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2/8/2010–Web site formed to promote prison in Surry
Backers of a plan to locate a state prison in Surry County now have another tool at their disposal in trying to make the project a reality.
A new Web site aimed at gaining support for Surry’s selection for a correctional facility, as well as informing the public about the reasons behind the effort, was launched Thursday. It can be found on the Internet at surryprison.com.
Dean Brown, a member of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners who has led the recruitment effort since 2008, said the Web presence is the latest step taken to help land a prison in this area and its 400 to 500 jobs.
“We’ve had several press releases, we’ve had radio programs for about three or four months and then we decided to go with the Web site,” Brown said Friday. “It is an inexpensive way to put information out before the public.”
Brown and other members of a prison-recruitment committee have made several trips to Raleigh to meet with state legislators and correctional officials to lobby for a prison in Surry. Though North Carolina’s tight budget has stalled penal construction, the state has projected that 6,000 new prison beds will be needed over the next decade if present trends continue.
The committee also has worked to convince local citizens of the need for the facility and lessen fears some might have about a prison locating in the county.
The new Web site essentially brings its various efforts into focus, according to Brown. “It is a compilation of what we’ve been doing.”
A large green map of Surry County greets visitors to the site.
Various main sections, or links, are devoted to explaining why a prison is being sought, listing benefits and other advantages to a community gaining one, and why Surry is targeted. Reasons listed for the latter include documenting county job losses in recent years and the adequate support services for a prison, such as hospital and other resources, which are in place locally.
A “What’s New” link details recent contacts with state lawmakers and other efforts that have kept the proposal at the forefront despite the lack of new prison funding at present. Brown says he wants to ensure that decision-makers won’t have forgotten Surry County when the time comes to build a correctional unit.
“We want to be at the front of the line,” he said.
The Web site also features comments from local prison supporters and resolutions of support approved by various governmental agencies. Another link allows site visitors to lend their help to the project, including sending letters of endorsement to key state leaders.
With community support being a key ingredient in correctional leaders’ eventual decision to place a prison in a particular area, Brown said one goal of the Web site is making sure everyone is aware of the project. He said prison recruiters want to give the public every opportunity to learn all the relevant facts behind the effort in a totally open manner, eliminating any notion that the process is being conducted out of the public eye.
The city commissioner believes the Web site offers an effective way to accomplish this objective. “I think we can use it in our lobbying, also,” he said.
Brown added that he paid for the site domain himself and that its designer donated services for the prison cause.
The Mount Airy News
Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.
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