Blair County commissioners remove Alto Rest Park site from consideration for new county prison

Blair County commissioners voted April 3 to remove from consideration a parcel adjacent to Alto Rest Park that had been the county's preferred site for a new county prison.

The vote followed more than half an hour of public comment from county residents and representatives of the Alto Rest Park Cemetery Association, who urged commissioners not to pursue taking the land by eminent domain. Jeffrey Behrens, vice president and general manager of Alto Rest Park Cemetery Association Incorporated, told the board he submitted “signatures from almost a thousand additional people” since the last meeting and said, “taking our land will have a significant negative impact on both the present and future business of Alto Rest Park.”

Why it matters: Commissioners have been searching for a long-term replacement for the current county jail. The preferred Alto Rest site had triggered sustained public opposition, multiple petitions and concerns about impacts to a burial ground, nearby residents and property values. Commissioners said removing the parcel from consideration preserves time to seek alternatives but will likely lengthen the timetable and could raise site-development costs.

Public comment and concerns Residents cited the cemetery’s historical and emotional significance and submitted petitions opposing eminent-domain acquisition. Daisy Decker, identifying herself as a longtime area resident, said she checked the petition count before the meeting: “The count is now over 6,800 people saying no to the prison being located by Alto Rest Park.” Marsha Horton and Bonnie Miller, each of whom said they have family buried in Alto Rest, called the proposed location “unsettling,” urged commissioners to seek other sites and asked the board not to move forward with taking the land.

Jeff Becker, a local real-estate broker and appraiser, urged the commissioners to consider the cost of compensating the cemetery association, warning that “to properly compensate and fairly compensate the cemetery association for that property, future value of all those burial sites would have to be considered,” which could make the parcel more expensive than other options.

Commissioners’ remarks and vote Commissioners acknowledged the long search and trade-offs involved in siting a new correctional facility in hilly Blair County. They said prior boards and staff have evaluated many parcels over several years and that ideal sites are scarce; alternatives may be costlier or less efficient to develop because of utilities, terrain and impacts to farmland.

After discussion, a motion was made to remove the Alto Rest–adjacent parcel from consideration and not to pursue eminent-domain acquisition of that property. The motion was seconded and then approved by voice vote; all commissioners present voted in favor.

What the action does — and does not — do The vote removes the parcel from active consideration for eminent-domain acquisition but does not end the county’s plan to build a new jail. Commissioners said they will continue searching for other sites, noting that alternative properties may require longer lead times, higher development costs or compromise on ideal site characteristics. No timetable for selecting a new site was set at the meeting.

Next steps and context Commissioners repeatedly said the county still needs a new prison because of the condition and operational limits of the current facility. They asked residents to continue to participate in the process and said staff will continue examining property options. The board did not adopt any ordinance authorizing acquisition for this parcel at the April 3 meeting.