strongernow
04-23-2004, 06:29 PM
Macon, Forsyth considered for new state prisons main office
By Andy Peters
Telegraph Staff Writer
Macon and the former Tift College campus in Forsyth are under consideration as the new headquarters for the Georgia Department of Corrections, which could mean almost 500 new jobs for Middle Georgia.
A decision won't be made until 2008, said Scheree Lipscomb, a spokeswoman for state prisons chief James Donald. But Macon and Forsyth are two of only three sites currently under consideration. The state's death row facility in Jackson is the third option.
Donald, who was named commissioner of the Department of Corrections by Gov. Sonny Perdue in November, wants to move the agency closer to its prisons, Lipscomb said. Few of the state's jails are located in metro Atlanta or north Georgia.
"Most of our prisons are in central Georgia and also in the South," Lipscomb said.
State prisons located in Middle Georgia include Central State Prison on Fulton Mill Road in Macon; Baldwin State Prison, Bostick State Prison, Men's State Prison, Rivers State Prison and Scott State Prison in Hardwick; the Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe; the Pulaski State Women's Prison in Hawkinsville; and Dooly State Prison in Unadilla.
One of the state's biggest prisons, Georgia State Prison, is located in Reidsville in Tattnall County. The state also has contracts with private companies to operate other large prisons in Charlton and Telfair counties in south Georgia.
Lipscomb declined to say when the corrections headquarters would move should Donald decide to move it out of Atlanta.
Lipscomb did not say where in Macon the agency was considering for office space. In Forsyth, the agency could move into the state-owned former Tift College campus, which is planned for a multimillion-dollar renovation. The state's public-safety training center also is located in Forsyth.
The Department of Corrections has 483 employees in downtown Atlanta. These positions, which include computer programmers, administrative and human resources staff, are located in the state's Sloppy Floyd twin towers, adjacent to the State Capitol and in the Two Peachtree Street office tower.
The state has an ongoing program to decentralize its operations, shifting workers out of Atlanta and spreading them across the state. The Secretary of State's licensing offices are located in downtown Macon.
Earlier this month, the Department of Corrections announced Macon would be one of three pilot sites for a program designed to keep low-level offenders out of jail, but still under daily supervision. The "day report center" is slated to open this summer, where about 100 would-be inmates are to check in daily but still live at home.
By Andy Peters
Telegraph Staff Writer
Macon and the former Tift College campus in Forsyth are under consideration as the new headquarters for the Georgia Department of Corrections, which could mean almost 500 new jobs for Middle Georgia.
A decision won't be made until 2008, said Scheree Lipscomb, a spokeswoman for state prisons chief James Donald. But Macon and Forsyth are two of only three sites currently under consideration. The state's death row facility in Jackson is the third option.
Donald, who was named commissioner of the Department of Corrections by Gov. Sonny Perdue in November, wants to move the agency closer to its prisons, Lipscomb said. Few of the state's jails are located in metro Atlanta or north Georgia.
"Most of our prisons are in central Georgia and also in the South," Lipscomb said.
State prisons located in Middle Georgia include Central State Prison on Fulton Mill Road in Macon; Baldwin State Prison, Bostick State Prison, Men's State Prison, Rivers State Prison and Scott State Prison in Hardwick; the Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe; the Pulaski State Women's Prison in Hawkinsville; and Dooly State Prison in Unadilla.
One of the state's biggest prisons, Georgia State Prison, is located in Reidsville in Tattnall County. The state also has contracts with private companies to operate other large prisons in Charlton and Telfair counties in south Georgia.
Lipscomb declined to say when the corrections headquarters would move should Donald decide to move it out of Atlanta.
Lipscomb did not say where in Macon the agency was considering for office space. In Forsyth, the agency could move into the state-owned former Tift College campus, which is planned for a multimillion-dollar renovation. The state's public-safety training center also is located in Forsyth.
The Department of Corrections has 483 employees in downtown Atlanta. These positions, which include computer programmers, administrative and human resources staff, are located in the state's Sloppy Floyd twin towers, adjacent to the State Capitol and in the Two Peachtree Street office tower.
The state has an ongoing program to decentralize its operations, shifting workers out of Atlanta and spreading them across the state. The Secretary of State's licensing offices are located in downtown Macon.
Earlier this month, the Department of Corrections announced Macon would be one of three pilot sites for a program designed to keep low-level offenders out of jail, but still under daily supervision. The "day report center" is slated to open this summer, where about 100 would-be inmates are to check in daily but still live at home.