Let the citizens decide on jail
To begin, I would like to express admiration and respect for the Red Willow County Commissioners, Earl McNutt, Steve Downer and Vesta Dack; former commissioner Leigh Hoyt; and the Red Willow County Sheriff, Gene Mahon. They are good people who are dedicated to serving the citizens of Red Willow County.
I would also like to pay tribute to Allen Strunk, publisher emeritus of the McCook Daily Gazette and my boss when I joined the staff of the newspaper in 1961. Allen, who I regard as one of McCook's foremost leaders and visionaries, taught me to:
1. Study community issues thoroughly;
2. Reach a conclusion which you believe is in the best interests of the community, and:
3. Stand up for your belief no matter what the personal consequences might be.
After that long introduction, I'm sure you know where I'm heading. So I'll get right to the point. I believe the new Red Willow County Jail should not be built north of the courthouse.
I started thinking that way because I'm a Field Representative for Heritage Nebraska, an organization dedicated to celebrating our state's history. It is my view, and that of the members of the Heritage Nebraska board, that there are much better uses for the county property north of the courthouse than as the site for a county jail.
Other citizens have a different view, and I respect that.
However, because of research done by Dale Dueland and others, the citizens of Red Willow County now have a much more compelling reason to move the jail site from Norris Avenue to a site adjacent to the Work Ethic Camp. The northwest McCook site is as economical as the Norris Avenue site and has the potential to substantially reduce the cost of jail facilities in the future. Why is this? It is because the Norris Avenue site is only a little over a half-block long and does not have the capability for expansion, while the northwest McCook site consists of a number of acres offering an abundance of space for growth.
As citizens, our major responsibility is to take care of the place we call home, just as our parents and grandparents did in their day. Red Willow County was organized in 1873 and McCook was established in 1882. Both have a proud history. Now we need to think ahead, asking ourselves what will serve us best now and serve our children and grandchildren best in the years to come.
As we face up to our obligations, we need to be mindful of the dramatic changes which are taking place in America's jails and prisons. In many locations, there is a shortage of space for prisoners and, as a result, some county, state and federal governments are doing one of two things to avoid overcrowding: (1) Releasing prisoners early; or: (2) Renting cell space from other jail and prison facilities.
It is true that Nebraska has not yet fully faced up to the jail facility issue, but wise and prudent leadership will require that Nebraska's leaders do so in the not too distant future. As an example of the use of jail facilities as an economic development technique, we need look no further than Akron, the seat of government in Washington County, Colorado. Washington County, located 149 miles west of McCook, has 6,000 population, which is 5,000 less that Red Willow County.
Ten years ago, in 2002, Washington County opened a 250-bed jail facility which houses Washington County prisoners and rents space to state and federal penal systems. The person who oversees the Washington County Jail is Sheriff Larry Kuntz, a former resident of the Wauneta area. Dale Dueland and I have spoken with Larry. He's a friendly person and would be glad to host a delegation from Red Willow County to show the potential for a rental jail facility.
The important thing for the citizens of Red Willow County to realize is that it's not too late to change the jail location. We have already waited many years while the city and county tried to come up with a solution. There is no need to rush to a decision because the City of McCook Holding Facility was inspected Feb. 8 and was approved to house prisoners throughout 2012 and in the early months of 2013.
All I'm asking is for the Red Willow County Commission to give citizens on both sides of the jail site question the opportunity to thoroughly investigate, analyze and present the advantages and disadvantages of jail sites.
Otherwise, a number of us are going to think that the jail site decision was rammed down our throats. We are not only being denied the right to vote, we are not even being given the privilege, as citizens, to present our views. That's wrong and it will cause hard feelings and disharmony.
I appeal to the commissioners' sense of fair play. Let the people speak.
The jail site question needs to be discussed fully and openly. And,finally, the jail issue needs to be decided by a vote of the people.
That's how democracy works. We, the people, should have the final say.