A contract valued at close to half a million dollars has been awarded to Locke’s Electrical of Corner Brook for the installation of what government is calling a new program trailer at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary.

The province says it’s one of a number of interim measures being put in place until a new corrections facility is built.

The 20 foot by 40 foot double-wide trailer will be used as a space to provide Adult Basic Education, literacy programs and programming to get people ready for the workforce.

Meanwhile, government is procuring a new admissions building with construction expected to begin in 2025.

The road to replacing the aging penitentiary has been a long one with a number of twists and turns in the RFP process, and still no definitive date in sight.