Officials: Camp Pharsalia vital to Chenango’s economy

NORWICH – Figures provided Thursday by Commerce Chenango estimate that the county’s economy would take over a $13 million hit if Camp Pharsalia were to close.

That figure, which Commerce Chenango President and CEO Maureen Carpenter said was a “conservative” estimate, factors in the camp’s annual payroll, community service projects, tax contributions, expenditures and revenue generated by family visits.

When combined with other expected closures, like that of Procter & Gamble’s Woods Corners facility in Norwich, the county is facing a loss of $24 million and 340 jobs in 2009, Carpenter said at a rally for the camp in The Eaton Center Thursday.

“The numbers are overwhelming,” she said.

The rally gathered roughly 90 to 100 corrections officers, civilian camp employees, their family members, area legislators, union representatives and community members in the center’s 5th Floor Summit Room.

Several of Pharsalia’s corrections officers are asking the community at large to support their cause, considering the services the camp can and will provide.

“Anytime the community wants something done, we can do it,” said officer Peter Heggie. “The more community support we can get, the better.”

Pharsalia inmates do roughly 78,000 hours of community service and maintenance work for state government and local organizations. That translates into $940,000 worth of work a year, according to Commerce Chenango statistics.

“We want to push the issue as far as the effects on Chenango County,” said corrections officer Tim Burrell. “The public needs to know how important it is. With this (rally), it really might help.”