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Gov. Eric Holcomb will join other state officials Thursday to break ground on a $1.2 billion correctional facility in northwest Indiana. The prison, funding for which was approved last month, will be built near the existing Westville Correctional Facility.
The Indiana Department of Correction says the 4,200-bed facility will combine and replace the existing WCF and Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.
The WCF was originally built in 1951 as a state-run mental health facility. Following renovations and additions, the facility was transformed into a prison and further expanded in 1991. The Indiana State Prison originally opened in 1860 as the state’s second prison.
Speaking before the State Budget Committee last month, DOC Commissioner Christina Reagle said closing the Indiana State Prison alone would save the state nearly $400 million in capital improvement spending on top of the $45 million in annual operating costs.
The new facility will include security upgrades, expanded health care and education services, recidivism programming, and improved operational efficiency. Additionally, the state said no jobs would be lost through the consolidation.
The project is expected to take about four years to complete.
In an interview earlier this month on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority CEO Sherri Ziller said the Indiana State Prison site would be primed for redevelopment after the consolidation takes place.
“It’s a large site. It can fit some much needed affordable housing, senior housing workforce housing, along with the necessary retail and office space that Michigan City is seeking it,” Ziller said. “This could serve as a major job generator for Michigan City.”
Holcomb and Reagle will be joined by Indiana Department of Administration Commissioner Rebecca Holwerda and DOC Executive Director of Construction Services Kevin Orme at the groundbreaking ceremony, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. central time.
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