OTTAWA — Could the existing Franklin County Annex help pay for the cost of the new juvenile detention facility? The answer seems to be yes, said Tom Kaleko, financial analyst with Springsted, which studies financing options for public projects, during Wednesday night’s public forum on the facility. The annex, which includes both county offices and private tenants, is nearly paid for and the county is expecting even more rental income in the future, he said. The additional rent income can go to paying off bonds on the detention center and as the county pays off the annex in a few years, that money can be switched to paying off the bonds, he said. The county is negotiating to buy the Neosho County Community College site at Second and Beech. Dan Rowe, of Treanor Architects, said the juvenile detention center would be built at the southwest corner of the existing college building. The facility will custom-designed but will still be a no-frills operation, he said. The total cost of the project is about $3.6 million, minus the cost of buying the site.
Thursday, Aug. 26, 2:30 p.m.
