Plan to build prison in Pahrump gets federal judge’s OK

A federal judge gave Nye County officials permission today to move forward with a prison despite strong objections from homeowners who live near the planned facility in Pahrump.

Residents say the county and representatives with the Correctional Corporation of America Inc., which secured a contract to manage the prison, failed to perform an adequate environmental impact study before moving forward with the project.

“They didn’t do any scientific research,” said the homeowners’ attorney, Nancy Lord, also a resident of Pahrump. “All they did was count the burros and they did it during the winter.”

Through Lord, the residents also complained that they were not notified of the project until it was a done deal. She said that in order to pave the way for a new prison, the county even went so far as to remove an ordinance requiring prisons to be at least 50,000 feet from a residence. Lord said 100 homes sit within a mile of the planned facility at 2250 Mesquite Road.

County officials said notices of public meetings were posted at government buildings. Lord suggested the notices should have been posted at Wal-Mart, where “the average person” might have seen them.

That notion was rebuffed by U.S. District Judge Kent Dawson.

“They are not required to post it at Wal-Mart or Terrible Herbst,” Dawson said. “The informed public knows where to look (for public notices).”

Lord also said 32 individuals were provided an environmental impact statement; of those, 22 were government officials and two were news reporters.

Lord said more thorough research on potential harm to the environment should have been performed during a warmer season, when species such as the desert tortoise are not in hibernation.

“At this time of year, there certainly aren’t going to be any turtles out there,” she said. “The ones they didn’t kill with the bulldozer are deep underground.”

Attorney Josh Aicklen, who represents the Correctional Corporation of America, said the county and company “dotted every 'i’ and crossed every 't’ ” in its efforts to build the prison. Aicklen noted that in a separate proceeding prior to the Nye County hearing, an attorney complained about the conditions at the North Las Vegas Detention Center.

“People charged with crimes need this facility,” he said.

While the residents can continue to push for a trial on the matter, Dawson said he has seen no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Nye County officials.

“The fact that neighbors don’t want it ... is not good enough,” Dawson said.

Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710.