MILLEDGEVILLE — Officials from Georgia’s corrections community, state government and local officials gathered Monday to officially break ground on a new private prison in south Baldwin County.

The partnership between the state of Georgia was finalized earlier in the year with corrections corporation The GEO Group winning a bid to construct and operate a 1,000 bed prison. The need for even more space prompted officials to raise the size to accommodate 1,500 inmates. To the Milledgeville/Baldwin County community where jobs losses have hemorrhaged over the past 24 months, the new prison will likely mean 200 short-term and 300 long-term jobs, pumping millions into the local economy.

Baldwin County has seen three of four prisons slated for closure shut down in the past two years. Rivers, Scott and Bostick prisons are all closed with Men’s State Prison slated for closure, most likely this year. The four prisons were identified as non-enduring structures during a state audit due to their retro-fit into buildings not constructed to be used as prisons.

Other state jobs have vanished as jobs at Central State Hospital have slowly disappeared or have been privatized. In addition, Bill Ireland YDC closed abruptly last year as the state of Georgia was forced to make drastic cuts to a state budget that had already been through multiple rounds of cuts.

In 2009 in the private sector, Baldwin County’s one-time largest employer, Rheem Manufacturing, moved its production facility to Mexico and Shaw Industries closed its doors.

GEO Group CEO Wayne Calabrese lauded the efforts of Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, legislative team state Sen. Johnny Grant (R) and state Rep. Rusty Kidd (I) as well as Milledgeville Baldwin County Development Authority Director Angie Gheesling in securing Riverbend Correctional Facility.

“From the beginning, Gov. Perdue has been steadfast and firm in his courage and his commitment to bring jobs and economic development back to this area,” Calabrese said. “His commitment has been matched only by the tireless efforts of your own state Sen. Johnny Grant and your state Rep. Rusty Kidd. Henry Ford once famously told his factory manager to give any Americans any color car they wanted as long as it was black. I’ve heard that Sen. Grant and Rep. Kidd personally met with Gov. Perdue and told him ‘you put a new prison in the state of Georgia wherever you want — as long as its in Milledgeville.’”

Perdue echoed Calabrese’s sentiment joking that due to their frequent visits, he’d had brass placards installed in his office marking space reserved for Grant and Kidd.

“They’ve [Grant and Kidd] been very understanding but also very tireless advocates of wanting me to understand what it was feeling like here at home,” Perdue said.

The governor also said a partnership between the state and the company likely reflects future state endeavors.

“This is a great public, private partnership,” Perdue said. “It is the future, I believe, the future of the economy of government’s role in providing needed public safety without having to do it all ourselves.”

The $80 million facility will be constructed by New South Construction for The GEO Group. GEO won the bid over then competitors Corrections Corporation of America and the Cornell Company. GEO has since acquired the Cornell Company, placing it among the largest private corrections corporations in the world.

The new prison won’t just mean jobs but will bring with it ancillary benefits that will help Baldwin County recover from two years of losses.

Calabrese said the company estimates that the construction of the prison represents an $80 million private investment in the community that will create 200 temporary construction jobs with a $20 million annual payroll. The prison will employ 300 people boasting a $10.5 million annual payroll, Calabrese said. That payroll could generate as much as $2.5 million in local taxes, and the company estimates that $15 million annually will be spent locally. Company projections are that the corporation will have an annual impact of $70 million.

In addition, Calabrese announced that the company will foster early intervention efforts in the community by sponsoring annual scholarships for local high school seniors. The company will award 15 $1,000 scholarships to students and will also establish computer labs in five local elementary schools.

Following the groundbreaking, Gheesling said she was pleased with the recruitment process, noting that data suggests large corporate investments in communities take two years to come to fruition.

“It has been 18 months,” she said. “We’re right on schedule.”

Gheesling said today’s ceremony is a high point in her economic development effort.

“Really getting to dig in to the dirt and just looking down the line of people, its actually going to happen now,” she said.

Riverbend Correctional Facility will be located on Laying Farm Road adjacent to the existing Baldwin State Prison.