Habersham County is feeling the impact of Lee Arrendale State Prison’s impending closure along its roadways and in the wallet. County road department employees are now picking up trash off the side of the roads after years of prison inmates doing the job.
“The road department lost the long-standing trash pickup contract with Lee Arrendale State Prison because of its closing but has asked for the funds in the FY 2025 budget to publicly bid out a new contract,” said Habersham County Public Works Director / Capital Projects Manager Jerry Baggett.
It has proven to be a monumental task.
During the week of March 25-28, Road Department employees picked up 1,100 pounds of trash, including six tires along J Warren, Chase, Camp Creek, and Pea Ridge roads and Old Athens Highway.
“35 bags were collected on Chase Road alone,” said Baggett.
The sheer volume of trash makes one appreciate the inmates who cleaned up the mess for so long. Those inmates are now being moved to other state prisons.
“We do not have a definitive date for the closure of the prison at LASP at this time,” Georgia Department of Corrections Public Affairs Director Joan Heath told Now Habersham in March.
While the prison is closing, the transitional center, which houses around 200 women, will remain open.
Meanwhile, the Habersham County Road Department is working to handle its additional work orders and the county is asking for the public’s help by not littering.
“We aim to keep Habersham County the beautiful, thriving community that it has been for decades,” Baggett said.
