Kadner: Trying to find the site for Crete detention center
Phil Kadner pkadner@southtownstar.com | (708) 633-6787 January 18, 2012 8:46PM
Signs are posted at homes opposing the proposed detention center in Crete, Illinois, Wednesday, January, 18, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times
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Updated: February 21, 2012 8:27AM
I am driving south on Illinois 1 through Crete to inspect the site that has been proposed for a medium-security detention center to hold illegal immigrants.
Few details have been released because the village of Crete and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) claim no plan has been finalized.
But opponents of the detention center told me the location is at the end of Hartman Drive, about a mile south of Burville Road.
Mayor Michael Einhorn confirmed the approximate location and described the land as “vacant property” within the village borders that is zoned for industrial use.
As I travel south on Illinois 1, also known as Main Street in Crete, I nearly pass by Burville Road (which is about a mile south of Exchange Street). The major landmark at the intersection, I discover, is Joe’s Old Time Tap.
Traveling another mile east on Burville, past a housing development (where three homes feature signs on their lawns opposing the detention center), I came upon Universal Steel America, which leads the steel industry in precision plates and parts service, according to its website.
Immediately to the east of Universal Steel is Hartman Drive, which heads south and dead-ends after just more than a half-mile.
On the west side of the street is a very large (328 megawatt) electrical generating plant with a sign that reads “Crete Energy Venture, operated by North American Energy Services.” There appears to be a working farm directly across from the plant, on the east side of Hartman Drive.
Directly south of the electrical plant there’s a much larger piece of undeveloped property where Hartman dead-ends.
I deduced this is where the detention center likely would be built if ICE approves construction and Crete signs a contract with a private company, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), to build and operate the center.
The facility would be built on 70 acres and, according to ICE’s “statement of objectives,” it would have from 500 to 700 beds for detainees (although opponents contend the number would be closer to 750).
The main concern voiced by local citizens at an informational meeting they sponsored last week is the lack of information provided by the village about the detention center.
The mayor told me he plans to hold public hearings once the federal government approves the plan but not before.
However, opponents are planning to show up at a village board meeting Monday night to voice their concerns and demand answers.
As I drove around the area where the center may be built, I had to admit it seemed like the best location possible in Crete.
The closest homes appear to be nearly a mile away. There are farms, horse farms and a few repair shops for machinery in the area, but not much else.
Before opponents of the detention center call to complain, I’m not saying it’s the best location for such a facility or that it’s a good idea.
I’m just saying that if it’s going to be in a suburb of Chicago, this location would seem to be better than a lot of other possibilities.
Einhorn seems to like the idea of building it in his village because Crete would be able to make money from it.
I’m still troubled by the privatization of detention facilities and using a suburb as a sort of middleman in this process.
Einhorn contends that too many unfounded rumors are circulating about the detention center in the community.
If that’s true, it’s his fault. He’s the one who has failed to provide a forum for residents to get their questions answered.
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