STOP NISQUALLY TRIBE REGIONAL JAIL

We are residents and citizens of Thurston County who are concerned with a project that is currently under construction on the Yelm Highway SE and Highway 510 in Olympia, Washington. The Nisqually Tribe is in the process of building a Regional Jail facility which consists of two phases and up to 576 jail bed space.

We believe that this project was planned and conceived by questionable means with lack of transparency and it imposes not only the risk to our community, but it also creates concern regarding: Our county recently completed construction of a regional jail on the West Side of Olympia; the Account Restitution Center (A.R.C.) The A.R.C. currently stands vacant due to decreased jail inmate population as well as funds to operate it due to the decline of our economy. Thurston County residents paid $45 Million to build this “state of the art” facility. In 2004, the County put a bond measure on the ballot to finance a regional jail. The measure failed.  In November 2007 the County Commissioners considered a ballot measure to pay for the criminal justice costs and the A.R.C. was built anyway against Thurston County residents wishes. As Thurston County residents and taxpaying citizens we do not understand the duplicity of such a huge project. The A.R.C. is already built yet our Federal money is going to the Nisqually Tribe to build yet another Regional Jail when the first one cannot even be utilized?

The property the Nisqually Indian Tribe is currently site clearing for the Regional Jail was ACQUIRED from Fort Lewis to The Nisqually Tribe as a mandate by Congress on or around September 14, 2010. There is documents that show our County commissioners received information and facilitated meetings with the Nisqually Tribe regarding their Regional Jail plans prior to the Nisqually Tribe receiving the parcel of land and prior to the project being Sovereign.

The Nisqually Tribe plans to contract “low-risk inmates” for nearby governments at a lesser rate than our Thurston County jail, these jurisdictions INCLUDE but are not limited to:Port Gamble, Squaxin, Suquamish, Puyallup, Lacey, Tumwater, Yelm, Rainier, Tenino, Thurston County, ICE, Swinomish, Skokomish, Ft. Lewis, Nooksak, Washington State DOC and other tribes.OLYMPIA AND THURSTON COUNTY HAVE OFFICIALY INFORMED US THAT THEY DO NOT INTEND TO USE THE NISQUALLY REGIONAL JAIL FOR THEIR INMATES.

The money the Nisqually Tribe will receive for housing these inmates will go to the Sovereign nation rather than if our County was to house the same inmates the money would go back into our economy.

The project is funded with a $10 Million grant from the Justice Department and another $10 Million low-interest loan from the Agriculture Department.

Water Concerns – The soil upon which the jail is being built has no geological classification as it was former Ft. Lewis property and has no designation. The soil directly adjacent to the site is regulated by the McAllister Geologically Sensitive Area designation.Hazardous Waste Issues: The Nisqually jail will have a water treatment facility on site. What is the expected quality of the reclaimed water? Will the reclaimed waste water be returned directly into the ground?  Is it a problem dumping water less than ONE MILE from the McAllister well field?

County and State Concerns – Will the Nisqually Regional Jail operate with the same State standards, bond and liability coverage that our Thurston County Jail operates with. If an inmate escapes, it instantly will become Thurston County’s responsibility to handle the situation since the escape would be a Felony violation and off ‘Reservation’ land. 

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is using Public Lands Highway Discretionary (PLHD) Projects is funding $5 Million to the Nisqually Indian Tribe to replace the SR 510 stop sign-controlled intersections at Reservation Road and Yelm Highway with roundabouts and associated multi-modal facilities.

Prison for Profit Concerns AND Sovereignty Concerns

Federal Grants: Nisqually Tribe’s application and acceptance of money prior to acquiring land.  The Department of Agriculture Loan funding jails?

Public Comment Period Ends MONDAY - August 1, 2011

Please respond to the PUBLIC COMMENT DRAFT FOR THE NISQUALLY TRIBE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT. Copies of this document have been hard to obtain. The notification in the Olympian Newspaper stated that the draft for the wastewater treatment plant could be reviewed or obtained at the USDA Rural Development office on Black Lake Blvd. in Olympia or at the Nisqually Indian Tribe office on She Nah Num Drive. The USDA RD office DID NOT have a copy available and they stated they would be calling when one was available for pick up - They still have NOT called, July 30, 2011. The Tribe did provide a copy on Thrusday, July 28th after several attempts to obtain. This only provided two working days to respond!!!

I posted my comments earlier and they were lengthy regarding why there are mitigating factors that the Tribe HAD not considered regarding the treatment plant. Here are a few considerations I hope you all Cut and Paste and forward to the USDA RD office or the Nisqually Tribe PRIOR TO MONDAY - AUGUST 1, 2011

1. The section 3.10.1.2 states that it is "common practice to cover treatment tanks...this remains an option." PLEASE respond to say that the treatment tanks NEED TO BE COVERED so open cess pools are not allowed.
2. There is NO reference to Earthquake consideration. They should include Earthquake possibilities.
3. The Section 2.1 mentions that "Conveyance to the City of Yelm had several advantages, including the minimal amount of Tribal land required and the fact that the city of Yelm has an established treatment plant with TRAINED OPERATORS." Please reply that this is a reasonable viable option to tie into the already existing Yelm Wastewater Treatment plant.

Email: Jstopjail@yahoo.com If you have ANY questions.......
Also, View the tab on the HOME page of this blog for more information regarding the
Public Comment for Nisqually Tribe Watewater Treatment Plant.

On Line Poll From 'Yelm OnLine' Asking if community supports the Nisqually Jail

On Line Survey
Please post your vote into the Yelm Online paper. It is asking "What do you think of the planned 288 bed jail on the Nisqually Tribe? For clarification this jail is on NEWLY ACQUIRED LAND FROM FORT LEWIS from September 2010 and the jail could potentially house up to 576 inmates anda work release program.

PUBLIC COMMENT DRAFT FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT

The Nisqually Tribe has proposed a new wastewater treatment facility. There is an environmental assessment for the proposed project. This project is OPEN TO PUBLIC COMMENTS and Copies of this Environmental Assessment can be reviewed or obtained at the following addresses:

USDA Rural Development                                    or at the                 Nisqually Indian Tribe

1835 Black Lake Boulevard,                                                                 4820 She Nah Num Drive SE

Olympia, Wa. 98501                                                                              Olympia, Wa. 98512

PUBLIC COMMENTS are taken on THIS project before

AUGUST 1, 2011 and should be sent to either or both of the above addresses.

HERE IS MY SUGGESTIONS FOR COMMENTS REGARDING THIS PROJECT:

Dear USDA Rural Development and Nisqually Indian Tribe,

The purpose of this letter is to address potential environmental impacts as a consequence of improvements to the Nisqually Tribe’s wastewater collection and treatment system. The Nisqually Tribe has obtained an environmental report provided by Parametrix. This document has determined that “the proposal will not have a significant effect on the human environment” resulting in a draft finding of No significant impact. Public Comments are open on this project before August 1, 2011.

Initially, we would like to request an extension of the public comment period. We are finding that there are still residents in the surrounding area adjacent to the Nisqually Tribe’s  proposed public safety project  that are still not aware of that project.  We would like at least an extension of up to 30 days to contact neighbors and the community to allow proper public comments and concerns regarding the Wastewater Treatment facility.

We also would like an unbiased environmental impact statement done for this project before any more damage is done.   Listed below are our concerns regarding this environmental report:

2.1 ALTERNATIVE 1: CONVEYANCE OF WASTEWATER OFF-SITE TO THE CITY OF YELM

It states in this environmental report: “Conveyance to the City of Yelm had several advantages, including the minimal amount of Tribal land required and the fact that the city of Yelm has an established treatment plant with trained operators.”

We would like to explore this option further rather than refute it due to “estimated time required construct the pipeline …”

2.4 NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE

 “Tribal lands used for individual septic systems would remain dedicated to those septic systems and the Tribe would not receive the benefit of additional land for development use.”

Since another alternative is available we believe that using the current City of Yelm system is adequate for the Tribe’s needs.

3.1.1.1 CURRENT PROPERTY USE

“One branch will cross under State Route 510 as it conveys wastewater from the Public Safety Complex to the WWTP, one branch will cross under SR 510 as it conveys wastewater from existing developed areas in the southeast portion of the Reservation. 

This project would impact the environment along the SR 510. What mitigating factors have been addressed if there were repairs needed or maintenance under the State Route 510 due to this project?

3.7.1      WATER QUALITY ISSUES AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

It states that the “well sites are sufficiently far away from the WWPT that is not anticipated that they will be affected by the effluent infiltration. In order to minimize potential impacts to any surrounding soils or waters, The Tribe is making conscious effort to produce a Class A reclaimed effluent.  

This language needs clarification !

3.10        MISC. ISSUES

3.10.1.1 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
It states: “Wastewater treatment plants can be sources of odor. Depending on the types of treatment processes at the site, the odors can range from musty or earthy, to a pungent rotten egg smell. Odors can be carried far from the WWTP under the right weather and wind conditions if appropriate precautions to minimize and/or treat the odors have not been implements.”

3.10.1.2 MITIGATION

It again states “thereby reducing some of the wastewater’s potential to cause odor in downstream treatment processes.” It goes on to state…..”At this time, the exact design of the tanks has yet to be finalized, however it is common practice to cover treatment tanks and evacuate the headspace to a scrubber, much like at the headworks, building; this remains an option for mitigation of any potential treatment tank odor at the WWPT.

…”Consequently, no mitigation for solids handing odors is proposed….”

..”Finally, the WWTP site was selected such that prevailing winds will generally blow any odors away from developed areas, and the forested buffer will provide a level of odor dilution …”

We request subsequent mitigation regarding covering the treatment tanks. We are very concerned to have OPEN treatment tanks and the potential odor and hazards that would associate with such a design. (We are all well aware of the Mushroom Farm smell in Lacey off of Steilacoom Road and do not potentially want something similar or potentially worse in this part of town.)

