By Adam Pack
After closing due to the presence of black mold in May of 2018, the Anthony Youth Correctional Facility was slated to undergo extensive renovation with a tentative original deadline of August 2022 for the completion of mold removal and repair.
These repairs were then expected to cost $33 million, with State Senator Stephen Baldwin stating in 2019 that, “We want to do it the right way so we don’t end up in this position again.”
When Anthony Correctional closed, inmates had to be rehoused in other facilities around the region. The boys were sent to Parkersburg and Denmar Correctional Facility, the girls were sent to Lakin Correctional Facility, and staff members had their jobs relocated, as well. Some of those facilities are hours away and have caused a great deal of inconvenience for area correctional workers and their families.
This week, Senator Baldwin has provided an update on the project in his regular column.
“Earlier this week, I met Anthony Correctional Center Superintendent Robert Neal and the Department of Corrections. They provided me with an update on the rebuilding plan. Construction activities will begin this summer. Phase one of the project will involve rerouting all the electrical, HVAC, etc out of the main building (which will be demolished) into a central location to allow the other buildings to remain “online.” Phase two will be the demolition of the main building which has the mold issue. Phase three will be the rebuild. The entire process will take years. This fall, I plan to host a community meeting in White Sulphur Springs so that the plan can be shared in detail with the community for feedback and information. Many thanks to Superintendent Neal and his staff for their hard work.”
Read Baldwin’s full column on page 4 of this edition of the Mountain Messenger.
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