Rivers closing beckons closer look at area’s economic viability

Daniel McDonald
The Union-Recorder

August 19, 2008 10:52 pm

— Following last week’s announcement concerning the closing and realignment of Rivers State Prison in Hardwick, local restaurateur Ernest Henderson knew the news would not be good for business.
“What can we say, it is going to hurt business,” said Henderson, who co-owns the Vinson Diner on Carl Vinson Highway. “It hurts Milledgeville when state employees leave the city to go help other towns.”
For 16 years, the Vinson Diner has been serving customers, many of whom work in the corrections facilities congregated in the southern part of the Central State Hospital campus, in the south Milledgeville community of Hardwick.
Henderson said during the time he’s been at the diner, he’s watched customers slowly transition out of state employment as jobs move to other communities or simply cease to exist.
“When I first came here it was really good, but every year or two, more [state] jobs leave,” he said. “It hurts local businesses, it hurts everybody.”
The closing of Rivers State Prison could have been much worse for the community, as many of the corrections facility’s 275 employees will be able to transition into vacancies in Baldwin County’s four other state prisons: Mens, Bostwick, Scott and Baldwin state prisons. But, it signals the beginning of a slow process of divestment by the state government in Baldwin County. Whether it be the abandonment of the brick and mortar infrastructure that once kept Hardwick buzzing during the heyday of Central State Hospital before the advent of regionalization of mental health services under Gov. Jimmy Carter, or the loss of corrections jobs as the DOC moves out of antiquated facilities that never were intended for housing prisoners, or the consolidation of Department of Juvenile Justice facilities into a new corrections compound as proposed in the recently-completed Milledgeville State Properties Master Plan, Milledgeville-Baldwin County must be prepared to rely less and less on state jobs in the future.
Baldwin County Commissioner James “Bubba” Williams said the community needs to concentrate on how development can be garnered from opportunities like the Fall Line Freeway to prepare Baldwin County to deal with the long-term without relying solely on the state.
“We’re foolish if we think we can sit back and expect [economic development] to come,” he said. “We need to hope for the best and prepare for the worse by diversifying [the county’s economy] with other opportunities.”
Williams said it is his hope that the presence of a new four-lane transportation route will bring new industry to the community, and Williams hopes it will be high tech industry.
“When I initially heard that Rivers was closing, I thought that all the jobs would be gone with it, but it’s not as bad as I thought,” Williams said about Rivers State employees transitioning into other corrections facilities.
Milledgeville Mayor Richard Bentley shares Williams’ relief that Baldwin will retain many of the employees now working at Rivers State, but underscores the need to take a look at the long-term viability of the area economy.
“Community leaders are obviously concerned with the state of the economy and its impact on our community,” he said. “We must stay vigilant and diligent in making the best of the situation while looking to the future to recruit and maintain jobs.”
Bentley said Baldwin faired as best as possible in the closing of Rivers State, but it cannot expect to be so lucky in the future.
“We’re working with everyone we can to protect the community,” he said.
Another local official charged with protecting the community is concerned about what the closing of Rivers State, along with the closing of other state facilities due to budget concerns, means for Baldwin County.
Sheriff Bill Massee said at the present time, there are 4,400 state inmates sitting in county jails waiting to be processed into state correctional facilities. Housing those state prisoners is putting a strain on county resources and budgets.
Baldwin County Commission Chair Bobby Blizzard said that the number of state prisoners in the Baldwin County Jail is one of the factors that led the county to build a larger jail.
As Massee watches the state attempt to cut about $66 million from the DOC budget, he knows that county governments will have to pick up the slack.
Anytime there is a change or cutback at the state level, there is a negative effect on county governments, Massee said.
Massee points to closures of Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime labs and DOC detention and diversion centers as a sign of the economic times.
“This is the way I view state government in our lifetime,” Massee said. “It will never be like it used to be, counties will have to do more and more, and the state will do less and less.”

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