What ever happened to the juvenile detention facility that Island County residents voted to build in 1998 by passing a one-tenth of one percent sales tax to fund the construction and operation?

The question came up during a recent Island County Sheriff’s meeting concerning a 13-year-old sex offender recently shipped out of Island County.

The answer, Island County Commissioner Mike Shelton said, is that construction on the long-awaited, $2.5 million facility will likely begin this year and be completed next year. The preliminary drawings are just being drafted now.

Although the county commissioners had originally said the facility would be built in 1999, budget problems forced them to wait until the tax accumulated. The sales tax brings in about $500,000 a year. After the facility is built, the the money will be used to operate it.

Shelton, however, said he is a little concerned the sales tax money will not be enough to run the center.

“It’s worrisome to take on a new project that might be a drain,” he said.

The detention center will be built onto the existing county jail, which is at the back of the courthouse annex building in Coupeville.