237 positions are currently filled at the Thomson facility. According to a spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons, 13 additional positions have been selected and are expected to report within the next few months, bringing the total staff to 250.
There are currently 104 minimum security inmates housed at the institution.
Thomson Village President Vicky Trager:
"It definitely has been a quiet and a very smooth process, just from the standpoint that the inmates aren't coming in a huge mob. They are coming in from prisons, [and] other facilities around the federal bureau system."
Trager says she has noticed more traffic in the past few months from new workers and their families.
"We have had an increase in interest from some real estate developers and people who want to know what land is available in Thomson if they were to build housing or if they wanted to develop it. I have met with a couple of gentlemen. My big pitch is that I want a grocery store," Trager said.
According to the Bureau of Prisons spokesperson, a date for full activation has not been set.
Additional hiring and activation is contingent upon the Bureau of Prisons receiving an increase above the Fiscal Year 2015 activation funding level.
