PORT ANGELES – Clallam County’s plans to upgrade its juvenile service facilities to help with youth with addictions may be in jeopardy.
The county plans to send a letter to the state Department of Commerce asking for reconsideration of a requirement the county must include a new seclusion room as part of the grant.
Last year, Clallam County received a $1.1 million-dollar state grant to upgrade the facilities along 18th Street in Port Angeles. It would pay for physical updates and new areas specifically designed for helping youth with addiction problems.
But adding a new seclusion room would add more than 300-thousand dollars to the cost and could put the entire project in jeopardy.
During a work session with commissioners this week, juvenile services director Jody Jacobsen said they believed the current facility would meet the requirements without the need for an additional isolation detention area.
Jacobsen says the county may try to change its grant application from “secure withdrawal management services” for youth to just “withdrawal management services for youth”.
County commissioners are expected to approve a letter to the department of commerce asking for the change next week.