4.7 NOISE

”WWTP’s are industrial facilities, and there will be equipment running continuously at the site during the course of the life of the WWTP. Efforts will be made during facility design to minimize the noise associated with machinery by providing motors with sound enclosures.”

Since “efforts will be made during facility design”, does this mean that they will be installed or just placed on designs of the project and then not actually utilized?

5.0 SUMMARY OF MITIGATION

E) “Treatment tanks may be covered and the headspace evacuated to a media scrubber.” Again it is stated that the treatment tanks “may be covered”. Again, we request that they in fact are 100 % covered.

Also, there is NO MENTION of an Earthquake and how this structure and project could withstand and sustain in an earthquake. Due to the Nisqually earthquake in 2001, one of the largest recorded earthquakes in Washington state history Earthquake precautions and information regarding another earthquake need to be addressed.

Thank you for your time and attention to these issues,

Justine Schmidt

Concerned Citizen

Letter to Fort Lewis Requesting Land acquisiton information.

PLEASE SEND FORT LEWIS LETTERS YOURSELVES AS WELL .....

JBLM Commander                                                                                           July 25, 2011

P.O. Box 339500

Mail Stop 1AA

JBLM, Wa. 98433

Dear Sir,

It has come to our attention that the Nisqually Indian Tribe has proposed to build a ‘Regional Jail Facility’ in Olympia, Washington. The Nisqually Tribe has a proposal that states it will house up to 277 inmates in Phase 1 and up to 576 inmates in Phase II.  The Nisqually Indian Tribe recently acquired the land where they are planning to build this facility by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Fort Lewis) 179.14 Acres, more or less. This acquisition appears to have taken 10 years and 4 acts of Congress to go through. There is a bill in the 108^th Congress reflecting this information. The Federal Register states that the land was officially acquired on September 14, 2010.

On June 9, 2011 a citizen, Mr. Capra, from our county asked Thurston County for public records regarding this land acquisition. The public records inspection and copying requested information specifically regarding Thurston County tax identification number #21833000000.  As of July 25, 2011, Thurston County and specifically the Board of County Commissioners, have yet to provide us with any information regarding this tax parcel number.  Since the tax parcel above refers in our county records as a 640 acres parcel we do not understand how our county records do not reflect somehow the split of the 179 acres that now have gone to the Nisqually tribe. Should there not be some recorded paperwork showing how Fort Lewis re zoned or allocated only 179 acres of this 640 acre parcel? Is the Nisqually Tribe interested in the remaining 461 acres off of the original 640 acre parcel?

It has been documented that this land acquisition also involves Bonneville Power Administration. There is a Nisqually Transmission Line Relocation Project that refers to an easement expiring from a parcel nearby. The Nisqually Tribe contacted ‘someone’ in Fort Lewis about possibly purchasing a County parcel to house the relocated lines which they subsequently would return to Fort Lewis in lieu of this above questioned 179 acres. What property was possibly traded for this land acquisition? All of the information we have been able to obtain so far has been partial and incomplete.

In an environmental assessment presented to the Nisqually Indian Tribe from Geo Engineers from July 1, 2010, it states that “The Tribe has also held discussions with Fort Lewis to explore the possibility of locating the proposed project on Fort Lewis property in close proximity to the existing tribal facilities, but no appropriate site was identified.” Could you substantiate this claim and support is with what studies you have that eliminated alternatives?

Please let us know if you can assist us and release any and all public records relating to this information.  Thank you for your attention to this matter,

Justine Schmidt

(360) 239-4898 

StopNisquallyJail@blogspot.com

Letter to Bureau of Indian Affairs. Please send a letter yourself as well

NW Regional Director Stanly Speaks

Bureau of Indian Affairs

911 N.E. 11^th Avenue

Portland, Or. 97237

Dear Madame/Sirs

It has come to our attention that the Nisqually Indian Tribe has proposed to build a ‘Regional Jail Facility’ in Olympia, Washington. The Nisqually Tribe has a proposal that states it will house up to 277 inmates in Phase 1 and up to 576 inmates in Phase II.  The Nisqually Indian Tribe recently acquired the land where they are planning to build this facility by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Fort Lewis) 179.14 Acres, more or less. This acquisition appears to have taken 10 years and 4 acts of Congress to go through. There is a bill in the 108^th Congress reflecting this information. The Federal Register states that the land was officially acquired on September 14, 2010.

Our concerns vary greatly, but they all revolve around these two key questions.

Firstly, is this land in question now, “sovereign” or is it still under trust with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. At what time in this land acquisition was the Bureau notified of the Tribe’s land use prior to receiving the land. The Regional jail site is in a residential neighborhood and abuts several homes on both the North and West sides and is less than one mile from developments and rural county homes.  If this land is not officially sovereign how could a project of this magnitude have gone through without the proper hearing and zoning regulations that our county requires for land use.

Second, why would our Government support such a project when our county pushed through $45 Million for a jail that was recently built only 10 miles from this parcel? Thurston County commissioners funded a 100,000 square foot, state of facility that has reached completion but still stands VACANT. If the Nisqually Jail project is completed it would almost nullify the prospect of our county’s facility from becoming viable since the Tribe would be contracting with the same jurisdictions for inmates.

