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LANSING — Gov. William G. Milliken has proposed a State Police post in conjunc tion with a state medium se curity prison suggested for the St. Augustine Seminary pro perty in Allegan County. Milliken made the sugges tion during a news conference this morning and said the old Felt mansion on the property, now used by an order of clois tered nuns, could be convert ed for use by the State Police. The seminary property with 600 acres of Lake Michigan frontage has been proposed as a medium security prison for 400 inmates. It is one of the sites under consideration in the state for prison uses. Milliken’s press secretary Al Sandler said the State Police auxiliary post idea has been discussed with the governor, the corrections department and State Police and was “some thing being explored.” Sandler said the auxiliary post could be manned by eight or nine troopers who would handle routine police calls in the Holland area as well as “necessary administrative chores are by the pre sence of a correctional facil ity. The branch State Police post would supplement the posts at Grand Haven and South Haven, Sandler added. He said Milliken was expect ed to make his recommendation to the legislature by April 25 in time for the April 28 meet ing of the capital outlay com mittee Milliken says an increase in prison population and over crowded facilities were creat ing an explosive situation. “Unless we are able to re lieve the situation that is build ing up, as the hot months come upon us, we may have a totally explosive situation,” he told the news conference. In Saugatuck, members of the Prison Action Committee opposed to use of the seminary property as a prison, said they were not aware of the latest proposal from Milliken. Pat Kammerand, a spokes person, said she feared the state was pushing the time table ahead so fast that local persons objecting to the prison would have no time to react. PAC’s legislative aide in Lansing, Don Potter, told the local group in a letter to pre pare for action before April 21 and suggested the committee “at the very least explore the possibilities of legal remedy. “While it may never come to the filing of an action it would appear that the issues are suf ficiently complicated to war rant an exploration of the is sues involved,” Potter con cluded. PAC officials said they were contacting legal counsel and were planning another public meeting. St. Augustine Seminary plans to vacate the site this spring and the property has been for sale. Original state proposals called for a medium and min ium security facility but the minimum security section was dropped. Milliken, at a meeting in Lansing with governmental rep resentatives, said he would in form local officials of his rec ommendations before they would be made to the legisla ture.
Newspaper Details
Holland Sentinel
Holland, Michigan, US
Thu, Apr 14, 1977
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Elizabeth M.
USA 21 Aug 2026
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