NATCHEZ — If you were a stray piece of grass you didn’t last very long at the Adams County Correctional Center Monday.

Just 24 hours before the new facility on U.S. 84 was to be dedicated, workers were busy mowing the lawns, edging the grass and making the entire complex look pristine and new.

And all of the work was being done by the entire CCA staff. Corrections officers, administrative clerks, shift supervisors, clerical staff were on their hands and knees in the summer heat pinching off stray blades along the perimeter razor-wire topped fence.

The prison will have a dedication ceremony and grand opening at 10 a.m. today.

Invitations were sent to area leaders, and due to security concerns and space constraints the event won’t be open to the public, Warden Vance Laughlin said.

Among the state leaders scheduled to speak is Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant.

The prison does not yet have inmates, but expects to begin filling up in the coming months.

Up to 400 jobs will have been filled once hiring is complete. Several positions remain open.

Mayor Jake Middleton said when he thinks of the positive aspects of the prison the more than 400 new jobs the facility is expected to bring to the area is first on his list.

“For a community of our size, or any size, 400 jobs is a big deal,” he said.

The 2,500-bed facility will house low- to medium-security inmates, mainly illegal immigrants arrested for crimes in the United States.

Construction costs reached approximately $140 million. The prison’s perimeter fence encloses 88 acres on U.S. 84 near Cranfield. The distance from one side of the site to the other is approximately a quarter mile, and the walk around the outside of the fence is a little over a mile.