In the Environmental Assessment provided for the Nisqually Indian Tribe from the GeoEngineers dating July 1, 2010 it states:  “The Tribe has also held discussions with Fort Lewis to explore the possibility of locating the proposed project on Fort Lewis property in close proximity to the existing tribal facilities, but no appropriate site was identified.” What studies did Fort Lewis or the Nisqually Tribe do to show that there were NO other appropriate sites available for this complex? We see that they also looked at adjoining Natural Resource land.  How could this parcel be the only viable parcel for this jail? Regardless if any other parcel were available for this project, the project is not necessary at this time due to the other vacant new facility.

Our County has expressed concerns regarding this project that also include environmental impacts, noise issues, water issues, increased traffic and foot traffic as well as property values decreasing and privatizing jails for profit. The county has formed a committee: StopNisquallyJail and has obtained over 600 signatures in 6 weeks to STOP the construction of this jail.  Please consider are concerns and please understand this is not a tribal versus non-tribal issue. The issue is that we do not need or want another jail of this capacity nor do we want a jail in a residential area close to children and schools.

Thank you for your attention to this matter,

Justine Schmidt  (StopNisquallyJail@blogspot.com)

Wastwater Open Public Comment Ends August 1, 2011

The Nisqually Tribe has proposed a new wastewater treatment facility. There is an environmental assessment for the proposed project. This project is OPEN TO PUBLIC COMMENTS and Copies of this Environmental Assessment can be reviewed or obtained at the following addresses:

USDA Rural Development                                    or at the                 Nisqually Indian Tribe

1835 Black Lake Boulevard,                                                                 4820 She Nah Num Drive SE

Olympia, Wa. 98501                                                                              Olympia, Wa. 98512

PUBLIC COMMENTS are taken on THIS project before

AUGUST 1, 2011 and should be sent to either or both of the above addresses.

The Nisqually Tribe is also proposing to construct a new Residential community on another corner of 510 and Yelm Highway. This community will consist of an Elder’s community, a multi-family apartment complex, open space and community areas, single family home building lots and a satellite housing office for onsite needs in the new community. http://www.nisqually-nsn.gov/content/squalli-absch-news October News. The Nisqually Tribe has proposed to renovate its existing 5,000 square foot corrections facility into an 8,000 square foot facility that will serve Native juveniles. This facility becomes available for renovation upon completion of a new corrections facility being constructed under DOJ ARRA grant funds. The Nisqually Indian Tribe is also planning to construct and operate a new Well system on the north side of Hwy 510. It will be constructed to serve the new Jail and will have the design capacity to serve the new Housing Development Phase 1 Community. It will be a Well System with 180,000 + Gallon storage tank and a low profile supports buildings. This new distribution system will be integrated with existing line at Muck Creek Drive to create a zonal system that allows for flexibility, capacity exchange, and back up supply. It will incorporate valves and hardware to receive flows from the McCallister Well field. There are also Traffic Revisions proposed. WSDOT is intending to replace the SR 510 stop sign-controlled intersections at Reservation Road and Yelm Highway with roundabouts and associated multi-modal facilities.

Information regarding neighborhood "Notice" sent by Joe Cushman - Nisqually Planning Director

July 19, 2011
>
> Mr. Cliff Moore, Director
> Resource Stewardship
> Thurston County
>
> Dear Cliff:
>
> RE:  NISQUALLY JAIL - TRIBAL MAILING OF NOTICE
>
> The Commissioners asked about this matter during their session this afternoon.
> I raised my hand to say I had the information, but was not allowed to help out in the meeting.
> One of your colleagues suggested to me that you would be interested in the following:
>
> Attached, therefore, please find several items related to the alleged "NOTICE" sent by Joe Cushman
> * A scan of the original list provided by Mr. Cushman at the June 20 meeting
> * A Graphic - placing the same 16 families on a map - and on a list.
> Regarding the alleged NOTICE...
> The neighborhood group is in the process of contacting all the families on the list. 

> To date with most of the names canvassed,
> the neighborhood has not found ONE who remembers receiving a Notice from Mr. Cushman.>
> The third attachment is the Open Letter which I handed to the Commissioners today at the Public Meeting summarizing as many points as time would allow.
>
> If you have any questions regarding the attachments, or dispute any of the points raised in the attachments, please bring them to my attention as soon as possible.  We don't want to be accused of circulating erroneous information.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Paul Capra          

NEWS RELEASE - Thurston County Commissioners Meeting 2 PM July 19, 2011 2 P.M.

NEWS RELEASE

http://stopnisquallyjail.blogspot.com/

July 19, 2011

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING ROOM

Thurston County Courthouse, Building One, Room 269

2000 Lakeridge Drive SW, Olympia, WA  98502

HOLD FOR  7/19/2011 -  2:00 p.m.

Neighbors to the proposed Nisqually Jail on Yelm Highway and Route 510 are appearing this afternoon before the Commissioner’s weekly public comment session at 2 pm. at the Thurston County Court House, 2000 Lakeridge Drive Olympia, Wa.

