
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, January 22, 1995                   TAG: 9501240041
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: WILLIAM GILMER SR.
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

PRISON IN WYTHE COUNTY WOULD BE A SHOT IN THE FOOT

The Southern Highlands, the region from Southwest Virginia to northern Georgia, is gaining a national reputation as a good place to live. With its moderate climate, clean environment and remarkable scenic beauty, it has become not only a tourist attraction, but a place where new industry locates and where self-employed writers, artists and consultants choose to live.

Probably no place in Southwest Virginia exemplifies this transition better than Wythe County. Civic leaders have demonstrated commendable foresight to provide facilities such as the hospital, the community college, the library, and parks and recreation areas. More recent achievements have included the listing of the Wytheville historic district on the National Register of Historic Places, the Rails-to-Trails project and the vigorous work of Downtown Wytheville Inc. to restore and re-enervate the downtown area.

After having achieved so much, the county now appears in danger of shooting itself in the foot. I am referring to the proposal to locate a 1,500-bed, medium-security prison on the outskirts of Wytheville.

One of the county supervisors approached Corrections Corp. of America last November about locating a large prison in Wythe County. The company, which operates correctional institutions, leaped at the idea. It recognized there could be big opportunities as the result of Virginia's new no-parole policy and was already looking at property in far Southwest Virginia. Officials were shown three available properties and selected the one closest to town, a 533-acre tract.

CCA descended on the area, and its top officials began a high-powered public relations blitz to the governing bodies and civic organizations. A pro-prison organization was formed, with the encouragement and support of CCA. This organization then sponsored newspaper and radio ads, and arranged so-called public information meetings to convince the people of Wythe County that a large prison here was really a good thing.

For CCA the stakes were large. If they could convince Wythe County to accept the project then this could be used as a powerful argument with other localities. For the fact is that Wythe County is not a depressed area and is not in need of a much-vaunted economic stimulus. Its economy has been growing at a nearly 7 percent rate over the past several years, and now boasts an unemployment rate of under 6 percent. If Wythe County, with its strong economy and reputation as a good place to live, could be persuaded to accept a prison, how could anyone else refuse?

The CCA blitz is over - for the present, anyway. It appears to have been generally successful in winning over most of the elected officials and many of the business leaders of the town. If they were not openly for it, most of them, at least, did not come out in opposition.

The reaction of the citizens has been quite different. It can probably be best described as one of consternation and outrage. A protest group quickly formed, Wythe Citizens against the Prison (CAP). Volunteers enlisted, donations began to flow in. An office opened on Main Street. Volunteers circulated petitions and got several thousand names. Copies were sent to local officials, to CCA and to Gov. Allen. Citizens turned out in large numbers to express their sentiments at public meetings with the Board of Supervisors and the Town Council, and at a constituents' meeting arranged by Del. Tom Jackson and Sen. Jack Reasor. In all these meetings, the crowds expressed their overwhelming sentiment against the prison.

The most vexing thing to the citizens has been the failure of the supervisors to take any public position on the issue or, in the absence of such a stand, to permit the citizens to speak through a non-binding referendum.

Gov. Allen's administration, however, has offered a way around this impasse. They have gone on record that new prisons will not be built in places where the officially expressed sentiment of the people is in opposition. In the absence of any definitive action by the supervisors, Del. Jackson has agreed that, on receipt of a petition with the signature of 1,200 voters, he will introduce legislation in the current session of the General Assembly to provide the referendum. [Editor's Note: Monday at 5 p.m. is the deadline for filing this bill.]

As for Wythe CAP, every turn of events seems to result in a new outpouring of support and fresh motivation to defeat what the vast majority of the citizens regard as a horribly bad idea.

William Gilmer Sr. chose to retire to the Wytheville area.

by CNB