TOWN STILL HAS HOPES ABOUT NEW PRISON SITE

FREDERICKTOWN -- A Fredericktown businessman who led that city's effort to secure a new female prison, vowed Thursday that he would work to convince Gov. Mel Carnahan to choose the town, even though it was not a site recommended by a legislative committee earlier this week.

"Obviously we were disappointed, but more than that, we were really turned off by the way the process occurred," said Don Weiland, who is chairman of the economic development committee of the Chamber of Commerce that led the city's effort.

Weiland said he was incensed that a city official from New Florence presented two-year-old newspaper articles to a committee member about racial problems in Bowling Green.

Because of that, Weiland said the committee made a decision without fully discussing the merits of the five sites.

The Joint Committee on Correctional Institutions and Problems recommended to the governor that he put the new prison in either Bonne Terre, Vandalia or New Florence. The other two finalists were Fredericktown and Bowling Green.

"This is a tainted decision," said Weiland. "It is unbelievable that a community that played dirty tricks ends up being rewarded for it. That is despicable. Our position is we are protesting this and think the only honorable thing the governor and administration can do is eliminate the dirty tricks community and re-enter Fredericktown and Bowling Green into the final four."

Weiland said he will be in Jefferson City this afternoon and Saturday, and hopes to meet with the governor or members of his staff.

Sen. Danny Staples, D-Eminence, who is chairman of the joint committee on corrections, said Weiland and Fredericktown officials would be better off getting behind Bonne Terre as a site since it is just a 30-minute drive from Fredericktown.

"I would hope that now, instead of argumentation and allegations, that everyone would get in support of Bonne Terre," Staples said. "The thing is over and done. We worked on it for 16 months. I wish everyone could be a winer, but there has got to be losers. I realize this is tough for some communities to face because they worked on it for a long time."

Staples pointed out that the committee recommendation was unanimous, and said his role now is to work with Reps. Bob Ward, D-Desloge, Herb Fallert, D-Ste. Genevieve, and Wayne Crump, D-Potosi, and Sen. Bill McKenna, D-Barnhart, to get support for Bonne Terre.

Until redistricting in 1991, Staples had represented Madison County. But the senator said he was the only member of the joint committee that supported Fredericktown.

Staples said the woman who provided the articles about Bowling Green was wrong in what she did, but he doubted whether it kept the city from being a finalist.

Weiland said Fredericktown did not play dirty, but could have by sharing information with committee members about problems in Bonne Terre city government. Instead, Weiland said his city played by the rules and relied on the facts.

For now, Weiland said he and Fredericktown Mayor Jerry Foster will try to convince the governor to re-consider their city.

Staples, however, said if Carnahan follows the path of former Govs. Joe Teasdale, Kit Bond and John Ashcroft, he will choose one of the sites recommended by the committee.

"I have confidence in this governor that he will not circumvent the committee system," Staples said. "It is time for us to put our differences aside and work for the area. If we don't all agree, it will go north of I-70.

Weiland admitted Fredericktown will have a hard time bucking the lack of a committee recommendation, but he is optimistic the city's sound proposal will win out.

"Many, many people in the community have made solid contributions to this effort," Weiland said. "It is certainly disappointing when all those efforts are shot down by dirty tricks and the decision is not made on merit."