Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 5, 1995 TAG: 9501060037
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Chuck Lacy, a former member of the House of Delegates from Wytheville, said the issue of the 1,500-bed prison is a defining moment in the county, just as building interstate highways and a community college were - only this time the impact would be negative.
``Make no mistake about it, this prison will also define what our community is all about,'' he said.
Former Wytheville Vice Mayor Tom Bralley noted that no supervisors or council members attended the meeting, but he predicted they would be at a gathering tonight at which the private Corrections Corporation of America will promote its prisons program. ``This is what I call promotional government,'' he said.
``One of my biggest concerns is the lack of representation we've had with the Board of Supervisors and Town Council,'' said Linda Butt. Officials in localities with prisons say that prisoners' families move to those areas and cause an increase in social service benefit applications, Butt said.
``Some of us are being made to feel that we're the bad guys, that we're unreceptive,'' she said. ``The odd thing is that some officials from our county went out and solicited this to come here.''
County officials see the prison as an economic boost that will provide nearly 300 jobs. Without it, the county would soon have to build a jail at a cost of $4 million.
Dr. Paul Maurin said figures from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 80 percent of male prisoners are infected with hepatitis B, and surveys of prisoners show HIV infection rates 20 times higher than in the general population. This puts medical people who must treat prisoners at risk, he said.
Maurin said he and his wife looked at 60 communities before choosing to locate here. ``You have something very special here in Wythe County, so don't lose it. Don't mess it up,'' he said.
``These are not scare tactics, they're frightening facts and they should scare anyone,'' said Bill Smith.
CCA needs to be told that``we do not want a prison,'' he said. ``You are tearing the community apart at this point. Please go away and leave us alone.''
Smith said those opposing the prison should ask the county and town not to provide water and sewer utilities to it, as planned.
Several retirees said they would not have chosen Wytheville as their home if a prison had been here.
``At the very best, this prison is a huge gamble that you don't need to take. ... This is not a depressed area,'' said retiree Bill Gilmer Sr.
Claude Otey, chairman of the Citizens Against the Prison group that sponsored the meeting, said CCA seemed to be a sound business organization but ``this prison can be bought, sold, traded, and who knows what would be the impact on this community?''
Otey said CCA's agreement to take inmates from Wythe County's aging jail would not solve the jail problem. The county jail still would have to be used to some extent and a new jail would have to be built eventually, he said.
He urged those attending the rally to go to Wytheville Town Council's meeting Monday and the county Board of Supervisors' meeting Tuesday and let the governing bodies know what they think about the prison.
by CNB