Since the Commissioners did not set up a full disclosure session when they first knew about the controversial Jail over a year ago; and now that time is of the essence given construction activity on the Jail site, the neighbors today decided they would take this earliest opportunity to come before Commissioners to let them know how the neighbors felt and to ask for the help of the Commissioners.

BOTTOM LINE: 

After several representatives of the Neighborhood delivered petitions signed by many citizens of Thurston County and presented a variety of compelling mitigating factors, the neighbors appealed to the Commissioners to help STOP Jail until a fair and complete process is put in place that weighs the costs and benefits to the taxpayers of the County for the following reasons:

THE JAIL PROCESS WAS FLAWED

The neighbors contend that the transfer of land to the Nisqually Tribe was done without due process and with steps along the way that were flawed.

COMMISSIONERS HAD ADEQUATE ADVANCE WARNING OF THE VERY LARGE (500 BEDS) HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL JAIL PROJECT

To prove their point, the neighbors documented that the Commissioners had full knowledge of the proposed Jail in advance of the transfer of land from Fort Lewis to the Tribe which only occurred in September of 2010. 

In their capacity as stewards of the rights of their constituents, the neighbors contend, the Commissioners failed to provide sufficient and timely notice to the public in general not to mention those most directly affected - the immediate neighborhood.  It is hard for the neighborhood to comprehend why the Commissioners did not raise a caution flag to the instigators of the Jail as well as their own constituents  when they first got wind of the project.

THE COMMISSIONERS KNEW BUT DID NOTHING

The Commissioners did not take positive action early on - at a point in time more than a year ago when they had time to shine the light of public scrutiny on one of the biggest and controversial projects in the County in a long time. 

PUBLIC INVESTMENT (Taxpayer dollars) IN THE NISQUALLY JAIL

Incredible as it might seem, before all the phases of the contemplated Nisqually Jail are complete, there will be more than $50M US taxpayer dollars invested in something over which the taxpayers will have no oversight or control. The total of $50M is an approximation of the value of the 175 acres of transferred land that was until recently owned by taxpayers, the $10M dollar taxpayer grant from the Department of Justice, and the $11M taxpayer loan from the Department of Agriculture, not to mention the hidden taxpayer subsidies for infrastructure (roads, electric, etc.) in support of the current phases plus future phases of the jail.

ABUTTING NEIGHBORS APPEAR NOT TO HAVE BEEN GIVEN OFFICIAL NOTICE

It has come to light that the “public notice” process required of the Tribe was not monitored by the Commissioners. Had the Commissioners decided to monitor the process, they would have found that, according to the  best information at this time, none of the 16 abutting neighbors remember receiving any notice. 

The neighbors believe, that had this been a comparable private or public development, the public notice process would have required that everyone living within a quarter of a mile of the project be notified.  According to the neighborhood, because of the size and controversial nature of the project, the Commissioners should have taken upon themselves such a comparable process including registered mail - and monitored it carefully.

HOW COULD THE COUNTY WORK WITH THE TRIBE WHEN THEY DID NOT WORK WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

The Neighborhood contends that the County with their various planning units was early and deeply involved in reviewing plans or attending planning meetings for the Jail.  We live in an age of inter jurisdictional cooperation.  The County, State Agencies, Federal Agencies, Elected Officials up and down the line knew about this Jail and compared notes about the jail.  But the one jurisdiction that was glaringly left out by all was the NEIGHBORHOOD.

PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST - ERRONEOUS INFORMATION

The neighborhood asked for “Public Records Inspection and Copying Request” seeking disclosure of the history and materials available to the Commissioners that were in the County files.  The request specified Tax Parcel 21833000000 – 640 acres.  That TAX ID is the only identifier available on the land records at this time.  The request was submitted on June 9, 2011 to the Commissioners/County Administrator’s Office.   Regretfully, what was for the most part not responsive. The response included 4 items totaling 37 pages.  Three of the items had nothing to do with the Tax Parcel and the Jail.

NEW REQUEST

Given what the neighborhood knows now and has been able to discover from public records on the internet, there will be a new request made to gain more insight to what the Commissioners knew and when they knew about this controversial project.

THE ARC - A COMPETITOR TO THE NISQULLY JAIL

The neighbors reminded the Commissioners that in the same time frame as the Commissioners were publically silent about the planning for the Jail, the Commissioners were spending taxpayer’s dollars ($45M) on a currently empty facility they call The Accountability and Restitution Center (ARC) in Mottman Industrial Park.

The Commissioners must have seen the ARC fiscal challenges coming.  The neighbors believe the Commissioners could have and  should have recognized that the Nisqually Jail would act as a competitor to the taxpayer’s $45M investment, making it more difficult to salvage the ARC in the long run.  The neighbors believe there was a time before the transfer of land that the Commissioners could have and should have acted with the assistance of our Congressional Delegation, State Executive and Legislative branches, and other key players if necessary to bring the conflicting projects into public light – presumably then being better able to avoid the waste of additional taxpayer dollars.

