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Millions ride on juvenile center plan But county could put library bond on ballot first By PETER WONG Concerned about losing $4 million in federal reimbursement, Jackson County commissioners say they will not drop a proposal for a new juvenile center even though it has gone down twice. "We have a very old facility that is totally inadequate to handle juveniles," Commissioner Sue Kupillas said Wednesday. "So this vote was not a matter of what we wanted. It was presenting to the people what is absolutely needed by this county." But Kupillas and the other commissioners said they are uncertain about the timing of a third attempt for a juvenile center -- and whether that measure should precede, coincide with or follow a much-discussed bond issue for improvements in the county library system. "We have not discussed it yet," she said. Library advocates say they want to discuss with the commissioners a potential election date for that bond issue -- possibly the primary of May 16, 2000 -- even though its price tag won't be known for at least a couple of weeks. "We need to firm that up or get an idea of whether the commissioners still are prepared to do that," said Scott Rayburn of Medford, chairman of the county's Library Advisory Committee. "So that library advocates can start putting together a campaign, we need a date." Nearly 60 percent of the 41,000 voters who cast ballots on it Tuesday favored the $16.5 million bond issue for a new juvenile center in downtown Medford to replace a 42-year-old building in Medford's South Gateway Center. But it still failed because 50 percent of the county's 100,000 registered voters did not participate, as required under a 1996 change to the Oregon Constitution. A $22.5 million bond issue for a larger center failed a year ago. The federal reimbursement of $4.1 million, payable only when construction of the 40-bed detention section is complete, would let county officials reduce the ultimate cost of the bond issue to property-tax payers. "But we had to step up to the plate with our amount of money in order to get the $4.1 million -- and we did not do it," Kupillas said. Alan Young, county juvenile services director, said the county still could receive that reimbursement if voters approved a bond issue in the May 16 primary or the Nov. 7, 2000, general election. Young said the county has until Sept. 30, 2003, to tap the money. "We estimate that the grant would pay for half the ($8 million) cost of the detention section of our building," he said. Meanwhile, at its monthly meeting Monday, the Jackson County Library Advisory Committee will discuss the implications of Tuesday's results for a proposed countywide bond issue for library system improvements. Ashland city voters Tuesday approved a separate library expansion bond issue of $5.96 million, which would be folded into a countywide measure. City officials say they would wait to sell their bonds until they see what happens with a countywide measure. Rayburn said the committee still is compiling information from the Portland architectural firm of Fletcher, Farr and Ayotte about the scope and cost of improvements for the 14 other libraries in the system. The proposed bond issue would cover all but the White City branch, which will be funded separately through the urban renewal district. Without that information, Rayburn said, the committee cannot make a recommendation to county commissioners about the scope, cost and timing of a library bond issue. "I know that people are eager to know the price tag -- and so are we," he said. "We are looking at the needs of the entire system and how to fulfill them adequately without being extravagant." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA