The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

The Record of Decision is the final step in the environmental review process and the BOP can now proceed with the project.

Construction of the 1,280-bed facility is expected to begin in the spring and will infuse $35 million annually into the local economy, Byrd said. "This is an exciting day for southern West Virginia, and for McDowell County and Wyoming County in particular," Byrd said. "This announcement caps many years of work by me and by other state and local officials. It is so satisfying to know that, because of our efforts, the wait is over. The jobs are coming."

"We're so excited it is unreal," added Gordon Lambert, who has served as McDowell County Commission president for the past decade. "This is the best news I've heard since I've been on the commission."

House Majority Leader Rick Staton, D-Wyoming, was excited as well. "This is a Christmas present that is going to last for generations to come," he emphasized.

"This is the culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people," added Coalfields Expressway Authority Director and Wyoming County Delegate Richard Browning.

"The prison is the flagship of the economic development project of the Coalfields Expressway and shows the benefits of working with a three-county area.

"There were some dark days early in the evolution of this project, but because we had some good people -- Byrd and U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, and others -- working along the way, they have seen it through," Browning emphasized.

"This will create jobs for all of southern West Virginia -- not just McDowell and Wyoming counties," Browning noted. "McDowell County doesn't have enough people to fill all these jobs. There will be enough jobs for a five-county area."

"It is a great day, but I look at this with mixed feelings," added Mike Goode, Wyoming County clerk and chairman of the Coalfields Expressway Authority. "I wish we had the money to build the road to this prison. It's a shame the money isn't there for the Coalfields Expressway."

The Coalfields Expressway is earmarked to receive about $16 million in federal monies in the latest six-year transportation bill, which will only build about 5 miles of road, officials note. With the prison coming, however, more federal dollars are expected, they believe.

"This federal prison project truly represents the fruits of a community-based vision," said Rahall, D-W.Va. "The prison will be a huge economic generator for the region by creating new jobs and it will serve as a catalyst for future economic development and expansion."

The prison project has been in the making for more than five years, Lambert said.

"The first time we took the Bureau of Prison (representatives) to Indian Ridge, they couldn't believe we could do it," Lambert said. Five years ago, the 500-acre industrial park was no more than a series of deep valleys edged by looming mountain tops. Today those valleys have been filled, creating a huge stretch of flat, mountain-top land awaiting the development of the prison and other businesses, as well as the interchange for the Coalfields Expressway and the King Coal Highway.

"This shows what happens when you use persistence and methodical planning," Staton said. Staton also pointed out the by-products of the prison will include highway construction, new infrastructure, service industry jobs, new housing and improvements to the education system.

"The cake is going to be as delicious as the icing," he emphasized. "We've been working for years -- getting ready for this day," Browning said. "We've been improving our housing, education system, health care, social needs. It's not like we've been caught off guard -- unlike some other areas of the country.

"We're ready to reap the economic benefits of the location of the prison here," Browning said. "We started talking a long time ago about the possibility of prison number two. Somewhere along the way, I hope to see that happen, maybe in Wyoming County. "My hope is this will accelerate the construction of the Coalfields Expressway from Beckley to Welch." McDowell County has already seen the opening of a new cinema in Welch and a new Wal-Mart is set to open in September, Lambert said. The new Stevens Correctional Facility, located in the former Stevens Clinic building, will hire 60 people Sept. 5 and an additional 60 people will be hired Oct. 18, Lambert noted.

On at least four separate occasions between March 1997 and June 1998, at Byrd's direction, BOP officials visited McDowell County looking for a site for a federal prison. Subsequently, with Byrd's encouragement, BOP officials conducted additional visits to the Indian Ridge Industrial Park and met with local officials regarding criteria for a prison site.

To help move the site forward, Byrd added $5 million to legislation in 1999 for a water/sewer line extension at the Indian Ridge site. He also included $1.25 million in legislation in 2004 for infrastructure and site development at the Indian Ridge Industrial Park.

In addition, through the federal appropriations process, Byrd, who serves as the top Democratic member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has been working to obtain construction funding for the new facility.

"I want to make sure that there are no delays in this project. This new facility has been a hope for so many of us for so long. Now, our hopes have turned to reality," Byrd said.
http://www.register-herald.com/articles/2005/08/22/news/bprison23.txt