Hands At Work JOMA, a Tishomingo-based non-profit shared its vision to use the old DOC facility to house men who are transitioning out of incarceration with the Madill City Council at their Sept. 10 meeting.
The DOC building is also known as the Madill Community Work Center. Hands At Work JOMA hopes to come to a lease agreement with the City of Madill for use of the building.
Four of the five members of the Madill City Council were present: Mayor Travis Williams, Vice Mayor Bobby Davis, Terry Rushing and Shaundra Kendrix. Council member Heath Weaver was not in attendance.
Also, in in attendance were James Fullingim, Madill city manager, David Sprouse, city inspector, Cindy Burchfield, city clerk and Dustin Rowe, city attorney.
Attending the meeting from Hands At Work JOMA were board members Kim Bennett, Betty Roan, Clint Spence, DeeAnna Mullins, Rex Clayton, Ivan Richeson and Craig Edmondson.
Edmondson led his group’s presentation and then took questions from the city council and city manager.
Fullingim asked if the program was only for non-violent offenders.
Edmondson said no sex offenders would be allowed to stay at the facility. He added that he prefers working with non-violent offended.
Upon being asked about the organization’s leadership, Edmondson said there are seven board members and he pointed to those in attendance.
Williams asked why no end date was listed on the proposed contract. Edmondson said he wants the agreement to run year to year.
Kendrix asked where the candidates who would live at the facility would come from. Edmondson said they will use Facebook, work with churches and talk with people who are formerly incarcerated. Edmondson said he will limit maximum capacity to 25 residents.
“We’re looking at an 8’ x 8’ or 12’ x 12’ area for each person,” he said.
Edmondson said he currently has 40 people in the Marshall County Drug Court, which can be a lot of people.
When asked by council, Edmondson confirmed there will be a facility manager onsite 24-7. However, at present those individuals would not be staff, but volunteers. “They will be mentors including some former addicts,” Edmondson said. “None of them are counselors. But I hope to hire a counselor will at some point.”
Rushing asked about places that work with them about jobs. Edmondson said they have partners but didn’t give details.
Edmondson did say his work with the drug court has allowed him to develop working relationships with businesses such as Oklahoma Steel & Wire and Boomerang
“Both of them are open to hiring these folks,” he said.
Edmondson said there is no time limit to how long they can stay.
“The stay will be based on the individual’s needs,” he said.
Kendrix asked to table the discussion until a more formal contract is in place. She made a formal motion to table the discussion.
While she supported the idea, Kendrix said a lot of community members will have questions since the DOC building on the edge of a neighborhood.
An audience member asked what resistance was when the Dept of Corrections ran the facility. Fullingim said he was Madill polic chief at the time and heard more of the negative feedback.
An audience member from Hands At Work JOMA said in Johnston County these folks get out of jail with nowhere to go.
Williams said he all for trying to help people, but he wants to see something put together and seconded Kendrix’s motion. It passed 4-0.
The audience member said these people are in the community.
Edmondson hands with each councilmember and thanked them for their time.
Other business
The council unanimously approved the minutes of their most recent meetings on Aug. 13 and Sept. 3. This also included acceptance of August General Fund Purchase Orders, August One Cent Purchase Orders and August Capital Project Purchase Orders.
Next on the agenda was a pair of items about the city council’s 2020 meeting and holiday schedules. Both items passed 4-0.
The council held a short discussion on approving a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant to construct a taxiway.
Fullingim said the project would be for a 1,000-foot runway.
“Our portion is $60,000,” he said. “The total project cost is $600,000. The rest is from the FAA.”
Fullingim provided a brief financial report. He said the fitness center saw 253 renewals. Additionally, sales tax receipts were
$276,472.11, he said.
“This was higher than last year,” Fullingim said.
He then moved onto the city manager’s report. Fullingim said the Lillie Boulevard construction project on first block is done.
“It needs to get striped,” he said. “The problem with the water line was capped and is no longer an issue.”
Fullingim also detailed the city’s effort to clean up brush.
“We’re going along to every intersection to see what brush needs to be collected,” he said. “We’ll go back and look at the brush in the alleys.”
Resident James Weir spoke during time allotted for unscheduled appearances.
Weir recently bought a house in town and said its address is not correct.
“The county has it listed as 100 Park Road,” he said. “You can’t find it on Google.”
Sprouse said there three houses on that street: 100, 101 and 102. He added that this house should be listed as 102.
Fullingim said Madill set the addresses when the 911 system was updated. Fullingim asked Weir to put him in touch with whomever Weir has been speaking with so he can address the matter.
In the lone members’ remarks Williams thanks Sprouse for showing him the city’s backhoes.
“We have some nice backhoes,” he said.
“Yes, we do,” Fullingim chimed in.
Williams adjourned the meeting at 5:37 p.m.