ROGERS — Parishioners of St. Vincent de Paul Church are anxious about the possibility of a big change in their backyard.
A close neighbor, St Mary Hospital, is moving to a new campus near I-540 in the spring of 2008. Plans are now underway to determine the future of the 255,000-square-foot hospital.
An option that is being considered is moving the county juvenile detention center, along with other county and state government offices, to the site. The Benton County Quorum Court is completing a feasibility study to see if the project is cost effective and should go forward.
In recent weeks, news coverage of the feasibility study has generated a lot of interest from the parish and its neighbors.
Pastor Msgr. David LeSieur echoed some of the concerns of his parishioners.
“With the possibility of there being a juvenile detention center, a drug court and other offices across the street from our property, we are concerned about the appropriateness of that position,” he said. “We thought that even though we have nothing to say about the sale of the hospital to the county, we still have a stake in it.”
As a result, St. Vincent de Paul Church held a meeting for about 150 people Oct. 2 at the church to allow parishioners and businesses and property owners in the area to voice their concerns and get answers to their questions.
“I think it would be really good for the people who live in the neighborhood as well as our parish community to be heard,” parish manager Judene Kuszak said. “Our neighbors live here, we worship here, we’re educated here, we gather to socialize. What kind of impact will that have in this area?”
The panel for the meeting included County Judge Gary Black; Marge Wolf and Kurt Moore, members of the quorum court; Robin Green, county attorney; Jim Archer, project manager for the judge’s office; and Dennis Cottrell, director of the juvenile detention center, which is currently located in Bentonville.
While the old hospital would house other government offices, including the health department, election commission and department of emergency management, residents are mainly concerned about the 30,000 square feet on the third floor dedicated to housing juvenile offenders.
Black stressed that until the renovation study is complete, the project is still questionable because “it could be cost prohibitive.”
The juveniles, ranging from 10 to 20 years old, are housed for between five to 15 days for different crimes and problems, Cottrell said.
“They could be runaways, unproven crimes, truants, behavioral problems under the court’s supervision,” he said. “We are a holding system. These individuals are in and out of our system and in and out of our schools as well. They go back to our schools. We would provide counseling and teachers from the Rogers School District just as we do currently through the Bentonville schools.”
He admitted some of the young offenders have mental health and drug addiction problems. At the current detention center, Cottrell said there have been attempted escapes, but no one has been successful.
“Most of these kids are not bad kids — just kids who have made bad decisions. We want them to get treatment and counseling. Hopefully, we will make a difference in their lives,” Cottrell said.
Parishioner Patty Brunner, a volunteer minister at the current detention center for the past four years, said the center “is an excellent program. The security is tight. You have to go through three locked doors to get in. It is a wonderful opportunity for us and I commend the facility — I appreciate what they do.”
Local resident Lee Johnson said she is concerned about the property value in the neighborhood.
“What bothers me is that so many lives will be affected by a few decisions. Why consider it in the first place?” she said.
Following the completion of the feasibility study, the quorum court will be asked to vote on buying St. Mary Hospital. The hospital property is valued at $7 million.
