Edited 4:45 p.m. Feb. 15 to include comment from Sen. Betty Little

By JIMMY LAWTON
North Country Now

An amendment to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s proposed executive budget would grant him authority to close up to three correctional facilities.

That could have a huge impact on St. Lawrence County, which is home to Riverview Correctional Facility, Gouverneur Correctional Facility and Ogdensburg Correctional Facility.

In St. Lawrence County the Department of Corrections is one of the largest employers.

Although, details on which prisons could potentially close would reportedly be subject to review, North Country Assemblyman Mark Walczyk, R- Watertown, says the governor shouldn’t eye St. Lawrence County to find savings.

“If the Governor is serious about saving money by closing correctional facilities, I encourage him to look downstate at the facilities which are the most expensive to run,” Walczyk said.

It wasn’t so long ago Ogdensburg Correctional Facility dodged closure.

In 2010, a community wide effort led by the late publisher Charles W. Kelly, managed to convince state officials to remove OCF from the list.

Sen. Patty Ritchie, who helped the effort to keep Ogdensburg Correctional Facility open says the areas prisons are among the safest and most efficient in the sate.

“The five prisons in our region, and the jobs they support, are critical to our local communities and their economies. Every day, dedicated, hardworking correctional officers and other prison staff members take pride in ensuring these facilities are among the safest and most efficient prisons in our state,”  Ritchie said.

She said she is already reaching out to inform officials the importance of the area's correctional facilities.

“Earlier today, I spoke with New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent association President Michael Powers who is well aware of how critical each of these five prison facilities are to our region. I have also begun conversations with budget and finance officials in Albany to stress the importance of keeping North Country prisons open. I want to make certain they know how much these facilities mean to the communities where they exist.”

“In the North Country, every job counts. We don’t have Amazon wanting to locate in our region—nor do we have the opportunity to turn down the tens of thousands of jobs a project like that would support. Now is not the time to be looking at closing our prisons in our region, and I will continue to fight to see that that message is heard in Albany.”

“There’s scant detail in the 30-day executive budget amendments but plenty to be concerned about with an indication of the closure of up to three correctional facilities,” said Senator Betty Little. “Maintaining safety in these facilities for the men and women who work there and for the inmates is critical. As I understand, we still see overcrowding in some places, including in the large dormitories. Closing prisons will have a ripple effect throughout the system," said Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury. “Our region has been targeted in the past. We’ve lost jobs and economic activity. Nothing is happening at Camp Gabriels, Lyon Mountain, Chateaugay and Mount McGregor. We can’t afford to lose more jobs or more good people.”

Request for comment from the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, Inc. have not yet been returned.