Girls involved in the juvenile court system are about to have a residential alternative that will meet temporary or long-term needs. The Coweta County Commission on Nov. 17 approved a conditional use permit for a non-profit transitional facility on Macedonia Road that can house up to 16 girls.

Formerly known as Heavenly Laughter Daycare, applicant Edith Byrd in an earlier statement said Coweta currently has no facility to meet the residential needs of girls involved with the juvenile court system. She said girls have to be sent outside the county, making rehabilitation and re-integration with their families more difficult.

Byrd in her statement demonstrated support for the girls’ home proposal from both the state and local juvenile systems.

The county planning department had previously recommended approval of the conditional use permit, as had the Board of Zoning Appeals. The board at that time recommended 10 conditions which commissioners Nov. 17 included in their approval.

Among the conditions were those requiring that the girls be aged 11-17, that they be residents of Coweta County, that the number of girls residing there be limited to a maximum of 16 and that the facility be staffed 24 hours per day.

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