October 2, 2008
Defending the Honor Camps

By Dave Maxwell, Staff Writer

Nevada State Senator Dean Rhoads doesn't count a proposed closure of the Pioche Honor Camp to be "a cut and dried issue yet."

In a telephone interview with The RECORD, Rhoads, of Tuscarora, a member of the State Legislature Interim Finance Committee, said he had talked with Corrections Department Director Howard Skolnik about doing what he could to keep the camp in Pioche and in Tonopah from being closed.

Rhoads reported Skolnik was to meet with the Spending and Government Efficiency Commission Sept. 24. That committee came up with some recommendations to send to Governor Jim Gibbons. The Governor has stated that he wants state agencies to cut 14 percent from their 2009-2010 budgets. Closing the Honor Camps, along with the Nevada State Prison at Carson City, were some of the possibilities.

However, Rhoads said he was under the impression that Skolnik really did not want to close the Honor Camp and the Spending and Government Efficiency Commission (SAGE) was to meet to go over cost analysis.

While certainly in the crosshairs, the Pioche Honor Camp is a camp that does make money and Rhoads said, "I pleaded with them that if you are making money what are you going to gain by shutting them down. Skolnik admitted that was a good point...I'm doing everything possible to keep them open and as far as I know as of last Wednesday (Sept. 24) it's not a cut and dried issue that they are going to close."

The SAGE report gave 11 recommendations representing as much as $500 million in potential savings or opportunities. One of the report recommendations was to close the Nevada State Prison at Carson City. The aging building costs $19 million a year to operate and according to SAGE Executive Director Frank Partlow, "has just outlived its usefulness." Skolnik has reported that closing the State Prison on Fifth Street would save the state about $18 million. The problem with the century-old prison Skolnik said, is that more than 200 staff are needed to supervise a maximum inmate population of 900. The much newer High Desert Correctional Center at Indian Springs needs only 122 staff to manage 1,200 inmates. The idea would be to close the Carson City prison and send most of the inmates to the High Desert Correctional Center.

Other recommendations the SAGE commisson developed include studying a four-day work week for state employees, something Utah is experimenting with, and going after matching funds for existing state programs that help poor people who are severely injured.

Most members of the commission saw potential in moving to the four day work week, where the bulk of the savings would come from shutting down the state offices on Friday, which might also encourage agencies to improve their online offerings to help those needing state services. The full report can be viewed on the SAGE Commission web site at www.sagenevada.org

Lincoln County Commissioner Tommy Rowe spoke with The RECORD and stated he also had spoken by phone with Senator Rhoads Sept. 29. Rowe stated the state's budget for next fiscal year does have to be submitted to the Governor showing cuts totalling 14 percent. Rhoads, as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said he might be able to do something to keep the camps in the budget since it is the Finance Committee that approves the final budget, "and he is going to push for that and find the cuts somewhere else."

A committee, consisting of local leaders has been appointed by the Lincoln County Commisson to look into ways to save the Pioche Honor Camp. Rowe said the first meeting is to be held October 2 at 7:00 pm at the Pioche Town Hall, "to set our plans on how to fight this."

One idea that has been put forth already, Rowe said, is to have an open house for the express purpose of recognizing and promoting the good things done by the Honor Camps. A meeting time is being discussed for sometime this fall, possibly at the Indian Springs Honor Camp. According to Rowe, the idea is to hold the meeting after the November elections, but prior to the opening of the Nevada State Legislature, when a lot of newly elected state legislators from Clark County will have been selected. By meeting at Indian Springs, a distance the Clark County people might be willing to drive, proponents of the Honor Camps will be able to give demonstrations and make information available to, "Show all these new legislators what the camps do." he said. The 75th regular session of the Nevada Stte Legislature begins February 2, 2009 in Carson City.

Nevada State Forestry Head Pete Anderson indicated to Rowe that he would help set up such a meeting for the new legislators. Anderson suggested two meetings be held, possibly one in Carson City, and another at Indian Springs. "If we have it in Tonopah or Pioche, the cited camps to close," said Rowe, "it's such a long ways for anybody, we probably wouldn't get but one or two legislators there. We want to get more than that there."