PRISON DERBIES: COMMUNITIES IN MISSOURI, ILLINOIS BEING CONSIDERED; CHARLESTON SITE VISITED

CHARLESTON -- The city of Charleston put on its best face Wednesday for members of the Joint Committee on Correctional Institutions and Problems.

Even a group of protesters who oppose a state prison for Charleston were polite.

Committee members toured a 120-acre site near Interstate 57 and State Highway 105, City Manager Dave Brewer said. They had a tour of the town and lunch at Warren and Betty Hearnes' house.

Charleston is one of four final candidates for one of two $73-million, 1,500-bed maximum-security prisons. Each prison would provide 365 new jobs and bring a payroll of $9.1 million to the towns.

Brewer said he thought everything went well. He said committee members asked about the location of the site in relation to the highway. The committee does not want the prison on top of a thoroughfare. Charleston's site is near the highway but set back.

Brewer told them the site is not in a floodplain and a recent rain demonstrated the natural grade of the land. "I think they were impressed with that," he said, adding that farmers had been working with heavy equipment in the field after the storm without leaving deep ruts.

Brewer said the members asked about Charleston's minority population, which is 40 percent. "They were impressed with the town," he said.

Charleston residents did their part. Mowers were active before the visit as were cleanup crews. The state chipped in and mowed the grass along the overpass.

"We feel good about it," Brewer said of the visit. "We won't know until it's over but we do feel good at this time."

Eleven of the 12 joint committee members were present for the tour.

Former State Rep. Betty Hearnes, who also served on the committee during her service in the Legislature, hosted a lunch for committee members.

She said the city gave the best presentation it could have. "We left no stone unturned," Hearnes said. "I don't know what other people do, but my strategy is to just talk to them. We presented a good plan, and we feel like they can evaluate that plan and make their decision."

Hearnes said Charleston is the only Southeast Missouri city left in the running and the prison would help alleviate a high unemployment rate.

Committee members inspected sites at Trenton and Lewiston Tuesday and left Charleston for a tour of Licking later Wednesday.

Their recommendations will be submitted to Gov. Mel Carnahan this week. Carnahan is leaving July 8 for three weeks. He will not make a decision on the prisons until he returns, said Chris Sifford, Carnahan's communications director.

"There has to be quite a bit of analyses, but we should be able to get it done fairly soon," Sifford said.

A group of 12 to 15 protesters were at the site in opposition to the prison.

State Sen. Peter Kinder, who attended the inspection, said the protest was done without a scene.

"They were polite. They made their case and they were listened too," Kinder said.

Kinder said a few of the committee members sought out the protesters for their input. He said he did not hear a single concern expressed by committee members after the inspection.

Dan Choate, one of the Charleston residents who was at the site in opposition to the prison, said building a prison where the city proposes would be against the law.

Choate said the site is in a floodplain that would be swamped if there was a failure in the chain of levees along the Mississippi River. He said he brought that point up to a member of the committee during the inspection.

Choate also said the prison does not have the support of every resident.