Governor Quinn Announces $4.4 Million for Projects at Chester Mental Health Center and Menard Correctional Center

CHESTER – Governor Pat Quinn today announced investments of $4.4 million to replace the roofing system at Chester Mental Health Center and to construct a cold storage building at Menard Correctional Center in Chester. Funded by his Illinois Jobs Now! construction program, the projects are part of Governor Quinn’s commitment to creating jobs and driving Illinois’ economy forward.

“The Menard project will allow more effective operations, and both projects will protect the state’s investments in the Chester area,” Governor Quinn said. “The projects will also employ a number of construction workers, which will drive the local economy forward.”

Both projects will be managed by the Illinois Capital Development Board.

The $1,266,950 Menard Correctional Center project involves constructing a new, 10,000 square foot pre-engineered cold storage structure adjacent to an existing warehouse. The building will house a new freezer and cooler system, with three freezer units and six cooler units, that will operate more efficiently and effectively. Ninety percent of the meat products in cold storage at Menard are produced by Illinois Correctional Industries (ICI), run by the Illinois Department of Corrections. ICI, a self-supporting entity which uses no taxpayer dollars, provides meat products to all Illinois prisons. Construction of this permanent structure will eliminate the need for temporary cold storage units. The successful bidders include general construction, Fager-McGee Commercial Construction, Inc. of Murphysboro, $1,158,000; and electrical, M.C. Electric, Inc. of Red Bud, $108,950. This latest efficient replacement at Menard Correctional Center (MCC) joins the more than 70% of all buildings there which are not original (1878) construction.

The roofing system at the Chester Mental Health Center, a Department of Human Services facility, will be replaced for $3,221,339 by Joiner Sheet Metal & Roofing, Inc. of Greenville, the lowest of three bidders.  

“Upgrades to the Menard Correctional Center and Chester Mental Health Center signify a willingness to invest in these two critical state facilities,” State Senator David Luechtefeld (R-Okawville) said. “The new refrigeration unit and roof will better enable the staff at both facilities to manage the inmate population, shelter mental health patients and enhance our state’s public safety infrastructure.”

The projects are part of Governor Quinn’s $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program, which will support more than 439,000 jobs over six years. Illinois Jobs Now! is the largest construction program in Illinois history, and is one of the largest construction programs in the nation.