photo by: Journal-World

The west side of the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.

Douglas County leaders this week will hear the first public update since late 2022 about the county’s yet-to-open behavioral health crisis center.

An update about the Treatment and Recovery Center of Douglas County is on the Douglas County Commission’s agenda for Wednesday, two weeks after Douglas County Administrator Sarah Plinsky promised that commissioners would soon hear a “fuller” presentation about the facility.

New details about the TRC have been sparse since the last update to the commission, which took place Dec. 14, 2022. During that meeting, Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center CEO Patrick Schmitz voiced serious interest in Bert Nash running the facility.

Plinsky said in late January that county staff had nearly finished reviewing the materials Bert Nash had submitted for consideration at the end of last year. She also said Wednesday’s update should, specifically, involve county staff reporting which deliverables have been met and which are still outstanding, along with timelines for developing an operating agreement.

As of Tuesday, no presentation materials have been attached with the commission meeting agenda, so any further details about what the county might share are unclear.

It’s been nearly eight months since the county hosted a ribbon cutting for the TRC.

In other business, the commission will:

• During a work session, hear a presentation introducing the team of consultants and county staff who are working to develop an Open Space Plan for the county.

County staff first began imagining a plan for preserving the county’s natural landscapes in March of 2022. Wednesday’s presentation will detail project phases, community engagement plans and the next steps toward developing the plan.

• Consider updating the personnel policies for Douglas County and Consolidated Fire District 1 to include additional funeral days and adding a shared leave pool policy.

• Consider authorizing the county to enter into professional design service contracts with CT Design+Development and Landplan Engineering to begin designs for a new maintenance building on the Douglas County Fairgrounds. The project is included in the county’s 2023 Capital Improvements Project inventory for construction.

• Consider a conditional use permit for a 190-foot-tall wireless communication facility located at 727 East 1700 Road, which is in the Vinland area between Lawrence and Baldwin City.

The applicant is working on behalf of AT&T to build a cell tower to bolster phone service coverage, according to the permit application.

• Meet in executive session to “consult with the county counselor regarding matters that would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, in order to protect the attorney-client privilege.”

Wednesday’s work session will begin at 4 p.m., followed by the business meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. The meeting will also be available by Zoom. For meeting information, visit the county’s website: dgcoks.org/commissionmeetings.