SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The South Dakota’s Project Prison Reset Task Force started its Tuesday meeting with hearing the results of an employee survey related to a possible new men’s prison site.
KELOLAND News is livestreaming the meeting. The task force will review 14 project design options and possibly select an option to recommend to state officials.
As part of an explanation of the prison options, representatives with Arrington Watkins, said using an existing site for a prison project has its limitations. For example, a Level III 300 bed dorm style facility at Mike Durfee in Springfield would cost an estimated $43.6 million and if built on another suitable site, the estimated cost would be $33 million.
“With any of the options, you can see we are paying a premium price for multiple sites,” said Mike Quinn of Arrington Watkins Architects.
The lowest price estimate is about $622.8 million for 900 cell beds and 300 dorm style beds on a site called the Sweetman Partners property in Sioux Falls. The highest price is more than $850 million using the North Farm and Sweetman or the North Farm, Mike Durfee and Worthing, for example.
Site options included sites near Worthing, Mitchell and the Sweetman Partners property in Sioux Falls as well as using the DOC-owned North Farm and Mike Durfee in Springfield. Some of the options used a combination of possible sites while others used only one site.
Quinn pointed out that a site submitted earlier in July, called the Benson Road site, was not submitted in time for a deep dive. The site is comparable to the Sweetman site. Although a stream may need to be reconfigured, Quinn said, “It still falls on the plus side…”
Mike Conder of Arrington Watkins explained that a dorm-style building is not like a college dorm but a larger, open space with 20 to 50 or more beds with bunks and a common day room. A cell facility is a cell designed for a single or double occupancy.
Conder said the designs use precast concrete which is similar to what was proposed for the original site in Lincoln County between Harrisburg and Canton.
Using multiple smaller sites and facilities typically means that services such as recreation space, dining and similar are duplicated and don’t really reduce costs or staffing, Quinn said.
“It’s never more economical to split it up into multiple units,” Quinn said.
Task force member Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead said some members of the public have been repeating that it may be cheaper and better to build at multiple locations but what he is hearing again from consultants is that it is less expensive and safer for construction to build at one site.
Milstead also asked that while a state task force is considering options to reduce recidivism and other factors, what if that doesn’t work and the prison population grows? Do existing DOC sites have any options for expansion? Milstead said.
Quinn said unless the state demolishes buildings, there is no space to expand for support staff, recreation and similar.
Conder also said the green site options have room for expansion.
Consultants also said the full roughly 1,100 beds and 1,500 beds designs could fit on Mitchell but they would be similar to Sweetman site.
Task force member Rep. Scott Odenbach asked why the Nebraska project received bids of $313 million.
Venhuizen we’ve asked Nebraska to provide us more information but the state is not sharing. South Dakota has filed an official request for information with Nebraska to get more information.
The consultants did run numbers on quality of construction.
Ed Whatley of CGL and Venhuizen said based on the bid price, the Nebraska project must use a construction material with a shorter life span such as a steel cell construction.
Whatley said steel cell construction assumes a 50-year life and 25-year life span. Whatley said if a 25-year life span is used, it would need to be rebuilt three times to get to the 100-year life span with any of the possible 14 year projects.
State engineer Stacy Watters, engineer for the state of South Dakota, said the Nebraska project does not include a new intake section which has a $130 million cost for South Dakota.
Also, Quinn said earlier and Venhuizen also pointed out that South Dakota estimates included site preparation site costs. The Nebraska project does not include site work, Watters said.
Whatever option the task force may select, the Department of Corrections staff at the existing men’s prison in Sioux Falls prefer a site near Sioux falls, based on survey results shared on Tuesday.
DOC Secretary Kellie Wasko shared the results of a survey where DOC employees who work at the prison in Sioux Falls were asked about possibly commuting to sites near Mitchell and Worthing. Those two sites were included in the survey and not two sites in Sioux Falls that were submitted later in the process, Wasko said.
“I think it’s pretty black and white,” Wasko said. “There’s a strong preference for Sioux Falls.”
Seventy-seven percent said they would be willing to commute to a site near Worthing, which Wasko said would be considered a site near Sioux Falls.
Only 7% said they would be willing to commute to Mitchell.
Task force member Rep. Jack Kolbeck said the survey results reinforce what studies have said for the need for a new prison to be close to Sioux Falls to retain employees and attract any new employees.
Most of the DOC staff have a commute of 30 miles or less to work, Wasko said of the survey.
Several employees shared concerns about family disruption, day care disruptions and others with a possible commute to Mitchell, Wakso said.
The agenda timeline includes a lunch break with the meeting scheduled to start again at 12 noon with discussion listed on the afternoon part of the agenda.
KELOLAND News has compiled a webpage full of coverage of the state prison discussion.
