THOMSON – Residents of a small northwestern Illinois village are hopeful a future federal prison will add more than 1,000 needed jobs and provide an economic boost.

The federal Bureau of Prisons announced last week that it is moving ahead with its plan to purchase the now-closed Thomson Correctional Center for $165 million and convert it into a maximum security prison.

The sale had been stalled for years over concerns, mainly from congressional Republicans, that the facility would be used to house terrorism suspects from Guantanamo Bay. But the Obama administration has vowed that won’t happen and federal law now prohibits it.