By C1 Staff
FORT SMITH, Ark. — The Arkansas DOC is looking to build a new $100 million facility to house 1,000 maximum security inmates, and Polk County is considering throwing their hat into the ring.
The prison would generate 250 new jobs that average $12.75 an hour, according to Arkansas News. The operating budget for such a facility would be around $19 million, and the facility would have the ability to expand to 2,000 beds, thus doubling jobs and operating budget.
The department is looking for a minimum of 400 acres of flat land that fits soil, seismic and environmental concerns. They want the site to be close to medical sources and have adequate utilities.
They need a population base substantial enough to support workforce needs, said Shea Wilson, public information officer for the DOC, and for staff recruitment and development purposes. They would especially like to be located near a university, college or community college.
“We want to go where we are wanted, so this process of expression of interest is important,” Wilson said, after explaining that DOC officials were invited to Polk County to see the area for themselves. “We look forward to meeting with community members and are glad to have the opportunity.
Other areas vying for the facility are Magnolia, which is near the Louisiana border, and Lawrence County in northeastern Arkansas.
The county is already entertaining the idea of a proposed sales tax for a new county jail, though Polk County Chief Deputy Scott Sawyer says a new state facility is a different issue.
“We’ve had conversations with people who have confusion on that,” Sawyer said. “The prison will not benefit our law enforcement, because we can’t house our inmates there. If they open up 1,000 beds like they’re saying they will, you divide that up among 75 counties holding inmates waiting on a state prison bed, it doesn’t take too long to fill up.”
He’s unsure if the public will support the county seeking to lure the new state facility into their backyard. In July, the Polk County Quorum Court approved the sheriff’s plan to seek a 1 percent sales tax to construct a proposed $8 million, 100-bed county jail.
“I’m not taking a ‘yea or nay’ stance on this, and it’s not for us to endorse [the state facility],” Sawyer said. “It’s up to the public to decide if it’s the right thing for the county.”
The DOC is hoping to have a firm proposal ready when it goes to the Legislature next year to ask for the funding needed to build the prison.