Prison task force meeting set for Tuesday
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The South Dakota Prison Project Reset task force meets Tuesday in Pierre.
The meeting agenda includes the site update from consultant Arrington Watkins as well as information on possible prison plans. KELOLAND News will be live streaming the meeting which is set to start at 10:30 a.m.
This week, the consultant recommended the original Lincoln County site between Harrisburg and Canton as the best site of 13 for a new prison. Twelve sites had been submitted to the task force for consideration. Of those 12, the consultant said five were potential sites. All five of those potential sites were not as good as the original site.
In May, the consultant released an analysis of the existing men's prison and said it needed to be replaced. A multi-phase project with the first as a total of 1,728 beds was recommended. The report said a second roughly 1,700 bed project could be needed in the future. The total project cost was estimated at $1.9 to $2 billion.
KELOLAND's Dan Santella will be at Tuesday's meeting. Watch for meeting coverage on the KELOLAND website and KELOLAND News.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Construction affects Sioux Falls city parks
SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO) — New construction projects this week will impact people's access to a pair of Sioux Falls city parks. Starting Monday, crews will begin replacing the Riverdale Park asphalt bike trail with concrete. No access to the bike trail loop will be available from the park. Instead, you can get to the trail from either Rotary or Cherry Rock parks. The work should be finished next month. Also Monday, crews will be installing utilities at the new pool in McKennan Park. That means South 4th Avenue between Park Drive and 26th Street will be closed to traffic. The work should be finished in two weeks. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Inside KELOLAND: Task force members highlight $600 million prison cap
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — After meeting for more than eight hours in Pierre this past week, members of South Dakota's Project Prison Reset task force have narrowed the focus of where a new men's prison should be built and how big it should be. Huron company added to prison discussion On Tuesday, task force members unanimously supported building a facility, or multiple, at existing Department of Corrections spots or at proposed sites in the Worthing or Mitchell areas. The state has previously spent more than $50 million in land purchase and design costs for a new men's prison in rural Lincoln County at a site that has now been officially rejected by the task force. The goal is to build new prison facilities to house 1,500 to 1,700 inmates with a maximum cost of $600 million. JE Dunn Construction has been tasked with bringing proposals in front of the task force at its July meeting. On this week's Inside KELOLAND, Republican Sen. Chris Karr and Democratic Sen. Jamie Smith shared what they took away from the task force's latest decisions. Karr said state lawmakers have challenged contractors and the state engineer to provide options that meet the 1,500 beds and no more than $600 million price tag. 'I look forward to hearing back at our next meeting about what they come up for us for options,' Karr said. Karr said the previous price tag for a men's prison in Lincoln County at the cost of $825 million was too high to get the necessary two-thirds majority vote in the House and Senate to be approved. 'We need to do something,' Karr said, who added the Department of Corrections' design choices of a campus style prison that is built to last 100 years dicated some of the higher costs. Smith said the longer the state continues to delay taking action, the more expensive future prison needs will become. 'If we only spend the $600 million, we've got to make sure that this is the right thing to build,' Smith said. 'If we build under way too much, we're going to be having this conversation right away again.' Smith said he believes the Department of Corrections needs more space and staff to help incorporate more rehabilitation, treatment options and vocation with inmates. 'Then it's the re-entry too,' Smith said. 'We need to get all those put together to be able to help people be successful in the future.' Karr said in 2024, 63% of the men released from a state prison served less than one year. Karr said DOC is having more success with rehabilitation in Springfield and not Sioux Falls because of a lack of space. 'We're too overcrowded in Sioux Falls,' Karr said. Smith said lawmakers should consider what policies and investments the state could make to keep people out of prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Recess program gets dogs out of the shelter for a day
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Christie Schenefeld started fostering in March, but as summer approached, her schedule got busier. Just when she thought she had to take a break from volunteering, she found out about Rescue Dog Recess. 'It's just so fun seeing the dogs start out their day. Just excited to get out, go on an adventure and come back and they're resting their head on your arm or they're curled up snoring in the seat next to you. It's just so rewarding to see them just get to be dogs and be happy,' said Christie Schenefeld, a volunteer at the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society. Crews respond to fire at Delux Motel on West 12th Street Schenefeld has taken dozens of dogs on field trips since the program launched in April. Some of her favorite stops are Great Bear and Falls Park, but they all end the same way. 'And then, of course, you gotta finish up with a treat or a pup cup,' said Schenefeld. None of this would be possible without the employee who started the program. 'I saw other shelters kind of do a doggy day out program. But I like to be unique, so I named it something different. Rescue Dog Recess. Because we want them to have fun at recess like kids,' said Lexy Nuttbrock, a kennel supervisor and foster coordinator at the SFAHS. Even though Rescue Dog Recess is still in its first few months of operation, it's been successful so far. 'We've seen less behavior problems. Dogs are walking better on leashes, they are being introduced to strangers better, less reactions. This is a super stressful place. So we are seeing dogs being allowed to be dogs,' said Nuttbrock. 40% of the dogs who went out for recess last month found their fur-ever homes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
