A standing room only crowd packed the Davison County Commission meeting to voice its opposition to locating a South Dakota Men’s Penitentiary in Davison County a few miles south of Mitchell.
Twenty-four residents offered comments to Commissioners, all against the project.
Linda McEntee’s family corporation owns land adjacent to the proposed site and is concerned about the potential social impact on the community. “What kind of people are going to be living in town,” McEntee asked. “Do we have mental health, do we have health care, do we have enough deputies, do we have enough room in our jail, do we have enough support services?”
Other concerns included highway safety, a lack of communication and a potential long-term, ongoing detrimental impact.
Chairman Randy Reider thanked all those who addressed the Commission. “We so appreciate when people are civil in a discussion mode,” said Reider.
Commissioners will use the information regarding any future action.
Two public townhall meetings are scheduled for next week. The first at Mitchell Technical College on June 17th and the second, virtually on June 18th.