Whoever wrote that post -- Another Prison, Somerset? Please Think Again -- is either misinformed or has an agenda, or both.
It will be privately owned and operated under a contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Thus, the land (and the new buildings) will be on the County's tax rolls. Although the precise amount of property tax revenue won't be known until the facility is built and assessed for taxes, it probably will exceed $500,000 each year, and there will be almost no County services needed except water & sewer that will be paid for at the going rates. No new utility lines or public roads are needed.
It will create about 350 permanent jobs (all private sector) at the facility and the payroll will be about 17.5 Million Dollars, including benefits, initially. The average starting salary is estimated to be about $42,000 per year, including benefits.
Obviously, it is impossible to say how many of the employees will live in Somerset County, but many will, including both current residents and new ones who will further add to the tax base there. No doubt some will live in Wicomico County and Worcester County and help the tax base there. And there will be income tax revenue generated for those jurisdictions as well.
The same is true regarding the construction -- because some of the materials and equipment are of a special nature, they won't be sold by local vendors, but that won't be the case for other things -- concrete, lumber, etc. The construction workers will be determined largely by who the successful bidders are, but some, possibly most, will be local. After the facility is operating, it will furnish additional business for local firms.
Much of the post is sheer speculation and innuendo about people moving to Somerset County and returning there after release, etc. The bashing of ECI is not the view of most residents of Somerset County. At the numerous hearings that have been held during recent months, the only objection has been by a handful of folks who don't like jails.
Certain persons have been spreading rumors, totally false, about the facility, such as the ridiculous one about housing prisoners from Guantanamo. It will be designed -- and thus must be used -- as a prison for low-security. There will be a double perimeter fence and full time perimeter patrol. Unfortunately, the post mentioned above is replete with more falsehood and fear-mongering.
Thanks for putting before the public the facts stated in this response, to refute the speculative or erroneous (and deliberate-?) fabrication in the earlier post.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
31 comments:
Written like a true politician.
Well said. NIMBY, plain and simple, is the source of complaints, in my humble opinion.
To the one who wrote this one... Either your miss informed or your high on PCP... To think that when the prisoners are release from ECI or any other prison facility in this area if others exist or are built, you are naive to think they will not stay in this area, and not to continue with the criminal past...
Was this written by a politician? Sure sounded like it.
How about this:
"Studies show rural towns with prisons have less job growth, slower economic development, less per capita income, higher unemployment than towns without a prison. Why? Because prisons don’t function like a regular business or industry. Prisons are often given costly tax abatements, infrastructure services, and financial incentives that stress local governments and divert capital to prison development. The prison’s burden on local water, sewer, and electrical capability can be enormous. Incentive sources for other potential employers are drained.
The “hidden cost” of a private prison can be devastating to a community. There is an increased burden on local law enforcement. There is an increased burden on local hospitals and healthcare. There is an increased burden on city and county courts, to handle inmates,charged with crimes while in prison against other prisoners. Who pays for these extra medical costs and judicial services? The taxpayer! Studies show prisons are not good economic strategies as they generate few linkages to the economy and lack a multiplier effect, failing to attract associated industries in the same way as a manufacturing plant. Tax revenues and othereconomic benefits leak out of the community as many of the corrections staff liveand shop in other towns. Once a city becomes known as a “prison town”,economic development evaporates. Towns that host a prison attract additional prisons..."
More at http://www.stopnacprison.com/testimony/Testimony1-Warthan.pdf
This is a great area for a prison family to move or stay. Lots of trusting people, lots of politicians who will say "I got you JOBS" when election time comes, lots of drug users, lots of recruiting possibilities, lots of open windows and doors, lots of students with cash in their pockets and pricey electronics in their houses, and a wide open market for drugs, prostitution and whatever. And the weather's better than where I came from. Why would I go back to Baltimore City, especially when my family is already here and registered with social services?
4:26, if they have family in other areas, I would think they would go there were they can atleast get a roof over there head. Look around; princess anne and salisbury are not all that great.
This poster certainly has an agenda and that is Money. They are either the folks that are going to build the prison or are involved in it's building in some way. Definitely not a local. If this is such a great thing for the community someone else would be fighting for it. Fact is no one wants a prison in it's back yard except some dumb politicians like Somerset county has.
Even if the general contractor is from far away, the subs will be mostly local I suspect.
4:40 --
What an impartial and objective source you cite.
4:40 & 5:20 --
Kinda interesting how almost nobody there has complained or objected to this or to ECI after it began.
Any you forgot to mention that the pay scale will be more than most places pay there, so will mean wages go up for everyone in the long run. And you must think that's bad, too.
Anyone who lives in Somerset County cannot tell you with a straight face that Princess Anne is still the lovely quiet town it was in the 1970's.I never made the connection to the prison until someone else pointed it out to me.Why indeed go back to Baltimore City?
Since ECI, and WCDC, the crime rate here has tripled. There is more illegal drugs and prostitutions in this area. More STD's HIV and AIDS in this area. The crime rate has gotten so bad that this area had to build a juvenile facility. Now,if you tinks its better to employee a few hundreds of people at this facility verses the number of people that are already affected by the crime rate and health issues that are brought on by the folks that leave these facility and reintergrate themselves back into our community; then the Eastern Shore might as well be a place for the real undesirable. All else might as move away from this Peninsula. No business with sense will come here. Delaware has prisons Every county on the eastern shore of md. has a prison or detention centers. This area in five years will have more criminals per capital then non criminals. No More Prisons.
How about a nuclear power plant? That would create jobs and provide clean energy.
Any time I hear someone say "That's sheer speculation", I know that they're nervous about something they'd been successful at hiding. We have lots more strangers on welfare and criminals here than we did before the prison came here. Do you think they came here for the fishing?
I'd rather see a nuclear power plant than a prison. Only thing is, everybody but the janitor would have to be hired from out of town. The tax $$ would be great though, and the fire department would get lots of really spiffy new equipment. That would be some awesome economic development.
5:52
See if these studies are more to your liking:
Economic Impact of Prisons in Rural Areas
www.sapo.org.au/binary/binary8841/Economic.pdf
The Economic Impacts of the Prison Development Boom on Persistently Poor Rural Places
http://irx.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/30/3/274
Prisons and Their Effect on Local Economies: The Colorado Experience
http://www.centerfortaxpolicy.org/reports/02-Prisons.pdf
Yeah, it has nothing to do with population in general swelling and urban sprawl - just lay blame on the prisons. Spoken like true head-in-the-sand rednecks. Take a look at the BIG picture. All of these places have grown exponentially in the last 20 years. With or without the prisons they would have grown. Perhaps a little smart growth and planning would have relieved some of this but to blame the prisons??? Wow.
Bluto...
Trying to attribute change in P. A. since 1970 to ECU is absurd, since it is not in the Town are adjacent. What about UMES pal and general growth in the Town?
That should be ECI, not ECU, sorry.
ECI was sucking twice the water it was supposed to last year and wells ran dry all over the area. This new facility will be using the same aquifer, won't it? Will the demand outpace the supply again?
And will the Princess Anne sewer system be up to processing the waste of 1500+ people and the waste of a large institution without upgrades?
I think Princess Anne and Somerset County are being sold a bill of goods. I read the studies that 7:35 commented about, and then I looked up some more. The only positive ones seem to come from government sources or from people or companies who build or operate prisons.
In my mind it doesn't look like another prison in PA is a good idea. If you doubt, look at those 3 studies - and read them to their ends. You might be surprised.
I think the person who posted this letter is in on the whole thing and is paid to do some PR.
one prison is one to many for the shore. when these prisonrs get out the get enough money to get to salisbury and buy black sweat clothes w/ hoodie and the only job thet can find is crime. true it creates jobs, we need more cops, judges, probation officers, alarm companies get more work and on & on. some of you may think this is great but look at what salisbury is becoming. I am sure you can go to one web site and they say its great and anotherr site will tell you its not good. i am sure they have their reasons $$$. folks use common sense not cents
I have to laugh, does it really take a genius to figure out that something this absurd is not good for the local area! keep polishing that turd! but in the end it is still a turd!
Inmates are released to the area they were originally picked up in. Any inmate released to Salisbury was arrested in Salisbury. Please, know the facts before you go making blatant assumptions like that people. Hasn't this area grown on its own at all? You mean to tell me that ALL these people we now have on DEMARVA are here because of the prisons? Incredible.
I think the agenda as the writer stated is to CLEAN UP SOMERSET. If approximately 500,000.00 in tax revenue will be realized by Somerset County, and only water and sewer will be provided by the County,how much can we expect the County Commmissioners to drop the personal income tax rate? Will the successful bidders be the lowest bidder or will the Commissoners find an excuse at taxpayer expense to use their OWN? Come on, Mike, you are pretty vocal and all-knowing, give us an answer, Mr. President. Keep it up Somerset. Let us know when the next AFP meeting is and where. I think we may be on a roll here with taking back our County.
We in Salisbury know of at least several career criminals who were released across the bridge,where they were arrested/tried, but who came to Salisbury and moved in with girlfriends who had moved here while the offender was in ECI. One of them was a major gang leader and recruiter for his gang. He successfully put together a gang here that still exists, according to the state's attorney. The gang specializes in drug distribution and burglary, and have been linked to at least one killing.
Several of the people released to elsewhere and who came to Salisbury are now back in prison after committing additional crimes here. That includes the gang leader. He'll probably be out in just a few years, and then where will he be released to? Salisbury, where he'll most likely resume his criminal activities.
These aren't "private sector jobs"! They're under contract with the FEDERAL prison system. All the money is tax payer given, with a hefty profit left over for the company running it. Why do we want "private" prisons, when they're just WASTING public money?
More traffic, more waiting in lines at the grocery stores and bank and post office, more road rage, more idiots in the general public more aggravation overall. If you like all of this then the prison will be good for you. If not you should oppose any kind of new prison on the shore. It is very narrow minded to think that anything that creates jobs is a good thing like Mike McCready suggests. Sometimes the downside of the new jobs is worse than no jobs.
You mean" Princess Anne" that great little town that was washing people down the street or the one that was lynching a black man. Evidently you were not here then.
Your right creating jobs is a bad thing, unless of course you need one. IDIOT
Princess Anne, now that you've decided that you're going to be a prison town, you'll never be anything else. It's your commissioners' last hurrah. The price you'll pay is one they saw coming from far off, but knew you'd listen just to the jingle of the coins.
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