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NEWPORT TWP. &mdash; The State Correctional Institution at Retreat is set to close by Saturday, but state Sen. John Yudichak said he is determined to find a new occupant.
				&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll continue conversations on how we can repurpose that facility so the community at large is not negatively impacted by the loss of 400 jobs for years to come,&rdquo; said Yudichak, I-Swoyersville, who was part of a contingent that unsuccessfully fought to keep the facility open.
				Yudichak expects many ideas will be explored for corrections, other state agencies or the private sector.
				&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll look at all options,&rdquo; he said, noting a timely plan is in the best interest of taxpayers because it would cost a couple of million if mothballing is necessary to protect the property for future sale or reuse.
				For now, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections will maintain the site for minimal operations in case it is needed to deal with a future coronavirus outbreak, the state said in an announcement about the closure date.
				The facility temporarily housed some new state inmates during the pandemic so they could be monitored for symptoms before they were released into the general population at other locations.
				In total, 1,166 inmates were tested at the site, with only 13 positive results, said Tabb Bickell, the department&rsquo;s Executive Deputy Secretary for Institutional Operations.
				&ldquo;I would like to thank SCI Retreat employees for stepping up to the challenge of turning their facility into a reception facility during the COVID-19 pandemic,&rdquo; Bickell said in the release. &ldquo;They made a huge impact on our work to slow the spread of the virus throughout our system.&rdquo;
				Gov. Tom Wolf had agreed to the department&rsquo;s recommended closure in January, with the understanding employees would be relocated to other state correctional facilities within 65 miles of the Newport Township one. Under the now-completed relocation process, some employees chose different positions within the department or state, and others retired, the announcement said.
				The Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association said Thursday it does not have a statement on the closure date announcement at this time.
				Yudichak said he was aware of several Retreat workers assigned to other state correctional facilities, requiring one-way commutes of 45 minutes to an hour.
				Advocates won the first battle to stop a proposed closure several years ago but lost this one because the state administration was determined to reduce the number of prisons, Yudichak said.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a long road over the last four to five years with all the ups and downs,&rdquo; he said.
				He expressed &ldquo;profound gratitude&rdquo; to the workers, their families and the surrounding community. Employees covered the demand for a coronavirus quarantine site, knowing it wouldn&rsquo;t change the facility closure outcome, he said.
				&ldquo;They did their jobs with grace and professionalism. Every report I&rsquo;ve read about the quality of the workforce and efficiency met every standard and exceeded expectations,&rdquo; he said.
				The prison was the township&rsquo;s largest employer, which is a &ldquo;big blow,&rdquo; Yudichak said.
				Township officials increased municipal real estate taxes 10.3% this year, requiring a payment of $35 more on a $100,000 property, in part to help make up for the loss of approximately $20,000 in local services tax revenue from prison workers, according to a prior published report.
				&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll be working with Newport Township to try to get the municipality back on its feet,&rdquo; Yudichak said.
				Accessed by a bridge over the Susquehanna River, the site has gone through several chapters since the Central Poor District of Luzerne County established an almshouse for the indigent there in 1878, according to the corrections department website. A hospital for those with mental health conditions was added in 1900, it said.
				The property was known as the Retreat Hospital for the Insane and Almshouse for 30 years and renamed the Retreat Mental Hospital in 1930. The county operated that facility until 1943, when it was transferred to state control, the department said.
				The hospital formally closed in 1981, and it opened as a state prison in January 1988, the site said.

SCI Retreat to close by Saturday