By Evan Belanger
The Decatur Daily
HARVEST, Ala. — The fate of Limestone Correctional Facility remains uncertain in the wake of Gov. Robert Bentley’s proposal for a sweeping overhaul of the state’s beleaguered prison system.
Bentley is proposing the state spend up to $800 million to consolidate 14 Alabama prisons into four large regional prisons.
The plan — intended to stave off a potential federal takeover — could result in the Limestone County site becoming the new home for a larger regional prison. It also could result in the Limestone prison closing. And while that would impact the 345 jobs at the prison, it raises the possibility of future development at the site.
Located on bustling Nick Davis Road, the prison’s 1,147-acre spread is suited for residential property development.
“There is some residential development surrounding that area, and if that prison was closed down and redeveloped, it would generate a lot more income,” said Tim Brown, a broker with The Favor Group, a real estate brokerage firm in Huntsville.
Since the prison opened in 1984, the area has seen significant residential growth. When the last traffic study was completed in 2013, Nick Davis Road had more than 7,700 vehicles traversing it daily, according to Limestone County Commissioner Jason Black, who represents District 3, where the prison is located.
Additionally, the prison is near two new subdivisions where more than 400 homes are planned. It’s two miles from Creekside Elementary School, an amenity that could attract residential growth to the area.
“That’s certainly some prime property,” County Commission Chairman Mark Yarbrough said.
A switch to private development also would bring the sizable prison site onto the tax rolls for the first time in more than three decades. As a governmental entity, the Department of Corrections does not pay taxes on the land.
The Limestone County Department of Revenue estimates the value of the property at nearly $15 million, including $10 million for the prison buildings.
If the property were taxable, that would generate nearly $90,000 in property taxes annually. That could increase further if the use of property were shifted from its current uses, listed as agriculture and governmental activities.
Brown said the value of the land likely would increase significantly if the property were developed for residential use.
“I’m sure by being there, the prison makes it a less-desirable place to live for the residents,” he said. “Now, take that away, and it would create a whole new environment.”
But the fate of Bentley’s proposal is far from certain, requiring the Legislature to approve a bond issue of $700 million to $800 million to pay for the construction.
‘Many unknowns’
“There’s just so many unknowns that I’m going to need to see the details on, and the governor is yet to share that,” said Sen. Bill Holtzclaw, R-Madison, whose district includes the prison.
According to supporters of the plan, if the state does nothing to fix its prison system in the face of alleged crowding and poor treatment of inmates, it risks a federal takeover of the system.
Bentley has argued the plan would not cost the state additional dollars because the debt service could be paid with maintenance savings in the prison budget.
According to a seven-page report released by the Alabama Department of Corrections, the plan would consolidate 14 of the state’s 16 high- and medium-security prisons into four large regional prisons.
One of those facilities, the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women, is already slated to close.
Bob Horton, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections, said no decisions have been made as to which of the remaining 13 would be closed or where the regional prisons would be located.
He also could not say whether the department would consider selling the land of closed prisons if Bentley’s plan comes to fruition.
That means the Limestone facility could be one of the two prisons that remain open. It also could be closed, or it could be the site of a new regional prison.
Even if it is closed, it is not clear what the Department of Corrections would do with the more than 1,000 acres.
Horton said it is possible that an existing Department of Corrections property, such as Limestone property, could be the site of a new regional prison, but he could not rule out the possibility of the department purchasing land elsewhere for the new prisons.
The large regional prisons would be scattered in northern, central and southern regions of the state to minimize the impact on the prison workforce, he said.
Three of the large prisons would be designed to accommodate 4,000 male inmates, and a fourth would be equipped to handle 1,200 female inmates.
The 32-year-old Limestone facility has a population of 2,209, prison officials said. It is rated for a capacity of 2,086, meaning it is less crowded than many other state prisons.
The Department of Corrections said the prison system houses 24,000 inmates, about 180 percent of the department’s 13,318 designed capacity.
With few details about the plan available, local officials were hesitant to speculate on the fate of the prison, most saying they would keep close watch on the state’s plan as details become available.
Yarbrough said the construction of a large prison at the site may upset some residents who would prefer to see the prison closed. For the time being, he said he is keeping an eye on the situation and will work with the county’s legislative delegation if a plan comes together.
Meanwhile, Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks said it was too early to speculate on the facility’s future, but he hoped Limestone would be one of the facilities that either remains open or is selected as a consolidation site.
That will help ensure the jobs at the prison stay in the area, he said.
The plan also raises questions about the ongoing agricultural use of portions of the property.
When the prison opened, it was intended to function as a farm on which the inmates would grow their food. That idea was eventually abandoned, though, and the land surrounding the prison was contracted to local farmers.
District 2 Commissioner Steve Turner said he would assume local farmers would continue farming the land even if the prison closes. Of the facility’s 1,147 acres, just 90 are enclosed inside the prison walls.
Turner also said the prison has not necessarily been a bad neighbor.
“I think a lot of people thought when it got built that it would be an eyesore or maybe a hindrance to attracting people to the area, but I can tell you there’s only been a few instances where it had a negative light shined on it,” Turner said.
Copyright 2016 The Decatur Daily