BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

St. Lawrence County's Gouverneur and Riverview Correctional Facilities have escaped closure for now.

The news comes on heels of a statement from the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association which stated that Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Washington County and Sullivan Correctional Facility in Sullivan County would be shuttered.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has been given the power to close as many a five prisons, but at this time there is no indication additional prisons will be closed this year.

According to legislation the prison are to be closed in the next three months.

A task force was assembled in St. Lawrence County to help promote the merits of the county's two remaining prisons.

In recent years Ogdensburg Correctional Facility was shuttered and remains vacant and off the tax rolls with no indication with a re-use plan on the horizon. Though the state has continued to keep the heat on in hopes of maintaining the structural integrity of the facility.

St. Lawrence County Prison Task Force Chairman and County Legislator James E. Reagen said the news was a positive for the county and he offered praise to the staff at both facilities.

"As the chairman of St. Lawrence County’s Prison Task Force, I want to commend the outstanding staff and administrators at Riverview Correctional Facility and Gouverneur Correctional Facility for their dedication and hard work. It’s their tremendous efforts day in and day out to make our prisons two of the best operated facilities in the state," he said.

He also offered appreciation to his fellow Taskforce members.

"I want to thank our county-wide task force which has worked very hard behind the scenes to make Albany and our state officials aware of the terrific job our security staff, educational staff, maintenance and administrative staff do each and every day to care for and make a difference in the lives of those they have been entrusted to safeguard under difficult and often very dangerous conditions," he said.

Reagen also offered appreciation to the Governor Hochul.

"Our prisons offer outstanding programs that have proven track records in helping to rehabilitate incarcerated individuals and help them get ready for life outside the walls. I want to thank the governor and administration of the Department of Corrections for recognizing the outstanding work that our state employees are performing each and every day."

Assemblymember Scott Gray also released a statement in wake of the anncountment.

Gray has advocated that Northern New York contributes to increased staffing and that more staff come from this area than are employed locally. He says this is supported by the transfer waitlist to come back into the area.

Additionally, Gray says the prisons in Northern New York have excellent programming and excellent medical care as well as dedicated correction staff who show up every day to do their jobs.

“I remain steadfast in my belief there is no justification for closing facilities in Northern New York without causing more harm to the existing staffing crisis,” said Gray.

“While I’m grateful the prison closures announced today will not be in our district, we continue to remain diligent in our support of NYSCOPBA and our local facilities. Closures will affect our communities through both direct employment and indirect employment, as well as water and sewer infrastructure built around serving these facilities, and closures place an undue burden on our correction officers, their families and the local economies that depend on these facilities,” said Gray. “The defense of our facilities will continue.”

Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush said he was releived that the closures weren't north country prisons, but said the closure were harmful.

Blankenbush said, “I am relieved these prison closures did not come to our district. While we made it out unscathed, the closure of the two prisons in Sullivan and Washington counties may only be the beginning as the door has been left open for more closures. My colleagues and I in the Assembly need to stand against these closures that do nothing but harm the communities in which they are located. I am committed to supporting Sullivan and Washington counties as they try to navigate these unprecedented closures. If we do not advocate for our communities these closures will continue.”

DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello also spoke on the matter.

“The decision to close only two facilities was purposefully made to minimize the effect on staff, and at the same time attempt to close the gap on staffing shortages in our correctional facilities,” said