SEVEN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SITES PROPOSED FOR NEW STATE PRISON

The Illinois Department of Corrections wants to get on with its chore of selecting a site for a planned $60 million super-maximum prison.

"We don't want to string it out, said Nick Howell, a spokesman for the department. "We intend to run a very efficient evaluation process, and we'd like to have a site selected by mid-October."

Howell said Gov. Jim Edgar and Department of Corrections Director Howard A. Peters III had established guidelines and timetables for applications.

"Sept. 15 is the deadline for applications," said Howell. "We have 34 communities which have already expressed interests. After the deadline, the agency will select from three to six areas as finalists."

At that time, said Howell, "we will conduct hearings in those final areas, and Peters hopes to have a recommendation for the governor by mid-October.

"We want to know where we are wanted," said Howell. "We want to know not only who wants the prison in that community, but we want to know who doesn't want it and what the sentiments are. We're going to make a decision of going into are area that will meet all of our needs, and one that we will be able to be good neighbors with."

The prison will provide about 300 permanent jobs.

Included in the group submitting applications is the Union County Economic Development Corp., which has established a five-county coalition to attract the prison somewhere in southernmost Illinois.

The Alexander, Johnson, Union, Massac and Pulaski counties group has emerged with seven sites, and has netted more than 8,100 signatures in support of putting the "Super Max" in the area.

"We started our support drive the day we heard rumors about a new prison," said Jerry Reppert, president of the Union County Economic Development Corp. "It developed quickly into a multicounty effort."

Letters of support from business owners, organizations and individuals from all five counties have already been forwarded to officials," said Reppert. "The UCEDC proposal committee will make a well-documented proposal to officials," said Reppert.

The group's prison project committee has discussed utility requirements with the necessary private companies, county, and municipal agencies.

"Cooperation between the counties has been strong," said Reppert. "Optimism is high."

Shawnee Community College President Jack Hill and Regional Superintendent of Schools Jerry Johnson have added their support to the prison being put in Southern Illinois.

The sites that have been suggested in the four counties are:

The C.D. Ranch property on the east side of Union County at the Alexander and Johnson county lines on Route 146.

Surplus property of the Choate Mental Health Center at Anna.

A farm south of Jonesboro on Route 127.

A site in Alexander County north of Tamms.

Two sites in Pulaski County, off Interstate 57, near the new Illinois State Police headquarters building.

A site in Johnson County near the Vienna Correctional Facility.