City Saves as Prisoner Work Program Reinsated
By Ryan Schlehuber

At left: Scott Marshall, of the St. Ignace Department of Public Works, secures a red Christmas ribbon to one of the 95 city light poles as co-worker Brian Peterson steadies the ladder Monday, November 12. Work such as landscaping and street maintenance is usually done through the state's prisoner work program .

The state's prisoner community work program will be continued, saving the City of St. Ignace an estimated $69,000 for contracted services to clean and maintain landscapes, utilities, and public areas.

"They are a vital part of us getting ready for the summer, for example, but they do things for us year-around," said City Manager Dodson of the prisoners. "All of these things would have had to be absorbed by the city if the program wasn't reinstated."

The program was cut in August during state budget negotiations, but is now slated to be reinstated in four to six weeks, according to Representative Gary McDowell, reported Mayor Paul Grondin at the November 5 city council meeting.

The Kinross Correctional Facility provides seven eight-man crews in Mackinac and Chippewa counties, including St. Ignace, Rudyard, and Bruce Township, with one assigned to roadside debris clearing with the Michigan Department of Transportation and another assisting the U.S. Forest Service. Two crews are used in Kinross Township and Sault Ste. Marie.

The Department of Corrections has 245 work crews across the state. All but 30 were cut in August, with the remaining crews assisting the state in road maintenance.

The city paid $15 for the crew supervisor each day and $3 per worker for an eight-man crew from Kinross Correctional Facility each time the crew worked on a city job. The city also paid the crew's round-trip mileage from Kinross.

In all, the cost averaged $12,000 for the year, said Mr. Dodson. For 2008, the city has earmarked $15,000 for the prisoner work program.

Municipalities will now pay $30 for the crew supervisor, but, said Mr. Dodson, "it is still very worth it. They do so many things for us that allows our Department of Public Works workers to focus on bigger projects."

Had the program not been reinstated, Mr. Dodson said, it would have cost the city roughly $84,000 to paint curbs, clean the boardwalk, put up event tents, remove snow from fire hydrants, cut grass, and install Christmas decorations.

The city also uses a work crew from the Mackinac County Sheriff's Department at no cost. Work with that group usually involves lighter labor, such as cleaning vehicles or washing city building windows.

Mr. Dodson would like to establish a volunteer program for landscape projects, similar to Midland, where residents commit one day to help the municipality plant flowers throughout the city.

The city also welcomes help from organizations.

"These are the kinds of things we have to take advantage of," said Mr. Dodson. "Get volunteers to help us make our city beautiful, clean, and welcoming."