Tiny town sees big dollar signs in Guantanamo transferees [Globe and Mail]

KRISTY HUTTER
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Published on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009 12:00AM EST
Last updated on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009 3:55AM EST
One hundred terrorist suspects are headed to tiny Thomson, Ill., and a lot of the townsfolk can't wait.

"The young people in the community are thrilled to death because there will be plenty of new jobs," township supervisor Clifford Durward said.

The White House is shipping 100 of the 210 suspected al-Qaeda figures currently held at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. naval base in Cuba, to the Thomson Correctional Center, a maximum-security prison that has remained nearly vacant since it was built in 2001. A timetable is yet to be set, but when it happens it's likely to include Omar Khadr, the only Canadian among the detainees.

The village, known for its watermelons, has only one corner store and a population of 560. Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, it is a popular spot for bass fishing, deer hunting, and bird watching - the only reason outsiders used to come, according to locals.

But when the prison takes in the Guantanamo detainees, the number of people is sure to increase.

The Obama administration's team of economic advisers say the prison opening will create an estimated 3,200 to 3,900 new jobs within the first three years of its operation, some of them in Thomson. It will also create new housing developments and stimulate consumer spending in the area.

"We have 35 acres of undeveloped, unfarmed, worthless sand," Mr. Durward said. "It was bought by a Chicago builder and they were going to make a subdivision and it never happened. But it will now."

He said it is likely that people who get high-paying jobs at the prison will move into new houses in Thomson to keep from having to drive long distances to get into work.

Local business owners are also anticipating a boom.

"The extra income as a direct result of the prison will give businesses like mine the opportunity to grow," said Todd Smith, owner of Buck's Barn Resort, a 52-room hotel, with a golf course and a restaurant that is the biggest employer in the town. "We're going to have more people in the area and a percentage of those people are going to be golfers."

Mr. Smith isn't bothered that the future prisoners are considered enemies of the United States. He is hoping to accommodate family members coming to visit relatives who will be locked up. It's unlikely Mr. Khadr's immediate family members will be among the visitors, however, as the Canadian government has denied them travel documents.

Mr. Durward said the smallest companies, such as the town's only drinking establishment, Kyle's Tavern, will also see an improvement.

"I was in the army and I know what I did every Friday and Saturday night. I drank," he said. "If we have army personnel coming in, I'm sure they'll be at the bar, same as me."

Not everybody in the community is as excited about the announcement.

"Around 60 per cent like the idea and 40 per cent hate it," he said. "The people who hate it are old and aren't looking for employment. They want the community to stay just like it is: sleepy and nothing."

***

FIVE FACTS

1. The town nickname is "The Melon Capital of the World."

2. The Labour day watermelon festival is the biggest event of the year.

3. Arnold's Bikes and Embroidery on Main Street specializes in recumbent bicycles - and embroidery.

4. Nearby Savanna, Ill., is the birthplace of Wayne King, "America's Waltz King."

5. It has four churches, one school (Grades 4-5 only), one library, three restaurants, two hotels and one store.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/the-tiny-town-of-thomson-sees-...