STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Is Staten Island about to become Rikers Island West?
The city is considering sending “overflow” inmates from Rikers Island jails to the Arthur Kill Correctional Facility when the state vacates the medium-security prison on Dec. 1.
But Borough President James Molinaro told the Advance yesterday he won’t stand for it.
What’s more, he said he already knows of “someone” who is interested in the “purchase or lease” of the state prison property in Charleston and will retrofit it as a “retail shopping center.”
“It will create jobs and a tax base,” said Molinaro. “That is what we need.”
Molinaro declined to say who the well-heeled honcho is, only that it is not a big-box developer.
“He would be willing to start tomorrow if he could,” said Molinaro of a time line.
Molinaro said he has already “expressed opposition” to a possible state-city jail swap to the Cuomo administration, which tabbed the Island facility for closure earlier this year as a cost-cutting measure. He declined to say how he learned of the possibility.
This amid rumblings that were picked up by workers at the prison — along with rumors heard by other elected officials here — that the city is looking to take over Arthur Kill once the state moves out.
Arthur Kill workers said city officials toured the prison on Sept. 9 to look the place over.
City Correction Department spokeswoman Sharman Stein would say only, “We took a look at the Arthur Kill facility solely for information purposes.” She would not answer a question about Rikers overflow coming here.
State Department of Correctional Services spokesman Peter Cutler declined to answer a question about future use of Arthur Kill.
Meanwhile, late yesterday, the borough’s Republican elected officials — save for state Sen. Andrew Lanza — inked a letter to a bevy of state commissioners asking that “no consideration be given to use the Arthur Kill Correctional Facility as a city-run correctional facility.”
“The community we represent as a whole would not support such a move and are vehemently opposed to converting a state prison facility into any city-run penitentiary or prison. It remains our hope that Arthur Kill would be eligible for a portion of the $50 million in capital funding provided under the [state] Economic Transformation and Facility Redevelopment Program in order to redevelop the area to spur economic growth, diversify the local economy and create new jobs to help get New Yorkers back to work.”
The letter was signed by City Councilman Vincent Ignizio (R-South Shore); Assemblyman Lou Tobacco (R-South Shore); Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn); Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn), and Rep. Michael Grimm (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn).
As for Lanza, who wants to keep Arthur Kill as is, he said he has “been hearing rumors” of a possible city takeover and predicted crime will escalate in the community should the city decide to house part of its short-term jail population here.
Lanza (R-Staten Island) said his experience as a former prosecutor tells him the prospect of a jail abutting a residential community, where prisoners have the ability to make bail after brief periods of incarceration, is a “real concern.”
“There is a different culture between someone with a termed sentence serving it in a state prison than someone jailed for a year or less and who can come and go as they make bail,” said Lanza. “Around city facilities, you have higher crime rates.”
An Arthur Kill correction officer, who asked that his name not be used, said Lanza is right.
“There is a reason why Rikers Island is an island,” said the officer, who has 18 years on the job and has not yet put in for a transfer.
Rikers sits in the East River, between Queens and the Bronx.
But state Sen. Diane Savino, who said she “grew up in the shadow of Rikers Island” in Queens, said, “I would not be concerned that it would make the community less safe.”
“Is it possible the city might have a use for it?” asked Ms. Savino (D-North Shore/Brooklyn), who like Lanza wants to keep Arthur Kill in state prison hands. “They are always complaining about Rikers and other city facilities and overcrowding.”
Meanwhile, the state is moving forward with shutting down Arthur Kill. State spokesman Cutler said the department’s human resources staff will be on site Monday and Tuesday to talk to remaining personnel who have not yet submitted transfers.
Cutler said 212 security staff and 99 civilian staff members remain at Arthur Kill, along with 277 offenders. Arthur Kill has a prisoner bed capacity of 991.
He said that on Aug. 15, 72 security staff members were reassigned to other prison facilities based on seniority and available vacancies.
One clerical worker who spoke to the Advance said yesterday she has been on the job at Arthur Kill for 19 years at a salary of around $30,000.
“I am beside myself,” said the Great Kills woman, who asked not to be named. “What do I do? I am not ready to retire. I have a mortgage. I have college to pay for. Between the bridge tolls and the Thruway tolls and the gas, I can’t afford to go anywhere. But I need a job and I need health care.”
Lanza called it “very troubling if discussions are going on” about future uses of Arthur Kill without involving “all of the stakeholders.”
He also repeated his call to Gov. Andrew Cuomo to personally visit the site with him.
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