CLINTON —
A little more than 14 years ago, an announcement was made that was predicted to change the future of Thomson, Ill.
Then-Gov. James Edgar had arrived in town to make it official — Thomson was to become the site of the state’s newest correctional center.
It was a shock to residents in the area, first because just months earlier it had been announced the prison would be located at the former site of the Savanna Army Depot near Hanover, Ill., just north of Thomson. The depot had been closed in 1995 by the federal government but there was hope that location could be used to house a new maximum-security state prison. But a struggle between state officials and environmentalists who said there were rare plants on the land led Edgar’s administration to look at Thomson as an alternate site.
So three months after the declaration was made that a prison was going to be built at the depot, Edgar made a trip to Thomson to announce it was instead going to be constructed there. Many thought that for Thomson, the planned prison was the equivalent of being a lottery winner. Businesses expanded and new ones were built to prepare for the expected influx of people, not only those who would work at the 1,600-bed facility, but those who would be coming to town to visit inmates.
But here we are 14 years later, and the prison’s expected impact has not materialized.
That’s because while the prison’s construction was completed in 2001 at a cost of $140 million, sadly, the state never had funds to completely utilize it. In fact, every year when the state released its proposed budget, funds weren’t earmarked for the prison’s opening, much to the dismay of local officials and business owners, some of whom took a financial risk of investment and lost.
While the prison did partially open in the mid-2000s and housed some prisoners, they were later shuttled out as the state worked to broker a sale of the prison to the federal government based on talks between the town’s village board president and U.S. Sen Dick Durbin of Illinois.
That has not been a smooth course there either: talk that the prison could be used to house Guantanamo Bay prisoners led to declarations and promises by President Barack Obama and his administration that they would not end up there. And while those promises had been made, there was resistance in Congress that they are not enough and that opening the prison wrongfully puts it ahead of other facilities that should be opened first.
Finally, after three years of discussion, state officials this month announced the prison was sold to the federal government at a cost of $165 million. No date has been set for its opening since money will have to be appropriated to upgrade the facility and that work will have to be done before it is ready for prisoners.
But the good news is that in the end, it could be Thomson really did in fact win the lottery: If officials’ predictions come true, the prison’s presence will create more than 1,100 jobs when it is fully operational, generate more than $122 million in operating expenditures, $19 million in labor income and $61 million in local business sales.
Those economic benefits can’t come soon enough for those who fought for the construction of the prison and others who look forward to the development it will bring not only for that village but for surrounding towns that will see new residents and growth in their schools and economies.
In fact, many of the councils and school boards that we cover in the past few weeks are once again talking about the impact it could bring to their towns and how to best prepare for it.
It is talk that makes us hopeful for the future of our area. Our greatest hope is that the work of those at the beginning of this saga and the continued persistence of area officials will pay off and will lead to an economic dream come true for our region.
Charlene R. Bielema has been employed with the Clinton Herald since June 1995. She has been the Herald’s editor since 2002.
Top News
Related Photos
-
Charlene Bielema
Discussion
October 27, 2012
BIELEMA: Officials once again buzzing about prison
- Top News
-
-
High hopes as season starts
In Kevin Cunningham’s first season as Clinton High baseball coach, the River Kings surprised opponents and put together a 20-14 season.
-
What you need to know about preparing for tornadoes
Tornado survivors and seasoned observers suggest people do two simple things to prepare for tornadoes: Know where to take shelter, and move quickly when the time comes.
-
VIDEO: Tumblr sold to Yahoo! for $1.1 billion
Yahoo! has purchased Tumblr for $1.1 billion, hoping to compete more effectively with sites like Google and Facebook.
-
Indians earn 2nd in hurdles
Thomas Brantley, Devin Norman, Shykeem Williams and Mike Osaro were all smiles after seeing that their time in the finals of the Class 2A shuttle hurdle relay was their best ever.
-
Fitness club is expanding
CLINTON — Less than two years after opening, the Iron Horse Fitness Club is more than tripling their space by moving to the former Rodeo Saloon and Feedhouse. Owners Ashley and Brad Gendreau, 31, of Thomson, Ill., will move by August from the locatio
- A few issues to be resolved This past week was once again rumored to be the last week for legislators at the Statehouse, but while many of the major budget bills were agreed upon, a few of the most stubborn issues remain to be resolved. The House and Senate have now agreed on h
-
Panthers take 2nd at state
A successful track season was capped by a second place performance for Erie/Prophetstown on Saturday at the Illinois Class1A girls track and field state meet.
-
Striding for awareness
CAMANCHE -- Organizers for the third annual Strides for Clinton County Autism Family Walk and 5K run agreed that Saturday's turnout was better than last year. "It's getting bigger every year," Lori Bigwood, one of the organizers for the event, said.
- Clinton avoids heavy storm CLINTON -- Jim Blaess, official weather observer for the National Weather Service, said Clinton County was lucky during Sunday's storms. "We dodged a bullet," said Blaess, adding that the county did not see any tornados. The county did not receive a
-
Gas prices up 11 cents over past 2 weeks
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) -- The average U.S. price of a gallon of gasoline has jumped 11 cents over the past two weeks. The Lundberg Survey of fuel prices released Sunday says the price of a gallon of regular is $3.66. Midgrade costs an average of $3.8
- More Top News Headlines
-
High hopes as season starts
