Letter to the Editor

Concerned with county jail projects

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Dear Editor:

Ms. Claflin stated she was reporting what citizens of Vernon County, whom she had spoken to, thought of the city of Nevada for charging $24,782 for building permits for the new Vernon County jail. So I took it on myself to talk to citizens of Vernon County about their concerns. The citizens I spoke to said they knew nothing about the building permit. What concerns them is why they are paying $8 million dollars for a county jail which will house 88 prisoners, while the average number of prisoners runs from 21 to 29. Are they planning on a big rise in the crime rate in Vernon County. We know they cannot be planning on housing prisoners from nearby counties or even federal prisoners, because we all know what kind of element this will bring to Vernon County and the City of Nevada. With them will come their friends to be near them and visit on visiting days. That is something we do not want because they will be of the same caliber as the prisoners themselves. If so we will need a sheriffs department four times the size of the one we have now.

Also they are wondering why we will need a $300,000 storage building. What could they possibly have to store that would take a building of this size. With the size of the new jail, you would think they would have plenty of empty space, even if they had to use 20 or 30 empty cells.

We do need to thank Ms. Curtis for the land she donated to the county, but with the number of problems they are running into with elevation, drainage, runoff, and bedrock, you wonder if we might be better off to seek another location farther out in the county. The problems may cost us more, in the long run, then the cost of purchasing another piece of property.

Also, this does not even consider what it is going to cost the taxpayer for a suitable road to connect the new jail to our present street system. I don't believe I have seen the cost of this road mentioned any where so far.

May be we are way off with our thoughts and concerns, but I'm sure someone out there will bring all of our worries to rest.

Paul Jadlow, Nevada, Mo.