Markkanen proposes Ojibway as training site

LANSING — The proposed Michigan Department of Corrections' budget that passed the state house Tuesday included language proposing Ojibway Correctional Facility as a potential training site for corrections officers.

State Rep. Greg Markkanen, R-Hancock, said Tuesday he added the prison in Marenisco Township to the list of locations being considered for a potential training facility.

“The closure of the Ojibway prison devastated the surrounding communities,” Markkanen said in a statement. “Rather than letting the vacant facility continue to deteriorate and turn into a community eyesore, we now have a chance to breathe new life into the building and fulfill the state's need for a training facility.”

The department's budget — which heads to the Senate following Tuesday's passage in the house — includes funding to study potential locations for a training facility, according to Markkanen.

The prison, which closed in December, had 203 employees and could house up to 1,180 inmates according to the MDOC's website.

—Richard Jenkins