The Arkansas Department of Correction has received 16 applications from landowners, cities and counties who want their sites to be considered for a proposed 1,000-bed prison unit.
More could be added to the list, spokesman Dina Tyler said Monday, explaining that the agency will accept applications that were mailed before or on Friday, which was the deadline.
"I'm real impressed with 16 expressions of interest," she said.
The prison envisioned by the Department of Correction would include 250 jobs with an average wage of $12.50 an hour. It also would be built to allow for a future expansion that could double the number of inmates, Tyler said.
In July, the Board of Corrections approved the agency's recommendation to build a maximum-security prison that would house violent offenders with lengthy sentences. The facility also would have 200 single punitive cells for inmates who continue to cause problems during incarceration.
Today's offenders are younger and more difficult to manage, Director Ray Hobbs has frequently said in the past year. Many continue to commit -- or try to commit -- new crimes after they enter the prison system. And because these inmates tend to have longer sentences, they pose an even greater threat to staff, officials have said.
A new prison is expected to cost $75 million to $100 million. The department plans to seek legislative approval next year to finance a $95 million bond issue through an increase in license plate fees. The current fee is $2.50; $1.50 goes to the Arkansas Development Finance Authority, and $1 goes to the state Department of Finance and Administration's Revenue Division to facilitate vehicle registrations.
The new prison would have an initial annual operating budget of $20 million.
Once the list of applicants is finalized, a committee will study the proposed sites and narrow them down before making recommendations to the board, Tyler said.
"A critical component -- if the agency were to receive funding to build this prison -- is that it is built in a place where there's a labor pool that can support it," she said.
For example, a county would have to show that it has a high number of potential employees.
Job candidates must have at least a high school education and be able to pass drug tests. Those with felony convictions or misdemeanor battery convictions wouldn't be eligible.
"It is not unusual for somebody to drive up to 50 miles to work, but we still have to make sure that the labor pool is deep enough and qualified enough," Tyler said.
Another point of consideration is proximity to the federal prison unit in St. Francis County. Even after raising the pay of state correctional staff in that area, the state still has difficulty competing with the salaries offered by the federal facility, Tyler said.
Applications received by Friday came from:
• Travis Plummer in Scott County
• Texarkana Chamber of Commerce
• Pike County
• Cross County Chamber of Commerce
• Arkadelphia and Clark County
• White River Planning and Development
• Newport Economic Development Commission
• Marshall in Searcy County
• Pindall in Searcy County
• Augusta in Woodruff County
• Mississippi County Economic Development
• Prescott/Southwest Arkansas Development Alliance
• Hempstead County Economic Development Commission
• Camden through a joint effort by Ouachita, Union and Columbia counties
• Booneville in Logan County
• Prairie County
Once the list is narrowed down, the Board of Corrections will visit each site before making decisions.
"This has to be a good fit for the community and the agency," Tyler said. "The legislators still have to consider this. This project has not been funded. We hope that it will get the green light, but it might not. Right now, we just want to do our due diligence just in case this is approved."
If lawmakers agree to a new prison, construction wouldn't start until late 2016. It would take another three to five years to open and fully staff it.
State Desk on 10/28/2014