Location, future size of new Fayette jail remain big problems

Location,

future size of new Fayette jail remain big problems

While I can

appreciate Mr. Hamricks "opinion" regarding the

Fayetteville jail, there are a number of things he should

consider before addressing a community that he doesn't

reside in. Please note, I'll stay away from the concerns

he dismisses rather easily, such as community fears. I

would, however, like to discuss the Clayton County Jail

comparison.

Mr. Hamrick mentions that

the value of his home hasn't decreased and may have

increased in value. For him and his neighbors that is

good news. He fails to mention, however, the jail in

Clayton County is on the outskirts of town. I wonder how

the community of Clayton County would have responded if

the jail were placed in a corresponding location that the

proposed judicial center was going in Fayetteville.

The second point I want to

address is his definition of "enlarge."

According to the dictionary, "enlarge" means

"to make larger in size." If the proposed jail

had a limit for the first pod of 192 inmates, most of us

would say fine. The problem however is that the

commissioners have "planned" for four pods that

will bring the total number of beds to over 800, if you

include the 80-some inmates it now holds. To many people

expanding 1000 percent means essentially building a new

jail.

Still not a problem if the

location supports the best interest of the community.

This sounds much like the approach that Clayton County

and others take. They realized they needed it and put it

on the outskirts of town.

The argument sounds

familiar doesn't it? For those of us that used to live

near a jail, you could "wrap" this package

anyway you want, but the reality is a jail is a jail and

we should accept the things that go along with it.

Getting away from these things is why we moved to

Fayetteville in the first place.

Lastly, his comments about

"who knows when pods three and four would be

built... five, 10 or 20 years," probably has some

merit. However, if Fayetteville continues our current

growth rate and the jail is built "in

anticipation" for the number of inmates they'll

need, it should be a forgone conclusion we'll need to

build the pods. When's the last time we read about a jail

being 60 percent full?

Also, as Mr. Hamrick

pointed out, there are two to three times the inmates,

which is why we need to expand in the first place.

Unfortunately, jails are like the field of dreams... if

you build it, they will come. I would rather we

acknowledge the fact that the pods will have to be built

and address the location issue.

I could go on, but I'm

hoping the meeting Thursday evening will help us all

understand the logic behind this planned location.

Pete Benedetti

[email protected]