NEWS

September 8, 2010
Despite Heavy Rain, New Prison on Track

Despite a rainy year, work is ahead of schedule on a new $130 million maximum-security prison in southeast Iowa, a prison spokeswoman said. The new prison near Fort Madison will replace the Iowa State Penitentiary, which has segments dating back to 1839 -- seven years before Iowa became a state. More than 37 inches of rain has fallen on Fort Madison in the four months since officials broke ground on the new prison, The Hawk Eye in Burlington reported Tuesday.

But that isn't slowing progress. "We are probably 70-some percent completed with all of three phases of the site work that is going on," prison spokeswoman Rebecca Bowker said. That includes work inside and outside a perimeter fence and reseeding.

Bid packages will be opened today to begin selecting a general contractor to oversee construction. Bowker said it will be up to the general contractor to decide where to start . The new 800-bed prison will feature 457,000 square feet of buildings located on 42 acres north of Fort Madison, a city along the Mississippi River in the far southeast corner of the state.

The prison will include three towers, three housing units, a building for people with special needs and medical housing, an administration building, recreation areas and an industrial building.

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