Maybe a Federal Prison Would be Good for Berlin

Next week voters in Berlin go to the polls to decide whether they want a federal medium security prison in town.

Last winter the issue took on special urgency. The mills had closed and people were looking for work. Still the referendum failed.

Now it looks like the mills will reopen. But some residents still support building a prison as a way to diversify Berlin's economy.

Richard Gottschneider is president of RKG Associates, an economic consulting firm in Durham. He prepared a study looking at towns across the country that were similar in size to Berlin that also had federal prisons.

He presented his findings to Berlin residents last week and spoke recently to NHPR's Mark Bevis.