They have also entered into a new program with the North Central Human Services Children's Unit on runaway referrals. The court, through our refinance dollars, will match that amount. The Minot staff has worked hard to draft the mission statement and necessary forms to track the program. Our hope is that if an employer would commit to a youth the employer might gain a prospective employee while providing the youth with job experience. The Ward County Detention Center was opened this year but the county is still struggling with the center's costs and choice of an administrator.
Agencies involved with the facility consider it long overdue and much needed.
When JCMS is fully functional we will have the ability to more closely track kids as they move within the state. Still unsettled at year's end is the issue of radon levels in the basement of the Ward County Courthouse. According to state health department officials, periodic testing is needed to determine an average level of radon. The department has also suggested ways for the county to lessen radon levels. The Ward County community service program shows a completion of 2485 hours this past year, down from 3769 hours in 1998.