A long-unused, aging outdoor courtyard makes up the eastern portion of Santa Cruz County’s Juvenile Hall, showing its age with a weedy yard and cracked blacktop.
But a group of probation officials and youth advocates who gathered there Wednesday have big plans for the space.
These include a new 6,850-square-foot gymnasium, a greenhouse and a farm-to-table garden that will supply the renovated kitchen, which itself will serve as a teaching culinary classroom.
The Juvenile Hall facility at 3650 Graham Hill Road officially broke ground on the $23 million project, which will be the most substantial improvement project in the building’s 57-year history, said county spokesman Jason Hoppin.
The renovation also includes renovation and upgrades throughout the building, including two classrooms, air conditioning, restrooms, training and program rooms, storage and equipment spaces, new cell doors, laundry, day rooms and a new central control space.
The work is funded through two rounds of Senate Bill 81 funding from the Board of State and Community Corrections.
The county has had the funding for 18 years, as well as the plans for the work. But the project has been delayed by ever-evolving rules from the state fire marshal, Santa Cruz County Probation Chief Fernando Giraldo said.
“It seems like every two years there was a new fire marshal,” he said.
And every one would bring a list of updated rules, he said.
“That was one of the biggest hurdles,” Giraldo said. “I think this would have been done in half the time.”
On an average day, nine young people who are tangled in the legal system, and who have been determined to be ineligible for community supervision are housed at Juvenile Hall. But for those kids—some of whom graduate from high school while incarcerated—the new facility will be their de facto home and school.
“This facility will be more than just bricks and mortar,” said Probation Chief Fernando Giraldo. “It will be a space for healing, learning, growth and wellness. Because no matter what someone’s past may hold, every young person deserves dignity, opportunity and people who support their success.”
Construction is expected to be completed in late 2026. The facility will remain operational throughout the duration of the project.
What, no shooting range?