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| WA Dept of Corrections eyeing Rochester for reception center |
| By NATE HULINGS, Staff writer, thenewstribune.com |
| Published: 05/05/2011 |
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ROCHESTER – While lawmakers decide the fate of Maple Lane School near Grand Mound, the Department of Corrections has its eye on the property as a potential landing spot for a $230 million project that includes a facility to temporarily house felons. As part of the initial phase of its environmental impact statement on the site, the department held a public meeting Wednesday at Rochester High School to hear questions and concerns from residents. The site is one of three finalists for a 546,000-square-foot, 1,000-bed center, where the state would screen inmates to learn their medical, mental health and drug-treatment needs, as well as educational needs, gang affiliations and other characteristics that assist in placing them in the prison system. Offenders generally stay for four to six weeks before they are transported to a long-term facility. The other two possible locations are a site near the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton and a site in Kitsap County near Bremerton formerly proposed for a NASCAR race track. “This is intended to be a very short-term stay at this facility,” said David Jansen, director of capital programs for DOC. Jansen said the meetings this week near all three considered sites were about informing the public about the process and gathering input. The DOC could make a final decision on a site by the end of this year, but funding for construction wouldn’t be available until 2013. While only a few people spoke during the public hearing, more talked about living near a medium- to high-security youth prison set to close due to budget cuts and what a bigger facility would mean for the community. Brian McElfresh of Rochester said he’s worried about traffic, the bright lights and the idea of sandwiching a reception center between schools and the Great Wolf Lodge. “It will change the face of this area,” he said. Sitting next to him was his mother, Nancy McElfresh, who said she came “as a concerned grandmother.” Rochester School District Superintendent Kim Fry also spoke, requesting that the district be kept in the loop and get a chance to weigh in on issues such as traffic, population growth and safety. Some debated whether a new center was necessary. Robert Randall said he doesn’t understand why the state would close one facility just to open a more expensive one in its place. “That absolutely doesn’t make sense to me,” he said. Others, such as 30-year Rochester resident Marlene Hampton, said the site’s proximity to Interstate 5 and current facilities make it a better fit. Because the state already owns the land and the site has buildings that would likely be used by the center, siting there could save the state as much as $10 million compared with the other sites, according to the DOC. Read More. |
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