A ground-breaking ceremony for the Jenkins Correctional Center to be constructed on this Hilltop Road property will be held 10 a.m. Dec. 15. (Staff photo by Deborah Bennett) Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) will host a ground-breaking ceremony for the Jenkins County Correctional Center 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, on Hilltop Road. Special invited guests and the general public are invited to attend the ceremony at the construction site.

“We are very pleased to continue our close partnership with the State of Georgia,” said CCA president and CEO Damon Hininger. “We look forward to building a strong partnership with Jenkins County and bringing strong, stable careers.”

Guest speakers will include Governor Sonny Purdue, Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Brian Owens, Mayor King Rocker, Jenkins County Development Authority Chairman Mabel Jenkins and Jenkins County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jerry Henry. CCA President and CEO Damon Hininger, CCA Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer Tony Grande and Ralph Kemp, warden at CCA’s Wheeler Correctional Facility in Alamo will also share remarks.

The ceremony is anticipated to last up to 40 minutes and will be held underneath a large, heated tent. A reception with drinks and Danishes will follow the ceremony. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place at Jenkins County High School gymnatorium on North Avenue.

As part of the event, attendees are invited to participate in a holiday toy drive for local children. New, unwrapped toys will be collected at the ceremony and presented to the Jenkins County Family Enrichment Center for distribution.

The correctional center is expected to be completed by March 2012 and will provide approximately 200 full time jobs for local citizens with an estimated annual payroll of $8 million in salaries and benefits.

Directions to the Jenkins County Correctional Center site are: From Millen, go east on Winthrope Avenue/Highway 67; Turn right onto Magnolia Avenue; Turn left onto Pine Street (dirt road); Stay right onto Hilltop Road to site.