March 11, 2021
Idaho lawmakers in the Senate have overwhelmingly approved funding for new dormitories at the Idaho Youth Challenge Academy in Pierce.
The money was included in an $89 million supplemental budget for the Permanent Building Fund, which finances capital projects across the state. It passed the Senate 34-0, after previously passing the House 57-9.
The appropriation includes $7.4 million for the Youth Challenge Academy to replace the modular trailers that are currently being used as living quarters and allow the program to increase its capacity from 155 students to 180 per 22-week term.
The supplemental budget also provides $3 million to replace aging facilities at the University of Idaho’s agricultural research center in Parma. The university will also receive $700,000 for two greenhouses to expand seedling production. (Lewiston Tribune)