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Standish prison not closed yet

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

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Terry Camp
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STANDISH (WJRT) -- (09/29/09)-- UPDATE -- Federal and state officials say the state prison at Standish is still being considered to house Guantanamo Bay inmates, although a member of Congress says people at the Defense Department have told him the facility is no longer in the running.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm's office and Rep. Bart Stupak, whose district includes the Standish Maximum Correctional Facility, say it's still on the list of lockups to which the 229 terrorism suspects might be transferred.

Granholm spokeswoman Megan Brown says the White House told the governor's office Monday no decision has been made.

An Obama administration official also says nothing has been decided and "multiple options" are being considered.

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Rep. Peter Hoekstra says Pentagon officials tell him Standish is off the table, but he's waiting for confirmation from the administration.

Reports from Washington over the weekend said the prison was definitely off the list. That left some in the community of Standish relieved and others worried.

You talk to anyone in Standish and they will tell you they want the prison to remain open, but not everyone was excited about becoming a Gitmo North.

"It's certainly very unfortunate," said Standish City Manager Michael Moran.

Moran has not received official word from Washington.

"I don't want to speculate at this point as to how that's going to impact us," he said. "I think we have talked about that in the past, as to the devastation of the prison closing just in itself."

Moran and others are worried about losing the 300-plus jobs that would leave town if the prison closes.

"I am worried a little bit," said Dan Rood, adding that he didn't want the Guantanmo prisoners. He says he wants the facility to house Michigan prisoners.

"I think it would be a good thing if they found some way to keep a prison that less than 20 years old open."

"I was totally against it," said business owner Dave Munson.

Munson says he believes the state will have to change its mind and keep the Standish facility open.

"Prisoners are coming back in the system -- not as fast as they are leaving, but they are coming back in the system," he said. "They are going to need this prison."

John Cordell of the Michigan Department of Corrections says the only way the prison will stay open is if the federal government or another state steps in.

"We expect that it will close by the first of the year, barring any other entity that would want to come in and use it," he said.

Pennsylvania has said it's considering sending some of its inmates to Standish, but a final decision on that could be weeks away.