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DOORS OPENEDa Times-News/Tim WilsonU.S. Senators Paul Sarbanes and Barbara Mikulski joined eral prison at Mexico Farms. From left are warden Dennis House Speaker Cas Taylor for a Saturday tour of the new fed- Bidwell, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Sarbanes and Mr. Taylor.Dennis Bidwell and other senior prison officials as guides, occurred under a brilliant fall sun that bathed the vacant complex in the warmth of Indian summer.Winding sidewalks, clusters of oak trees and the peaked-root prison buildings themselves, which feature rose-colored exterior block, gave the appearance of a deserted college campus. The illusion vanished, however, with a quick glance to the perimeter, where sunlight gleamed on the coils of razor wire surrounding the 40-acre prison.Dual 12-foot high fences featuring motion-detector devices run the entire length of the prison’s mile-long perimeter. Ten coils of razor-sharp barbed wire line the fence, adorning even the roof of the administration building, which serves as the only gate intothe prison.Inside a bunker-like command center in the administration building, prison officials sitting at a six-foot long console monitor the entire prison, controlling all gates, communications and fire control systems.Once the prison begins accepting prisoners in January, armed guards will patrol a track outside the perimeter 24 hours a day.“My impression is, this is a very secure facility,” Mr. Sarbanes said. They have a perimeter within a perimeter.”Ms. Mikulski, who eagerly quizzed prison officials about the facility, noted the extensive electronic monitoring and security devices.“This prison is state of the art in terms of keeping prisoners inside,” she said.Prisoners will be housed in two-personRICHARD KERNSTimes-News Staff WriterCUMBERLAND — Federal officialsswung open the gates of the new prison in Mexico Farms Saturday, hosting a trio of federal and state officials who helped make the new facility, and its 300 jobs, a reality.U.S. Senators Paul Sarbanes and Barbara Mikulski joined House Speaker Cas Taylor for the hour-long tour of the new federal medium-security prison, which will eventually house 1,100 inmates.An adjoining minimum-security “camp” began accepting inmates last week, with 40 first-time, non-violent offenders representing the first arrivals at the $54 million Cumberland complex.Saturday’s tour, which featured wardenSee Officials — 3A
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Cumberland Sunday Times News
Cumberland, Maryland, US
Sun, Oct 30, 1994
Page 1
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WV, USA 01 May 2020
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