ROXANA, Ky. – U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers announced that the Bureau of Prisons’ (BOP) next federal prison facility has been approved for construction in Letcher County. Colette Peters, BOP Director, published her official Record of Decision in the Federal Register on Monday, approving the medium-security prison facility and camp for construction in Roxana. Director Peters called Congressman Rogers on Friday to share the good news.
“I’m thrilled that the many years of hard work by local leaders in Letcher County have paid off. They have improved broadband and strengthened local infrastructure, in effort to show the BOP that they were committed to supporting a new prison and the hundreds of jobs it will bring to the region,” said Congressman Rogers. “Director Peters said the BOP is going to build a new modern, state-of-the-art facility in Letcher County that focuses on safety and wellness.”
According to the Record of Decision, the BOP will acquire approximately 500 acres of land in Roxana, Kentucky to construct and operate a new Federal Correctional Institution and Federal Prison Camp. It will be designed to house a population of 1,408 adults in custody.
The decision sites the need for a new modern facility in light of the BOP’s “growing number of aged and obsolete federal correctional facilities, which are no longer cost-effective or sustainable to operate and maintain.”
In August, Congressman Rogers and the Letcher County Planning Commission hosted BOP Director Peters and her staff in Letcher County for a regional meeting, including leaders from seven neighboring counties, to discuss ongoing economic development to prepare for the prison, including the region’s workforce.
“We have worked for nearly 20 years to bring these much-needed jobs to Letcher County. Regardless of the decision, our county has benefitted from all the improvements that have been made to prepare for this prison. I can’t thank Congressman Rogers enough for believing in us and being our champion along the way,” said Elwood Cornett, cofounder of the Letcher County Planning Commission.
As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, Congressman Rogers has secured and protected more than $500 million for construction of the Letcher County FCI and Camp.
Congressman Rogers said the BOP estimated it will take about one year for design work and property acquisitions before construction can begin for the facility in Roxana.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons currently employs more than 1,300 people in Kentucky’s Fifth Congressional District, investing more than $83.7 million each year in wages in our region.
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