More than $5 million coming to Dixon prison, Mabley for roof, sprinkler repairs

DIXON – Nearly $5.4 million in state money is coming to Dixon in the form of repairs to Dixon Correctional Center and the Jack Mabley Developmental Center, the Capital Development Board said in a news release Tuesday.

The prison at 2600 N. Brinton Ave., which was built in 1916, will get $4,420,600 to replace 190,000 square feet of roofing on 15 of its 97 buildings, the release said. They are 10 residential buildings, plus an administration, Clinical Services, living unit, segregation, and Eyeglass Industries building, IDOC said in an email.

The project includes new decking, underlayment, shingles, ventilation, sheet metal, membrane, insulation, and all necessary accessories.

Construction is planned to take place in 2023 and 2024, the email said.

Mabley, 1120 Washington Ave., will get $950,000 to replace the sprinkler piping and heads at its seven homes for the developmentally disabled and at the Pearson Administration Building, it said.

The money is coming from a pool of more than $51 million in Rebuild Illinois funds being distributed to state agencies in northern Illinois.

“Through the Rebuild Illinois bipartisan capital plan, the first in nearly a decade, communities are finally receiving the support for long overdue projects that were neglected under prior administrations,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in the release.

“I am pleased to announce this latest $51 million investment in deferred maintenance projects across northern Illinois. The funding will go towards the repair and upkeep of community institutions while creating job opportunities for local residents.”

“Both the Dixon Correctional Center and the Mabley Developmental Center provide essential services to the families of the Lee County region, and these investments are important in preserving the usefulness of the facilities,” state Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, said in the release.

“The centers combined contribute greatly to the overall economy, and as the Republican spokesman for the House Appropriations/Humans Services Committee, I’m particularly thankful to see Illinois invest in this type of critical care and personal development infrastructure.”