GREENFIELD — Some neighbors of the farmland proposed for a new Hancock County Jail feel like their voice won’t matter as the county moves forward to build a facility that could cost up to $43 million.
The jail faces another important hurdle this week. The Hancock County Board of Zoning Appeals on Thursday will decide whether to grant a special exception to the county to allow for a 440-bed jail and a nearly mile-long access road on 75 acres of land zoned agricultural at 4300 E. U.S. 40. The board is expected to approve the exception, which will advance the project’s design process. Construction on the jail could begin as early as September.
As county officials work to figure out funding sources and the facility’s design, people who live near the land, commonly called the county farm, aren’t in favor of the jail getting built in the quiet countryside.
Russ and Gail Locker’s 10-acre property runs along the west side of the site, from U.S. 40 to the north property line of each parcel. The county is proposing building the jail on about 20 acres in the northwest portion of the property, positioned a few hundred feet away from the back of the Lockers’ farmland.
The Lockers said they don’t want to live right next to a jail. They wanted the facility built in downtown Greenfield near the current jail, the initial location until the county changed course last year. “We don’t want that out here, but who’s going to listen to us?” Gail Locker said.
Russ Locker said, “The cards are against us.” The county board of zoning appeals will vote on whether to allow the county to build a jail on land the county already owns. The Lockers said they don’t plan on attending the BZA meeting this week since they don’t think it’ll make a difference.
“It’s kind of like their mind’s made up,” Russ Locker said. “Don’t need to look at the facts.”
It isn’t wise for the county to spend income tax dollars on a jail outside Greenfield, he said, especially when the county will have to pay more for transportation to and from the downtown courthouse.
Russ Locker has lived in his home along U.S. 40 since his family moved there in 1970. If the Lockers ever chose to move, Gail Locker said she worries how living next to a jail will affect their property value.
The Lockers are among a dozen or so people who live near the county farm, according to online property records. When applying for a special exception, Hancock County’s zoning petition states: “The notice of public hearing must be sent to all owners of parcels of land adjoining the subject property to a depth of two ownerships or 600 feet, whichever is less.” The county sent out notices to 23 property owners.
Most homeowners nearby live on County Road 500E, east of the county farm.
Randi and Scott Mays and their two children live northeast of the county farm. Randi Mays said she understands the need for a new county jail, but added there are better options in the county. She’s at least glad the jail won’t be built next door. It will, however, create more noise and traffic, she said.
“I rather it just be peace and quiet out here,” Mays said.
The family moved to their house in 2015 to live near nature, removed from city life. She’s worried how the construction will affect the deer and other animals who roam near the county farm. The Mays would have attended the BZA meeting next week, Randi Mays said, but their schedule was busy that day.
The BZA will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 28, at the Hancock County Annex, 111 American Legion Place in Greenfield.
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WHAT: The Hancock County Board of Zoning Appeals will vote on granting a special exception for the county to build a jail on 75 acres of agricultural land at 4300 U.S. 40.
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 28
WHERE: Hancock County Annex, 111 American Legion Place in Greenfield
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