WHAT ELSE LURKS OUT THERE THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD SHOULD KNOW?

The neighborhood is now rightfully nervous about what other plans are in the works that the Commissioners know about but have not shared with their constituents.  If the past suggests the future, we appeal to the Commissioners to get actively involved with this neighborhood; to review any and all plans  - distant or imminent – that might affect the 640 acres that make up Tax Parcel 21833000000 and related land.

CONSTRUCTIVE PROCESS GOING FORWARD

The neighbors ask the Commissioners to set up a mechanism so that the neighbors can be enlightened about how we have come to this unfortunate point.  This same mechanism (task – force or committee) might explore what were the weak points in the Jail process that led us here.  The same committee might make recommendations regarding how to strengthen that process.  For instance, could the Commissioners work with the State Legislature to construct a “Jail Siting Panel”.  This Jail Siting Panel would have a mandate to evaluate any and all jails in the State that involve the use of taxpayer dollars.  The US Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, has a manual that shows how states and localities can create a legislated process which assists site selection under a formal process of data collection, analysis, and public input within a careful framework.  See:

   http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/CSA/CFC/docs/Jail_Site_Evaluation_&_Selection_2nd_ed_2004.pdf

CONCLUSION:

The neighborhood concludes that working together, the Commissioners, Elected Officials, State and Federal agencies can collaborate in halting work on the Jail until a more just and equitable solution can be found.

Department of Justice
Recovery Act More than $236 Million in Public Safety Funding to Tribal Communities

Bureau of Justice Assistance Correctional Facilities on Tribal Lands Grants

Agricultural Loan Information See Link Below

Nisqually Indian Tribe	The funding will be used to build a new regional jail safety building.	$11,585,000 loan
Grays Harbor Co. Hospital Dist #1	The funding will be used to construct a new hospital.	$19,011,000 loan
Nisqually Indian Tribe	The funding will be used to construct an administrative building.	$2,917,000 loan
Nisqually Indian Tribe	The funding will be used to build a farmers' market.	$1,148,000 loan

Information on the Agricultural Loan the Nisqually Tribe obtained to build the Regional Jail Facility

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/wi/newsroom/press/2010/20100929.htm

Meeting Notes from July 11, 2011 th Meeting with U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell's office

Dear Senator,

A project has come to our attention in Thurston County and we are wondering if you knew about it? If you did know about it did you have an opportunity to vote on any level of this project?

We are residents and citizens of Thurston County who are concerned with a project that is currently under construction on the Yelm Highway SE and Highway 510 in Olympia, Washington. The Nisqually Tribe is in the process of building a Regional Jail facility. We believe that this project was planned and conceived by questionable means with lack of transparency and it imposes not only the risk to our community, but it also creates concern regarding these following reasons:

Our county recently completed construction of a regional jail on the West Side of Olympia, the Account Restitution Center (A.R.C.) The A.R.C. currently stands vacant due to decreased jail inmate population as well as funds to operate it due to the decline of our economy. Thurston County residents paid $45 Million to build this “state of the art” facility. In 2004, the County put a bond measure on the ballot to finance a regional jail. The measure failed.  In November 2007 the County Commissioners, along with seven City Councils in Thurston County, considered a ballot measure that would raise 3/10 of 1% of local sales tax funds to pay for the criminal justice costs and then the A.R.C. was build. As Thurston County residents and taxpaying citizens we do not understand the duplicity of such a huge project. The A.R.C. is built yet our Federal monies is going to the Nisqually Tribe to build yet another Regional Jail when the first one cannot even be utilized?

Our county was never notified of the Nisqually Tribe’s intentions to build this Regional Jail Facility. Upon researching the project on the internet we discovered that Fort Lewis “hand selected” the parcel to given to the Nisqually Tribe knowing the Tribe’s intentions for building on the parcel would be. In the Environmental Assessment (EA) document dated July 1, 2010 states: Chapter 2.0 Selection of Alternatives: “The Tribe is in the process of creating a comprehensive land use plan for the Reservation and adjoining Natural Resource land. Based on the inventory of tribally owned land within and adjacent to the Reservation, no alternative sites with comparable size and access are available for the Public Safety Complex…The Tribe has also held discussions with Fort Lewis to explore the possibility of locating the proposed project on Fort Lewis property in close proximity to the existing tribal facilities, but no appropriate site was identified. “Our research again finds from the Daily Journal of the United States Government that the Nisqually Tribe subsequently acquired the parcel described above in September of 2010 from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Fort Lewis).

In July, 2010, prior to the Nisqually Tribe acquiring this parcel and prior to the land being “Sovereign” minutes from a Thurston Regional Planning Council show that our elected officials knew of the land exchange and their construction plans to build the new Regional Jail sited as a “New Public Safety Complex” Page 7 or 12 minutes of Meeting July 9, 2010: “The tribe was able to obtain land from Fort Lewis in a land exchange. It took 10 years and three acts of Congress to complete the exchange, which also included Thurston County. The exchange created 170 acres for future development. … The construction program includes an assortment of projects to include: New Public Safety Complex…The new location will be on the Ft. Lewis property….”

