...FOR DETENTION CENTER TOO

The same kind of logic should extend to a proposed site for a Division of Youth Services juvenile detention center. Cape Girardeau County commissioners have taken an active role in the site-selection process in hopes of securing one of two 20-bed facilities in Southeast Missouri.

Originally, the county offered a long-term lease on acreage in Klaus Park near Interstate 55. But neighbors expressed fears for their property values, their safety and their county parks. Residents near Klaus Park -- primarily in the Westlake Meadows and Crystal Lake subdivisions -- protested the county's offer of free land for the project.

In response, the commissioners expanded the scope of site selection. A five-acre site near the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport is under consideration, along with two sites on Linden Street near the Public Health Center and a site on Nash Road. The county plans to submit alternative sites along with the original recommendation of Klaus Park to the state.

Each of the sites should be carefully compared, with a long list of pros and cons developed. Costs and feelings of the neighbors should count. But again, the final decision should be based on plenty of solid facts and figures.