By MATT PIKE
Developments are being made to enhance the needs of Buchanan County to better serve residents and the community.
Progress is continuing on the expansion to the Juvenile Detention Center at the Buchanan County Academy. The construction project will increase the number of beds at the center from six to 24 as Buchanan County law officials have seen an uptick it juvenille crime.
Presiding Commissioner Scott Nelson says work on the building currently is around 30 to 35 percent done and is on track to be completed on time.
"Outdoor work, a lot of the technical stuff comes inside," Nelson says on the KFEQmunnity show. "And then there's the transfer over to the new so they can update a portion of the old area, so they're on schedule."
The first phase of construction on the detention center will end in January 2027 while the final construction phase will be completed between January and June 2028.
Along with the updates to the detention center, there has also been development in the area of housing, with the recent groundbreaking for apartments in the North Village Shoppes by Bryant Properties, who purchased the ground in Buchanan County.
Nelson says the new apartment complex, which will address housing issues which have been talked about since he took office, will be an exciting addition.
"It's market rate apartments, one, two, three, bedrooms, and they're nice looking so that will be an added thing to the community for young professionals," Nelson explains. "So, it will be interesting to watch that, because there's a lot going on up there, not that the county had a lot to do with what the YMCA is doing for their pool and gym, but that's going, so there's a lot of activity going on up there at North Village Shoppes."
The first building is expected to be completed in Spring 2028, according to a news release.
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