Answer Expected On Corrections Camp

Silver Valley residents wondering whether the state will push ahead with its proposal to put a juvenile work camp near Prichard will likely get their answer Friday.

Mike Johnson, director of the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections, will be at the site at 9:30 a.m. for a “community meeting,” a corrections official said Wednesday.

“I don’t know what he’s going to say,” said corrections liaison Dean Roland. “I wish I knew.”

Johnson’s office said he was traveling Wednesday.

One of the most outspoken opponents of the plan, however, said he expects to hear that the state’s pushing ahead with its plan.

“He wouldn’t drive all the way up here unless he was interested in it,” said J.D. Holbart. He said 500 Silver Valley residents have signed a petition opposing the project.

The corrections department wants to put a 50-bed work camp for troubled teens at the nearly vacant compound, built by the U.S. Forest Service in the 1930s. It includes four dorm buildings, a kitchen and dining hall, shop and administration building.

At a visit recently, Johnson said moving into the compound would save the state millions in construction funds. The Forest Service says it can’t afford the $70,000 per year in maintenance costs.

Two previous attempts to put a state prison at the site failed after local residents protested.

, DataTimes