By Alabama Public Radio
Greensboro AL – A 540-acre tract of state prison system property will likely be purchased by a high bid from Double K Farms LLC of Greensboro. The land sale has been attempted before in recent years and stirred controversy that it was a way to reward political allies by the Governor's office. However, the high bid of $1.625 million from John Kynard III and Gary Scott Kimbrel has quieted those concerns. The prison department now has 30 days to complete the sale and could negotiate with the high bidder to get more money for the property. The land is part of the State Cattle Ranch prison farm. Deputy Prisons Commissioner Vernon Barnett says the department was "delighted" that both bids were more than the tract's appraised value of $1.407 million, the minimum amount required in the bidding. The sale will help fill the department's $20 million to $26 million budget gap for the 2008 fiscal year that starts in October. The money will be used for drug treatment programs and operating costs.