TAMMS TO SERVE AS HOME OF NEW ILLINOIS PRISON

TAMMS, Ill. -- The Alexander County village of Tamms, 18 miles north of Cairo and 20 miles west of Cape Girardeau, has been selected for a $60 million super-maximum prison.

Gov. Jim Edgar said the prison site two miles northeast of Tamms was recommended by Corrections Department Director Howard Peters III following visits to five final sites last week.

Corrections officials are hopeful construction can begin late next spring.

The prison will employ up to 250 people during its two-year construction. When completed, it will employ up to 300 people and provide an $11-million-a-year payroll.

"I'm still on `cloud nine,'" said Walter Pang, mayor and one of 748 citizens who reside in the village. "It's a dream come true. This is the greatest thing that has happened since I've been here."

Pang said the prison would be a big economic boost to the area.

"Looking to the future, we can envision a motel, another grocery store, and some smaller businesses," said Pang. "I've talked with numerous people, and I'd say that 99 percent of them favored this facility.

"It's good to see that we can get one of these state projects in Southern Illinois," said Jerry Reppert, who headed up the drive to get the prison in one of five counties: Union, Alexander, Pulaski, Johnson or Massac. "In the past we may not have shouted loud enough, but this time we let the state know what our feelings are. We put together a good package."

Reppert, chairman of the Union County Development Corp., said the prison would also serve as an "attractor" for other businesses throughout Southern Illinois and that most people throughout the area favored it.

John Abercrombie, president of Tamms Bank, agreed: "I haven't talked to anyone who was against this facility. I think it's great. I'm just delighted."

Abercrombie recalled an earlier time when Tamms attempted to attract a prison facility.

"It was 12 to 15 years ago," said Abercrombie. "It was even the same land. We compiled all of the information, but the prison went somewhere else. I told Mr. Peters during the recent hearing at Shawnee Community College that I hoped this time around wouldn't be for naught."

John Mehner, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, said he was happy for the immediate Southern Illinois area.

"It's great for that area," he said. "It'll be a big boost economically for the area. With 300 jobs, it could indirectly be a boost here, too."

Mehner, who has a degree in criminal justice and worked with the St. Louis County Police Department, said he wasn't concerned about the fact that the facility will be a super-max.

"I think basically that maximum prisons are just that, maximum security," he said.

Some Tamms residents agree.

"New super-max prisons are not like the old `B' movies when criminals were always breaking out of jail," said Larry Brymer, pharmacist and owner of a drug store at Tamms. "We're just delighted that this facility is coming here. It's an answer to a lot of prayers."

"It's the best thing that could have happened here," said Billy Pace, who works at the Butcher Block in Tamms. "I certainly have no qualms about the prison housing the state's worst criminals.

Lisa Quesenberry, an employee of Tamms Bank, said she was pleased that the facility will be in Tamms. "I think it's great and wonderful."

The director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, recommended the Tamms site to Edgar after reviewing written applications, meeting with officials from the communities that sought the prison and holding hearings in the five towns chosen as finalists.

Considerations included topography, easements, flood plain, environmental concerns, unemployment, poverty, minority population, number of state employees, roads and medical facilities, he said.

Originally, 30 communities sought the prison and the list was narrowed by the corrections department. The finalists were Tamms, Carlinville in Macoupin County, Murphysboro in Jackson County, Pittsfield in Pike County, and Vandalia in Fayette County.

Tamms, like the other sites in the running, said the jobs the prison would bring could help ease tough economic times. Many towns in Southern Illinois suffer from double-digit unemployment and suffered further damage because of Mississippi River flooding in the spring and summer.

Edgar said technical issues and economic development were the only things considered in choosing the prison site.

"This site comes out first in both those areas," he said at a Capitol news conference. "There was no politics."

Alexander County has a poverty rate of 32.2 percent, according to the 1990 census. Nearly 3,400 of the county's 10,626 residents live below the federal poverty standard. The county ranked 139th in the nation in terms of poverty, according to the census. The latest unemployment figures show the county with 18 percent unemployment.

Peters said Tamms was the best site because it can easily be prepared for construction and local officials were donating land and utility connections. The area also is racially diverse, he said, which could curtail resistance to the prison.

Details on the prison:

$60 million and 250 jobs during construction.

Space for 500 of the state's most violent criminals.

300 permanent jobs.

Estimated annual payroll of $11 million.

Immediately north of Tamms on 150 acres adjacent to Route 127.

Currently a clover field with a few woods owned by Gerald Cain, who has agreed to sell it to village of Tamms for $1,000 an acre. Tamms will in turn give the site to the state.

New road to be built off Highway 127 into site, with cost to be borne by county, town and prison committee.

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