LEGISLATORS VISIT POTENTIAL STATE PRISON SITE AT FREDERICKTOWN

FREDERICKTOWN -- Joseph R. Smith is no stranger to a community with a prison facility.

Before becoming city administrator at Fredericktown in August of 1993, Smith was assistant administrator at Ellsworth, Kan., which has one of the top correctional facilities in Kansas.

Smith was discussing a prison facility here Monday, following a visit to the area from members of the Joint Committee on Correction.

That group is visiting a number of Eastern Missouri communities who are competing to host a proposed 1,200-bed, $56 million women's prison.

The state is searching for a replacement for Renz Correctional Center at Jefferson City, which was destroyed last summer by Missouri River flooding. The prison's 373 women inmates were moved to other prisons, but that has further increased prison crowding conditions.

Several legislators, including Sen. Danny Staples, D-Eminence, chairman of the committee, were on hand to visit a site off Route 67 about a mile northeast of Fredericktown. In addition to committee members, also visiting the site Monday was Sen. Peter Kinder (R-Cape Girardeau).

"We've been preparing for lawmakers' questions about geography, utilities, available work force, educational opportunities and medical care for a long while," said Smith. "Our community is behind this, and so is our county."

Smith said the new prison facility would create more than 350 jobs.

Committee members visited potential sites in Montgomery City, New Florence, Vandalia, Fredericktown and Bonne Terre Monday.

"We're excited about the prospects," said Smith. "We feel that we presented our site and community in a strong positive format, and that we have a lot to offer. We feel that such a facility would not only help Fredericktown, but would impact other areas throughout Madison, Iron and Bollinger counties."

Smith said the site proposed by Fredericktown was located in the northwest sector of the city.

The site is located on a hill and falls into the prerequisite required for the prison facility. It is surrounded on one side by a mountainous area; another side by the St. Francois River; another side is surrounded by trees; and on the fourth side is a man-made border, a highway."

Fredericktown, Montgomery City, New Florence, Sullivan and Vandalia were the top finalists among communities which had submitted applications for a prison site before the floods destroyed Renz Prison last spring.

The Missouri Department of Corrections had selected the five communities as possible sites for a new 500-bed prison which would house medium- and maximum-security inmates to replace Renz Correctional Center near Jefferson City.

Renz was scheduled to be converted into a minimum-security prison to accomodate up to 400 men.

But the flood wiped out the Renz facility, located about three miles north of Jefferson City, in early July, sending correctional officials back to the drawing board for a new facility.

The new plans called for a 1,200-bed women's prison to be constructed in eastern Missouri.

Staples has suggested that the committee have its recommendations for the legislature within three weeks.