NISQUALLY RESERVATION, Wash. -- Building a new jailgenerates the typical complaints from neighbors.
It makes me concerned about my security. It makes me concerned about the environment, said Pete, who didn't want his last name published.
But Pete and his neighbors raise anotherissue about the jail being built near his Olympia home on the Nisqually Indian Reservation.
Why are we building this when we already have a facility? asked Pete.
Thurston County's Accountability and Restitution Center sits about ten miles from the future Nisqually jail site. But the county does not have enough funds to open the ARC to inmates.
Thurston County Sheriff John Snaza said he is part of a teamworking with consultants to find ways to open the jail.
Snaza said the new Nisqually jail will make that more of a challenge, but he doesn't blame the tribe for seeking federal funds to build their new jail.
I believe it was an opportunity for them to take advantage of the current situation we're in, Snaza said. They were able to have an opportunity from the federal government that local government does not have.
For Pete, no matter where the money is coming from, it does not seem like an efficient way to spend his tax dollars.
It makes me wonder about my government, said Pete.
Pete also said he did not feel he and his neighbors had an opportunity to voice their concerns about the project, which is already under construction.
The Nisqually Indian Tribe was not willing to comment on the project.
