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Decisions to be made on Greene County Jail project
Daniel Zuckerman is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media discussion about the possible construction of a $51.4 million county jail behind the Greene Correctional Facility off Route 9W in Coxsackie will continue until the county begins budget talks in the fall, Legislator William Lawrence, Republican of Cairo, and chairman of the Public Safety Committee said this week. “Whether or not we do anything with the jail this year, the important thing is to make sure we keep our numbers as low as possible,” Lawrence said. He said alternatives to incarceration, including diversion and health treatment options, as well as recidivism and bail options, will be taken up by the committee at future meetings. “All of these are worth discussing, but, of course, they require funding,” Lawrence said. “We also want to look at model programs and start our own and maybe get funded to do something new and novel.” Legislator Lori Torgersen, Democrat of Windham, and a member of the Alternatives to Incarceration Subcommittee, said she is looking forward to the discussions. “These are the kinds of initiatives that will reduce population, reduce expense and improve outcomes,” she said. The legislature will hold a workshop meeting dedicated to the jail project next week. No action will be taken, Lawrence said, but some existing jail-related plans "may be eliminated." The full legislature last month authorized an agreement for a $51.42 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Agency to fund a new facility, after the Public Safety Committee blocked an effort to study the feasibility of a shared jail with Columbia County. The Jail Review Workshop will be held 6 p.m., Wed., Apr. 11 at the Greene County Office Building on Main Street in Catskill. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.