http://www.pontiacdailyleader.com/articles/2008/05/06/news/news3.txt

Pontiac facility slated for closure

5/6/2008

Pontiac Daily Leader

Sheila Shelton

When a letter penned by Illinois Department of Corrections chief Roger Walker Jr. to State Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi, D-Joliet, became public knowledge on Monday a flood tide opened up in Pontiac.

Walker, after a public outcry, decided against closing a portion of Stateville Correctional Center at Joliet and decided in favor of closing Pontiac Correctional Center. Walker's letter to Wilhelmi indicated that instead of Stateville, Pontiac would become the target of a closure.

This now becomes the second threat of closing PCC. The first came during Gov. Rod Blagojevich's first term in office in 2004.

The first attempt met with strong opposition and this newest foray promises to meet strong opposition, too.

Pontiac Mayor Scott McCoy said during an impromptu press conference on Monday afternoon "Blagojevich is not taking into consideration the impact this would have on Pontiac and Livingston County. I'd like him to come to Pontiac and see first hand the role PCC plays here."

"This would be devastating if it comes to happen. I am one guy that will be fighting this decision by the state and I know many others will join me. I'll fight for what is right for Pontiac because that is my job. That's what the people elected me to do," said the mayor.

"I consider this move by the governor and DOC to be posturing and pure politics," he said.

McCoy, State Sen. Dan Rutherford and others met this morning to discuss what can be done to prevent the closing of the 130 year old correctional center.

Walker previously had said the state would close a maximum security portion of Stateville and then move those inmates to Thomson Correctional Center in northwestern Illinois' Carroll County.

Thomson was completed in 2001 and has a capacity of about 1,600 single maximum-security cells which have never been used, according to Associated Press.

AP states that some minimum security inmates are currently housed at Thomson.

It was after the first attempt to close PCC that the legislature determined that public hearings would be conducted on any proposals for closing correctional centers.

Rutherford stated that the proposal to close Pontiac is not a done deal because the General Assembly must first hold hearings on the plan and lawmakers could budget enough money to keep the facility open.

"We'll follow the letter of the law. We'll maker a very impactful case that this will be very harmful to the economy," said Rutherford.

Pontiac's closing would affect 1,650 inmates and 551 employees. Correctional officials said that closing Stateville would have saved a projected $31 million, while closing PCC and opening Thomson would save about $ to $5 million annually.