Please attend the Public meeting tonight that Thurston County is hosting regarding the Account Restitution Center (A.R.C.).
The meeting is tonight, Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 6:30 P.M. at 3013 Ferguson Lane SW in Tumwater, Wa.
The A.R.C. was built in 2007. The Thurston County Commissioners placed a vote for this facility to ballot and the public rejected the construction of this $45 Million dollar facility. The county commissioners pushed through this project anyway and had the facility built. This facility has NEVER been occupied and our taxpayers monies continues to be spend to light it and heat it along with the county has hired consultants in efforts to figure out how to "open" this facility for business.
In 2008, the Nisqually Indian Tribe saw that there was a lack of jail bed space in our county. The Nisqually Indian Tribe contracted out jail bed space to our local jurisdictions since Thurston County was unable to accommodate our Misdemeanor offenders. In 2008, The Nisqually Indian Tribe approached Fort Lewis in efforts to find a parcel suitable for a "Regional Jail". In a report from 2008, Fort Lewis is quoted as saying :
"At a minimum, the facility would serve as a jail for adult misdemeanants from tribal and local government juriscdictions (Pierce and Thurston counties, City of Yelm, City of Lacey, etc. ) 200-300 beds, ...There is currently great demand for jail space, but the Tribe needs to move fast to take advantage, else another party (State, couty) will move to fill the void."
It is our position, Stop the Nisqually Jail Association's (SNJ) position that if the A.R.C. had been built and running appropriately the Nisqually Indian Tribe would not have been in a position to take advantage of a jail for profit.
Please attend this meeting tonight to view your opinions on the A.R.C. and against the proposed Nisqually Regional Jail.
Thank you for your attention to this matter,
See additional links below
Justine Schmidt
