PRISON DERBIES: COMMUNITIES IN MISSOURI, ILLINOIS BEING CONSIDERED; METROPOLIS STILL ON LIST

METROPOLIS, Ill. -- Illinois cities making the cut in the state's latest prison derby were announced Wednesday.

Named finalists in the quest for one of two facilities -- a $73 million, 1,800-bed medium-security adult prison that would provide 450 jobs or a $70 million juvenile facility that would house 400 youths and provide 280 jobs, were:

-- Metropolis, a city of 7,500 along the Ohio River in Southern Illinois.

-- Savanna, a town of 4,000 along the Mississippi River in the northwest portion of the state.

-- Grayville, a town of 2,000 on the Ohio River in southeast Illinois.

-- Rushville, a town of 3,200 in the west-central part of the state in Schuyler County.

-- Carlenville, a mid-state town of 5,500.

-- Kewanee, a northeast city of 13,000.

-- Lawrence County, a county of 13,000 bordering the Ohio River in southeast Illinois.

Harrisburg, a Southern Illinois city of 9,200, is being considered for the juvenile facility only.

Earlier in the day it was reported that Metropolis was one of four final sites for the adult prison.

"We received word Wednesday morning that the Metropolis Industrial Park was one of the final four sites," said Jerry Reppert of the Southernmost Prison Committee, which developed out of the Union County Economic Development Corp. to attract one or both of the operations to Southern Illinois.

Metropolis Mayor Beth Clanahan also said that Department of Corrections officials told her that Metropolis was one of four sites for the medium-security prison.

"I don't know how this word got out," said Nic Howell, a spokesman for the department. "We have seven finalists for the adult prison and six finalists for the juvenile facility."

Either way, a public hearing will be held at Metropolis July 10. The hearing will be held at Merv Griffin Theater at 7:30 p.m.

Either way, it is great news for the entire area, said Reppert. "We're still in the search."

The Southernmost Prison Committee, which helped attract a prison to the Tamms area in Alexander County more than two years ago, submitted five sites for consideration in the Southern Illinois area of Alexander, Johnson, Union, Massac and Pulaski counties.

"We presented letters of support from business owners, organizations and individuals from all five counties," said Reppert.

"Cooperation between the counties has been strong," said Reppert. "Optimism is high."

Metropolis Industrial park is near the intersection of Interstate 24 and Route 45.

The industrial park site includes 201 acres and all of it has been offered for the prison.

"It's the same property we offered for a prison two years ago," said Clanahan. "This is a tremendous opportunity for Metropolis, Massac County and the entire surrounding areas," she said. "We're pleased to be among the final candidates."

A total of 19 areas entered the bidding for one of the two prisons last month.

Harrisburg, one of the six places still in the running for the medium-security juvenile center, is in the southeast portion of the state near the Routes 145-13 intersection.

The Department of Corrections wants both facilities opened by 1999.

The public hearing at Metropolis is the first of a number of hearings that will be completed July 17 with a hearing at Savanna.

The Harrisburg hearing will be held July 11.