Lincoln Co. Commission hears little from DOC on proposed prison site

LINCOLN COUNTY, S.D. (KELO) — As geothermal testing takes place on the site of the proposed new men’s prison in rural Lincoln County, members of the Lincoln County Commission say they’ve heard little from the State of South Dakota and the Department of Corrections (DOC).

This has resulted in some level of frustration.

Lincoln County Commissioner Jim Schmidt said he’s not mad about anything, but the communication from DOC has not been ideal. In fact, he says he has never been contacted by the DOC about the project, though he didn’t want to speak for the other commissioners.

As for developments at the proposed site, Schmidt says the commission hears about updates from neighbors of the site.

The lack of communication makes it challenging for those doing any work out at the site, added Schmidt, as they’ll look to the county for something to be done, but the county hasn’t heard anything about it from the state.

In May of 2024, DOC Secretary Kellie Wasko, along with her department’s finance director Brittni Skipper, spoke to the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Appropriations. At that time, Wasko told lawmakers: “ We’re not looking at other land. We’re not planning on looking at other land. ”

Yet, in recent weeks, Lincoln County Commission Vice-Chair Jim Jibben said he called the DOC to get information on what is happening at the site. Jibben says he was told the state was doing geothermal testing on the site, but that the action was preliminary, and the DOC remained non-committal on whether or not the site would actually be the location of the prison.

In response to an emailed request for a timeline on the project from KELOLAND News Tuesday, DOC spokesperson Michael Winder referred to the timeline presented to the appropriations committee by Wasko and Director of Finance and Administration Brittni Skipper back in May.

“Sec. Wasko and Director of Finance and Administration Brittni Skipper briefed the Joint Appropriations Committee on the timeline on May 21, 2024 and the project is still on schedule pursuant to that timeline,” wrote Winder, linking the presentation from that hearing .

Winder also confirmed and defended the drilling: “DOC can conduct any activities authorized and funded by SB49 from this year or HB1017 from 2023. The engineering firm is currently drilling geothermal test wells. This is part of the engineering and design process for the new facility.”

The apparent selection of the site for the new prison has resulted in a lawsuit from a group called NOPE, which filed suit in November of 2023. A ruling has yet to be made.

KELOLAND News reached out to NOPE for comment Tuesday but has not heard back.

According to the DOC, the finalized construction cost for the new men’s prison isn’t expected until Nov. 2024.

The project has currently $567 million in total funds appropriated to the project and Gov. Kristi Noem announced Monday she’d like to see the $80 million surplus for the 2024 budget year go towards prison construction costs.

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