Officials are weighing their options regarding the relocation and possible expansion of the Muskogee County Regional Juvenile Detention Center.

The county-owned facility is located “in the heart” of an area targeted for commercial development — the 600 block of West Shawnee Bypass.

City officials have met with county commissioners to see what might be done to open up that area for further development. The meeting led to the formation of a committee that will begin meeting to study the feasibility of moving the detention center or consolidating it with an existing facility.

“This is a big deal,” District 1 Commissioner Gene Wallace said. “Where we have it now is in the heart of commercial development. We have an interest in additional development, but we need to evaluate that interest to see if it is large enough that it will not harm the county to move it.”

Wallace said the 10-bed facility was built during the 1980s on land located in a relatively undeveloped part of town. During the past several years, retail outlets and restaurants have mushroomed along the northwest corridor.

The property was granted to the county by the Office of Juvenile Affairs for the purpose of constructing the detention center. The nature of that grant, Wallace said, raises questions about whether the county has the legal authority to convey the property for commercial purposes.

“Because that happened so long ago, there is nobody around now who has firsthand knowledge about that,” Wallace said. “We will be reviewing those documents to see if there is any problem with relocating that facility.”

City Manager Greg Buckley said inquiries from developers about available properties in the area prompted the request to consider relocating the existing facility. The detention center is located within an area targeted by the city for urban renewal.

Buckley said opening discussions with county officials included a possible land swap and the feasibility of expanding the Muskogee County/City Detention Facility.

“We want to partner with the county,” Buckley said about the various options that will be discussed during upcoming meetings. “We have some properties available that could meet that need.”

Wallace said special consideration must be given to any option given the fact officials are dealing with juvenile detention. State laws and regulations require juveniles be segregated from adult populations, so merging the existing facility with the jail would require quite a bit of work.

Buckley said even if officials decided today what needs to be done, it could take two or more years to relocate the facility.

Wallace said he anticipates the committee — made up of the commissioners, Muskogee’s mayor and city manager, sheriff’s staffers and others — will begin meeting on a regular basis within the next few weeks. Those meetings will be open to the public.

“All of this is extremely sensitive in the sense that we have to guarantee transparency to the public and any developers interested in the area,” Wallace said.



Reach D.E. Smoot at (918) 684-2901 or dsmoot@muskogeephoenix.com.