Officials press prison bond issue Voters asked to OK $25 million to bolster deficient state facilities

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BANGOR – Of the 1,800 or so prisoners in state custody, only about 40 or 50 are serving life sentences. The rest are expected to walk beyond the razor wire some day and resume life in society. Therefore “what we do in these [prison] facilities matters,” according to Gov. Angus King, who during his eight years in office has pushed for major overhauls at the Maine Youth Center and the construction of a new state prison in Warren.

Now the governor is hoping that Mainers will support the second phase of a capital facilities master plan that involves building a new facility in Machias to replace the aging and dilapidated military barracks in Bucks Harbor that serves as the Downeast Correctional Facility.

A $25 million bond issue that faces voters Tuesday asks for approval of the funds to build the new facility in Machias and to construct an infirmary and make other improvements at the Maine Correctional Center in South Windham.

King and other advocates of the proposal have been making the rounds during the past few weeks putting out the message that taxpayers will pay more – lots more – if they shoot down the bond issue.

“It’s pay some now or pay more later,” King said recently during a quick stopover to talk with correction workers at the Down East facility. “Trying to fix these old buildings is like trying to put a new transmission in a ’67 Chevy. At some point it just makes sense to buy a new car.”

At the South Windham facility, officials hope to modernize the buildings to bring them up to standard and build an infirmary that will accommodate inmates who need hospitalization, an increasing problem with an aging population, according to Department of Corrections Commissioner Martin Magnusson.

Currently, if an inmate needs extended medical care, he is hospitalized, which costs taxpayers much more than it would to keep the inmate on site at an infirmary. Magnusson said the plan also calls for improving security at the 450-bed facility.

But with a looming budget deficit and general voter apathy toward prison improvements, advocates may be facing an uphill battle trying to convince Mainers to support the measure.

Magnusson knows that Maine voters are often reluctant to approve funds for improvements to the state’s prisons and may be even more so with a downward economy and amid a state budget crisis.

The last prison bond went before voters in 1991 and the $5.5 million proposal was defeated, getting only about 36 percent of the vote. All of the recent prison construction was funded without voter approval through the Government Facilities Authority.

Originally the $25 million prison bond was lumped in with a massive $43 million bond that included money for homeland security and economic development which went before voters and was approved by a slim margin last June. Before the June election, however, the $25 million for prisons was removed from that bond package after criticism that it included too many different items.

So the prison bond now stands alone.

While the general public has heard little or no word of opposition to the bond request, some students and faculty at the University of Maine at Machias have been holding rallies and hanging posters around campus against the measure.

Arthur Tantegello, president of the UMM Student Senate, said there was concern on campus about the new prison that will sit adjacent to the UMM campus.

“A lot of students were at the rally on Oct. 23 and were upset and worried. The director of the prison was there and tried to speak to those issues, but it sort of comes to whether it’s dangerous or not, the perception is there that it is. It gives the school a negative perception,” Tantegello said.

Tantegello said some students were concerned for their safety, despite assurances from prison officials who said there had not been a breakout from the Bucks Harbor facility in more than 15 years.

The current Downeast Correctional Facility is a medium-minimum security prison, while the new facility in Machias will most likely only hold minimum-security prisoners.

“One girl at the rally said she was a first-year student and that her mom was distressed when she learned of the prison’s possible new location,” Tantegello said. “She said she was afraid her parents may not let her return.”

John Joseph, president of UMM, said it would be inappropriate for him to say whether he supported the new building next to his university.

Despite some concern from the university, the Machias Board of Selectmen favors it.

“The inmates located at the Downeast Correctional facility provide numerous benefits to our local economy. Work projects consist of snow removal, street sweeping, cemetery maintenance, carpentry work, recycling center assistance and clothing manufacturing for other Maine prison facilities. This assistance is invaluable to the local communities and saves tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money,” the town stated in a press release issued last week.

“Finally somebody really wants us,” Magnusson laughed recently. “It’s sort of nice to be wanted.”

In Washington County, where every job counts, Machias was more than happy to pitch in and support the idea.

The Downeast Correctional Facility now employs 71 people.

In fact, the town of Machias was so eager to keep the prison facility nearby that it donated land in the Industrial Park to the state for the construction of the new facility. It is land already serviced by the municipal sewer and the Machias Water District.

“If we stay at the Buck’s Harbor facility there will have to be a substantial investment in the wastewater system,” Magnusson said. “We also expect to have trouble with our wells. That this donated site by the town is on town water and town sewer will save the taxpayers a substantial amount of money.”

The new facility also will save on operational costs, Magnusson explained recently, reducing the per-inmate cost by about 30 percent, from about $103 per day per inmate to about $84 per day. Officials further argue that providing a decent facility is crucial for the state to continue to receive federal money that will establish the Maine Re-entry Network to help transition inmates back into society.

“It also is probably our only chance of holding off a lawsuit,” Magnusson said. “The only reason they’ve held off is because we’ve been working toward these improvements.”

The new facility could house 152 minimum-custody inmates, an increase over the 96 beds at the Bucks Harbor facility and would meet all of the American Correctional Association Standards and building codes, the commissioner said.

Currently there are about 145 inmates daily at the Downeast Correctional Facility, resulting in three or four inmates in rooms designed for two.

King understands the concern about taking on such a project during a time of economic uncertainty but stressed there were two major reasons for going forward.

“One is that it’s going to have to be done eventually. No doubt about it. Second is that construction costs are reasonably low as are interest rates. This is a very good time to borrow money and a very good time for the state to take on a building project,” he said. “When the economy is not so great is actually often a good time for the state to take on such a project so the government can be doing things to help sustain the economy. … This is a sensible investment and it will be tragic for the taxpayer if this doesn’t pass.”