Reconsider OK County jail sites
The debate over where to build the new Oklahoma County jail is well deserved. It is concerning to know that you might have to deal with a jail near your house, children’s school, work, place of worship or another location important to you. As a community, we need to remember that no matter where the jail is built, it will be in a location that is important to someone.
The Oklahoma County commissioners recently picked the site at 1901 E Grand Blvd. near Del City to be the home of the new jail. After listening to pushback from Del City leaders and area citizens, commissioners still voted to choose the location for the new jail.
Commissioners need to reconsider the other sites that remain on their list: near Reno Avenue and Exchange Avenue, SW 74 Street and Rockwell Avenue, and I-240 and Sunnylane Road.
We cannot continue to force unwanted facilities on communities.
The proposed jail location is now near schools, raising concerns for the safety of children in the area if inmates escape the jail. There also are financial concerns related to additional costs that the jail might incur for Del City as well as the potential impact on economic development and business in the area. While the jail site uses empty land, it is still near homes and schools.
From a city planning perspective, it’s easy to put the jail anywhere that has enough properly zoned land. But we have to remember that each location is home to someone. If you don’t want a jail next to your home or your kid’s school, chances are someone else doesn’t either.
Ultimately, the county commissioners need to reconsider the remaining sites before forcing the citizens of the Del City area to shoulder the weight of the new jail.
Alison Holderbaum, Norman