Poll:
Do you think Pine Lodge should be shut down?
MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. -- The future of the Pine Lodge Correctional facility remains uncertain in Medical Lake. Lawmakers are looking at the option of sharing Pine Lodge with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office. This comes just months after the state announced initial plans to completely shut down the facility.
The quiet small town by the lake is up in arms fuming mad over Pine Lodge. Hundreds packed Medical Lake's city hall last Saturday fighting to keep the prison open and begging local state lawmakers to do something.
Three days before the meeting, the Department of Corrections announced they were closing Pine Lodge in May because of budget cuts. The prison has about a 450 person capacity but currently houses around 170 women. The state says that is a waste of money and plans to move the inmates to prisons on the west side of the state.
The next day, the city and county of Spokane sent a letter to the Department of Corrections. In it, they say they were interested in sharing or taking over Pine Lodge and solving their overcrowded jail problem. Because of that, D.O.C. agreed to put the closure plans on hold. But members of D.O.C. say that is all they want to comment on right now.
A source inside the prison says that is just not true. Last Friday, a day after D.O.C.'s announcement, a staff member's hours were changed so she could pack up 25 women who were being transferred to the west side. Numerous staff members believe this is just the start of an already determined closure.
"I think there's a hidden agenda from the Governor's office. What they've been doing is downsizing it to make it look like it's not a feasible, cost effective facility. But that's not true," said Medical Lake Mayor John Higgins.
The controversy started when it was discovered an entire portion of the prison was not being used. It was shut down by the state last year because of budget cuts. The county has to vacate Geiger Corrections Center by 2013 when their lease is up. For years now, they have been looking at where to build a combined jail and prison that could fit 1,900 beds and at what cost. If the county could use the empty portion, it would save them $20 to $25 million in additional building costs. They could also save $113 million by building the prison horizontally. The problem? They need 40 acres to do it. 40 acres that happen to be sitting right across the street from Pine Lodge.
The entire city of Medical Lake does not want to see a jail there. They made that point known at the meeting. One person felt Medical Lake is being used a dumping area. Another person argues as soon as Medical Lake makes a deal with the county to move the jail, the state will move Pine Lodge out and Medical Lake will be stuck with a jail they don't want.
Those opposing the closure of Pine Lodge say the small town of Medical Lake can't afford to lose the facility. If Pine Lodge closes, it would cost the small town 100 jobs. The inmates would be transferred to two west side prisons which is 400 miles away from their children and families.
