County partners with T'ville for prison
By Jim Cox Co-Publisher

The Clarke County Commission agreed Tuesday to join with the City of Thomasville in contributing funds to seek a new women's prison that would be located near Thomasville.

Clarke County will contribute up to $20,000. The Thomasville City Council agreed Monday night to contribute a like amount.

Mayor Sheldon Day was at Monday's work session and detailed efforts initiated by Thomasville to seek a 2,000-bed women's correctional facility. It would create 300 direct jobs and numerous indirect jobs, Day said.

The Alabama Department of Corrections is moving to replace the old Tutwiler Women's Prison at Wetumpka. Thomasville is one of four Alabama cities vying for the facility.

"I know corrections has a stigma connected with it but a lot of that stigma is unjust," Day said, calling a prison an "industry without smokestacks."

Day said Thomasville has hired a consultant, Johnny Crawford of Franklin Resources, to help it work on the project. Day detailed what he called a partnership between the city and county that would create an "improvement district" where the prison would be located that would be administered by a board of appointed citizens.

A 150-acre or so site has been determined on the outskirts of Thomasville but Day did not want to disclose its location right now. He did say that the site "isn't in anyone's backyard" and that there was only one house within a mile of the site.

The prison would be an $80 million facility that would be built by the private "improvement district" and then leased to the state for the life of a bond issue. Lease payments by the state would pay off the bonds and at the end of the bond issue the local group would give the key to the prison to the state, Day explained.

Day detailed three phases of the project and said the city and county would only be obligated for an initial $40,000. If the project proceeds past the first phase, the local governments would be reimbursed that money and the state would start paying for costs connected with the project.

Day said the prison would be a "new level" facility and would not be a "lock 'em up and throw away the key" prison.

Commissioner Patricia DuBose asked Day what he thought the chances of landing the prison are. Day responded, "I would think there is a 50-50 chance of getting your money back [and landing the project]."

Day said that this project is no different from other economic development issues that the county puts money into hoping to land new business or industry.

Tuesday there was little discussion as the county agreed to commit $20,000 for the project.

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