Story Published:
Nov 18, 2009 at 7:13 AM MST
Story Updated:
Nov 20, 2009 at 10:57 PM MST
BILLINGS - The Hardin Jail was built with the best of intentions; to bring hundreds of jobs to one of the most depressed counties in Montana. However, those expectations are yet to be realized.
In May 2004, the Hardin city council created the Two River's Authority; an independent group with the sole responsibility of recruiting economic development projects. Paul Green, TRA's first executive director, said he was determined to bring jobs to Hardin.
"You live it, you breath it, it's a 24-hour-a-day job, said Green. "You look at a little spot next to the highway and you see a job there!" In the summer of 2004 Corplan Corrections out of Texas proposed a 500-bed, secure adult detention facility to Yellowstone County and the city of Billings.
The proposal was immediately rejected, "It just didn't make financial sense," said Jim Reno, Yellowstone County commissioner. "It sounded too good to be true." The facility was then pursued by Hardin.
"Jobs, jobs, great jobs, that's all I saw," recalled Green. The consortium of companies building the jail put together a deal to finance the project through $27-million in private revenue bonds. They broke ground in June 2006. The jail's architect, Corplan Corrections, has built dozens of similar facilities across the western United States.
Green said he felt comfortable with the company's president, James Parkey. "He took me to a community where one of his facilities was, he stood back and said you talk to them, you have a chat with these guys," said Green. "I can't tell you I have had one bad thing to say about that man."
In 2001 and 2002 Corplan was investigated for possible corruption in relation to a Texas jail. Former Willacy County District Attorney Juan Guerra investigated several county officials on bribery charges and he has a strong opinion about the way Corplan does business.
"These guys make their money up front and then they're out of there," said Guerra. "They're not there to make sure this thing runs."
The $27-million in private bonds for the Hardin jail is currently in default. Green left the port authority before the project even broke ground. He said he walked away disheartened by what he called a lack of support from the state, "If you're not part of the big seven communities in this state, when it comes to economic development money you don't get it and that's a fact."
Since Green left, TRA has had two other executive directors, both have stepped down. The port authority is currently looking for a new leader. So who let who down?
Tuesday night, KULR-8 will look at whether the idea to build the jail was fully fleshed out, whether promises between the state and local government were broken, or whether a miscommunication between all involved has helped lead to the jail's current situation.
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