Other benefits of new jail site

Dear Editor,

As is often the case in life, good things happen when people stand up for what they believe in.

Such has been the case with those of us who believe the site north of the courthouse is not the best place to put the new Red Willow County Jail.

In the beginning, our main objection was that having the jail on Norris Avenue would detract from the historical significance of The Sutton House, which is the only structure in Nebraska designed by the renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.

However, as we looked into the jail site issue, we found an even more compelling reason to move the jail site to the open space next to the Work Ethic Camp in northwest McCook.

The reason is that if the jail needs to expand in the future there is no room for growth at the Norris Avenue site but there is abundant space at the northwest McCook site.

The idea is gaining favor among state officials. Senator Mark Christensen of Imperial, who represents this are in the Nebraska Legislature, has pledged to work with Red Willow County to get legislation passed.

The legislation would allow Red Willow County to house prisoners when there is overcrowding at Nebraska's penal institutions. We would be looking at shorter term non-violent offenders.

This is already being done in Colorado. For evidence, drive to Akron in Washington County, Colorado.

There you will see an impressive 10-year-old jail which not only houses Washington County prisoners, but also rents space To house prisoners from the state and federal prison system.

The sheriff in Washington County is Larry Kuntz. Larry, whose roots are in the Wauneta area, has been most helpful and would be glad to host a delegation from Red Willow County.

Thanks to everyone for your consideration. We are dedicated to finding the best solution for the future of Red Willow County and look forward to working without fellow citizens to achieve the goal.

Respectfully yours,

Linda Taylor,

McCook, Nebraska