week of 1/29/03
 
 
 

Prison seems a poor fit for Haywood County
SMN
Last week commissioners were put on notice by a group of concerned citizens that they should proceed with caution as they looked into locating a new prison here. The group, Friends of Haywood County, is marshalling its forces and doing the research on just what having a prison might do to the county. Its founder, Jackie Curé, is a well-known local realtor who just doesn’t believe a prison will help this county.

“We don’t believe this is economic development,” Curé told commissioners at their last meeting.

We agree. A large prison, unlike the small unit in Hazelwood that has been here for decades, could irrevocably paint Haywood as a prison county. Some will argue — and they are probably correct — that we will never attract Microsoft or the like to the rural parts of Western North Carolina. From there, they proceed to argue that we may as well get what employment is available to replace the manufacturing jobs that have been lost in the last decade.

This kind of job creation, though, seems somewhat like throwing in the towel during a tightly-contested boxing match. The U.S. economy is changing, and Haywood’s manufacturing losses mirror a nationwide trend. We are not in terrible shape as far as our economy is concerned. Many service-sector and tourism-related businesses are thriving, and those that aren’t are at least holding their own. Our mountains are undergoing a home-building boom, one that fuels job creation in many different areas. Some small, entrepreneurial-driven businesses are opening here because their owners can operate wherever they want. Towns and the county are using their resources to improve the quality of life. Our federally owned parks and national forests continue to be magnets that attract people here for all kinds of reasons.

In other words, we are positioned on many different fronts to benefit as the U.S. economy re-tools and re-invents itself in the coming decades.

From what we’ve seen, the data about the impact of a prison is mixed. In some poor rural communities it helps; in large towns its impact is minimal. All the research in the world is not going to answer the intangible question of what it will mean to the Haywood economy to become a rural prison community. It seems obvious, though, that the litany of potential problems — lower property values near the facility, a reputation as a prison town which may stall new business development and hurt tourism, and the potential for increased demand on court systems and social services — would be a drag on an otherwise healthy economy.

All WNC residents empathize with the families and individuals who have suffered due to manufacturing’s decline. And it’s also not wise to sensationalize the potential problems that accompany a prison. But leaders must think clearly and not grasp at what appears to be the first best chance — in the form of a new prison — to get new jobs. The Friends of Haywood County have it right, and we hope their agenda gains momentum in the coming weeks.