Prison facility proposal raises queries

Prison facility proposal raises queries
By Kimberly K. Fu/ KFu@TheReporter.com
Posted: 12/09/2008 01:01:33 AM PST

Public safety, accessibility and sewage were among myriad issues raised Monday night at a community meeting regarding the proposed construction of an inmate medical and mental health facility in Vacaville.

The gathering, which drew a mix of residents, leaders and project officials, combined a prepared presentation and informational brochures with professionals able to field questions.

"Obviously there are some concerns that we have as a city and public, so now is the time to air our concerns," encouraged Vacaville Mayor Len Augustine.

Up for discussion was a 1,400-bed unit slated for construction near the hills behind California State Prison, Solano and the California Medical Facility, as proposed by J. Clark Kelso, the federal receiver appointed to oversee California's prison health care system. The build is one of seven proposed throughout the state slated to ease the medical and mental health care needs of inmates. Construction funding has not yet been finalized and more details are expected to be released by the courts early next year.

Also being planned is a 64-bed mental health inpatient facility mandated by the settlement of an inmate lawsuit. It reportedly will be built with or without the 1,400-bed facility.

On Monday, officials asked for help in designing an environmental impact report (EIR) to address any concerns that would have to be mitigated. A draft EIR, followed by a public hearing, is set for April.

Dawn Wright, secretary for the Board of Directors for the SPCA and Humane Animal Services, worried that the proposed facility would spell the end of the SPCA at its current site next to CSP, Solano. The animal shelter operates on state land, she said, and its location could serve as an access point to the new facility.

"My concern is we just did a revamp of our facility and we don't want to have to leave," Wright said. "People's jobs are there and the animals will be affected."

Sewage, she added, is also a top issue because the SPCA shares a sewage line with the prisons.

City leaders are similarly concerned.

The prisons were fined in the past for exceeding sewage capacity. The fine has since been paid and the facilities are now operating at capacity, the mayor said, but whether the new build would tax that capability is not known.

Parking also poses a problem, Augustine said, as does the need for medical response to the prisons. When incidences such as lockdowns are in effect, paramedics have a hard time getting in to the injured person, he explained, adding that a location should be designated "where these people can be served" or a procedure put in place to address the need.

"What I really want is for them to correct existing problems," Augustine said.

Financing, he added, is also a concern.

"Quite frankly, the Department of Corrections is not known for paying their bills on time or at all," the mayor said.

Still, Augustine said that the construction would provide an estimated 1,500 jobs -- a boon in a bad economy -- and possibly draw more doctors, nurses and correctional officers to move to Vacaville. Having more "uniformed" residents, he said, can only make the community an even safer place to live.

As for employment, he said he hoped the construction workers and suppliers involved in the project would be from Vacaville, or at least within Solano.

"Local workers and local suppliers," Augustine emphasized.