CRESSON, CAMBRIA COUNTY - An area community is still trying to figure out what's going to happen now since their biggest employer is leaving town.
SCI Cresson is on top of Cresson Mountain on Old 22, and just about a mile down the road is PJ's Tavern where a few times a month employees from SCI Cresson come there to eat or have goodbye parties.
Larry Audley is the owner of PJ's Tavern in Cresson. He watched the news Tuesday night with a customer who works at SCI Cresson. The guard was staring at the TV in disbelief and then was resigned to driving 50 miles just to get to work.
The state prison officials say the move will save $23 million, and no one is losing their jobs because the positions are just being moved. But that doesn't do anything for Audley and the rest of the community. Audley says the township is going to lose tax money, sewage and water bills, and the employees have been good customers at PJ's.
The union president for corrections officers doesn't think this will be good for anyone but the state. Roy Pinto says "If these prisons are closed, the only thing certain is it will hurt thousands of families and devastate the local economies in those areas."
Audley says only time will tell just how devastating it will be.
SCI Cresson is on top of Cresson Mountain on Old 22, and just about a mile down the road is PJ's Tavern where a few times a month employees from SCI Cresson come there to eat or have goodbye parties.
Larry Audley is the owner of PJ's Tavern in Cresson. He watched the news Tuesday night with a customer who works at SCI Cresson. The guard was staring at the TV in disbelief and then was resigned to driving 50 miles just to get to work.
The state prison officials say the move will save $23 million, and no one is losing their jobs because the positions are just being moved. But that doesn't do anything for Audley and the rest of the community. Audley says the township is going to lose tax money, sewage and water bills, and the employees have been good customers at PJ's.
The union president for corrections officers doesn't think this will be good for anyone but the state. Roy Pinto says "If these prisons are closed, the only thing certain is it will hurt thousands of families and devastate the local economies in those areas."
Audley says only time will tell just how devastating it will be.
Comments
I think it would serve the state more to close Harrisburg
Glenn G.
January 10, 2013 at 9:03 am
