‘99 percent complete’: Prison ‘exciting’ boon for McDowell County
By CHARLES OWENS
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
WELCH — Construction on the new $249 million federal prison project in McDowell County is now “99 percent complete,” officials said Friday.
The transition phase of hiring staff and purchasing goods and services is now underway. About 45 percent of the 320 full-time staff to serve at the Federal Correctional Institution McDowell facility have been selected. Eighty-five of the first 100 employees are from the local commuting area, according to a press release from the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
There are still jobs to be filled at the facility, and it is anticipated that the majority of the staff will be hired by the end of August. The prison is located near the mountainous border of McDowell and Wyoming counties at the Indian Ridge Industrial Park.
The institution has hosted several three-day hiring events in conjunction with local Talent Team Recruitment partners in Mercer and McDowell counties.
“It is refreshing to see such high caliber, qualified applicants at these interviews,” FCI McDowell Warden E.K. Cauley said in the news release. “The community education by the local talent team partners has definitely impacted our staffing success.”
The prison will house approximately 1,152 medium security and 128 minimum security adult male offenders.
Just last week, 17 of the newly hired employees reported to the prison to begin their 80 hours of institution familiarization training. All positions at the prison are posted at www.usajobs.gov and applications are only accepted electronically. Residents interested in applying for a job at the facility also can contact their local Workforce West Virginia office for information and assistance in completing an application, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The first inmates are expected to arrive at the prison sometime this fall. Prior to the arrival of the first inmate, the facility will provide tours for the general public.
“We look forward to educating the community about our new facility during the upcoming tours,” Cauley said.
The pending opening of the federal prison is exciting news for McDowell County, according to County Manager Clif Moore.
“I think we’ve been talking about it for a long time now, and we’ve been expecting it for a long time now, and now we are starting to see all of the pieces come together,” Moore, also a member of the House of Delegates, said. “It’s going to be a great boon to the county. I just think it’s an exciting time for McDowell County. I think it’s an exciting time for people in the county to rise to different levels of action and become involved in the resurrection of the county.”
