Ambrosini challenges new commissioners to push prison plan forward
Outgoing Fayette County commissioner Al Ambrosini, far right, listens to UMWA president Cecil E. Roberts, far left, as they discuss the Fayette County Prison in the prison's control room, a hallway that dozens of prisoners pass through daily.
A pipe in the prison laundry room, now repaired, is once again backed up and leaking. The last time it failed, in autumn 2014, it spewed raw sewage through the room, where supplies and rubber gloves are still pulled from cardboard boxes wrinkled from damp and leaks.
Rich Bower, the incoming Fayette County District Attorney, looks at the back end of shower fixtures in the third story of a narrow catwalk between cell blocks. The catwalks are metal grids that do not stretch from wall to wall; there is nearly a foot of space between the catwalk and the wall, and guards have fallen into the gap, which extends from the third floor to the ground.
Some of the inmates in a group cell where beds are sometimes laid across the table and shower stalls to make more room if other beds fill up. The only source of air is the HVAC unit on the wall in the upper right. Inmate Steven Thurmond, lower right, is confined to a wheelchair and had no access to a handicapped shower, and had not been to his physical therapy appointments in three weeks when the UMWA Safety Committee took their tour on December 2.
In less than a month, Fayette County Commissioner Al Ambrosini will step down from the elected position and turn the reigns over to his successors.
While he believes he fell short in one of his objectives while in office, several members of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) officials and members congratulated him last week for his efforts to have the current administration address the antiquated county lockup and its operation.
“We appreciate what you did,” said one member following a rally at the courthouse to urge incoming officials to take up the same initiative and move it forward. “It wasn’t your fault it didn’t get done.”
The labor union had invited incoming county officials to tour the prison with them to learn of the problems plaguing the 126-year-old facility and impacting the health and welfare of their union members.
Ambrosini, incoming Commissioner-elect Dave Lohr, District Attorney-elect Richard Bower, Sheriff-elect Jim Custer and Controller-elect Scott Abraham also participated in the tour and the rally.
When he first came into office, Ambrosini, with the support of Commissioner Vince Zapotosky, began an initiative that if completed, would have resulted in the building of a new prison being.
Three years later as the final architectural drawings were being drafted and bidding advertisements prepared, the much-criticized project was shelved and a second plan pursued.
However, neither of the plans have been put into motion to date.
Lohr said he is committed to accomplishing the task begun by Ambrosini.
Lohr, along with incumbent Commissioner Angela M. Zimmerlink and Commissioner-elect Vince Vicite will comprise the new board in January.
Lohr commended the outgoing commissioner in his efforts to bring attention to the condition of the prison and the unsafe and unhealthy conditions for the workforce and the inmates.
“Our staff should not have to work in those conditions,” he said, noting the raw sewage and accompanying odor along with the likelihood of asbestos-laden building materials and mold build-up that can be found on every floor of the building. “If a health officer walked in there and was doing their job properly, who knows how many infractions there would be.”
The inmates, too, are subject to the same unhealthy environment.
“They are still human beings and should be treated as such,” added Lohr. “The condition of the prison, in my opinion, is inhumane and shouldn’t be tolerated.
“It is long past the time to build a new prison,” he said.
Ambrosini told UMWA International President Cecil Roberts and the gathered crowd last week that the county has long been aware that a new jail should be built as it has been the conclusion of several costly studies completed over the past two decades.
“When I came into office four years ago I read those reports,” he said. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that a new facility is needed.”
While the outcome would benefit every county resident, said Ambrosini, the naysayers overwhelmed the conversation with “propaganda.”
Although some said the project was too costly, Ambrosini maintained the operational efficiency would have saved an estimated $1.5 million plus a similar amount when the facility’s excess space was rented to those with overcrowding issues.
“Who in their right mind would overlook saving 10 percent in their annual budget?” asked Ambrosini.
“The answer is easy. We have small-minded leadership.”
The continuation of kicking the can down the road will have devastating results to the wallets of the taxpayers, the safety of the neighborhoods, and the health and safety of those working inside the prison walls.
“We’ve run out of road,” he said. “I hope this is a wake-up call for the incoming officials.”
Donnie Samms, UMWA International at-large vice-president, said that the discussion period has expired.
“We want this done before someone gets killed,” he said.
Samms said while union members and the local correction officers have attended past commissioner meetings, the contingent will grow in January and the months to follow to ensure the officials remain on track with the project.
“Our voice will be heard,” said Samms.