Mary Elizabeth Robertson
The News Herald
MORGANTON, N.C. — With one vote, hundreds of Burke County employees knew they would need to start finding another job — or begin to pray.
In July, the General Assembly approved a statewide budget that would close the doors to Western Youth Institution in Morganton, among other prisons, and take with it more than 300 jobs.
“First, this institution for a long time served youthful offenders. It was a unique institution. That is one of the reasons I thought closing it was premature without having a plan,” N.C. Sen. Warren Daniel (R-Burke) said. “We have to understand budget times are tight and tough decisions have to be made.”
Western Youth Institution, the tallest building in Burke County, closed its doors Dec. 31, taking with it 378 jobs.
The first time employees heard about the closure came June 7 through a proposed report from the North Carolina House Appropriations subcommittee on Justice and Public Safety.
Prior to an announcement of closure, WPI employed uniformed and certified staff. Uniformed staff accounts for officers and certified staff makes up the support positions at the facility.
By the time of that official announcement, 23 positions already were vacant. Two months after the announcement was made, 21 additional positions were vacant. Another 49 people left their position within six months.
Those who did not leave were reassigned to different prison facilities in the state.
Foothills Correctional Institution in Morganton created 55 positions to accommodate those who would lose jobs at WYI, and other employees filled vacant positions at the Foothills facility, according to public records. A total of 111 positions were moved to Foothills.
“Foothills (budget) before (the addition of 55 jobs) was $20.9 million annually,” Keith Acree, spokesperson for the N.C. Department of Public Safety, said. “The 55 positions added $2.26 million. They also got a one time (addition of) $200,000 for facility changes.”
Foothills now will operate on a budget of $23.16 million, not including the $200,000 added for facility changes.
The 55 positions added at Foothills included positions of correctional officers. Four employees who served as correctional sergeants at WYI were bumped down to correctional officers without rank, but will remain at the same pay grade as a sergeant at Foothills.
“If someone took a demotion to go to Foothills, they wouldn’t lose any money,” Acree said. “They would not have to take the sergeant exam again to get the sergeant position.”
Other reassignments included: 45 people transferred to Alexander Correctional Institution; 11 to Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution; eight to Caldwell Correctional Center; two positions to Catawba Correctional Center; two to Gaston Correctional Center; seven to Lincoln Correctional Center; 38 employees were repositioned to Marion Correctional Institution; nine positions were moved to Mountain View Correctional Institution and another four were moved to Rutherford Correctional Center.
One correctional officer was moved to Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women. Gaston Juvenille Detention Center received one employee, with another declining the offer and two former WYI employees will now work for Chatham Youth Development Center as school educators. The Division of Community Corrections in Burke and Caldwell will receive three employees.
One person will go on to work at the Division of Prisons for the state and one person will work for the Western Foothills Regional Employment Office.
It is unclear where one person will be relocated.
Regardless of the reassignment, every employee who moved to another facility made the same amount of money they did at WYI.
Severance packages were made available to 37 WYI employees, two of whom rejected the offer and one who chose retirement.
For employees, the new jobs could serve as a new start. As for the 41-year old prison, it still stands, with few plans of what to do next with the facility.
“Rep. Blackwell and I have been working hard to try and assist the department to get people moved to other jobs,” Daniel said. “Beyond this, we feel Burke County is a place with state resources that can be beneficial.”
Daniel said there had been discussion to refurbish the minimum custody camp located behind WYI or turning the building into a crime lab.
“The question is, what can we do to Burke County that will serve the state?” Daniel said.