New Detention Center For Girls Proposed In Md.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Maryland's head of the Department of Juvenile Services is scheduled to meet with Carroll County officials to discuss a proposal to build a new detention center for girls in the county.

Eric Solomon, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, said department head Sam Abed is scheduled to meet with county officials Thursday.

Solomon says the 48-bed facility would be built in Marriottsville on the grounds of the former Thomas O'Farrell Youth Center, which closed in 2008.

Solomon says the total cost of the project is estimated to be about $53 million. Two public hearings are scheduled next month to talk about the proposal.

The department is looking to replace the Thomas J.S. Waxter Children's Center in Laurel, a residential center that is more than 50 years old.

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