My office recently facilitated a meeting with Houghton County and state officials to discuss the future of Camp Kitwen, a minimum-security correctional facility in Houghton County that was designed for 240 inmates.

It is my hope that Houghton County commissioners will consider purchasing Camp Kitwen from the state to use as a jail facility and provide for a long-term inmate facility for the Western U.P.

Buying this facility and transforming it into a multi-county jail initiative would help ease overcapacity at the Houghton County Jail Facility. Voters of Houghton County have declined proposals to update the current Houghton County Jail Facility and purchasing this property at a lower cost will consolidate services and benefit taxpayers.  There would also be minimal security risks with the advancement of technology, for example video conferencing when conducting court hearings and sentencing at Camp Kitwen.

This facility can also provide for many other services, such as a possible mental health facility for prisoners or residents in the Western U.P.  Providing services will help reduce expenses long-term and is also the right thing to do for reducing our inmate populations safely.

Built in 1991, the facility is one of the lowest security jails in the system and houses the low-risk prisoners who are within two years of release. The facility closed in 2009, but with a 2016 Senate Bill, local governments can acquire the property for less than market value for public sector use only. The state listed Kitwen and nearly 84 surrounding acres for sale on March 28, and will be listed until June 26. The property was appraised at $75,000 but local governments can purchase the property at a much lower cost.

This former jail facility is accessible to all six counties in the Western Upper Peninsula and prisoners wouldn’t have to be transported back and forth either downstate or miles away. By opening a facility where it is needed, we have an opportunity to create more jobs. Surrounding counties would be able to share this facility, house inmates and use additional resources at the location, alleviating costs of operations and reduce the expense to taxpayers. It is my belief that purchasing this property would be a win-win situation for Houghton County and the entire Western U.P.

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