Sullivan County Needs a New Jail Built

by: Bill Liblick

There was an idea floating around Sullivan County last week that County Manager David Fanslau was interested in locating the County Jail at the Woodbourne Correctional facility if Governor Eliot Spitzer planned on closing it.

When members of the media reported on this alternative to constructing a new state of the art jail, there was an immediate uproar. This led the legislature and Fanslau to clarify the report, stating that they did not want the prison to close, but that there would be a meeting with the Governor to find out his plans for the facility.

Giving Fanslau the go ahead to meet with Spitzer’s representatives on this matter can essentially open up a can of worms for us, and could have severe consequences for Sullivan County.

Why put ideas in Spitzer’s head to close the Woodbourne Correctional facility, which employs over 300 residents. Instead we must present to him the argument as to why the facility must remain open, and that he should not even consider closing any prison in Sullivan County. Also, State Senator John Bonacic and Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther must be included in the discussions.

Construction of a new jail should have absolutely nothing to do with whether Woodbourne stays open or not. They must be treated as separate issues.

Sullivan County houses the oldest jail in New York State, and by mandate we must construct a new facility. It is estimated that a new jail will cost us anywhere between $70 and 100 million. According to people in the know, moving the jail to Woodbourne could save us $30 to $40 million. But, would we really be saving anything?

While I applaud Fanslau for wanting to ask Spitzer about his intentions, he must be very careful to separate both issues. Although Spitzer has said he wants to revamp the correctional system, he missed the April 1 deadline to include a commission on prison closings in his budget. This means we could be looking at 2008 to start a commission, and then figure a year and a half for a report. Let us not forget that the state legislature will also have to vote on the recommendations, this could lead to another two-year delay. Just in time for a reelection issue if Woodbourne was even on the list for closure.

There is nothing wrong to initiate the argument that it would be detrimental to Sullivan County’s economy if Woodbourne were to close. And, there is nothing wrong with seeking State financial aide for our cash strapped County to build a new jail, which would also house the Sheriff’s Office, and perhaps include our Public Safety Department.

If people listened to Leni Binder when we had an opportunity to build a new jail for a lot less money years ago there would have been no need for a State mandate all together.

It would be ludicrous to have our jail moved to Woodbourne. Not only is it outdated, and it would be costly to renovate it, but its location it too far from courthouses and the highway. The command center for the Sheriff’s Office and Public Safety Department must be easily accessible to all of Sullivan County.

I am pleased that Fanslau stated that the County is continuing with its plans to construct a new jail. We can only hope the Legislature will not budge on this, even if Spitzer closes Woodbourne.

The issue at hand should be why there are no state funds included for Sullivan County in order to construct a new jail.

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