County, union officials call for new prison
Nearly two years ago, United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) officials and union workers rallied inside the Fayette County courthouse to spur support for a plan to replace the aging county lockup.
Many of those who turned out that day returned Wednesday with UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts to let the incoming county administration know that little has changed in the 126-year-old jail since the 2014 visit, but the expectation that the matters be addressed remains intact.
Prior to the rally, Roberts was given his first tour of the prison.
“No one in America should have to work in a place like this,” he said as correction officers pointed to water leaking into power boxes, sewage backups and doors that cannot be opened due to ongoing ground settlement. “I’ve been in a lot of places and I’ve never seen anything like this.
“As an infantryman in Vietnam, I was in places better than this.”
Incoming officials — Commissioner-elect Dave Lohr, Sheriff-elect Jim Custer, District Attorney-elect Richard Bower and Controller-elect Scott Abraham — were among the attendees. In January, they, along with incumbent Commissioner Angela M. Zimmerlink and Commissioner-elect Vince Vicites, will be members of the county prison board.
The two did not take part in the tour or subsequent rally.
The board oversees the operation of the prison and can make recommendations for operational improvements to the commissioners.
Lohr had no reservation in conveying his intention to have shovels in the ground before the end of his first term.
“As long as I have that second vote, we’re going to be shoveling dirt,” he said, adding that he would not consider the rehabilitation of the current lockup. “You cannot remodel a place where the ground is unstable.”
While there was prior consideration about constructing a replacement facility outside the county seat, Lohr said he favors retaining the prison close to the courthouse for the convenience of law enforcement and court system.
Lohr said he will propose that a committee comprised of various department representatives and others be formed to review the already-completed studies and then implement a plan that can be carried out.
“I want the row officers, the judges and the others that are involved with the prison to be a part of this,” he said. “When we roll this out, I want a group of people standing together stating that we all agree this is what needs to be done.”
Bower, who will replace District Attorney Jack R. Heneks Jr. in January, said he has long been aware of the deteriorating conditions of the jail and ,more importantly, the unsafe and unhealthy environment for those that work inside its walls.
“Obviously, there is a need to correct the problems that presently exist at the prison,” he said. “There is a need to build a facility that can be used in conjunction with the current prison.
“I am willing to work with the prison board and commissioners to accomplish that task.”
Custer, a former state trooper and current deputy sheriff, is also familiar with the issues that plague the prison administration and its workers.
He agrees that the proverbial can has been pushed down the road for far too long.
“I continue to believe we have the right plan,” he said. “We just need to put it in place.”
Custer was a member of an earlier ad-hoc committee that laid the groundwork for architectural plans to be prepared and property purchased for the construction of a new prison. The plans were scuttled and a second plan was introduced earlier this year.
“There were many people that put a lot of time into the Crabtree (Rohrbaugh and Associates) plan,” he said, adding that a majority of the prison board also agreed it was the solution to the long-standing problem.
The Harrisburg architectural firm and RW Sleighter Engineers of Lemont Furnace worked with the prison working group for nearly two years to formulate a plan to address overcrowding issues and reduce annual operational costs and recidivism.
Custer admits he has not been privy to the second plan developed by Astorino/CannonDesign of Pittsburgh.
It is imperative, said Custer, that the new prison board and commissioners work diligently to allow the long-talked-about issue be resolved.
“We need to all come together,” he said. “I’ll be more than happy to assist in any way I can as I did in the past.
“We need to look at what has been done and decide where we go from here.
“I know from a law enforcement and criminal justice perspective, the Crabtree plan is the best route to go.”
Frank Rutherford, UMWA International District 2 representative, told the incoming elected officials that the “prison train is back on the track.”
He suggested that those officials not on board should have their desks moved from the commission office at the courthouse to the third floor of the prison.
The location, he said, would give them an up-close-and-personal look at the work conditions of their county employees.
“It would allow them to see, smell and feel the conditions the (correction officers) have to work in,” he said. “Maybe it would make them move to do something and do it right, instead of studying the project or fighting over the project, or giving some lame excuse why they haven’t done what everyone knows needs to be done — build the prison.”