The Endicott Enquirer News from the Southern Tier

Citizens to Hagerstown: No Federal Prison in My Back Yard!

Concerned citizens, it is time to stand up and ensure your voices are heard, especially if you live in the Robinwood area of Hagerstown. There is an active proposal on the table to the city council to potentially put a federal prison in back of HCC. This is completely unacceptable an bust be stopped. Please see the letter I sent to the council below:

Dear Ms. Nigh,

I am writing you this evening as a concerned citizen after reading the article in the Herald Mail about the potential usage of the 220 acre plot of land behind the Robinwood Medical Center for a Federal detention center. I would like to support your assertion in the article as you were quoted as saying "not in my lifetime" which is the correct response to any proposal of this nature. Not only is this a largely residential area but there are also schools near by and residents of the neighborhoods surrounding this parcel of land such as myself do not need to compound our worries by having a prison in our back yards. I understand that there are needs for such facilities and Hagerstown being a relatively rural area makes sense in many ways but not in an already developed area of the city. The Robinwood vicinity is quickly becoming a residential and commercial hub outside the city limits and having a prison in the area will decrease land values, potentially increase the crime rate and significantly impact the quality of life for residents.
I applaud you for your stance on this proposal but it is imperative that the other council men and women take the same stance for the sake of our community and not cave to any supposed incentives for this type of development. There may be a short term financial gain in such a deal, but the long term damage to the surrounding community will cause irreparable harm.

Thank you,
Jonathan

I would encourage anyone else concerned about this proposal to do the same the story about the land can be found on the Herald Mail Website.