Committee reviews bill to transfer Standish correctional facility property for public sale

The House Appropriations Committee heard testimony on House Bill 4011, which would transfer state-owned land that contains the Standish Maximum Correctional Facility in Arenac County from the Michigan Department of Corrections to the Department of Technology, Management and Budget for the purpose of selling the property.

Sponsor Representative Hoadley told the committee the facility, which opened in 1990 and was occupied for 19 years until October 2009, has sat empty and “now sits empty and deserted.” He described the complex as having “5, 88 bed housing units and another unit comprising a 64 beds,” along with administrative and recreational buildings, and said the site has experienced break-ins while vacant. “Michigan is facing a mental health…