Downeast prison’s fate still being debated

The question of whether the shuttered Downeast Correctional Facility (DCF) in Bucks Harbor will be reopened or a new pre‑release center will be established in the Machias area is in legislative limbo, with the legislature's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee contemplating two bills on the subject and a workshop to hash out details still not on the calendar.
At the public hearings held for the bills on March 27, Department of Corrections Commissioner (DOC) Randall Liberty testified that the department had made the decision to move forward with a pre‑release center. Rep. Will Tuell of East Machias, who sponsored one of the bills to fund reopening of DCF, says, "The DOC can propose anything they want, but it still has to get approval from the legislature in order to be funded, which is why they have proposed a 50-bed halfway house in the governor's budget. That is also still in limbo. If they want to build it somewhere other than land they already own, they have to get approval for that as well."
Senator Marianne Moore of Calais, who sponsored the second bill for reopening the prison, says, "As for the Downeast Correctional Facility, we continue to fight for it to be reopened at its present location. Unfortunately, the $10.7 million price is a bit of a holdup. The Washington County delegation met with the governor and Commissioner Liberty last week pleading our case. She [Governor Mills] promised to look into the status of the bond associated with Public Law Chapter 472 that promised a facility in Washington County."
Despite the Washington County delegation's efforts, Tuell is pessimistic. "It's just a mess," he says, "It's discouraging." He expects that the committee will hold its workshop to discuss the two bills in the next few weeks, but if the committee sends one or both forward with approval, "then it still has to go to appropriations." He adds, "So it won't be fully settled until June. It'll probably be one of the last things" to be acted on. He adds, "I'm not optimistic."
Tuell is frustrated by the DOC's position. "I believe we are missing out if we go with a scaled-down facility somewhere other than Bucks Harbor, where they already have property that can be used to renovate and/or rebuild, not to mention community support for DCF. We had a facility that worked and really don't need a knock‑off." He adds, "To me, if we are going to spend the money to do this, we have to do it right and look to expand it over the long‑haul, not shoestring it together and be faced with the possibility of it closing again when the political winds change again."
Possible pre‑release center locations have been identified as the former Suprtek site in East Machias or the former Blueberry Ford garage site in Machias. Tuell is not impressed with either. "I have heard from very few people who believe those sites make sense -- either for the neighborhood or the community as a whole. The DOC knows this as well, since they came to meet with workers and town officials back in January and were told as much. I know because my phone rang for two days after that meeting from people in the area who see this as a wasted opportunity and who believe we should be getting DCF back, or at least getting the option of expanding it back over time."
As a selectman of East Machias, Tuell reports that the select board voted to pursue a moratorium on building a pre‑release center in the community. The town will hold a public meeting and vote on Friday, May 17. If the town votes in favor of the moratorium, Tuell says, "We'll have a six‑month moratorium on locating such a facility in town, and we'll explore ordinance language."