week of 2/19/03
 
 
 
  Prison debate rages on in Haywood
By Scott McLeod

A few bits of new information surfaced at the meeting with DOC. Among them:

° The prison site would have to facilitate growth, as the initial 1,000 beds would likely grow to 1,500 beds as need increased. The state’s inmate population is projected to swell from its current 31,360 inmates to 42,413 by 2012.

° The siting process is not time-sensitive. In other words, Phillips said the state is looking for several sites over the next decade. If Haywood does not decide to seek this particular 1,000-bed close-custody unit, it could put itself in the running for another facility in the near future.

° The prison would cost taxpayers $85 million and would take two years to build after the Legislature approves funding.


Even after Department of Correction officials came to Haywood County last week, citizens showed up at commissioner meeting Monday with more questions and comments on the 1,000-bed facility.

However, commissioners made it clear they have not committed to inviting the prison in.

“The premise of your question indicates that we are going to go for this,” Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick said to one speaker. “We have not made that decision.”

“I want to echo Kirk’s comments,” said Commissioner Mark Swanger.

Commissioners listed politely as several spoke against the prison while one — Harley Caldwell — thanked them for inviting DOC officials to the county.

At that Feb. 13 meeting, DOC officials presented all the data they had on the layout of the proposed 1,000-bed close-custody prison they are planning to build somewhere in North Carolina, including job breakdown, inmate projections and site criteria.

For the majority of the more than 300 citizens who jammed the old courtroom in the historic courthouse, the informational meeting presented the first opportunity to publicly express their feelings at a very eary stage in the siting process.

“Regardless of their decision, I think you should know there’s a large contingency of residents in the county who do not want a prison,” said Wally Courtney, a retired Navy commander and Cruso resident. He was referring to county commissioners because DOC Assistant Secretary Lynn Phillips had said the department considered an invite from the commissioners a sign of public support.

Others argued that tourism-related jobs alone won’t sustain the local economy.

“... Because once people have a choice between making $18,000 with no benefits and going upwards of $70,000, you are going to lose your pool of workers held hostage by the tourism industry,” said Jeff Israel, a Blue Ridge Paper employee.

Commissioners are winnowing through about 12 possible sites. If one emerges with a willing owner they will then be faced with having to make the decision on whether to extend a formal invitation that could lead to more than 400 jobs. Close to 100 residents at the meeting were urging the county to seek the facility, while the majority of those attending were adamantly opposed.

The discussion and questions ranged from how many jobs would go to Haywood citizens (DOC officials were unsure) to how such a facility affects a tourism- and service-sector heavy economy. There were few hard answers, and DOC officials did not try to hide that fact.

Instead, they stressed several times that the county itself — and its residents — were the ones who would have to decide if a prison was in step with local economic development goals. They said community support — by way of a formal invitation from the county — was one of the primary factors in deciding where to locate.

“Community support for us, our litmus test, is these elected officials here ... if you don’t like what they say, you know the process for changing that,” said Phillips.

“We have never forced a prison into a community that didn’t want it,” he said.