SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The South Dakota Prison Project Reset task force has been meeting all day Tuesday in Pierre and the group has endorsed not building a new prison at the rural Lincoln County site.
Republican Rep. Brian Mulder made the motion to exclude possible sites in Huron and the original Lincoln County site, between Harrisburg and Canton. Mulder said there was no appetite in the legislature for the Lincoln County site.
The group voted by voice vote to not focus on the Huron and original Lincoln County site. Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, the Lincoln County site was the recommendation by the most recent consultant report by Arrington Watkins.
Next, the group agreed 22-0 to endorse a proposal to seek a new men’s prison facility at the cost of no more than $600 million at either the Mitchell or Worthing sites.
KELOLAND’s Dan Santella and Bob Mercer were at Tuesday’s meetings and will have more details from the committee’s decisions.
Prices and options discussed
After public comment ended around 3 p.m., officials with JE Dunn Construction spoke to the committee asking for specific parameters for any prison construction.
Officials also told the committee they estimated more than $130 million for building a new wing on top of the existing Jameson Annex for 192 beds.
“It’s a very expensive space,” Tom Bartelli with JE Dunn Construction told prison task force members.
Bartelli said there’s added costs for relocating inmates while building onto the existing prison. He said there would be a lot of extra costs for getting materials, equipment and workers into a secure area every day.
Republican Rep. Greg Jamison said the committee should pick the best prison location and the acceptable total price and let the contractors give them the best option.
Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead said people need to keep in mind what type of prison beds they want to build and not compromise safety.
Republican Rep. Brian Mulder said they need at least 800 beds and if they don’t hit that mark, “they’ve accomplished nothing.”
Republican Sen. Jim Mehlhaff said the state has been saving money for a prison and he believes the state needs more than 1,700 new beds.
“We have to get painting or get off the ladder,” Mehlhaff said.
Republican Rep. Karla Lems said the group needs to answer where the prison should be built to take some of the “heartburn” away from the proposed Lincoln County site.
“Let’s meet the immediate need and then expand from there,” Lems said.
Republican Rep. Jon Hansen said he’d like to see what could be built on existing facilities because the location has been a “hang up.” He said the ongoing costs with a new facility would be a huge increase.
Lt. Governor Tony Venhuizen said he’s intrigued by adding a unit at Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield as “a piece of the puzzle.”
Arrington Watkins Managing Principal Mike Quinn went through a 98-slide presentation on the work Arrington Watkins Architects did after signing a contract with the state to study prison needs.
Quinn said more than 20 people worked on the full report on a tight deadline. The consultants recommended the Lincoln County site as the best possible option for a new men’s prison.
This week, the consultant recommended the original Lincoln County site between Harrisburg and Canton as the best site of 13 for a new prison. Twelve sites had been submitted to the task force for consideration. Of those 12, the consultant said five were potential sites. All five of those potential sites were not as good as the original site.
In May, the consultant released an analysis of the existing men’s prison and said it needed to be replaced. A multi-phase project with the first as a total of 1,728 beds was recommended. The report said a second roughly 1,700 bed project could be needed in the future. The total project cost was estimated at $1.9 to $2 billion.
The state contract with Arrington Watkins is for $729,000. In May, the consultant recommended a new prison with a total of of about 1,728 beds and a possible additional 1,728 beds.
KELOLAND’s Dan Santella will be at Tuesday’s meeting. Watch for meeting coverage on the KELOLAND website and KELOLAND News.
