Craig Cowden would like to sell the Monroe County government 53 acres of his land at Vernal Pike and Woodyard Road west of Bloomington, so that a new county jail can be built there.
Cowden made his pitch at the regular meetings of the county council on Tuesday night and again on Wednesday morning, at the regular meeting of the county commissioners.
County commissioners are currently conducting an investigation of the North Park PUD property as a potential jail site, and are waiting on the results of the Phase 2 environmental study.
Based on their reaction to Cowden’s proposal on Wednesday morning, commissioners are not keen to begin actively considering Cowden’s land, until they have determined if the North Park property is viable.
But at their meeting the previous evening, some county council members seemed somewhat more receptive to the idea of considering Cowden’s land. And Cowden has the backing of both local chambers of commerce. Continue reading “Jail site update: Vernal Pike landowner wants to sell to Monroe County for new correctional facility”
