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T'ville planning pitch for women's prison Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day told council members Monday that he expected the state to be putting out a request for a proposal on a women's prison facility soon. Day is currently working with county commission chairman Paul Bradford to lay the groundwork for a possible pitch from Thomasville. "I know some people look at corrections as having a stigma attached, but it's one of the cleanest industries available," Day said. In an apparent effort to calm concerns about a prison possibly being built near Thomasville, Day said the most likely site to be pitched, only had one house within a mile. "I think it's a huge opportunity for us," he said. "This new women's facility - the governor wants it to be a state of the art facility where inmates could earn their way to having their children stay with them in a special area of the facility." The state is reportedly looking at four locations around the state for a prison that would replace the aging Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka. Previous reports indicated that a facility that could house up to 2,000 inmates is needed and it would require at least 150 acres. Tutwiler employs 300 state and contract workers. Day said the city would likely have to hire a consultant to prepare the proposal to the state. No vote was made on the matter Monday night. Twin Rivers detailed Chip Harrigan, chairman of the newly created Twin Rivers Economic Development Partnership, outlined Twin Rivers' goals and makeup. The goal of the Twin Rivers partnership is to stimulate economic growth through a regional approach, partnering Clarke County and Choctaw County. Board members and advisors to the partnership were introduced at the meeting. Six board members serve, representing both counties. "This group is still in its infancy," Harrigan said. "We've interviewed about 75 people in the area on their views, and the feedback was very positive about a regional effort." Currently, the group is still in its organizational and fundraising stage, Harrigan said. Twin Rivers has hired Funding Solutions, a Texas-based company to assist in the effort to find investors who will help fund the organization. The partnership has also asked for funding from city and county governments, hoping to get half of its funding needs met through private investors and the other half through governmental support. Board member Buddy Bedwell said the group was an opportunity he'd been waiting for. "This has been a lifelong dream of mine," he told the council. "It is an opportunity I never thought I'd see." "To show you how the directors are deeply interested in this, we've signed a $150,000 letter of credit to get this started." It's believed such a regional development group could reach further and be more attractive to potential business interests, and once, garnering their interest in this area, bringing in the more local economic development entities to help close the deal. "We've received tremendous support (from other regional economic development groups) and they really opened our eyes to what's possible." Thomasville has already provided $10,000 in seed money, and the group is requesting a commitment from the city of $25,000 per year for the next five years. The city's current gift would leave $15,000 to be donated this year. Day said he wanted to give the council time to digest the news and give them opportunities to get answers to any questions they may have. Day said he believed the partnership could "streamline our economic development efforts." No action on wet-dry
No action was taken on setting a voting date for legalizing alcohol sales in Thomasville. The city is still waiting word from the attorney general's office regarding which prior election should be used to determine the number of needed signatures in the certified petition requesting a vote.
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