Little Benefit
In Work Camp

Why would a correctional facility in Randolph be a better idea now than it was ten years ago, when the town said no to it, or better than it was six months ago, when the town’s reaction was evenly split? The only apparent benefit is to have the state pay for water and sewer lines down Beanville Road. If the residents don’t need water and sewer lines, and the high fees that go with them, it’s hard to see why anyone else should need these lines.

The number of new jobs a camp would bring in is low, and there’s no assurance the jobs would go to Randolph residents. Improved services along Beanville Road won’t make the road more attractive to business—there’s already lots of empty real estate in Randolph. And bringing more businesses to Randolph is not an attraction for the Randolph homeowner, who already has the tax base tilted to his disadvantage.

For the Randolph resident, a camp is not attractive. It offers little or no sure benefit, and definite costs. If we’re going to build anything, let’s concentrate on filling up the empty spaces downtown, and not try to push needless development somewhere else.

David Crosby

Randolph

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