Juvenile center damaged after water line break
Grant County Juvenile Center Director Warren Swanson looks at damage the occured when the center sank by as much as 6 inches from a water line break that carried away part of the building's foundation.
Grant County Juvenile Detention Center Director Warren Swanson looks at a crack in the reception area of the center. Many cracks like this one have formed about 200,000 gallons of water swept away part of the building foundation in January.
EPHRATA - A water line rupture that occurred in January is just one in a long line of problems with Grant County's Juvenile Detention Center building.
The water line break released about 200,000 gallons of water, causing dirt underneath the building to move and sink parts of it as much as 6 inches. Cracks in the walls formed and some doors, including the front door, do not properly open or close.
Director Warren Swanson said contractors drilled about five holes in and around the building to examine the extent of the damage, and used ground-penetrating radar to find the problem and what it will take to fix.
Swanson has been working in the building since 1992, and said problems like these are routine.
"We've always had some kind of issues with the water and the building sinking," he said.
Detention Center Manager Garth Kofoed said the building was essentially built on fill dirt, meaning it does not have a solid foundation.
He said a similar water line break happened in 1985 and caused significant damage to the building and its foundation.
On a recent tour of the building the problems were evident. Floors slant, sometimes down and back up in a matter of feet, 2 to 3 foot cracks form on many windows, and walls causing paint to peel and the front door to the secure facility does not fully close.
"We are trying our best to address the problems and fix them as they come up," Swanson said. But, he said, problems keep coming up.
After the contractors release a report on the building's foundation in two weeks, representatives from the county's insurance company, county commissioners and juvenile center management will have to meet to decide to fix the problems or begin planning for a new building.
Swanson said the building will likely have to be replaced "sometime in the near future," but did not give any further details on when that may need to occur.
"We are going to have to wait on the final report to make a decision," he said.
Private insurance is paying for the repairs, but the county will eventually have to pay a deductible for work already done.