Tuesday, October 2, 2012, was a day much anticipated in the northwest area of Illinois and eastern Iowa. Thomson, IL, hosted the official announcement of the purchase of the Thomson Correctional Center. The price was $165,000,000. The prison was completed in 2001.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and U. S. Senator Richard Durbin today stated that the Obama administration and the Federal Bureau of Prisons will purchase the underutilized, state-of-the-art, maximum security Thomson facility to house Federal criminal offenders. More than 1100 jobs are expected to be generated once the facility is fully operational.
“This is excellent news that will create more than 1100 jobs in northwestern Illinois and provide relief to taxpayers across the State, who will no longer be forced to pay for an empty, unnecessary facility,” Governor Quinn said. “I want to thank President [Barack] Obama and Senator Durbin for their strong support throughout this process. We look forward to Thomson being a fully-operational facility that will drive major economic growth in the region in the near future.”
“At the direction of President Obama, the Department of Justice, on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, filed paperwork today in the Federal Courthouse in Rockford, [IL,] to finalize the $165 million transfer of Thomson to the Federal system,” said Senator Durbin. “This historic action will lead to the creation of hundreds of construction jobs and over 1000 permanent jobs at this Federal facility. After facing a political standoff in the House of Representatives, I went directly to the President and asked him to take this action. The President knows the Quad Cities and the critical need for good-paying jobs in this part of the State. I want to thank Mayor Hebeler and the people of Thomson. This was his idea and they’ve patiently waited for over a decade for this day to come. This Mayor never gave up–I have the voice mails to prove it.”
The price of $165 million falls between two Federal appraisals. This court-guided process will benefit the taxpayers of Illinois, while ensuring that the facility is used appropriately. The cost of building the prison was $128.8 million. If the prison had continued to sit empty, it would cost the State more than $800,000 annually….
Annual operation of the facility is expected to generate more than $122 million in operating expenditures (including salaries), $19 million in labor income, and $61 million in local business sales.
The first three men shown left-to-right are U. S. Senator Dick Durbin; Village Board of Trustees President Jerry “Duke” Hebeler; Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. They are shown at the Thomson Village Hall after making the announcement.
Photo by Dr. Art Donart