The grant information regarding this project shows that the parcel in question was already “reservation” land, however at the time of the grant application the Tribe did not own the parcel. How can a grant be requested and funded with future intentions and not actual information?

We have contacted our elected officials and they have provided poor response to our requests. On June 9, 2011, a citizen requested public records regarding the parcel described above, Thurston County Tax Id number: 21833000000. He requested public records of the environmental studies, traffic studies, survey of assembled property showing past ownership of the parcel. Full discloser was not made and further requests for information are necessary.

Talking with our Thurston County Sherriff Snaza regarding the Nisqually Regional Jail he stated the following: “Thurston County does not intend to contract with the Nisqually Tribe for inmate jail use.” If the Nisqually Regional Jail is built, the tribe will be obtaining revenue from local jurisdictions using their facility and this money will go to the Tribe rather than Thurston County. Sheriff Snaza also stated that his jail “follows National Standards and he questions the Tribe’s standards for qualification.” If someone escapes from a sovereign jail; “Immediately, this situation would become Thurston County’s responsibility because it would be a Felony.” Nisqually Tribe would have to go through Thurston County Sheriff’s even for the search of the inmate.”  He questions if Thurston County is going to collect taxes from this facility and if it is going to benefit Thurston County. His studies show a decline in jail population so he questions what study the Tribe used to show need for filling up to 576 inmate beds and he wonders “what type of prisoners” are going to be at this facility.

Are there going to be Prisoners of War housed here, immigration inmates? Will the “low risk” status that they have described continue and is it binding? The Tribe and our elected officials poorly communicated the full intentions of this project with us and others. How can we trust that the Tribe will communicate when a crisis or high security situation happens? Sex offender release, offenders in our neighborhood who have had children victims, escapes, etc?

We are concerned about the Environmental impacts of this project and the future use of the facility:

 Noise, lights, traffic (Round a-bouts are in the grant stage with WSDOT at 510 and Yelm Hwy and Reservation Rd and 510 along with an additional grant from WSDOT for a traffic controlled light for access onto I-5 from Mounts Road),  and Water issues, qualifications of staff and safety issues, to name a few.

Regarding hiring what process of hiring and qualification oversight is there? Are union jobs represented and what rights of the employees are being considered? Is the Nisqually Tribe undercutting qualifications and benefits and work conditions to accommodate their lower rate for housing inmates?

Regarding Water Rights of this project:

The Nisqually Tribe is going to be drilling new wells. These new wells threaten Thurston County resident’s water levels of nearby wells and lakes as well as threaten the water quality. The environmental impact studies we have been able to find only look at Phase one of the Tribe’s intended project. We want a private independent environmental consultant who will look at this entire project.

The parcel in question is part of our Thurston County Tax Id number: 21833000000 which states the parcel is 640 Acres. The Tribe has acquired 179 acres of this parcel that we can verify, but did they receive the entire parcel and if so what are their future intended use of this property?

What we would like from your office:

Find out who was behind this project, Department of Justice, State of Washington DOC, County, private contractor who actually runs “for profit” jails, the Nisqually Tribe, Who?

Can we stop the Dept. of Agricultures money and the DOJ’s money grants until we figure out the idle jail situation on the West side?

Look into the prior knowledge of our Federal Government, State Agencies and elected officials regarding this project?

We want an independent environmental consultant to look at this entire project to assess noise, water, lights and other environmental concerns.

We would like in writing that the “low risk” status of offenders is binding not just now, but also in the future.  Knowledge of what level inmates are going to be housed at this facility, local jurisdictions, Fort Lewis Prisoners, Prisoners of War, Immigrations, Federal, Sex Offenders? We are neighbors and citizens of Thurston County are concerned of a Sovereign jail due to the implications of such a facility.

Mitigations or a dispute resolution process for citizens of Thurston County to discuss with the county regarding the situation.

Thank you for your time regarding these points.

Respectfully,

Stop Nisqually Jail Committee

Notes from meeting with Senator Randi Becker – July 6, 2011

Senator Becker started our conversation stating that she had heard a year ago or so, in a another meeting that, "the Nisqually Indian Tribe was planning to build another jail and were going to expand onto their jail that they already had." She stated that she was not involved in their voting or decision making and she had no idea of the size of their intentions.

This meeting, with Senator Becker consisted of answering her questions that she had regarding the Nisqually Regional Jail. Senator Becker asked questions regarding the land acquisition, the parcel specifically, whether it consisted of 179 acres or the full 640 acres listed on the county tax identification number, concerns regarding the water levels and quality, noise and light pollution, traffic revisions, liabilities, responsibilities, balance resale versus commercial value, weather the Nisqually's have a B & O tax, other regular fees questioned and if they would pay. She had scheduled a meeting with our Washington State Attorney General, Rob Mckenna's office for the next Day, Thursday, July 7th.

