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Political Heavyweights join Neighbors to Oppose Inmate Halfway House in Tipperary Hill

John Smith/WAER News

  A proposed halfway house may be too close for comfort for the Tippery Hill neighborhood.

Senator Chuck Schumer and Congressman Dan Maffei joined local residents to oppose a plan by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Schumer says community opinions should play a large role in the decision making process.

“The Federal bureau of prisons is an agency but it should take into account local concerns, a halfway house is something that has to be supported by a community to make it work and so one of the criteria they look at is community concerns and support.”

The facility would be housed by federal inmates who are trying to be reintegrated into society. One proposal comes from a Boston based non-profit that wants to create a brand new halfway house.

Credit TaiSonya Tidwell/WAER News
Tipp Hill Association President Janice McKenna voiced concerns about the halfway house proposal

  Tipp Hill Neighborhood Association president Janice Mckenna lives and owns a business in the area.  She worries it could change the neighborhood.

“We agree that facilities like this need to exist in the proper setting.  We want to keep our children safe; we want to keep our elders safe; this is a walkable neighborhood and we want people to feel comfortable here.”

If the halfway house is placed in the neighborhood it would be near two elementary schools and just 500 feet away from a Boys and Girls Club.

Senator Schumer says he will continue to help residents fight the proposal. 

Chris Bolt, Ed.D. has proudly been covering the Central New York community and mentoring students for more than 30 years. His career in public media started as a student volunteer, then as a reporter/producer. He has been the news director for WAER since 1995. Dedicated to keeping local news coverage alive, Chris also has a passion for education, having trained, mentored and provided a platform for growth to more than a thousand students. Career highlights include having work appear on NPR, CBS, ABC and other news networks, winning numerous local and state journalism awards.