Plans Finalized For Albany Rally

By JIMMY LAWTON

Much like preparing for a military operation, a local task force outlined plans for its Tuesday rally in Albany where members and volunteers will lobby the New York State Assembly and Senate to dispel misinformation and demonstrate the local impact the proposed closure of Ogdensburg Correctional Facility would have on the community.

Ogdensburg Correctional Facility Task Force laid out an itinerary and discussed plans for distributing 250 binders of information, ranging from the impact the prison closure would have on the local economy to reasons why the closure would not be a fiscal savings to this year's state budget.

While the visit is set for Tuesday, work still needs to be done before the four to five buses of supporters head to the state capital.

Deputy Director of the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency and task force member Patrick J. Kelly said informational binders still need to be stuffed and shipped to Albany prior to the trip to avoid the hassle of bringing them through security the day of the event. Many of the binders will include personalized letters from Ogdensburg Mayor William D. Nelson addressed to various senators, assembly members and Department of Corrections officials.

Two buses are scheduled to leave from the river-side parking lot of the Ogdensburg Mall at 6 a.m. and arrive in Albany at 10 a.m. Riders on the buses will be responsible for hand delivering binders to various representatives. A second set of buses will leave Ogdensburg at 7:30 a.m. and arrive in Albany at noon, in time for the 2 p.m. rally. Members of the task force and other representatives are scheduled to speak at the event.

The task force is also hoping to line up media coverage from Albany news outlets to cover the event.

OCF Chairman Charles W. Kelly encouraged members in charge of speaking with representatives to stay focused on the task at hand.

"When we are down there we need to remember our goal is OCF. We have a minimum amount of time and we've got to stick to the subject to maximize that time for OCF," he said.

Although yesterday marked the last official meeting of the task force before the rally in Albany, the chairman said the group will meet after the rally to ensure that the OCF issue remains fresh in the minds of representatives prior to the budget vote.

"From what I am hearing, the budget is going to be late. So our work is not done," he said.

Members of the task force also wish to remind the public that there are still seats available on the buses heading for the capital. Anyone interested in joining the rally should contact the Ogdensburg Chamber of Commerce at 393-3620.