BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Benton County is considering a plan to expand its Juvenile Detention Center and court facilities, with the hope of breaking ground by the end of 2024.
"We're planning to put two additional criminal courtrooms over on our Melissa campus, right over there by the sheriff's office," said Benton County Judge Barry Moehring. "Those are two badly needed criminal courtrooms."
Those courtrooms will be located at the Benton County Juvenile Detention Center, which will also expand under the plan.
"We got about 3500 square feet to that, which will add about 50% capacity for our juvenile detention center." Judge Moehring added.
Judge Moehring describes this expansion as a way to grow alongside the county.
"We're seeking a new circuit court judge who has to go through the legislature next year. One of the things that we have to have is a place to put that judge," said Moehring. "Also, our division two court over off of Bentonville Square is way over capacity, and we need a new court facility for Division two."
This expansion is expected to cost around $16 million, but only a quarter of that will come out of the county's capital fund.
"This will be a gigantic step forward for our criminal circuit court. It's a necessary step for us to take, and it will still leave a healthy reserve in that capital fund for additional expansions, such as expanding our jail." Judge Moehring said.
The sale of two other buildings will help cover the remaining cost. The quorum court has verbally agreed to this plan, but must still conduct a formal vote.
RELATED: Woman accused of killing pregnant Arkansas woman and her unborn child has trial delayed again
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.