Clark County Councilors unanimously oppose the planned closure of Larch Corrections Center.
During a July 25 meeting, the council voted 5-0 to approve a resolution urging the Washington State Department of Corrections to reverse a decision they announced late last month. The minimum-security prison is set to close this fall.
Since the announcement, Clark County community members have criticized the decision. On July 6, they crowded the Battle Ground Community Library to voice their disapproval at an event attended by state lawmakers and Washington Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz.
Later last month, the County Council first considered their resolution to oppose the closure. During a July 19 “council time” meeting, several of the Larch Correction Center’s 115 employees spoke out against the closure of the prison, citing education programs and the location’s importance for fighting wildfires in the region.
Both of those topics are addressed in the resolution. With the council’s approval, copies will be sent to Gov. Jay Inslee and Washington State Department of Corrections Secretary Cheryl Strange.
Last week, Councilor Gary Medvigy acknowledged the decision to close Larch was done so at the state level, outside of the county government’s purview.
“We had no role in it, but we do have a voice,” Medvigy said.
Apart from the facility’s role in restorative justice, Medvigy reiterated Larch’s role in wildfire response. Some inmates are trained to assist the state Department of Natural Resources in fighting the blazes, including the Nakia Creek Fire last year that burned about 2,000 acres on the east side of Clark County.
He cited the devastation of the Yacolt Burn, a series of fires in the region that burned more than 238,000 acres in 1902, as a need to have firefighters at the ready during dry summer months.
“What has burned historically will burn historically again,” he said.
Medvigy said the decision to close the facility came out of “a complete vacuum.” He wished for Department of Corrections officials to engage with the county government.
“We need to have a discussion about this decision,” Medvigy said.
As opposed to shuttering the facility, Medvigy would like DOC to “rebuild and enlarge” the program at the prison.
Clark County Council Chair Karen Bowerman remarked at the amount of community response about Larch’s closure.
“It’s not every day that for a resolution of this type, that there would be that kind of incredible support from the community,” Bowerman said.
Councilor Sue Marshall had requested a tour of the facility but received an email that morning from the Department of Corrections stating staff weren’t currently offering them.
“Tours of the facility would likely cause significant disruption to this difficult situation,” Marshall said she was told.
The “rash” decision to close the facility was close-minded and didn’t take into account all the effects it would have, Councilor Glen Yung said.
“This, I think, is a perfect example of why our system is so broken and so fractured,” Yung said.
Growing up in Clark County, Councilor Michelle Belkot said she knew people incarcerated at Larch. Because of time served and counseling received at Larch, “they completely turned their lives around,” she said.
“I’ve heard nothing but good things about Larch and the rehabilitation that they do,” Belkot said.
