By Associated Press
Oklahoma City, OK – Okla. juvenile affairs agency to build new centers
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs has announced a contract to build new centers in Ada and Tecumseh.
The agency said Tuesday it will sign a contract Dec. 6 with Ada Youth Academy Authority to build and operate a 144-bed youth academy. The Tulsa World reports the academy is expected to begin operating in mid-2012.
Fifty-six maximum-security beds will be built at the Central Oklahoma Juvenile Facility in Tecumseh. Agency director Gene Christian says a public trust in Pottawatomie County will handle funding for the facility, which will replace the aging L.E. Rader Center in Sand Springs.
Christian says building and operating the centers should cost about $10 million annually.
Avalon Correctional Services president Brian Costello says his company plans to appeal because the bid process appeared to be tainted.
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Information from: The Tulsa World, www.tulsaworld.com