Bladen Correctional Center on lists to be closed
 
Bladen Correctional Center is on a list of facilities to be closed.  Gov. Pat McCrory' budget proposal and the NC Senate's proposed budget, list the local center, along with others to be closed.
 
Under the heading of Justice and Pubic Safety, the Bladen Center is listed along with others in Duplin, Wayne, Buncombe and Orange counties.  Other related facilities include the Lenoir Youth Development Center, the Richmond Detention Center and the Buncombe Detention Center.
 
The closure, according to the budget proposals, indicate it is a part of reduction in prison capacity reflecting the declining prison population.
 
The closure of the Bladen Correction Center is effective October 1, 2013.
 
According the the Bladen Correctional Center website, there is an inmate capacity of 172 and a staff size of 52.  The center was build in the late 1930's.  In recent years it has been classified as a minimum custody level of males.
 
There is no indication of what employees can expect if the unit is closed.
 
The closure will have a direct effect on the budget for the Town of Elizabethtown.  The town uses inmate labor on their maintenance staff.  Eddie Madden, Town Manager, has stated on several occasions that the closure of the facility could cause in increase in the proposed budget for the coming year.  The town is currently using 7 inmates on a full-time basis at a cost of $1 per day per inmate.  Madden says it will cost $90,000 to $100,000 to hire just 3 full-time employees and that will cause an increase in his proposed budget.
 
The final decision on closure could come down to the last minute before the final budget is approved by conferees from the NC House and Senate.
 
Two years ago, the unit was given new life in a similar situation, according to Rep. William Brisson. There are no guarantees it can happen again.