The Natrona County commissioners, with architects' drawings, can better plead their case for state assistance for a regional Juvenile Detention Center when they ask lawmakers for money in January, architects told the commission at a work session on Tuesday.

"This could make a difference in what we get from the Legislature," Jerry Amundsen said.

The county has saved about $3 million to build the facility, which would replace the juvenile detention center on the third floor of the Hall of Justice, located at 201 N. David St.

While costs continue to fluctuate, such as declining prices for steel and other building materials, Amundsen said he estimated the total cost at $13 million. "Our intent is to get it lower."

The county wants a regional facility because it would have a better opportunity to secure state funding, and accepting youth offenders from counties willing to pay Natrona County would defray costs, according to previous discussions among commissioners and consultants.

The county also needs a new juvenile detention center because the current facility is inadequate and has been criticized for problems ranging from insufficient security cameras and no exercise areas.

The plans shown to commissioners featured a facility that would fix those issues.

The new JDC would have pods for inmates, including between 32 and 38 beds, classrooms, a gymnasium, a medical unit with holding cells, a sally port for inmate transportation, observation areas, and offices for staff members and administrators.

The 32,000-square-foot building will feature a 60-foot corridor connecting the Natrona County Detention Center at 1100 Bruce Lane, so the adult jail can provide laundry and kitchen services, which would save duplication and costs at the Juvenile Detention Center, Amundsen said.

The building will pose some challenges, such as digging into the nearby hill, he said.

While it will be a simple concrete block building, its entrance with an overhang and signage will identify it as a detention center, Amundsen said.

Amundsen Associates will further refine the drawings and narrow the cost range for the commissioners' presentations to the Legislature, he said.

Natrona County Commission Chairman Rob Hendry said he likes the plans' potential for additional inmate pods.

Natrona County Sheriff Mark Benton also likes the plan because of the way it can safely and securely move inmates, he said. "It's a preliminary plan, but it has the flow."

The county has contracted with Cornerstone Programs Corp., a private, third-party company, to manage the juvenile detention center.

But the new facility, as proposed, would require an additional 16 sheriff's deputies for security, an administrator, a nurse, and clerical help, which cannot be done through the adult jail, Benton said.

That assumes Cornerstone will still have its contract with the county, otherwise the Sheriff's Office will need an additional 16 deputies, he said.

"I will reserve the privilege to make suggestions," Benton said.

Reach Tom Morton at (307) 266-0592, or at Tom.Morton@trib.com.