Construction recently began on a project which, when finished in late 2014, will facilitate the partial re-opening of the Bill E. Ireland Youth Development Campus in Milledgeville, Georgia. The campus was closed down in 2009 due to state budget cuts. This project includes the renovation of an existing 17,715 sq. ft. building located on the campus, and was made possible by funding approved by Governor Nathan Deal in the 2014 fiscal year state budget. This funding will subsidize the total renovation of a 30-bed facility. The completed facility will augment current Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) services by housing and adequately addressing the needs of the most disruptive and high-risk youth from other facilities.
The Georgia DJJ commissioned McCall Architecture to provide architectural services for this challenging project. In order to successfully turn this vacant facility into an Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU), properly equipped to house and serve the needs of high-risk youth, McCall Architecture designed the renovation of the building to include high security fixtures and equipment, IP addressable video surveillance, electronic locking control systems, and integrated intercom systems. In addition, the project includes extensive re-working and replacement of existing security doors, frames and hardware. The interior spaces were slightly reconfigured, but the internal layout basically remains the same. Existing plumbing, mechanical, and electrical systems, as well as interior finishes, will all be replaced with new systems and materials, and a new standing seam metal roof will be installed.
This project is being constructed by R. W. Allen, LLC. It is approximately 15% complete, and is scheduled to be materially complete in November 2014. Operation of this facility will require approximately 77 staff members.
Site Work Progresses
Demolition Work is complete
Demolition Work is complete
Often times, during the course of a renovation project, unforeseen conditions can present certain challenges for the design and construction teams. One of the current challenges faced by the construction team presented itself when the dividing wall between two existing ‘Time Out’ rooms had been demolished. The demolition of the walls revealed an existing ceiling condition that will leave a triangle portion of the ceiling open in the new room, if this condition is not addressed. The design team is currently working on a solution that will be best suited for this project based on the intended use of this space.
