Dane County will be able to move up the opening of a new facility designed to treat those in crisis as a result of a mental health emergency or addiction, County Executive Joe Parisi announced Thursday. Parisi was joined at a news conference by Sheriff Kalvin Barrett to announce the county will look to refurbish and remodel its Huber Detention Center into the new Mental Health Crisis Triage and Restoration Center. Redeveloping this county-owned space will allow Dane County to open the much-needed facility at least a year faster than it would take to acquire a privately-owned site and seek necessary zoning/land use approvals.
The county’s Huber facility was used for decades to house those sentenced to work release by judges. A number of those individuals were moved to downtown jail facilities at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but since last fall those sentenced to Huber have been part of the sheriff’s electronic monitoring program, freeing up space needed to house these residents.
In fall of 2021, Parisi and the County Board announced they were prioritizing funding in the county budget to acquire and develop a Crisis Triage and Restoration Center. County leaders have approved over $14.3 million for acquisition, construction, and to begin operations of the new around-the-clock, 24/7 rehabilitation and stabilization facility. Since then, the county has worked with partners to fine-tune details about services the new Crisis Triage Center will offer. Selecting a site up front will allow Dane County to more effectively proceed at seeking a partner agency to operate the Crisis Triage Center. The county will hold a competitive selection process for prospective operators this year.
The county will look to hire a consultant in the coming weeks to assess the facility and produce a concept plan for its redevelopment. A resolution to approve that contact will follow a county request for proposals to hire the firm that will partner on this consulting work.
