POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — A proposal which would take the former U.S. Navy base at Sugar Grove in Mason County and turn it into a prison isn’t sitting well with folks in Mason County. The idea is alarming to Mason County residents because the proposed plan calls for the Pendleton County facility to become the state’s women’s prison and the current women’s prison at Lakin in Mason County would become a men’s facility.
“You’re changing it from a women’s prison that we were promised back around 2000 to a men’s prison,” said Mason County Commissioner Rick Handley. “Back at that time we had a public hearing and had no opposition to a women’s prison, but we did to a men’s prison.”
Handley said his community is satisfied as the home for the female inmates. He said the community has largely embraced the facility along Route 2 which offers jobs and a number of benefits to the community.
“These people are wonderful neighbors,” said Handley. “They have a community crew they send out and the people of the community have welcomed them. We’ve had them at the courthouse painting and they’ve been to churches. Nobody has any problem with the women prisoners.”
Handley said the proposal has the entire county in an uproar. A public hearing is slated tonight at the Mason County Courthouse on the proposal. Handley hopes it will be packed to show the level of opposition.
“I have not had anyone tell me this is a good thing for Mason County,” he said.
But, Pendleton County Delegate Isaac Sponaugle is in favor of the plan. He thinks the shift would be a tremendous benefit with jobs for his county being lost with the departure of the Naval Station.
“We’ll be glad to send them the men they were going to be sending to Mason County. I think it would be a great facility for men over there,” said Handley. “Why disrupt the great program the warden and DOC has in Mason County when they can just do everything for Sugar Grove and make it a men’s prison.”