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The governor's office gave the Legislature's Commission on
Government Forecasting and Accountability, or COGFA, the closing
recommendations and economic impact studies for the seven sites
Quinn has targeted for closing. Those
sites are:
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Chester Mental
Health Center in Chester.
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H. Douglas Singer
Mental Health Center in Rockford.
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Tinley Park Mental
Health Center in Tinley Park.
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Jacksonville
Developmental Center in Jacksonville.
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Jack Mabley
Developmental Center in Dixon.
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Illinois Youth
Camp Murphysboro in Murphysboro.
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Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln.
Brie Callahan, spokeswoman for the governor, said lawmakers are
to blame for the job losses at a time when Illinois' unemployment
rate is more than 9 percent.
"Last spring, the administration made it clear to the General
Assembly there would be serious consequences to the budget they
passed. ... The General Assembly did not appropriate enough funds in
these particular lines to keep all these facilities staffed and
running for the entire year," Callahan said.
Quinn, when he announced the closings earlier this month, said
1,900 state employees would be laid off. The other 760 jobs would be
indirect losses from restaurants and dry cleaners, for example,
because their livelihoods depend on those state employees.
Chester
The Chester Mental Health Center in southern Illinois may be
difficult for Quinn to close. The Legislature would have to change
state law to allow the Alton Mental Health Center in Alton to
replace Chester as Illinois' maximum-security mental health center.
Chester also would see some of its patients sent to the McFarland
Mental Health Center in Springfield, the Elgin Mental Health Center
in Elgin and Chicago's Reed Mental Health Center.
The reports to COGFA say that
Chester's closing would mean the loss of:
-
485 workers.
-
581 total jobs
lost.
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$37.8 million in
lost worker income.
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$45.4 million in
lost income from total job loss.
-
$55.4 million in total economic loss to
the community.
Singer
Closing the Singer Mental Health Center would require local
community care providers in Rockford to care for the 845 people
usually treated at Singer.
But state Rep. Patti Bellock, R-Hinsdale, said that may not
happen.
"I am extremely concerned that this will send people to hospitals
or out (on) the street. A lot of these community providers do have
group homes, but there is not enough room," Bellock said.
Closing the Singer Mental Health
Center would mean the loss of:
-
164 workers.
-
272 total jobs
lost.
-
$13.8 million in
lost worker income.
-
$20.3 million in
total lost income from total job loss.
-
$28.1 million in total economic loss to
the community.
Tinley Park
The mental health center at Tinley Park is one of the state's
busiest, handling nearly 1,900 people a year. Those people would be
sent to community care providers and local hospitals.
Bellock said community care providers in Cook County are
overwhelmed, and she fears the worst if a plan to transition people
out of Tinley Park slowly is not available.
"For a local community to step up and pay for this kind of care,
that would be impossible," said Bellock.
If Tinley Park closes its doors, that
would mean the loss of:
-
207 workers.
-
365 total jobs
lost.
-
$19.8 million in
lost worker income.
-
$34.8 million in
total lost income from total job loss.
-
$50.5 million in total economic loss to
the community.
[to top of second column]
 |
 Mabley
The fear in Dixon, home of the Jack Mabley Developmental Center,
is jobs. Dixon Mayor Jim Burke said replacing nearly 300 jobs in his
tiny town would be difficult.
"That'd be a pretty big blow (to the local economy)," said Burke.
"There are some pretty well-paid people there."
If Mabley closes, that would mean the
loss of:
-
174 workers.
-
244 total jobs
lost.
-
$10.7 million in
lost worker income.
-
$14.1 million in
total lost income from total job loss.
-
$45 million in total economic loss to
the community.
Jacksonville
The Arc of Illinois is one of the state's biggest advocates for
people with developmental disabilities. But Tony Paulauski, Arc
president, said closing Jacksonville is not a bad idea, as long as
the state takes its time in finding new housing for the center's 96
residents.
"I think, if the resources are there, and if (the state) makes an
effort to work with the individuals and the families, I think you
could do this in a year," Paulauski said.
However, Quinn is proposing to close all seven sites within 90
days.
Closing Jacksonville would mean the
loss of:
-
441 workers.
-
591 total lost
jobs.
-
$27.1 million in
lost worker income.
-
$35.7 million in
total lost income from total job loss.
-
$47 million in total economic loss to
the community.
Murphysboro
The youth center in Murphysboro may be the easiest for Quinn to
close.
Illinois' juvenile justice system, unlike the adult system, has
room for the 59 youth inmates housed in Murphysboro.
If Murphysboro's youth center were to
close, that would mean the loss of:
-
96 workers.
-
149 total jobs
lost.
-
$6.4 million in
lost worker income.
-
$8.9 million in
total lost income from total job loss.
-
$23.5 million in total economic losses
to the community.
Logan
No one in Lincoln believes Quinn is bluffing about closing Logan
Correctional Center.
The town has one shuttered state facility, the Lincoln
Developmental Center, and Mayor Keith Snyder said he doesn't want
another.
"We lost somewhere around 600 jobs about nine years ago, and
we're still struggling to recover," Snyder said.
There also are worries within the state's prison system. Closing
Logan would force 1,500 inmates to sleep in gymnasiums at other
prisons. Randy Hellmann works at Pinckneyville Correctional Center
now, but he was a guard at other prisons in the 1980s when Illinois
last tried to keep inmates on the gym floor.
"I can't tell you the numerous fights, inmate assaults and staff
injuries when this did take place," Hellmann said.
If the Logan Correctional Center
closed, that would mean the loss of:
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356 workers.
-
460 total jobs
lost.
-
$21.7 million in
lost worker income.
-
$27.1 million in
total lost income from total lost jobs.
-
$73 million in total economic losses to
the community.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BENJAMIN YOUNT] |
