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State moves ahead with Gowanda closure

GOWANDA — Despite heavy backlash from local politicians and the community, the Gowanda Correctional Facility is still slated to be closed Wednesday.

One of the more recent oppositions came from Erie County Legislator John Mills, who introduced a resolution opposing the closure. In a press release sent out last week, Mills highlighted the negative impact the closing of the correctional facility will have on both Gowanda and the New York State Prison system.

“Ordering the closure of Gowanda Correctional Facility without performing due diligence is irresponsible on behalf of New York State,” Mills said. “Now, hundreds of employees are facing transfers and having their lives turned upside-down. This will significantly impact our community, especially many people I represent. The governor should halt the closure and study the negative implications this will likely have on our region and the New York state prison system as a whole.”

Although Mills’ legislation passed on Thursday, there has been no slowing the state’s shuttering of the facility. The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision is doing work in order to help support the staff during the closure.

“The DOCCS is working closely with the various bargaining units to provide staff opportunities for priority placement via voluntary transfers and will receive priority in terms of employment at other facilities or other state agencies as a result of the formal Civil Service process that is followed with the closure of a correctional facility,” said Thomas Mailey, DOCCS spokesman.

Included in that, Mailey said the DOCCS has offered each employee the opportunity to either transfer or reassign to another correctional facility either within the department, or another State agency where there is an available, vacant, and funded position. The DOCCS said they will also work with the Office of General Services and the Empire State Development Corporation in order to try and find a way to repurpose the facility for something else.

In addition, following the closing, all the equipment that went into the operation of the prison, including everything from the vehicles, desks, and chairs, will be transferred to other correctional facilities or surplused through Department procedures. Following that, other building functions will be shut down accordingly.

“When the buildings are empty the decommissioning process includes shutting down the utilities to the facility, draining the water pipes, and closing and boarding up the buildings in an effort to protect the state assets for sale and reuse,” Mailey said.

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