There is much about the closure of the Gowanda Correctional Facility that does not make sense.

That shouldn’t be surprising seeing New York state government is involved. Now that the last prisoners are out of the facility, though, now is the time to stop thinking about what New York state officials were thinking about when they chose to close the prison facility, but instead to focus on what comes next.

It’s a perceived feather in the cap of Gov. Andrew Cuomo to close prisons, and he will do so whenever possible. With that fact in mind, local officials had little chance of changing the state’s decision to close the Gowanda Correctional Facility. It was a fight that needed to be fought, but one that could not be won.

So, the effort must shift from sniping at the state to working with the state to find a new use for the building that adds to Gowanda’s tax base and brings jobs back to the village.