S. ILLINOIS CELEBRATES NEW PRISON

TAMMS, Ill. -- Despite the absence of Gov. Jim Edgar at a Super Maximum Security prison victory picnic near Tamms Sunday afternoon, about 250 people turned out to cheer local petitioners for the prison and regional dignitaries.

The picnic, held at the Egyptian High School just outside Tamms, was for the purpose of celebrating the successful effort that resulted in the site selection near Tamms of a $60-million super-maximum prison, and to raise money to begin the construction process.

The prison was solicited to the area through a coalition of Alexander, Johnson, Union, Pulaski and Massac counties of Southern Illinois.

Tamms, a community of 748 people about 20 miles east of Cape Girardeau, was selected by a state committee, beating out 30 other communities for the prison site and its $11 million payroll.

Larry Mizzell, deputy director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, spoke to the gathering Sunday on behalf of the governor and the director of corrections.

He said: "During the selection process, we had two priorities: The site had to meet the needs of the Department of Corrections and also had to fill an economic need in the area.

"When we first began, every one of the 30-some communities which applied had some sort of economic need," Mizzell said. "But none had a need as great as did this area."

Mizzell said that other than the economic need in the area, one of the most attractive features of the region was the fact that the Department of Corrections would save more than $800,000 over the next 10 years in utility costs alone.

"We were also very attracted to the diversity of the population and the work force available to draw from for the construction of the facility," he said.

"One thing Gov. Edgar told me what impressed him most about this area was the planning, dedication and hard work this region put into this project," Mizzell said. "You all have bonded together and held hands across county lines to get what you felt would be best for your area; that really meant something to the governor."

Mizzell told the group that he did not want to mislead them by making think that the prison will solve all their economic difficulties.

"But by having the prison as a foundation -- an economic base -- you stand a very good chance of drawing more businesses and more people into this region," he said. "The Department of Corrections wants to be good neighbors to all of you people and we promise to work with you in any way we can."

To raise money for the purchase of at least a portion of the 150-acre tract a half-mile northwest of Tamms that will serve as the site for the prison, organizers were selling "honorary lots" for a minimum donation of $100. Donors were given a certificate and his or her name will appear on a sign near the site.

"We need to raise a lot of money to buy the site, to run waterlines to the prison and to put a road in to it," said Lee Roy Rendleman, one of the main solicitors in the effort to bring the prison to the area. "We've still got a long way to go."

Area residents attending the picnic luncheon were excited about the prison coming to town.

"I'm real happy it's coming here," said W.P. Rendleman, who has lived in Union County all of his life. "This area has really been going down hill for the last several years.

"We've lost so much -- the shoe factory, Bunny Bread and other smaller businesses," he said. "This is the first thing we've gotten in several years that can really help us.

Dare Aden, who works at the electric co-operative that will be providing the power for the new prison, said the news of the prison meant job security.

"The prison will provide a larger demand for what I do," said Aden. "Maybe that won't create more jobs for our co-op specifically, but it does mean that my work will be more coveted and more necessary."

Sherman Dodson is the only police officer -- and duly named police chief -- in Tamms. Recently, the part-time officer in his "department" left for a full-time job in a larger city.

"I was born and raised here, and over the years I've seen almost all of my friends leave to find work and the businesses close down and move to other areas," Dodson said. "Now, maybe with this prison we will get back to the way it used to be -- when this area was alive.

"They tell us the prison should bring in more businesses, visitors and residents," he said. "Hopefully, that will mean the addition of police officers to this area."

Dodson said that initially some people had reservations about a prison housing some of Illinois' most dangerous criminals being located so close to home.

"Once we explain to them what is involved in prison security and what the prison will be like, their fears usually disappear," he said. "I'm just ready to sit back and watch this little town grow and prosper."

Charlotte Dunning hopes the new prison will keep some of Southern Illinois' youth in the area.

"I think it's wonderful that they chose us," she said. "The jobs this will generate will hopefully keep the young folks in this area to earn a living and to make them proud of where they live."

"Saying our area needed this is an understatement," Dunning said. "Things here have bordered on desperation for years; this was the first sign of hope for us."

Dunning said she has relatives who have worked in the prison system and does not feel at all threatened by the presence of one close to her home.

"You have to understand about prisons," she said. "The reason you don't hear about escapees that often is because it doesn't happen very much.

"I'm not worried at all," she said.

The facility will employ up to 250 people during its two-year-construction and about 300 when the 500-bed facility opens. Corrections officials hope construction can begin late next spring.