They’ve found a new home for the Oklahoma County Jail… again.
After plans for an Airport Jail never took flight, and a proposal for a Stockyards Jail was put out to pasture, Oklahoma County officials have settled on a new, very-fitting home for the long-awaited facility – Del City!
Via Yawn Doc:
After hours of public comments and a protracted executive session led to a five-hour meeting today, the Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners selected a site at 1901 E. Grand Boulevard as the location for the new county jail, although a long road remains before ground will be broken.
District 3 Commissioner Myles Davidson and District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan voted for the 1901 E. Grand site, while District 1 Commissioner Carrie Blumert voted against it and said in a news release that she is “disappointed” by the decision.
Yep, that’s right!
Add some extra meat to the skillet, Mid-Del Taco! The rough and tumble hamlet that TLO readers once named the metro’s “Worst Suburb” is about to get an injection of the hard-knock life!
Well, that is if Del City leaders and other serial complainers on the wacky left don’t get their way.
Even though the proposed jail is A) technically across the street from Del City and B) will probably improve property values in the area, Del City leaders are doing whatever they can to prevent the jail from being built on their borders, and are taking the county to court.
Via Channel 25:
Del City leaders say they plan to fight back against Wednesday's decision made by Oklahoma County Commissioners.
Mayor Floyd Eason tells Fox 25 he's now going to seek legal advice from outside attorneys.
"We're going to fight it, but it just looks like we're going to have a long road ahead. I mean, it's a nickel fighting a dollar. But, you know what? David beat Goliath. We got a shot."
Hey, I don’t blame the Del City gentry for being mad about this.
Unless your name is Ken Boyer or Abraham – or you live in one of the fancy apartments or million-dollar homes that are in super close proximity to the current Oklahoma County jail – I don’t think anyone wants to call a jail their neighbor.
That being said…
As an objective observer who is the great-great-grandson of an 89er who colonized the Del City area – a man who’s old “home on the hill” is now owned by a non-profit, and still stands only a half-mile or so from the proposed site of the new jail – this is probably the best spot for the place.
The location is five minutes from downtown, close to multiple highways, and located in an isolated, industrial-focused part of town that – even if it’s a jail – could probably use an injection of life and new development, that will in turn lead to more life and development.
Basically, if you were playing SimCity on your old Intel 486 computer, this is exactly where you’d put a jail! Just make sure to add a few trees, a park, and lower sales taxes for a year or two, and the citizens will love it and everything will be fine!
But, alas, this is real life. Not a simulated one. People are going to complain either way. I guess one of the big complaints about the proposed jail site is that it’s located three minutes away from a school.
If nothing changes, the new jail would be only a three-minute drive from Epperly Heights Elementary. That's a big reason why Mid-Del Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Rick Cobb says he has fought against this proposal from the beginning.
First of all, there are hundreds of schools in the Oklahoma City metro area. Unless you’re building the jail on the fringes of the county, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find a spot not within a mile of school.
Also, having the Oklahoma County Jail located close to a school isn’t anything new.
The current jail is only a few blocks away from John Rex Elementary School, and to my knowledge, there haven’t been any incidents with released inmates harassing students. Hell, the only thing the students at John Rex have to worry about there is Kirk Humphreys showing up and sharing his views on gays and women!
Anyway, I guess we’ll continue to follow this case. I don’t know what legal grounds Del City has to block the jail from moving across the street, but I have a feeling that the third time will be the charm for the county in it's quest to find a home for the facility.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
