Over 300 people attended an Ault Town Meeting last Tuesday, with the majority of the citizens voicing opposition to a new private prison scheduled to be built, reports the Greely Tribune today.
The strength of opposition has lead Ault Mayor James Fladung to consider putting the plans to build the prison to a vote by the citizens of Ault. As reported last week, “Coalition Against the Ault Prison” is organizing grassroots opposition to the new prison to be built by Geo Group, Inc.
Though the Colorado Department of Corrections has already given the green light to Geo Group, Inc. to build the prison, city officials still have to give their “thumbs up” before building can begin. Fladung explains that a measure passed by the Town Board earlier this year only approved the “concept” of the prison, not the actual prison itself.
The land in question is already zoned for industrial usage, meaning the Town Board technically does not have to allow the citizens to vote on it.
