Brunswick Prison part of state budget cuts. (September 9, 2009)
BRUNSWICK COUNTY -
When Governor Tim Kaine's announced further budget cuts Tuesday, he said a big chunk of the job cuts will come from closing down a Southside Virginia prison.
The Governor says shutting down the Brunswick Correctional Center in Lawrenceville will save the state millions. But the change will not only cost the county hundreds of jobs, it will also cost the region millions of dollars if the 40-year-old building is turned into a regional jail.
The news has hit the small community hard.
"We're going to be losing a lot of business, a lot of jobs. There's a lot of people that have bought homes, that rely on that job and it's just getting worse, not getting any better," says Jim Truman, a Lawrenceville restaurant owner .
The Governor wants Brunswick, Dinwiddie and Mecklenburg Counties to buy the old prison and use it as a proposed regional jail. In the process, he effectively killed the plan for those counties to get funds to build a brand new regional jail.
It's a move than doesn't sit well with many who been involved in planning the project for more than five years, including Brunswick Sheriff Brian Roberts.
"If the State of Virginia has an institution that they have deemed financially insufficient to run and operate, why would we want it? Number two, why would we want to pay $20 million for it?" he said.
Dinwiddie County Administrator Kevin Massengill adds, "The jail we would be building would be somewhere about $55-60 million brand new."
For five years, Brunswick, Dinwiddie and Mecklenburg Counties had been working towards the new regional jail as a way to save money.
Combined, the three currently spend more than $4 million a year in renting jail space at other jails across the state. They also have spent $1.5 million on the project and buying the land.
The doors are expected to close at the prison November 10th, but many would like to see the doors stay open, not only for the jobs, but for the revenue for the county.
The Governor says shutting down the Brunswick Correctional Center in Lawrenceville will save the state millions. But the change will not only cost the county hundreds of jobs, it will also cost the region millions of dollars if the 40-year-old building is turned into a regional jail.
The news has hit the small community hard.
"We're going to be losing a lot of business, a lot of jobs. There's a lot of people that have bought homes, that rely on that job and it's just getting worse, not getting any better," says Jim Truman, a Lawrenceville restaurant owner .
The Governor wants Brunswick, Dinwiddie and Mecklenburg Counties to buy the old prison and use it as a proposed regional jail. In the process, he effectively killed the plan for those counties to get funds to build a brand new regional jail.
It's a move than doesn't sit well with many who been involved in planning the project for more than five years, including Brunswick Sheriff Brian Roberts.
"If the State of Virginia has an institution that they have deemed financially insufficient to run and operate, why would we want it? Number two, why would we want to pay $20 million for it?" he said.
Dinwiddie County Administrator Kevin Massengill adds, "The jail we would be building would be somewhere about $55-60 million brand new."
For five years, Brunswick, Dinwiddie and Mecklenburg Counties had been working towards the new regional jail as a way to save money.
Combined, the three currently spend more than $4 million a year in renting jail space at other jails across the state. They also have spent $1.5 million on the project and buying the land.
The doors are expected to close at the prison November 10th, but many would like to see the doors stay open, not only for the jobs, but for the revenue for the county.
