LAS ANIMAS, Colo.—Gov. John Hickenlooper plans to visit a prison in rural southeast Colorado that he has proposed closing to help bridge a $1 billion budget shortfall.
Hickenlooper was also scheduled to meet Wednesday with community leaders who worry that closing the Fort Lyon Correctional Facility in Las Animas will damage the area’s economy. Nearly 2,600 people live Las Animas, and residents say the 204 jobs the prison provides to the area are crucial.
Hickenlooper has said he understands that the budget cuts he is proposing are painful, but he insists they’re necessary.
The governor is also proposing slashing K-12 education funding by $332 million next year.
The Fort Lyon Correctional Facility is a medium-security prison that houses aging and disabled inmates.
