DeWeese pressing Corbett to reverse canceling prison
?State Rep. Bill DeWeese is pressing Gov. Tom Corbett to reverse his decision to cancel the construction of a state prison in German Township.
The Waynesburg Democrat, whose district encompasses all of Greene County and portions of Fayette and Washington counties, is seeking signatures on petitions that will be presented to Corbett. About one month after the Republican governor took office, Corbett announced that the planned $204 million prison project was being cancelled. However, three other prison projects in other parts of the state will be constructed.
DeWeese said the reason for the petition is to “make certain that Corbett realizes the vital impulses within the Fayette County community that exhibit a desire for one of the four penitentiaries that was being developed.”
DeWeese, who has been in public office for more than three decades, said Corbett has yet to meet with him to explain the decision.
“He has never exhibited any inclination to be cordial in spite of the fact I have been duly re-elected and the unhappy chapter he foisted upon me as attorney general is completely irrelevant to our present and future interaction,” DeWeese said. “I feel I will be exonerated and be a committee chairman in our General Assembly, and we will certainly be crossing paths on a regular basis.”
As the state attorney general Corbett filed charges against DeWeese for allegedly having employees do campaign work on state time. He is awaiting trial on the charges.
DeWeese has maintained that Corbett cancelled the prison purely for political reasons in an attempt to destroy him.
“The most melancholy reality relative to his decision to hurl all of the expense and time consuming three SCI-German plans into oblivion is that the Department of Corrections is having one hell of a time finding men and women who will work as prison guards at the Graterford facility in suburban Philadelphia,” DeWeese said.
He added that in spite of those facts, Corbett has committed to building two $200 million jails on the grounds of SCI-Graterford where locals don’t want it and another $200 million lockup near Penn State University where he said unemployment numbers are virtually nonexistent.
“If any Fayette County resident is inclined to be supportive of Mr. Corbett after this massive moment of disrespect, I would be stunned,” DeWeese said.
DeWeese has also submitted a right to know request seeking to learn exactly how much money was spent by the Department of General Services for any an all work on the scrapped prison including travel costs by staff; contractors hired by the DGS to assist in planning, the purpose and cost of each contract and any and all documents related to the cancellation of the prison involving the governor’s office and/or state Department of Corrections.
DeWeese said he is under the impression that a “very substantial number of state dollars” were invested in the last three years in the planning and initial development efforts at the site.
He said the environmental impact study alone was an expensive proposition, adding that the number of hours utilized by DGS and DOC staff would be staggering. The request was submitted last week and DeWeese said he has not yet received a response, but doesn’t anticipate one for about 30 days.
“The fact that Corbett and his followers decided to cashier SCI-German within days of being sworn it when Graterford didn’t want it and Penn State didn’t need it is a direct slap in the face of the residents of Fayette County who had supported him months earlier,” DeWeese said.
Corbett received more votes than his Democratic opponent, Dan Onorato in the November election in Fayette County despite a 2-1 Democratic to Republican voter registration ratio.
He said Corbett is investing $600 million, which could have included $200 million investments each in Fayette County, at Graterford and at Penn State.