To the editor:
After reading article the “City official against plan” by Ben Middelkamp and other articles pertaining to the new jail, I enter the ring of ‘opinion givers.’
If the bond had passed the new jail addition would be on its way to being designed and constructed downtown, the best and only place it should be built. Why?
1st: Least capital expenditure location.
2nd: Least operating expenditure location.
3rd: Therefore; least costly to taxpayers.
It is time for politicians to stop listening to their “back-scratchers” and do what is good for our overall community. That is, build the jail downtown.
In Ben’s article, Brad Burkhart states in effect transporting inmates back and forth from a jail outside of city will: 1. Increase security concerns and 2. Yearly cost would be about $500,000 per year, every year. This should concern us all.
What if: There are five homes needing to be removed to expand jail downtown. Some of these five may want to move others may not. But, I believe all of the five would move if they were offered a fair price for their home plus $100,000, equal to only ‘one year’s expenditures’ for transportation cost if jail built outside of city.
In addition: I walk/ride the Pennsy Trail and having new jail near the trail is not a problem, and putting new jail anywhere will affect someone’s home(s).
We need politicians and I for one am glad some of you want to be our politicians, but it’s now time for you brave men/women to take off your political caps and put on your “common sense” caps. Build the jail downtown.
Arthur Greenman
Greenfield
