SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — News of the state’s plan to build a new men’s prison in a rural part of Lincoln County between Harrisburg and Canton has a lot of people’s attention, and county commission chair Tiffani Landeen is hearing about it.

“I probably have gotten 10 to 20 emails, several phone calls,” she said. “Most people are concerned about it, concerned on what it will do, more so the social impact in the county, and how it may affect property values, if it does.”

A Department of Corrections spokesperson estimates construction will wrap up in 2028. Lincoln County commissioner Jim Schmidt looks to the future when he brings up an extensive county plan that’s in the works.

“This may change a lot because of the zoning requirements that go around where the prison is,” he said. “How does it change the land use. I mean, there’s any number of things that are going to happen as a result of this thing.”

Another big question is the facility’s sewer system.

“I think an unanswered question yet is what they’re going to do for sewer, if they’re going to be able to tie into a sewer system or if they’re going to lagoon this thing,” Schmidt said.

“And that is one of the concerns,” Landeen said. “When you think about the water needs, the electrical needs and just the waste, whether it’s sewage or just the garbage that a place of that size is going to put out and how all of those needs are going to be met.”

The Lincoln County Commission announced on Friday that it’s looking for additional information from Department of Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko on the proposed prison.

Commissioner Joel Arends shared with KELOLAND News on Monday that he is hoping to hear what landowners in the area and the City of Harrisburg have to say, while commissioner Jim Jibben said he wants to know about other sites that were under consideration.