LINCOLN- Following the announcement of the location of Nebraska's new prison by Gov. Pillen and Director of Corrections Rob Jeffreys, a handful of Lincoln residents, especially those near the chosen location, began frantically looking for ways to register their opposition. City officials, too, were scrambling to figure out what the decision would mean for the city of Lincoln, after previously rejecting a proposal to build the new prison on city land.

City Councilman James Michael Bowers has written an open letter to Gov. Jim Pillen inviting him and other state and local officials to come to a town hall meeting to answer questions about the plan. All City Council members except Tom Beckius and Tom Duden have signed onto the letter, as have Lincoln state senators Danielle Conrad, Jane Raybould and George Dungan and county commissioners Christa Yoakum, Roma Amundson and Rick Vest as well as Cathy Martinez, a community leader in northeast Lincoln.

After several months of silence from the state, city officials only heard about the newly-purchased site on Thursday. The chosen site resides in an area of Lincoln that was previously set aside for future "urban residential development." Although Gov. Pillen's announcement surprised several Lincoln officials, some conceded that the state very well might have authority to the use the location without the city's approval. The state has already signed a $17 million purchasing agreement for the site, with construction of the prison set to begin in 2024.

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