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February 18, 2007
PA: New Prisons Proposed for Dallas PA
02/15/2007
Supervisors say new prison may be bigger burden than benefit
BY ROBERT KALINOWSKI
STAFF WRITER
Another state prison in Jackson Township would put added stress on the roads, sewers and emergency services with little benefit for the township, a pair of supervisors worry.
“To me, the residents of Jackson Township pay the taxes and receive no benefit for added expenses caused by the prison,” supervisor Allen Fox said Tuesday.
Gov. Ed Rendell proposes a $189 million, 2,300-bed prison in his 2007 capital budget request. The medium-security facility would be constructed adjacent to the State Correctional Institution at Dallas, although the prisons would operate independently.
It is one of three new prison’s included in the governor’s “wish list” in the budget.
Township supervisors worry a new prison could adversely impact the quality of life for residents in the Back Mountain even though it could generate as many as 600 new jobs.
Besides the $52 job tax levied on employees, the current 2,000-bed prison generates no revenue for the township since it holds tax-exempt status. However, the jail relies on vital services paid for by local tax dollars such as roads, fire protection, and ambulance calls, supervisors say.
Fox and supervisor John J. Wilkes Jr. also have other concerns they hope could be alleviated if the state legislature approves funding for Rendell’s proposal.
Doubling the amount of inmates and workers on the prison site would increase traffic on rural roads leading to the jail — from vehicles hauling food in to trucks taking garbage away — and also on state Route 309, they said. They wonder how the water supply will be affected, and if there would be an adequate sewer system in place.
There are likely other things that will pop up if the plans proceed and residents have a say, Wilkes said. “I can’t even speculate about other concerns that might come up,” he said.
Wilkes hopes the state keeps the board of supervisors and residents informed during the process. He predicts “more hearings and studies than we could ever imagine” will be conducted — a process that would slowly shed light on the proposed project and give residents answers.
Both supervisors say if things are done right, they don’t see another jail being an inconvenience for residents.
“If it’s handled properly, and there is no real detriment to existing property owners, I don’t see a problem,” Fox said. “The (current) prison has been here for 40 years.”
Added Wilkes: “To be honest, the current facility has been a great neighbor.”
Plans for a new prison are in the preliminary stages. Funding needs the state legislature’s approval. If approved, it could be several years before construction would start.
The proposed Jackson Township facility would be one of three new prisons built to accommodate a surge of 8,000 new inmates expected to enter the state correctional system by 2011, Department of Corrections spokeswoman Susan McNaughton said.
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17853543&BRD=2259&PAG=461&
Posted by lois at February 18, 2007 05:11 PM