clarksville Now a statement that said, “I think we all in this body have an obligation to be able to find ways to address every concern that we have in the community whether it’s fiscally, whether it’s education, whether it’s safety, whether it’s rehabilitation for our kids, whether it’s providing resources for those families. We all have an obligation to do this.”

Moss talked about the support he had growing up from his own family. “I would be remiss if I did not do the same thing for somebody else. I think all of us should be thinking about that processes, not the cost of what it’s going to be, because the cost if we lose a child in our community won’t be $2.6 million. We’re going to talk about what we should have done as opposed to the latter.”

On Monday at 6 p.m., the County Commission is expected to vote on the land during their formal meeting at the County Courthouse.

DON’T MISS A STORY: Sign up for the free daily Clarksville Now email newsletter