POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — The proposal to upgrade the National Guard Armory north of Point Pleasant to house female inmates on a satellite campus of Lakin Correctional Center, is being met with mixed reactions, though the general consensus is, there needs to be more information about it.
This week, the West Virginia Division of Corrections, which is reviewing the possibility of upgrading the armory, told the Point Pleasant Register this is only a proposal at this point. Lawrence Messina, spokesperson for DOC, said the idea came about this month and includes a cost estimate of $8 million to upgrade the armory for use and $3.9 million a year in operational costs. Messina said on Wednesday, the DOC estimates this expansion would create 50 new jobs for Mason County.
As for what this expansion would entail, Messina said there’s been no final decision on how the armory would be used but the most practical use of the property would be as a minimum security facility housing female inmates assigned to Lakin. The National Guard would also continue to have a presence on the property…
