Local group concerned about state attitude toward Work Ethic camp
McCOOK, Neb. -- A group of several McCook community leaders travelled to Lincoln, Nebraska, last week to promote expansion of the McCook Work Ethic Camp, as well as to gather information pertaining to what can be done locally in support of such a project. The trip was coordinated after an Omaha World Herald report indicated the Dept. of Corrections was pushing for a massive expansion in the Lincoln-Omaha area and stated nearly every available alternative has already been deployed.
City Councilman Jerry Calvin visited with the Gazette this morning and indicated the McCook group doesn't believe the WEC is being given the consideration it should, especially given state owned land and utilities are already in place to support expansion. Calvin said he was concerned the Department of Corrections wasn't looking past the corporate limits of Lincoln and Omaha.
Mayor Dennis Berry, City Manager Nate Schneider, MEDC Executive Director Rex Nelson and MEDC Board President Jim Ulrich joined Calvin during the trek to Nebraska's capital city and met with representatives of the Council of State Governments Justice Center. Calvin plans to recap the presentation and discuss the group's findings during the upcoming Dec. 1 McCook City Council meeting.
The Council of State Governments was hired as a consulting firm by state officials to research issues and potential solutions for Nebraska's overcrowding at state penitentiaries. The firm has a deadline of September 2015 to provide their findings to a working group created by legislation passed during the 2014 session, however, the front page article featured in the Omaha World Herald caught local attention.
Councilman Calvin said the article, titled "Overcrowding fix gets a price tag: $199.2 million," indicated the Nebraska Department of Corrections retained the services of two architectural firms and created a capital facilities master plan which outlines three projects in the first five years. The plan recommends spending almost $200 million to add 450 beds to the 200-bed Community Corrections Center in Lincoln, 300 beds to the 90-bed Community Corrections Center in Omaha and build a new "358-bed medical/intake/food service facility between the Lincoln Correctional Center and the Diagnostic and Evaluation Center in Lincoln."
The report lays out suggestions for more expansions in two later phases if needed without offering explanation of what those suggestions may entail, according to Calvin.
Nebraska Corrections Director Mike Kenney said the proposed construction would be a last resort and that nearly every available alternative had already been deployed to reduce crowding, including using county jails, according to the Omaha World Herald story. Kenney's comments came in the form of a press release issued Tuesday after he was forced to divulge the findings of the consultant report due to a subpoena issued by a legislative committee probing problems in the state prison system.
Mayor Dennis Berry indicated Monday evening the McCook WEC was originally designed for growth and should be given serious consideration as an expansion site. Berry said the state already owned nearly 40 acres adjoining the facility, thanks to a gift from the McCook Economic Development Corp. when the facility was built, and city utilities were already in place and ready for increased capacity.
Mayor Berry said the location could handle a capacity 2-3 times the facility's current size, which would provide additional local jobs.
Councilman Calvin indicated he would recap the group's visit to Lincoln and discussion with the advisory committee, as well as what expansion at the WEC could mean for the day-to-day operations of the facility.
Prior to the Lincoln trip the McCook group consulted with District 44 Nebraska State Senator-elect Dan Hughes as well as a professor involved in the creation of a 2004 evaluation and assessment of the WEC. Calvin said the assessment indicated the WEC was facing the same problems in 2014 it was back in 2004, including being improperly and under utilized.