Point Mac tops prison list; Palmer nixed

Dec. 8, 2006

By Michael Rovito

Frontiersman

PALMER - Point MacKenzie became the preferred prison site and South Palmer was officially dropped from the list Friday afternoon after a mid-morning meeting in Anchorage between the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, the Alaska Department of Corrections and Mat-Su Borough officials.

Ron Swanson, the borough's director of community development, said Palmer was taken off the list because of a combination of public outcry against the prison and some &#8220good technical reasons for it.”

&#8220The public process was very enlightening to all of us,” Swanson said.

In recent weeks, residents of Palmer have been among the most vocal prison opponents in the borough, going as far as developing a Web site with the purpose of agitating against the proposed development.

Across the Valley, however, many Point MacKenzie residents recently made it clear they welcome to a prison in their community. Public opinion in that area is varied, however.

&#8220We're all for all of it,” Craig Trytten, a Point MacKenzie resident, said in a recent Frontiersman article.

Even so, Gordon Attaliades, the Point MacKenzie Community Council president, said the council is adamantly opposed to the development, and voted on the issue during a Nov. 25 meeting.

According to a borough news release, initial fears of high operating costs for the prison at Point MacKenzie were calmed by the planned ferry, which officials say could &#8220reduce such costs and make operations at Point MacKenzie less than costs at South Palmer and Sutton.”

The release also cites the borough's ownership of the Point MacKenzie property, and less of what officials call structural improvements at that location compared to others.

The Point MacKenzie preference goes before the borough planning commission Dec. 18 at Swanson Elementary School in Palmer. The meeting is a public hearing, and residents can testify.

Assembly member Cindy Bettine, who represents Point MacKenzie, said one of her main concerns is making sure any negative affects of the prison are handled in a wise manner.

Bettine said she is curious about the level of commitment on the part of the state to mitigate the impact of a prison.

&#8220Hopefully, all of the (Mat-Su) delegation will help out with that,” Bettine said.

The borough can expect help from the state, according to District 15 Rep. Mark Neuman, R-Big Lake. But, Neuman cautioned the level of support needed would vary depending on the final site.

&#8220The state will do all it can to provide for the needs,” Neuman said.

Friday's decision leaves only Sutton as the second possible site after Point MacKenzie. The ranking in no way determines the final location of the prison, but will be taken into consideration when the assembly makes its final vote in January.

&#8220I'm quite happy where we ended,” Swanson said, adding that officials are shooting for a June or July start date for construction.

The medium-security prison is estimated to cost around $303 million, create as many as 1,800 construction jobs and up to 600 full-time jobs once the project is completed. Officials project 2010 as the year the prison will be operational.

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