Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 14, 1995 TAG: 9503140134
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Allen traveled to Red Onion - located on a reclaimed coal mine - to disclose that two engineering studies have resolved questions about the suitability of the soil to carry the weight of an 800-bed prison.
The governor said he would ask the General Assembly to borrow an extra $72 million next month to speed construction of Red Onion, which is considered a key economic development project in job-scarce Wise and Dickenson counties.
The hastily arranged announcement came one hour before Phillips had scheduled a news conference in nearby Norton to explain why the Democrat-controlled General Assembly had endorsed a more cautious approach to Red Onion.
Last month, the legislature provided $12 million for site work at Red Onion but delayed construction funding until soil-suitability questions could be resolved. Phillips noted that the project was so much up in the air last month that the Allen administration had not recorded the deed to the property donated by the Pittston Coal Co.
Allen said the deed was recorded Monday. If construction begins this fall, the prison could be ready by the end of 1997.
Later in the day, Phillips, of St. Paul, said he would be inclined to support the immediate borrowing for Red Onion, but that he wanted to see the fine print before he made a commitment.
Phillips noted that the governor's office had not bothered to brief him or other Democratic leaders about the apparent breakthrough. ``My people down here are incensed that the governor would play those type of political games,'' he said. ``Some people said his press conference was just a Republican pep rally.''
Chester Dale Stanley, a member of the Dickenson County Economic Development Commission, said he was surprised by the partisan tone of the Allen news conference - right down to signs leading to Red Onion that were written on the backs of old Oliver North campaign posters.
``It just seemed to me that the signs set the wrong tone for the meeting,'' Stanley said.
In his 1993 campaign for governor, Allen pledged to build Red Onion despite soil problems that could add as much as $12 million to the cost of the prison. Some lawmakers have questioned using Red Onion Mountain, saying the money could be better spent building cells instead of stabilizing an old coal mine.
But Allen insisted Monday that Red Onion is cost-effective because the land was free and local governments have been willing to spend several million dollars on utilities and road improvements.
by CNB