After four months of patching streets, sweeping gutters and mowing lawns, inmates at a National Guard armory have repaired something even bigger: their image. County Sheriff Michael Ashe said Wednesday he's not surprised that Holyoke, which greeted the surplus prisoners from nearby Springfield with trepidation and a lawsuit, has been won over by good behavior. ``I'm just pleased that things are going well,'' said the mild-mannered lawman. He catapulted into national news in February when he solved his overcrowding problems by commandeering an armory in Springfield and refusing to budge until suitable quarters were found for his inmates. Ashe and state officials compromised by moving the prisoners 10 miles to a vacant National Guard armory in this western Massachusettes town. The agreement was met with horror by Holyoke residents, who feared the inmates would upset the neighborhood and could pose a problem for a preschool center across the street. But those fears haven't materialized, said Mary E. Kates, director of Holyoke's library, a few blocks from the armory. ``I was a little apprehensive, especially when I heard it was being located so close to the Early Childhood Learning Center,'' said Kates. Now, she is full of praise for her new neighbors. ``They sweep the curb and get rid of that and then they've been sweeping our walks, picking up any trash that's been disposed of in the park and they've been edging and removing weeds,'' she said. ``I've got loads of projects.'' The saga began Feb. 16 when Ashe dug up a 17th-century statute allowing sheriffs to demand aid and assistance and marched into a National Guard armory in Springfield, the main city in Hampden County. Stunned guard officials watched as the sheriff installed about a dozen prisoners. State officials eventually decided that Ashe was justified in taking extraordinary measures. Ashe's century-old jail was built to hold 279 inmates, is under federal orders to hold no more than 500 and had a waiting list at the time of the seizure. When the compromise was reached, angry Holyoke officials filed a lawsuit trying to block the transfer, but Ashe prevailed, moving in quietly in April. Holyoke Mayor Martin Dunn said Wednesday he's still not thrilled with the location of the temporary jail, scheduled to be used until a new, permanent jail is built in the county. But he said he's dropped the lawsuit and intends to keep using the inmates for such projects as park renovation. ``We've had them cleaning city lots, filling potholes,'' he said. ``Basically it's been going very well. It's been a productive experience.'' Ashe, who has a master's degree in social work, has won accolades for his innovative jail and community programs, including his pre-release program and a jail garden project teaming inmates and senior citizens. Inmates sent to the Holyoke center are those who are close to the end of their sentences and are serving for minor offences. From the beginning, Ashe called the Holyoke armory a ``Community Service Center,'' and assured residents the inmates would bring nothing but good to their neighborhood.
