Final decision looms for state prison project

It's down to the wire for the new state prison. After months of proposals and research, public hearings and incremental decisions about where in the borough the medium-security facility will be located, a final decision is scheduled to be made by the assembly Jan. 16.

That decision is not likely to be an easy one. Assembly members are faced with having to balance the relative economic benefits and challenges of each of four remaining proposed sites with what their constituents say they want.

To date, the process of finalizing a site decision has been well-conducted. A series of public hearings around the borough, where residents weighed in on the perceived merits and drawbacks of the 2,251-bed mega-prison that is expected to cost more than $300 million, helped state and borough officials narrow an original list of 16 possible sites down to the remaining four - Zero Lake, near Houston; Alsop Road at Point MacKenzie; Glenn Highway Mile 58 in Sutton, which is the site of the existing Palmer Correctional Center; and another Glenn Highway site south of Palmer, on the site of a gravel pit operation.

By all accounts, the term &#8220mega-prison” is appropriate. The facility's design has yet to be finalized, but it could be up to 800,000 square feet and require a parcel of land up to 400 acres.

In addition to the 1,300-1,800 jobs provided during the nearly three-year construction phase, some 600 permanent full-time jobs are said to be needed for the day-to-day operation of the prison. So the potential for positive economic impact is hard to argue.

Residents near two of the proposed sites - Houston and Point MacKenzie - have signaled their unqualified support for the project and have opened their arms to its development in their area. Sutton and Palmer residents, conversely, have registered loud opposition to hosting the prison in their communities.

Few dispute the prison's potential for lasting economic benefit. But when it comes down to where the prison is to be located, critics cite quality-of-life issues and the negative impact the prison might have on the overall well-being of their communities.

It's a clash of values that is difficult to avoid whenever the potential for major economic growth exists. This time, one such clash pits Palmer residents against the Palmer business community - and maybe even against their own representative on the assembly, Bill Allen, who says he has not ruled out voting for the Palmer site next week.

As the final vote looms, citizens who care still can be engaged. There is an assembly work session tonight in the theater at Palmer High School. Although it is not a public hearing, a big turnout is expected, which is why the meeting was relocated from assembly chambers.

Another large turnout is likely Jan. 16, when public testimony will be taken, perhaps for a final time, before the assembly makes its decision.

As with every decision of this magnitude, there will be winners and losers. We encourage residents to contact their assembly members and let their wishes be known. And we encourage the assembly to continue its careful and thorough consideration of all aspects of the project.

It's the best way to ensure that growing pains will be brief - and worth enduring.