Senator Swecker, JT Wilcox, the Attorney General and she were all to be at this meeting. (See below for brief description of these meeting results). Senator Becker appreciated my time to inform her regarding her questions. She left the meeting stating she was looking into the situation further and that she would get back to our committee. Senator Becker also suggested that we talk with Mayor Harding of Yelm.

On July 11th, 2011, Holly from Senator Becker's office called and stated that the meeting with Attorney General McKenna went "good". Attorney General McKenna asked the Senator's for an official letter stating their concerns and questions so he could officially address them. The Attorney General stated that he would run it by a few offices to see if they wanted to sign in on it. The Attorney General suggested that the community write letters to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to share their concerns.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011 Meeting notes with Thurston County Sheriff Snaza

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Meeting notes with Thurston County Sheriff Snaza

We started our conversation with some background of the Thurston County jail and past procedures. In 1999, Sherriff Edwards had to turn away prisoners from the County Jail. The jail was running at maximum capacity and was experiencing overcrowding and safety issues. Thurston County Sheriffs Office currently houses Misdemeanors and Felonies. The new jail on the West Side of Olympia, the Account Restitution Center (A.R.C.) was designed so our current County Jail would run simultaneously with the A.R.C. The older jail facility would be their intake and court and transitional population. The A.R.C. would then house the inmates who were Convicted Felons or Misdemeanors and who were going to be housed a year or more.

In 2003 or 2005 (He couldn't remember the year off the top of his head) the A.R.C. was voted down by Thurston County voters.  Our County Commissioners decided to  pass it through anyway making it possible for the A.R.C. to be built.

With our currently economy and decline in jail population He states that  Thurston County now cannot afford to run both jails. The A.R.C. was designed to be built in 3 stages, the second stage was designed to have two more pods ($14 Million more dollars and 40,000 more square feet. With the second phase the County would need an additional 40 deputies; “we do not have revenue to run this.”

On July 16, 2011, Sherriff Snaza mentioned he was going to have a meeting with the consultant to decide how to transition and utilize the new A.R.C. jail. (We have not heard back the results from this meeting) Sheriff Snaza's focus is that, “our jurisdictions NEED now to work together.” TCSO’s budget helps to pay to incarcerate Felons. “Nisqually is using the economy and their ability to obtain Federal Grants to build their own Regional Jail. They are also using their position to offer less expensive housing to increase their marketability.”

Sheriff Snaza believes “(immediate neighbors) should be concerned with property taxes”. Since there will be more homes being built in the near future, property taxes go up however, the potential selling of homes will go down now that it will be near a jail.  If local agencies pay Nisqually to house their inmates – that money will go to the Tribe and not our economy.

Sheriff Snaza wonders what Standard Operating Procedures that the Nisqually’s will operate with? Hiring, training procedures, and more? TCSO Correction officers follow National Standards will the Tribe also follow National standards?  Currently the Nisqually Tribe officers are Bureau of Indian Affairs certified and then they receive Criminal Justice Training Commissions (WSCJTC) equivalency. Again, Sheriff Snaza questioned “what exactly are the Tribe’s standards?”

Sheriff Snaza stated that if an inmate was to escape from a Sovereign jail, the situation and apprehension of the inmate it immediately would become TCOS ‘s responsibility. An escape violation or attempted escape is a Felony offense.

S
herriff Snaza also wonders if we were given any notice of the Tribe’s plans? Will the Tribe pay Assessor’s tax on the parcel, will Thurston County be collecting taxes and will the Regional Jail benefit Thurston County? Sherriff Snaza suggested looking more closely at Fort Lewis.

“Will the Regional jail house only Misdemeanors or house Felons and plus one year or more?”  “What study did the Nisqually’s use to show increase of their jail population?” “If the Nisqually’s can justify filling 576 why can’t he? What type of prisoners are they truly going to be housing and what are they going to do with their Felons?

Sheriff Snaza concluded our discussion stating,

“I want to make A.R.C. work for our County and all of our agencies to benefits citizens of Thurston County and to provide the best services possible.”

TCTV Video from January, 2011 Thurston County Jail and Account Restiution Center with Sheriff Snaza and Thurston County Commissioner Sandra Romero and Sandra Romero

TCTC Video from January, 2011

Komo 4 News Report October 5 Article A.R.C. Vacant Jail

Results from Farmer's Market

We hosted an information table at the Farmer's Market in Olympia on Saturday and collected eight and a half pages of signatures.  Most of the people we talked with were completely unaware of the Nisqually Jail situation.  The argument against the Nisqually Jail is compelling. We have three other dates available that we can  be at the Farmer's Market. We will notify you of these dates once they become scheduled. If anyone wants to come and help at these events please contact us at jstopjail@yahoo.com. Any help informing the community or collecting petition signatures would be GREAT.

Meeting Scheduled with U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell

We have been asked to a meeting with U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell's Tacoma Office. This meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 11th. We will notify you of the outcome of this meeting.

We will be hosting an information table at the Olympia Farmer’s Market

Tomorrow- Saturday July 2- from 10-3 Stop by and learn why we need to stop the Nisqually Jail

Sign our petition and Get involved.