CCA private prison in Decatur County?

Brad Lofton mentioned (at the 15 March 2011 VLCIA board meeting) that the competition for VLCIA’s Project Excel, the CCA private prison, is Decatur County. Bainbridge and Decatur County seem to think they’ve been selected.

The Post-Searchlight editorialized on 16 July 2010 that the prison would be A good fit. The next day, BainbridgeGa.com posted on 17 July 2010:

Corrections Corporation of America has finally announced their intention to build a prison in Decatur County.

The not so secret secret was announced when the Bainbridge-Decatur County Development Authority agreed to a memorandum of understanding with CCA on Thursday.

The plans are to build what is thought to be in the range of a $100 million facility on 110 acres located in the Decatur County Industrial Park on Highway 27 north. The site is in the back of the Industrial Park, well back from the entrance on Highway 27 north.

It is hoped the facility will provide 400-500 jobs for our area in the next couple of years.

So how come VLCIA thinks it’s getting a private prison from CCA?

The story continues in later posts.

-jsq