Residents in southern Chesapeake learn more about proposed Joint Juvenile Justice Center

July 21--CHESAPEAKE -- Safety, noise, and property values were among the concerns broached by residents during an open house Thursday about a proposed juvenile justice center.

Mitch MacWilliams owns property adjacent to 920 Minuteman Drive in southern Chesapeake, one of the two sites being considered for the facility that would be part youth jail, part state prison. He says such a facility was not in his retirement plans when he envisioned sitting in the backyard with his grandchildren around a campfire.

Shannon Bingham and her husband purchased an adjacent lot within the last month with the intention of starting a family, she said. She's in love with the property, and they're planning to build a home. But she wonders if they'll be able to resell it down the road if the facility comes to fruition, she said.

The city and state want to build a center for incarcerated youths that they say would look more like a secure college campus than a jail. Two separate facilities are planned: a 48-bed, locally operated detention center and a 64-bed state facility. The focus is rehabilitation, with the goal of lowering recidivism by bringing Hampton Roads youths housed in state facilities closer to home and family, city and state officials have said. An aged city jail would close.

Two sites are in the running: The first is in Deep Creek on city-owned property off South Military Highway and the second is on school-owned property on Minuteman Drive. The second site is a few miles from Grassfield High School, where more than 40 residents gathered for Thursday's open house.

A new middle school to help relieve overcrowding at Hickory Middle would be better use of the property than a jail, some residents said. Monique Lam, a mother of two, said she would not have chosen to move to the area if she'd known about the potential proximity to the facility.

"Why would you risk our children and our neighborhoods?" said Dominion Meadows resident Vanessa Garia.

City Manager James Baker said city staff will report the pros and cons of each site to City Council members. The Deep Creek location has existing infrastructure, but in order for the Minuteman Drive location to be viable, city water and sewer would have to be extended. Baker said one of the decisions the council will have to make is whether to expand the boundaries of city provided utilities.

Tony Wilson, who lives within a few miles of the proposed site, admitted the prospect of hooking into city water and sewer was a plus for him.

Baker said staff will present one of the two preferred alternatives to City Council on Aug. 8.

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