CHRISTIANSBURG (WSLS 10) - Major upgrades are coming to the New River Valley Juvenile Detention Home for the first time in more than 40 years.
An $8 million renovation is scheduled to get underway as soon as each represented local government agrees to split the cost.
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The center serves Montgomery, Pulaski, and Giles counties, as well as Radford.
Original plans were to increase bed capacity from 24 to 32. However, as the center's numbers began trending down, leaders shifted the plan's focus to building more educational space and increasing security.
"Security standards from 1972 are much different from what they are in 2016, so there's some security upgrades that we need to do," said Superintendent Joseph Young. "Also, for a building that's housing upwards of 35 people a day, and being used 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it can get worn out."
Construction is scheduled to get underway in the next 18 months. It is expected to last between 18 months to two years.