Jail expansion location drawing some criticism

Opponents know more room is needed but say current site is wrong choice

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BROOKINGS – Since the county began pursuing an expansion of the Brookings County Detention Center, a lot of progress has been made. But during the June 1 Board of Adjustment meeting, plans for the $11 million 17,000-square-foot addition to the facility experienced a major setback when the board denied the county’s request for a zero-foot setback variance.

And some of the jail’s neighbors are happy that the project has slowed down, which they hope will allow their voices to be better heard by the county and allow alternative plans to be considered.

Among the people interviewed, there was unanimous agreement that the need for a bigger jail was real; however, they took issue with the idea that expanding at the jail’s current site was the best way forward, especially in the longterm.

Doug Carruthers and his wife have lived across the street from the Sheriff’s Office and the detention center for four years, and they enjoy the extra security and peace of mind that comes with living near law enforcement.

Still, it’s shortsighted to invest $11 million into an expansion at the jail’s current site, which would strand the investment, he said. Even though there is enough space for this expansion, what about the next time the jail needs to grow to meet its needs?

“Over time, the need for a larger jail is going to grow. The treatment prevention programs that they have and offer, they’re going to need more space,” Carruthers said.

Kirsten Gjesdal, although not a resident of the neighborhood, was equally concerned as a taxpaying resident of Brookings, a downtown business owner and a board member of the Brookings Farmers Market.

“Fifty years is how long they’re expecting this expansion to at least suit what they need it for, so what happens after that 50 years? Yeah, you might not be around at that point, but it is still your community. You should care about its future and growing it in a smart way so that 50 years, your kids don’t look back and say, ‘Why did they do that? That was such a silly decision,’” Gjesdal said.

Although the longterm viability of the site is the primary concern for most of them, another common concern is the visual impact the expanded jail might have on the courthouse. At the moment, there are no designs of the exterior to review, but the architects are working on drafting designs to present.

Husband and wife Donn and Yvonne Fetzer have lived in their house a block away from the jail for 31 years.

Although they had worries about living near a jail when they first moved in, they liked the house enough to go through with the purchase. It’s one thing to move in near a jail, but the proposed expansion is another thing altogether, they said.

“I just feel that it detracts from a nice feel from the way the buildings are now. To put that huge addition where it’s almost larger than the original courthouse in square footage, it doesn’t feel right,” Yvonne said.

The layout of the block and the architecture of the courthouse are all very symmetrical, and neighbors are skeptical that any design the architects come up with would be able to preserve the beauty of the historical building.

There’s also a feeling among these neighbors that the county hasn’t given them an opportunity to talk about the project and ask questions about it.

“I think a lot of the neighbors feel a little broadsided. They (the county) have done a great job communicating their need, and that’s not in conflict in any way. But I think that engaging the community overall is something that the county commission should try to do a little bit better,” Carruthers said.

It doesn’t help that county meetings are held at 8:30 a.m., a hard time for employed county residents to make it to any meeting, the residents said.

“They need to get back to a point where we’re having a conversation and not forcing a single plan down the community’s throat. I understand fully how those things progress. It’s the most obvious, expedient and it makes sense when you look at it at first blush,” Carruthers said. “But it’s not a longterm solution. This is something that will impact the growth pattern of that area for a very long time. That building will not go anywhere once it’s there. So before they start construction, now is really the time to consider options.”

Carruthers has even put up a website, www.brookingsjail.com, going through all the reasons he and others are against expanding the jail onsite. Also, the study put together by the architects can be found on the sheriff’s webpage at http://www.brookingscountysd.gov/230/Sheriff.

He and Gjesdal said they wished the county had taken the time to show with numbers why building on site is the better option to take, that the county could show how much extra it would cost to build and operate offsite.

That’s because thoroughly informing those who could be impacted by decisions about the decision-making process is something the county should strive to do, Gjesdal said.

“Setting standards and setting expectations of what we expect out of our elected officials and people whose wages are paid by tax dollars, there needs to be certain processes and expectations laid out for how information is communicated and disseminated throughout the community. So while it’s the jail discussion now, who knows what it’ll be in two years? You don’t want this mess to come up again,” she said.

County Commissioners Larry Jensen and Stephne Miller (members of the jail expansion committee) and Sheriff Marty Stanwick were asked for a response on why the expansion is a good idea in the long term, when designs for the exterior might be ready, what the county has done to get word out to nearby residents, and rough estimates in how much it’d cost to pursue an offsite location, among other questions.

They declined to offer a response, writing, “At this time, we are not in a position to give you answers. We are still working on building options and gathering data regarding proposed costs related to additional officers, transportation and operational costs,” adding that when such information is available, it would be shared.

Contact Eric Sandbulte at esandbulte@brookingsregister.com.