READING, Pa. – The Berks County Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution Thursday to authorize a funding request for the proposed regional youth detention facility in Bern Township.
The request is to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, asking for $5 million in state capital investment funds to support the establishment and renovation of a regional juvenile detention facility.
The request is part of a broader initiative of an intergovernmental agreement among Berks, Lehigh, Lackawanna, Delaware and Dauphin counties, which is seeking a combined $25 million investment.
Berks County partnered with the other counties to address a statewide shortage of juvenile detention beds and provide more consistent and locally controlled placements for youth requiring secure detention.
With a five-county model, each county will be guaranteed eight beds in the proposed 40-bed facility.
Under the cooperative agreements, each county will share in the operating costs for the Berks County facility.
Wyomissing resident Crystal Kowalski asked the commissioners about the proposed budget for the facility.
Chief Administrative Officer Kevin S. Barnhardt said the county is still awaiting final documentation from the engineer, which will then be sent to an estimator so that there is a hard cost before going out to bid on the project.
The center is planned at the former youth center the county closed in 2012.
In other business, the commissioners voted to send letters of support for federal funding resources from several groups for the Colebrookdale Railroad Corridor, including:
A $25 million BUILD Transportation Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund the Iron Multimodal Hub in Pottstown.
A $3 million congressional directed spending request to support the return of passenger service to Pottstown by way of the Steel River Station and Ironbridge Hotel project.
A Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant from the Federal Railroad Administration to address infrastructure needs on the railroad.