Ferry a plus for Pt. Mac

December 17, 2006

By Michael Rovito

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - Point MacKenzie recently rose to the top of a prison site list primarily because of upcoming transportation options at the site, according to a borough official.

Ron Swanson, Mat-Su Borough director of community development, said that, while he cannot speak for the other decision-makers - the Alaska Department of Corrections and the Alaska Housing and Finance Committee - the Port MacKenzie ferry and planned Knik Arm bridge had an influence on the borough's decision.

&#8220The operational cost would have been 3 or 4 percent higher without a bridge or ferry,” Swanson said.

Swanson said the advantage of quick access to Anchorage could cut transportation costs that otherwise would eat away at part of the prison's operating budget.

That budget, which Swanson said will run about $60 million to $65 million a year, is 80

percent salaries with the rest going toward utilities and transportation.

Although the Point MacKenzie site may cost more to

construct, Swanson said it will save taxpayers money in the long run.

Officials have cited the positive impact the bridge and ferry would have on the prison's transportation needs. Besides easier transport of prisoners, Point MacKenzie proponents tout the short commute across Knik Arm as an advantage to workers.

Compared with the Sutton site, from which Swanson said it would take up to an hour and a half to transport prisoners to Anchorage, the operational ferry at Point MacKenzie would take 15 to 25 minutes, depending on conditions.

State law requires released prisoners to be returned to their point of arrest, so the short transportation time to Anchorage - where most prisoners likely would come from - would be an advantage, Swanson said.

The Port MacKenzie ferry is scheduled to begin running during the summer of 2008. Along with the ferry, a bridge linking Anchorage with the Mat-Su Borough is in the works and is slated to open in 2010.

Finances for the bridge come in the form of congressional appropriations, state and local grants, and public- and private-sector investments, according to the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority Web site.

Rep. Carl Gatto, R-Palmer, who attended the meeting where the preferred prison site was chosen, said the ferry would promote development around the prison, which he pointed out is a state facility.

&#8220The circumstances are, the ferry is a sure thing,” Gatto said.

He added that the abundance of space at Point MacKenzie is advantageous to the prison's growth. Gatto also said that by building in Point MacKenzie - which has a relatively low population - future homeowners would know what they're getting into.

No matter the outcome, the ferry appears to be at least one major factor attracting officials to Point MacKenzie.

&#8220If the ferry was iffy and the bridge was iffy, it could have made a difference one way or another in sites,” Swanson said.

The site recommendation will go before the borough Planning Commission at its meeting Monday, set to start at 6 p.m. at Swanson Elementary School. The meeting is open to the public and public testimony will be taken.

The final decision on the prison's location is scheduled

to be made by the assembly in January.

Contact Michael Rovito at 352-2252 or michael.rovito@ frontiersman.com.