Arkansas senator writes letter to governor about risks of Franklin County prison plan

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Republican State Senator Bryan King sent a letter to the governor asking her to reconsider the proposed prison site in Franklin County on Monday.

It’s been over a year since the governor announced the plan, and King said there is still no source of water on the site.

Using an eight-ounce water bottle to make his point, he said, “There is more drinking water in this right here than there is in what they thought was going to provide water to possibly 3,800 people.”

State Senator Bart Hester said it’s the best location for the proposed prison.

“Look, if you’re going to build a large project in northwest Arkansas, it’s going to be on rock. You’re also going to have to bring water to the project. These are all knowns from the very beginning,” Hester said.

The site was purchased for $2.95 million. Hester said 800 acres were bought when only 80 acres were needed.

“We did that because we have true empathy for the neighbors. We want to affect as few people as possible,” Hester said.

The funding bill faces several roadblocks to make the prison happen.

King said while Arkansas does need more prison beds, the solution shouldn’t be building a new facility for them.

“We’re at the one-year anniversary right now. They don’t have enough water to run a dwelling house. And we spent almost a million dollars for a culvert up there and that is all we’ve got,” King said.

Sam Dubke with the governor’s office also shared a statement on the proposed prison plan.

“The State conducted a months-long search for property to build a new prison and focused on a number of priorities, including the size of the plot, cost, workforce in surrounding counties, and distance from existing prisons. This site – for which the state paid roughly $3 million for more than 800 acres, and which is close to more than 100,000 working-age adults while far from existing prison facilities – remains the best option for the prison bed space Arkansas needs, and, based off feasibility studies from both E&E and a third-party operator showing there is nothing that makes this an unsuitable site to build, experts within state government are confident that a number of options for water and construction exist that will allow for a groundbreaking soon after proper funding is secured.”