PRIVATE PRISON: READY & WAITING

ULLIN, Ill. -- Illinois' first privately operated jail, the Tri-County Justice & Detention Center at Ullin, is expected to open soon but is still waiting for water.

Mike Kleinik, administrator for the new facility, said a Jan. 15 opening date is expected.

Originally, the jail was set to open in the fall. But a delay in the installation of a new water system in Southern Illinois pushed the opening date back.

The jail will serve as a regional detention center for Alexander, Pulaski and Union counties.

Water should be available at the prison by year's end. Chris Boyd of Southwater Inc., which installed the new system, said water has been pumping already in Tamms, Olive Branch, McClure and East Cape Girardeau. Ullin should be added before Dec. 31.

"Everything is in place now, and we're in the process of testing the water," said Boyd. "Final samples were taken last week, and we could be ready to turn the water on within another week to 10 days."

While the jail has been waiting for its water system to get installed, Kleinik has spent his days reviewing employee applications. He is a former Fayette County Sheriff and has 20 years experience in law enforcement.

The jail, which is financed by a private prison company based in Albuquerque, N.M., will employ 48 workers -- 16 from each of the three counties it serves. Kleinik is employed by a GRW Corp. of Brentwood, Tenn., which was contracted to operate the jail.

Two of the three Southern Illinois counties to benefit from the new jail don't house their prisoners locally. Alexander County is the only county with a jail still in operation.

Pulaski and Union counties pay to send their prisoners elsewhere. Union County prisoners are housed in Murphysboro and Pulaski County prisoners are taken to the Massac County Jail in Metropolis.

Alexander County's jail, built in 1964, will close when the new facility opens. The Pulaski County Jail closed in December 1987 and Union County's jail closed in October 1994.

Getting the jail set for opening has been a long task. Construction first began in September 1997.

"It's a milestone for the tri-county area," said Pulaski County Sheriff Gene Dixon. "This is the first private prison in the state of Illinois and a lot of people are watching."

The facility cost $7.5 million and will house up to 210 prisoners. It sits on a five-acre plot just west of the Illinois State Police District 22 headquarters along Interstate 57. The project was financed by Western Corrections, a private prison company.

Western Corrections Inc. will recoup its investment through fees collected from each inmate sent there by Alexander, Pulaski and Union counties. Other state and federal prisoners also may be jailed there, the company said.