Thomson prison appraisal, fed's offer differ

The Pantagraph ^ | 19 Aug 2010 | Ed Tibbets

[Western Phil]

THOMSON — The three appraisals of the Thomson Correctional Center have been completed, and the average value assigned to the vacant prison is far higher than what the Obama administration budgeted to buy the facility.

Federal and state officials said Wednesday, however, the process continues to move forward.

The state has offered the 1,600-bed prison to local governments for $219,932,218. The offer to locals is a requirement of the state’s law governing disposal of excess property, but it’s the federal government that is really interested in the facility.

The Obama administration has said it wants to buy the prison 50 miles northeast of the Quad Cities to house foreign detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It also is seeking to ease overcrowding in the federal prison system.

(snip)

By law, Klinzman said, the state can accept no less than $219,932,218 for the facility.

That’s markedly higher than the $170 million the Obama administration requested of Congress in its 2011 budget proposal to cover both the purchase price and security upgrades

(snip)

The state built the prison for $140 million in 2001, but it has remained largely unused. It costs $2 million a year to operate.

[Western Phil]

The latest verse in the closing of the Guantanamo Bay facility

[Western Phil]

Pantagraph = Bloomington, Illinois

[bigbob]

Watch Bam try to stiff his own home state.