Legislator wants new facility for special needs boys

An Iowa lawmaker says he wants to build a new facility in Eldora to house boys in the state with special needs. Representative David Heaton says 28 boys fitting that category now reside at the Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo, but the legislature wants to make Toledo a “girls only” facility. Heaton, a republican from Mt. Pleasant, says a new facility at the State Training School in Eldora would take care of the problem. The boys at Toledo are delinquent kids who are designated by the state as “ChINA.” ChINA stands for Children In Need of Assistance and they require counseling and treatment. Heaton says he doesn’t want to see the boys shuffled around any more by the system. He says now is the time to build a facility were they can find a permanent home.Heaton says it would cost around three-and-a-half million dollars for the building. He isn’t sure how much money it would take to run the facility.