STRICTLY BUSINESS: SIPC NO STRANGER TO PRISON SELECTION

The Southernmost Illinois Prison Committee is no stranger to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The group, created from the Union County Economic Development Corp. more than four years ago, was instrumental in the selection of Tamms in Alexander County as the site for the state's Super Max facility that will open in December.

The prison committee, with members from five counties, was reactivated when the Illinois General Assembly approved funding for a $69 million medium-security prison and $42 million facility for a juvenile prison.

The group completed a lot of preliminary preparations to prepare applications for the latest two prison facilities.

The committee, said Jerry Reppert, an Anna businessman and the group's president, visited six sites in the downstate counties of Alexander, Johnson, Massac, Union and Pulaski.

Letters of support were obtained from business owners, organizations and residents throughout the five counties. Utility requirements were discussed with necessary private, county and municipal agencies, and well-documented applications were prepared on each site.

"These applications have been delivered to the Department of Corrections, said Reppert.

It's waiting time now. The Department of Corrections is expected to narrow the list to five -- maybe, three -- by mid-May.

It doesn't matter that some of the areas already have prisons.

There are some advantages to having facilities already in an area, said Nic Howell, a corrections spokesman.

There are already state facilities in six of nine Southern Illinois counties applying for the latest prisons. Only Massac, Pulaski and Williamson counties do not have state facilities. Williamson County has a federal penitentiary at Marion.

At one time, people did not want a prison "in their back yard."

Much of those feelings have changed. As many as 14 state correction centers -- two each in Alexander and Johnson counties -- are located throughout Southern Illinois.

Prison appeal? Jobs!

Look at map, and you can't drive 100 miles without going through a community with a state correctional facility.

The new appeal?

Jobs and economy.

The new Super Max at Tamms will provide 450 jobs with an annual budget of more than $17 million.

The newest facilities?

The medium-security adult prison will contain more than 900 cells to house more than 1,800 inmates. It will provide about 450 jobs with a budget of more than $26 million. Construction will get under way this year, providing quick employment to about 250 construction workers.

The juvenile facility will be smaller, housing between 400 and 500 youths. It will employ 280 people and operate on an annual budget of nearly $14 million.

State officials want to see both facilities operational in 1999.

State Sen. Jim Rea of Christopher is eager to see the facilities in the southern sector of the state.

Rea said he would talk to Gov. Jim Edgar and Department of Corrections Director Odie Washington about the advantages of another prison in Southern Illinois.

Prisons are good for the economy. Rea said, "They create new construction and permanent jobs."

Statistics from the Illinois Association of Realtors show that median home prices in prison communities increased a third more than communities without prisons during the six-year period of 1990-1996.

Rea said he would work closely with everyone concerned to land one of the facilities for Southern Illinois.

Rea said the southern sector had some troubling unemployment rates.

He cited some examples. The five-county area of Alexander, Johnson, Massac, Pulaski and Johnson averaged 9 percent unemployment in February, and this figure was up a couple of percentage points over previous months.

Job workshop, testing

Harrisburg and Saline County had 10.6 percent unemployment; Grayville and White County had 8.1 percent unemployment and Williamson County had 9.8 percent.

The Illinois Department of Corrections will conduct workshops in late May for new positions at the Tamms Super Max.

Pre-employment workshops, designed to help prepare people for the state testing, will be held at Shawnee Community College near Ullin May 19.

Testing will be conducted May 21 and 22 at the college.

Preregistration is required for the May 19 workshop. People may register by calling the Department of Corrections, 217-522-2666, extension 6684, prior to 5 p.m. May 14.

People interested in positions as correctional officers should sign up for the May 20 and 21 tests before April 30. Applications are available at Shawnee College, or by calling the Department of Corrections.

Sam's Club executive quits

Joseph Hardin Jr. was scheduled to be in Cape Girardeau last week for the grand opening of the new Sam's Club facility in the Cape West Business Park.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. had listed Hardin in the grand-opening invitation as president and chief executive of its Sam's Club unit.

But the invitations were printed before April 21.

Hardin, 52, was named president and chief executive of Kinko's Inc., a document-copying chain based in Ventura, Calif.

Hardin, who led Sam's since Ocbober 1995, was the fourth Wal-Mart executive to leave the company in the past 18 months.

During the latest fiscal year, ended Jan. 31, Sam's unit had operating profit of $864 million, up 8 percent from the previous year on sales of $19.8 billion. Sam's accounted for 18.9 percent of Wal-Mart Stores sales of $104.9 billion.

Wal-Mart officials are close-mouths about most operations, but a spokesman did admit that Hardin "chose to leave."

Hardin joined Wal-Mart more than a decade ago, in 1986. The same unnamed Sam's spokesman said current Sam's management will run the unit, which operates 436 warehouse clubs, until a successor is named.

Meanwhile, Jim Hayworth, executive vice president of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club, attended the special invitation-only "Business After Hours" preview session at Cape Girardeau.

Hardin succeeds Donald J. Gogel, who has served as interim Kinko president and CEO since Jan. 1.

Kinko operates 850 outlets.

Capaha Bank move on GO

Capaha Bank expects to open in Cape Girardeau within 30 to 45 days.

Capaha Bank, headquartered at Tamms, Ill., with a branch at Cairo, Ill., will move into a facility near Mount Auburn Road and Route K.

"We received notification from regulatory banking authorities last week that everything had been approved for a move," said John Abercrombie, president and CEO.

Capaha Bank is the former Tamms State Bank, which changed its name last year to Capaha Bank, National Association.

Henriette a Wyeth artist

Henriette Wyeth, daughter of a famous artist and wife of another, died recently of complications from pneumonia, at age 89.

Henriette was the daughter of world-renowned artist N.C. Wyeth. She was the sister of noted artist Andrew Wyeth, and was the wife of artist Peter Hurd.

There are a number of Wyeth and Hurd collections in the Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois area.

Henriette was also an artist, gaining fame for her portrait work, including portraits of many notables, including actresses Helen Hays and Paulette Goddard, and the former first lady, Pat Nixon.