BEMIDJI 鈥� The Beltrami County board room was packed full on Tuesday evening, as more than 150 community members showed up to a public hearing about the proposed location for a new county jail.
The public hearing comes just over two weeks after the board approved a conditional purchase agreement for a 16.9-acre property located off Jefferson Avenue SW in Bemidji for $540,000.
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Many of the attendees were members of the neighborhood surrounding this parcel, while others lived in different parts of the city. All of the dozens who commented, however, expressed their disapproval of the site.
鈥淛ails are not a popular thing, and they shouldn鈥檛 be a popular thing,鈥� said Misty Bray in her comments, 鈥�(but) this neighborhood is not an appropriate neighborhood for a jail.鈥�
The meeting began with a presentation by County Administrator Tom Barry, who gave a brief outline of how the jail project has unfolded.
A new jail was the county鈥檚 chosen solution to address concerns found with the current building by a Minnesota Department of Corrections inspection in 2019 that would have required the facility to close if no action was taken.
After voting to construct a new jail in November 2022, with a budget of $80 million, a list of criteria was developed to evaluate potential locations.
The property under consideration is just one of 15 that were evaluated by a subcommittee for the jail project and was the second-highest rated with the criteria.
Its primary obstacle, from the county鈥檚 perspective, is its current zoning, which is residential. However, Barry explained that there is a case to be made to change this zoning due to commercial property nearby.
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鈥淭here鈥檚 no guarantees in this, but it鈥檚 clear (a jail) is a possible use,鈥� Barry said.
The county also used the meeting to clarify some misconceptions, namely about why it is pursuing a single-story jail and how individuals are released from custody.
The DOC requested a single-level jail, requiring fewer staff to monitor sight lines, which is a disadvantage to the current jail鈥檚 multi-level design.
鈥淏uilding up is a challenge,鈥� said Jail Administrator Calandra Allen. 鈥淭here are sight lines we can鈥檛 see even currently. (With a multi-level jail) you鈥檇 have to add more staffing.鈥�
Sheriff Jason Riggs also explained that 90% of individuals who are released have a ride and that if a jail were to be built in the proposed location they could set a release-point downtown so that people wouldn鈥檛 be wandering the neighborhood after they鈥檙e released.
Public response
For many at the public hearing, however, these points did not address their concerns, both about the potential impact on the neighborhood and how its location away from downtown Bemidji could affect service availability for inmates.
鈥淲hen you take this facility and you put it out in that community, my community, you are removing resources from the inmates,鈥� said Rochelle Johnson. 鈥淎 new jail is necessary, there鈥檚 no disputing it. What we鈥檙e talking about is the location and the lack of support for those people who need it the most.鈥�
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Other commenters focused on how it could affect the surrounding community, from adversely impacting property values to changing the quiet character its residents have come to love.
鈥淚 understand there is never a perfect place to put a jail, (but) some places are definitely better than others,鈥� said James Ravnikar. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a different, better place than this quiet neighborhood.鈥�
Alongside expressing opposition to the currently proposed location, several community members provided suggestions for other sites.
鈥淲e are asking you to reconsider this purchase agreement. We are advocating for a future site with the least amount of impact to families and residents,鈥� Alyssa Carlson said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e your constituents, we want to be involved in this process.鈥�
One suggestion that several commenters brought up was to keep the jail downtown, potentially with the use of eminent domain to acquire more space.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very hard thing for a governing body to take those steps,鈥� said Richard Lehmann, who is also the president of the South Lake Irving Association, 鈥�(but) I think the jail belongs in the same area as it has been.鈥�
Most of the commenters simply expressed their desire that the county board reconsider and go through the process again with more opportunity for public input.
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So far the process has been led by the jail steering committee, which has had positions open for community members to join since early 2020. The complete project overview and details are available on the county's website at
鈥淢istakes have been made, the beautiful thing is we can get up each day and fix them,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no shame in changing our minds.鈥�
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