Community Issues

Community Outreach
On May 18, 2002, hundreds of Sacramento County residents attended a Public Works Open House at the Branch Center Complex located northwest of the intersection at Kiefer Boulevard and Bradshaw Road. Members of the Juvenile Justice Center project team were on hand to answer questions about the upcoming construction. Drawings of the new courthouse and the remodeled Youth Detention Facility and Youth Center were also available for the public to review.

On August 15, 2001, a Community Meeting was held to discuss the expansion projects planned at the Branch Center Complex with the community and to learn about community concerns. Approximately 14,000 postcards were mailed to residences and businesses inviting them to the meeting. The Juvenile Justice Center project team was on hand to present the project and answer questions.

The Project Team also met with several community groups prior to the adoption of the draft Environmental Impact Report. In these meetings, area residents expressed concern about traffic, building aesthetics, adequate exercise facilities for the juveniles, and impact on the proposed Rosemont High School.

Traffic Concerns
The expansion of the Youth Detention Facility is not anticipated to increase the long-term traffic in the area. However, the EIR looked at traffic conditions for 2015, and indicated that the project would contribute to traffic impacts during peak hours at the intersections of Mayhew Road and Kiefer Boulevard as well as Talleyho Drive and Kiefer Boulevard. Traffic signals have been installed at these intersections, as well as one at the Rosemont High School entrance.

Aesthetics
The architects working on the expansion projects have been working together to ensure that the three construction projects visually complement one another, as well as the existing structures at the Branch Center Complex. In addition, the architects for the Courthouse building are the same architects that were selected for the Rosemont High School, adding continuity of design across the roadway.

Cost of the Youth Detention Facility
The cost for the Youth Detention Facility Expansion is anticipated to be $127,000,000. Funding for this project comes from a California State Corrections Standard Authority grant, Tobacco Litigation Settlement Funding, and bonds.

Proposed Rosemont High School
The expansion and renovation of buildings at the Branch Center Complex are not expected to impact the new Rosemont High School on Kiefer Boulevard. In response to concerns of local residents, the Project Team gave careful thought and proposed design element to soften the view of the Juvenile Courthouse. The Rosemont High School, like the projects at the Juvenile Justice Center, had to follow the County planning and review process.