Ivey unveils Elmore County site for proposed prison
Marty RoneyGov. Kay Ivey has released the location for a third proposed super prison in Alabama.
The site is just south of Tallassee, in Elmore County, near the intersection of Highway 229 and Rifle Range Road.
The location in Elmore County was not shared in early September when the governor's office released the other two sites. There were "multiple" locations in Elmore County under review at that time, the governor's release stated.
The announcement is good news for Elmore County, said Elmore County Commission Chairman Troy Stubbs. The county has an extensive history with corrections, being home to four prison facilities. The prisons employ an estimated 700 people, with an annual payroll of about $30 million, Stubbs said.
"We are very excited and appreciative that the location of one of the prisons is in Elmore County," he said. "I think the governor and the committee looked at the resources and trained workforce we have in Elmore County to make the operations of the prison successful. Elmore County has had a formal working relationship with corrections for more than a century."
Elmore County corrections facilities
- Elmore Correctional Facility, Elmore.
- Staton Correctional Facility, Elmore.
- Tutwiler Prison for Women, Wetumpka.
- Frank Lee community corrections work center, Deatsville.
The proposed prison will be about 15 miles from Tutwiler and 20 to 25 miles from the facilities in Elmore and Deatsville.
It's not just employees of the Alabama Department of Corrections who live in Elmore County who will benefit, Stubbs said.
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"We have people living throughout the River Region who travel to Elmore County to work at our corrections facilities," he said. "That's especially true for Autauga and Montgomery counties. So this is good news for the River Region as a whole.
The Alabama Department of Corrections plans on having a long-term build-lease for the three new facilities. Construction in Elmore County is set to begin in early 2021 and create 3,900 construction jobs, the governor's office said.
The other two locations of the super prisons are near Highway 139 and Bibb County road 2 in Bibb County, and Bellfork Road in Escambia County.
A committee is working on plans for the vacated prison sites throughout the state.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.