Fort Smith, ARK – In a tense encounter at a planning meeting for the new Franklin County state prison, two local individuals were asked to leave, raising concerns about transparency in the project’s development. The meeting, held on January 7, was described as a “high-level project goal planning” session, and its limited access to the public has sparked criticism.
Joey McCutchen, an attorney for the Franklin County & River Valley Coalition, and local resident Adam Watson were reportedly removed from the meeting. The pair had attended the session after McCutchen received an invitation via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The meeting, held at a venue in North Little Rock, was meant for a select group of state officials and other individuals directly involved in the planning of the new prison facility.
According to reports from Talk Business & Politics, the two attendees were informed that they would be escorted out by North Little Rock police officers if they refused to leave voluntarily. McCutchen, who expressed surprise at the development, revealed that he had only learned about the meeting through the documents obtained through FOIA.
The invitation, sent in December by Luann Saldo, a project manager with Vanir Construction Management, emphasized that the meeting was a crucial step in developing the new state prison. It read, “You are receiving this invitation because you’ve been identified as needing to be directly involved with this project… we look forward to getting to know everyone on this team and working together to deliver a fantastic new facility to the state of Arkansas.”
Despite the formal invitation, McCutchen said he had his doubts about whether he would be allowed to attend, especially since there had been no media coverage or public announcements regarding the event. “I didn’t know one way or another if we could attend, but I had a feeling they might ask us to leave,” McCutchen explained.
The decision to restrict access to the meeting raises questions about the transparency of the planning process for the new prison. Critics argue that the lack of public involvement in such a significant project could lead to concerns about the project’s impacts on the local community and environment.
As the development of the Franklin County prison moves forward, the controversy over public access to meetings like this one is likely to remain a point of contention. The prison project, which will be a major undertaking for the state of Arkansas, continues to be a subject of intense interest and debate among local residents and advocacy groups.