POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– Bannock County held a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday to kick off construction of a new facility that will house the Bannock County Youth Development Center and Bannock County Event Center offices.
The Youth Development Center is operated by the Bannock County Juvenile Justice Department, and offers day programs in partnership with Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 to help teens who are at risk of expulsion from school.
“You are, as a community, coming together to demonstrate once again that these kids are important to us, that they matter to us, and that you’re willing to invest in them and to give them a great future,” said Hon. Anson Call, magistrate judge of Bannock County District 6, at the ceremony.
The building will be around 7,000 square feet and have a classroom, kitchen, and laundry room.
The facility will also house offices for Bannock County Event Center staff, who oversee the rodeo arenas, Wellness Complex, and Portneuf Amphitheater.
“I love the fact that this is a dual purpose building to sort of maximizing our dollars and creating a beautiful, efficient space for our event center staff and then also for the youth of the community within the youth Development Center,” said Jeff Hough, chair of the Bannock County Board of Commissioners.
Commissioner Hough said construction on the building will begin in the next few days and they are expecting it to be completed before the end of 2025.
