Officials said the county’s 158-bed Juvenile Hall isn’t well-suited for that purpose.

“This is a more hopeful place,” said Patty Hill Thomas, assistant chief executive officer for the county, who led a tour of the facility last week. “There needs to be a safe place to do these programs, and finally it is here.”

In June, the county will move boys and girls who are court- sentenced into the 60-bed center, which has classrooms, a culinary training kitchen, occupational training rooms with computer hookups, a gymnasium and recreation yard.

The 47,000-square-foot center adjacent to Juvenile Hall is enclosed by a tall fence with razor wire. But the units to house groups of 15 or 30 juveniles are designed to soften the institutional environment.

The center will house teens ages 14 to 17 who are convicted of crimes such as assault, burglary, auto theft or drug violations. They will be placed in the center based on their criminal history, maturity and program needs, officials said.

Jill Silva, the county’s chief probation officer, said most of the youth offenders will spend six months to a year in the commitment center. The state requires them to spend part of that time learning math, reading and other subjects taught in schools.

They will put on baking hats to learn cooking skills in the culinary training kitchen. The county spent $516,000 to equip the center with ovens, mixers and other commercial appliances. Officials hope the teens acquire job skills they can use to work for catering services or restaurants.

The Stanislaus County Office of Education will run the occupational program. County leaders want to know if it’s feasible for the teens to take over the food preparation serv-ice for the commitment center and Juvenile Hall.

Silva said her department is looking for community partners to develop occupational training in other fields. Two ideas are computer repair and landscaping. The center’s training rooms have versatile workstations with outlets for computers or other devices.

Visiting in the gym

Another feature of the center is a multipurpose gymnasium, which also will serve as the family visitation center for minors in Juvenile Hall and the commitment facility. Staff will screen visitors in the lobby and then escort them to tables in the visitation area. The system should prevent contraband from being passed to minors, officials said.

By reducing the population in Juvenile Hall, the county plans to move 28 staff positions to the new center. Juvenile Hall also is used for overnight stays for young offenders who are arrested and others who are waiting for court dates.

At one time, a minor with multiple convictions for car theft could be sent to a state youth detention center. But youth offenders are now the responsibility of counties, except for those found guilty of the most serious crimes such as murder or rape.

Silva said the county has sent some minors to out-of-state group homes if the court has ordered them separated from their families and they couldn’t be placed in local group homes. Some of them could be returned to benefit from services at the new commitment center.

The Stanislaus center will house up to 45 boys and as many as 15 girls in separate units.

To design and build the center, the county was awarded $18 million from the state and used $6 million in local matching funds. The project was completed more than $2 million under budget.

Bee staff writer Ken Carlson can be reached at kcarlson@modbee.com or (209) 578-2321.

By Susan Schrock

sschrock@star-telegram.com

ARLINGTON — Senior housing, a grocery store, sidewalk improvements and banners that celebrate the New York Avenue area’s history and international diversity are among ideas in a draft plan aimed at revitalizing east Arlington’s “downtown.”

Last year, Arlington approved a $131,000 contract with consultants to identify redevelopment opportunities and infrastructure improvements designed to lure new private investment along the New York Avenue corridor.

After hearing from a 20-member advisory group and local stakeholders the past few months, the consultants have drafted a vision for the aging area that outlines economically feasible residential and commercial projects for the area as well as aesthetic and safety improvements, such as landscaping and better sidewalks.

“It’s been really evident and clear that this has truly been a community-led project. We’ve got a lot of really great feedback,” said Alicia Winkelblech, the city’s transportation planning manager. “Our consultant team is trying to be true to the things we heard in that vision. It’s an exciting project.”

An Arlington City Council committee is scheduled to begin reviewing recommendations Tuesday, though the full council is not expected to vote on the final corridor plan until September. A final public hearing on the draft strategy before it goes to Planning and Zoning Commission and council is set for June 1.

Increased property values

Efforts are being focused on the area bordered by Abram Street to the north, Arkansas Lane to the south, Browning Drive to the west and Sherry Street to the east. That area, considered by some as east Arlington’s downtown, serves as a key north-south link between Interstate 20 and the entertainment district, Great Southwest Industrial District and General Motors Assembly Plant, project manager Douglas McDonald said.

Besides improvements that include landscaping, street trees and a new sidewalk along the eastern edge of New York Avenue, the consultants have recommended installing banners or flags that highlight both the international diversity and the community’s heyday in the 1950s and 1960s after the opening of the General Motors plant.

Consultants have also identified three areas for possible redevelopment that, if realized, could add an estimated $75 million to the property values in the area.

Possible projects at the corner of New York and Abram include a new grocery store and loft apartments with retail and office space on the ground floor. That area has some mid-century homes that have been converted into commercial use.

“All of the uses identified have very strong backing from consultants doing market analysis. They have really looked at the market,” Winkelblech said.

New housing recommended

At New York and Park Row Drive, the consultants have suggested more mixed-use development that would include residential space as well as restaurants, shops and doctors’ offices. This area has also been identified as a good location for the proposed combination of the east Arlington branch library and the Hugh Smith Recreation Center, a project the city is considering.

Stakeholders have also said they would like to see town homes marketed for older residents in this area, replacing some of the existing apartment complexes. At New York and Pioneer Parkway, consultants suggest building new assisted-living senior housing and making improvements to the existing shopping areas by attracting new businesses and improving building facades.

“A lot of the residents have lived there since GM opened up. They have been there since the ’50s and ’60s. They want to stay in east Arlington, but there are no options for them,” McDonald said.

Luring that private development, though, may require to the city to invest $1 of public funds for every $5.50 spent, the consultants wrote in their report to the council.

This report contains material from the Star-Telegram archives.

Susan Schrock, 817-709-7578

Twitter@susanschrock

• Print

04/01/2013 08:10 AM

By: Mary McCombs

With Spring upon us and the days getting longer, it is time to think about landscaping ideas. This week’s in-depth business profile, Josh Lawn Care Landscaping, is a company that is growing and working to meet the needs of its customers in the Rochester and Finger Lakes area.

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Right out of high school, Josh Schmieder knew what he wanted in life.

“It was a dream of mine to own a company that would be a leader in Rochester in the landscaping industry,” Schmieder said.

His dream came true. Josh Lawn Care Landscaping business has grown from one employee ten years ago to a team of close to 30 today.

“Our people are our most important assets,” Schmieder commented. “And our people is what makes that experience.”

Josh outgrew office space in Livonia, recently moving to a new facility on West Main Street in Honeoye Falls. Since opening 11 years ago, the business has been growing at a rate of about 15 to 20 percent per year.

“One thing that we did, even from day one, is look at the industry’s weaknesses and try to make those our strengths,” Schmieder said. “So we looked at professionalism, we looked quality, we looked at customer service and basically the uniqueness that our company will bring to the table.”

Some of Josh’s award winning work has been featured at Gardenscape as well as other garden shows throughout the area. From patio installations, to natural and man-made waterfalls, the goal is to walk people through the design phase to the finished product.

“We handle installations from the wood structures to the patios to the masonry, outdoor fireplaces, outdoor kitchens,” Schmieder added. “The landscaping industry has changed since Josh first opened his business more than a decade ago. The focus now is on custom outdoor living space. I think people just really want to enjoy, even though it’s a short season from May until October, but they want to be able to enjoy the outdoors, the outside of their property, their home, their landscaping for as long as possible.”

Josh Lawn Care and Landscaping is excited about what the next five years has to offer as it continues to grow and offer new products.

“Our goal is to be leaders in outdoor living as well as leaders in the industry in the Rochester region,” Schmieder said.