ADRIAN, Mich. — A juvenile detention center in Lenawee County is getting an upgrade through a $20 million renovation and expansion project.
The Maurice Spear Campus, a 66-bed facility in Adrian, is adding a 6,100-square-foot centralized commercial kitchen and two housing facilities with a total of 20 new beds in an effort to enhance services for the community's at-risk kids and the elderly.
"In addition, for our seniors, we are seeing the numbers increase and increase and increase. We have an aging population and we want to continue to service them,” said Lenawee County Administrator Kimberly Murphy.
The groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday lasted about 15 minutes and featured members of the county Board of Commissioners who talked about the importance of why the additions are needed.
When the kitchen is in place and once it becomes operational, the at-risk kids in the open unit who are eligible will be able to come in and work side-by-side helping to load meals into vehicles for seniors to "really get a feel for what it feels like to help another at-risk or aging population,” Murphy said.
Rodney Weaver, director of the Maurice Spears Campus, said he is looking forward to what can be done with the additions.
"We're looking forward to serving, obviously, working with the Department on Aging and serving the elderly. It's going to be a big change for us, but we're looking forward to it and hoping it works out,” he said.
It will also create an environment conducive to the juveniles there growing.
"Creating a much safer environment for these young people, as well as one that is more intuitive to them, learning and understanding how to get corrective measures in place so that they can make better decisions going into the future,” Murphy said.
Construction on the project is expected to be completed by early 2026.