On December 5, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) announced they’ll be shuttering several facilities around the US. Among these is the Federal Prison Camp in Duluth, which is slated to be deactivated.

The facility houses over 700 inmates and employes nearly 90 people. The FBOP cited safety concerns about the facility, calling the infrastructure “aging and dilapidated” and said that several buildings are condemned due to asbestos and lead paint.

Tanya Gajeski works as a re-entry affairs coordinator for the prison, and also serves as the president of the local AFGE union that represents the employees. She disagrees with the bureau’s assessment of the facility’s condition.

“All of the buildings that we have on the grounds at FPC Duluth are being used for something; storage, if they aren’t offices or dormitories for the inmates. They’re using them for utilizing all of the buildings there.” Gajeski said in an interview with WDIO.

The FBOP says that employees at the facility will be primarily moved to the Federal Corrections Facility in Sandstone. Gajeski says that location doesn’t have vacancies for the nearly 90 employees that would be transferred. She also cited concerns over the location – FCI Sandstone is nearly 70 miles from the Duluth prison camp.

“The majority of our staff have spouses that work in Duluth, so you’re gonna have to add commute time to get to work to and from every day which creates issues with school programs, sports activities for kids, daycare issues.” Gajeski said.

The FBOP has not announced a timeline for the deactivation of the facility, and issued the following statement regarding the closure:

“We understand the wide-ranging effects this will have on our employees and those in our care and custody. We anticipate this process to begin simultaneously with all identified facilities and be concluded in approximately nine months from this announcement. The well-being of our employees, the incarcerated individuals in our care, and their families is of utmost importance to us, and we will do everything we can to ensure a smooth transition.”