Boot Camp draws jobs to SE Ohio

by Andrew Roman
FOR THE POST

The dream for one retired Glouster resident to bring more jobs to his hometown is becoming a reality, as a boot camp-style prison is slated for a July 2001 opening.

When Nick Cardaras had to visit Southeastern Ohio prisons as part of his state job, he said he thought bringing a penal facility to Glouster was a good idea because it would provide more jobs for the region.

"I'd like to get more industry into the village of Glouster," Cardaras said.

So he said he supported regional and state initiatives to build a boot camp within the village boundary.

"Five, six years ago, this thing got hot," Cardaras said, referring to the sudden availability of federal and local funds to build the Glouster facility. "The state came through for us."

Since then, Athens County bought an almost 15-acre site for the boot camp, located beyond Braun Street, Cardaras said.

Ground at the Glouster site was broken Aug. 23, according to an Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction press release.

The foundation footers for the boot camp's structure are now in the ground, and construction - with a $3.6 million budget - is about to commence, said Jennifer Hale, ODRC's public information liaison.

Once the construction is finished, 50 employees will supervise 125 male felony substance abuse inmates. These inmates will undergo an intensive, structured 90-day rehabilitation period at the minimum-security facility, Hale said.

Glouster Police Chief Roger Taylor said the inmates at the facility will be drug users, not pushers. Their rehabilitation program will be designed to deter the inmates from using drugs in the future.

"It's not going to be a typical boot camp," Taylor said. "They're trying to move away from a (military) boot camp atmosphere."

Taylor said while he imagines some Glouster residents might be nervous about having a penal facility nearby, he has not heard of any criticism concerning the boot camp.

Hale also said she does not know of any local backlash to the boot camp. She described public's opinion as "very supportive," because of recession-proof jobs that come with the facility.

Because of the boot camp's proximity to Nelsonville's Hocking Correctional Facility, some prison personnel, including the warden, will manage both the boot camp and the Nelsonville prison, Hale said. The boot camp was purposely placed close to Nelsonville because the placement would allow resources to be shared between the two facilities.