NEWS

April 24, 2008
State Senate approves money for new Fort Madison prison

The Iowa Senate approved $130.7 million in bonding to pay for a new state penitentiary at Fort Madison tonight, and approved spending $184 million for upgrades at the women's prison in Mitchellville, expanding community corrections facilities in Des Moines, Waterloo, Sioux City and Ottumwa and other projects.

The spending was approved late tonight with a 30-13 vote on a $484 million infrastructure budget bill.

Some Republicans senators said it makes little sense to build a prison in Fort Madison, located on a remote southeastern edge of the state.

“Newton makes by far the best sense,” said Sen. Paul McKinley, a Republican from Chariton. Newton is centrally located, and closer to hospitals and other services that prisoners require, he said.

But the Senate has settled on Fort Madison. The new 800-bed prison there will be built on a prison farm owned by the state about half a mile away from the existing prison. Construction would begin in 2010 and the prison would open in 2014.

Tobacco securitization funding will be used to pay for the project at the women’s prison in Mitchellville, which includes tearing down some buildings and constructing new ones, said Sen. Gene Fraise, a Democrat from Fort Madison.

The bill now goes to the Iowa House for more consideration.

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