The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

Mayor Matt Lahey, whose opposition to the prison dates back years, told The Citizen of Laconia last week that Gov. John Lynch's plan is "certainly not a cause for joy" given the lost jobs.

Even former mayor Paul Fitzgerald, among the biggest opponents of the prison, acknowledged the downside yesterday.

"I wish it (had been closed) years ago, but I'm pleased it's happening. I never thought it was an appropriate institution for this area and I still don't. But I realize (closing it) will create a personal hardship for some folks, and I hope the state will take care of those people."
The Lakes Region Facility sits on Lake Winnisquam and overlooks Opechee Bay. It became state land more than a century ago when a local family donated it.

For the first 90 years, the property was home to the Laconia State School, a home for the developmentally disabled.

When the state closed the school in 1991, it recast the property as a minimum/medium security prison for nonviolent offenders. Laconia officials fiercely objected, arguing that putting a prison there wasted some of the city and state's nicest land.

City officials lost the fight but secured a couple of concessions: the prison would be temporary and would house no more than 300 inmates.

Locals then turned to imagining a better future. They dreamed about a technical college, a job training center or a nursing home taking over the grounds.

Any of those, they said, would be a more welcome neighbor and allow locals to enjoy the trails and the Lake Winnisquam beachfront on the grounds. But the city's dreams were cut short.

The state reneged on the closure deadline and gradually increased the capacity of the prison, leaving the city bitterly angry and disappointed. Now that a statewide budget crisis has forced Lynch to recommend closing the prison to save money, local officials are cautiously beginning to look toward the future.

Rep. Beth Arsenault, a Laconia Democrat, said her husband enjoys walking the trails on the public part of the property and her family isn't afraid to use the beach on Lake Winnisquam.

But some families are leery because the public portion is less than a half mile from the prison and pedestrians are likely to run across prison guards while there.

"There are other state functions that could happen there that would not be incompatible with the state park," she said. "It's a beautiful piece of property bordering on a lake."

Reever said she thinks the site could be used in a more tourist-friendly manner, such as a state park.

City Councilor Greg Knytych, whose ward includes the prison, agreed with the notion of making the place a state park.

"It really could be one of the state landmark parks," he said. "Tourism is probably the largest sector of jobs in this region and I think something like that would bring tourists in."

The section across the street from the prison, which borders Lake Opechee, is already being used for community garden space through an agreement with the local conservation group.

"I really see keeping it open land," Knytych said. "I think this is a good thing, and a lot of my constituents feel the same way."

Given the economic climate, no one expects the state to immediately put money into converting the property into something else. But Fitzgerald said he hopes the state won't let the buildings fall into further disrepair.

Jane Wood, a member of the Belknap County Economic Development Commission, embraced Lynch's announcement, although she's reminding herself that the Legislature still must weigh in on the plan.

"I was taken a bit by surprise at the news," she said yesterday. "And I'm not entirely sure what to think would be possible in this economic climate. But I have to think there would be some wonderful uses for that property that would make more ecological sense."

Wood wasn't sure what role, if any, the development commission could play in re-imagining the property. If the property were to go up for private sale, it would go on the council's inventory, and the council could provide some financing, Wood said.

But no one has said whether the land will remain the state's or be available for private development.

Wood, Fitzgerald and the others said they hope the state would include Laconia in any talks about the land's future use. The relationship between the state and city has been strained, they said, but it shouldn't be.

"Laconia has been ignored in the past by the state," Fitzgerald said. "And the city is a little leery of the state. But my hope is that the governor will not continue that."
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090216/FRONTPAGE/902160303/1103/RSS02