Legislators to tour delayed Fort Madison prison

DES MOINES - The chairman of the Iowa House's oversight committee and a contingent of state lawmakers plan to tour the state prison in Fort Madison next week, despite calls for caution from the governor.

State Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, and other legislators plan to tour the $132 million, 800-inmate prison that was supposed to open this spring but has been delayed because of construction problems.

Those problems include failed geothermal heating and ventilation systems and a floor that had to be ripped out. The project's contractor has declared bankruptcy.

House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, told Kaufmann's oversight committee to look into the delays. Kaufmann insisted he will conduct a bipartisan investigation with an open mind. He said among those joining him on the tour will be two Democrats - Sen. Rich Taylor of Mount Pleasant and Rep. Phyllis Thede of Bettendorf.

'I'm not going in with any predetermined biases,” Kaufmann said. 'I just know that you've got a $100 million-plus government facility that is way past its open date and that has a clear track record of a myriad issues.

'So I don't know what I'm going to find. But I know it's going to be a top-down review of all levels of this from the day the idea was first spoke on until the present circumstances.”

Gov. Terry Branstad urged legislators to proceed with caution, saying the Attorney General's Office already is conducting an investigation. Branstad said he does not want anything to jeopardize the potential for the state to recoup money.

'We need to determine who's responsible and how they can be held accountable, and we don't want to do anything that damages the state's ability to recover on behalf of the taxpayers,” Branstad said.

Kaufmann said one of his primary goals is to return money to the state.

'So, of course, I'm going to work with the Attorney General's Office,” Kaufmann said. 'But I maintain that this is absolutely within the purview of my committee's responsibility, and it was a direct request from my speaker, so I'm going to proceed full-bore.”