Kane Co. to build $1.33 million facility for criminal evaluations
Staff members who perform psychological evaluations on criminal defendants in Kane County will see construction begin on their new $1.3 million facility next month.
The county board's finance committee signed off on the project Wednesday, which will build out new space for Dr. Alexandra Tsang and her diagnostic center staffers at the existing circuit court clerk building on Randall Road in St. Charles. City officials have long wanted that space to revert to commercial development, but county officials decided there was no existing space on county property that could accommodate a new diagnostic center.
The county's current facility for psychological evaluations is an isolated building on Fabyan Parkway where the old county jail was located. The county's long-range plan is to move the circuit court clerk's office to the judicial center campus off Route 38, but there was no accompanying plan to move the diagnostic center.
The timing of the new building coincides with the county's $1.5 million sale of the Sixth Street School property to the Geneva Public Library. Those proceeds will now fund the diagnostic center construction.
Tsang told the finance committee Wednesday the new facility will pay for itself within two years. The current facility is so outdated the county is in danger of losing accreditation for the diagnostic center. Three staff members were diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning in January 2014 because of poor ventilation. And there are only false, collapsible walls separating clients in the therapy session rooms.
Without accreditation, the county won't be able to attract qualified interns to assist with psychological evaluations. Tsang said the three interns are paid a combined $50,000 while producing about $900,000 worth of work if the county had to hire professionals.
"Retaining our internship program for just two years would more than pay for the cost of this building project," Tsang said.
Construction will begin as soon as the full county board takes a final vote on the project June 9.