Weekly Connections November 3rd, 2025

Welcome to Weekly Connections! Here is your summary of key updates from the justice industry for the week of Nov. 3.Let's get into it with project updates:In Boulder County, Colo., a ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the opening of the Joe Pelle Center, a new 252-bed alternative sentencing facility.Officials in Barren County, Ky., broke ground on the new $50 million Barren County Judicial Center project in downtown Glasgow.Plans for a new regional justice center in Springfield, Mass., which could cost up to $600 million, were recently unveiled by developer Monarch Enterprises.Construction is underway on a 60-bed behavioral healthcare center at the site of the new Oklahoma County jail.Montana Department of Corrections Director Brian Gootkin announced that water service has been restored to all buildings at the Montana State Prison after a service loss on Oct. 10. Moving on to legislation and funding:The Wisconsin State Building Commission recently awarded $743 million for construction projects, including $15 million to begin upgrades at six state correctional facilities.Commissioners in Lancaster County, Pa., are looking to add a financial advisor to the consulting team for their new over $400 million county prison project.Officials in Sedgwick County, Kan., are applauding the Kansas Department of Corrections' decision to freeze the funding formula of the 1978 Community Corrections Act. Next in people news:ModCorr recently named Hugh Lester as the company's new Senior Director of Special Projects.Last week, the Illinois State Senate voted to confirm Latoya Hughes as Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections.The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has named Damon Andrews as its new Facilities Division Director. Moving on to construction reports:Construction manager J.E. Dunn is seeking bids from trade contractors for work on the remodeling of the Dunn County, N.D., Courthouse and Public Safety Center, with bids due Nov. 13.King County, Wash., has issued an RFP for architecture and engineering services for camera and intercom upgrades at the Maleng Regional Justice Center, with bids due Nov. 17.Contra Costa County in California is accepting bids for the construction of the Brookside Mental Health Rehabilitation Center, with bids due Dec. 17. Finishing it off with this week's events:The Correctional Leaders Association is holding its 2025 Deputy Directors and Probation and Parole Conference in Oceanside, Calif., through Nov. 6.The Correctional News Annual Corrections Summit will take place in Southern Pines, N.C., from Nov. 16-19.For more details or to access the links mentioned, check out our podcast show notes at correctionalnews.com/podcast.