SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – With the Project Prison Reset Task Force concluding that Sioux Falls will be the best location for a new prison, state lawmakers are now waiting to see if the prison can meet their needs at the price tag they set.
Despite being warned that a $650 million price tag would likely mean a cut in either beds, size of prison, or quality of materials, the task force was set on that amount.
The committee has its focus on two sites within a mile of each other.
One is a 148-acre property off of
Benson Road
, and the other is a 137-acre property off of
Bahnson Avenue
.
Whether or not the committee will receive backlash for the sites is still up in the air, but members were thankful to get to the end of the meetings.
“A lot of stress is relieved, to be done, and have a unanimous vote on a site and a budget, and a number of beds,” Rep. Greg Jamison (R) Sioux Falls said.
At least one neighbor has expressed support.
Joe Bunkers, the President of Gage Brothers Concrete Products, which stands in between these two sites, has previously expressed his support, believing a prison in the area would be a great economic opportunity.
Both properties were proposed within the last month, leaving little time for word to get out, which is why Rep. Jamison looks to get the community involved in discussions.
“I hope to further explore that with the community in a way that we can get some engagement with other legislators from here, other Sioux Falls legislators, and the community to talk about those challenges going forward,” Jamison said.
The committee realized that the “Not in my backyard” protests will reign no matter where the prison is proposed, and therefore, the task force recognized that Sioux Falls, with its resources, was going to be the best option.
Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken shared his thoughts on social media Tuesday evening.
Jamison hopes that with these sites being removed from neighborhoods, that at least that will be enough to calm some nerves from the community.
Both the Mitchell and Worthing proposed sites were also separated from densely populated neighborhoods, but community leaders
expressed concern
about their respective city’s ability to support all of the construction and traffic that a prison would bring.
“They’re (the Sioux Falls sites) kind of isolated, they’re hard to find for some people, and that’s what we wanted it to be, hidden and tucked away,” Jamison said.
But a prison opening up room for 300 more inmates will create its own set of challenges financially.
Sheriff Mike Milstead said the state will need to have the backs of the city and county.
“We’re going to need more, we’re going to need support from the state, and I reminded the legislators of that. It’s going to put an extra caseload on my fugitive task force, it will put extra work on our warrants division, patrol officers, Sioux Falls police units, and their violent crime unit,” Milstead urged.
Milstead acknowledged that the prison will likely fill up soon, and when asked what can be done to lower the prison population, Milstead favored investing in vocational programs rather than changing state legal statutes and start decriminalizing crimes.
“Somebody said, ‘South Dakota has one of the highest prison populations per capita.’ Well, we’re also one of the safest places to raise your family, so that comes at an expense,” Milstead said.
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