With Rockview closing soon, a Centre County lawmaker presses state about next steps
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Lawmakers press for a state timeline on evaluation, surplus designation and sale.
- Rockview closure proceeds amid 44% population drop and inmate relocations.
- Legislators propose sale rules and a bill letting counties claim land for housing.
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Pennsylvania prison closures
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration has announced that it will move forward with a proposal to close Rockview state prison and Quehanna Boot Camp. The move is aimed at saving tens of millions of dollars but will affect the lives of hundreds of workers in central Pennsylvania, as well as the local economy.
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State lawmakers from Centre County have continued their push for clarity about the future of Rockview state prison and its property as the facility heads into what could be its final seven weeks .
State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, said in a letter sent last month to a member of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Cabinet that answers about the state’s plans and schedule for next steps would be of “substantial value.”
“The Rockview facility represents a unique and historically significant property, and its future has meaningful implications for economic development, land use planning, and community revitalization,” Benninghoff said in his letter to the state Department of General Services secretary. “Timely updates from the Department will help ensure that interested parties can engage appropriately and align their efforts with the Commonwealth’s established procedures.”
Benninghoff specifically asked Secretary Reggie McNeil for clarity about the state’s anticipated timeline for the potential evaluation, surplus designation, sale and redevelopment of repurposing of Rockview.
He said the information would greatly assist prospective buyers who are currently assessing what they could do with at least some of the property’s more than 5,700 valuable acres between the greater Bellefonte and State College areas.
A message left Tuesday morning with the Department of General Services was not returned.
The state Department of Corrections formally announced in September its decision to close Rockview and Quehanna Boot Camp in neighboring Clearfield County, a cost-cutting measure aimed at savings tens of millions in taxpayer money.
A DOC spokesperson told the Centre Daily Times on Monday that the agency has not yet established an anticipated closure date. The soonest the facilities could close is Jan. 19.
The prison’s population has fallen 44% since February when the DOC first proposed Rockview’s closure. Its population at the end of October was 1,205, about 47% of capacity. November data is not expected to be available until next week.
The state has said inmates would be gradually transferred to other prisons. The Boot Camp and other specialized programming, along with housing units, are expected to relocate to other facilities and continue to operate.
State Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, has taken the lead when it comes to potential legislation guiding any future sale of the vast property.
He and state Rep. Dallas Kephart, R-Clearfield/Cambria, introduced a bill in October that they said would “ensure adequate transparency and fairness in the bidding process.” The bill is being reviewed by a state House committee.
Conklin also said last month that he was gathering co-sponsors for a bill that would allow for the home county of any closed state prison to receive up to 2% of the land the state plans to sell solely for the construction of affordable housing.
