Prison plan pumps emotion

Short list of possible sites for proposed facility raising stakes

October 29, 2006

By Michael Rovito/Frontiersman

MAT-SU - If a recent public information meeting about the location of a proposed Mat-Su prison is any indication, emotions will be running high during a series of public comment sessions addressing the future home of more than 2,000 convicted criminals.

In the coming months, residents from Houston to Sutton will get the chance to weigh in on the final location of a medium security prison, a state endeavor that officials say will create as many as 600 jobs and help solve Alaska's overcrowded prison problem.

Presently, some 1,000 inmates from Alaska are shipped to Arizona for incarceration. State Department of Corrections officials say a prison in the Mat-Su would allow some of those inmates to serve their time near their families, and without paying to ship prisoners back and forth.

During a recent meeting at the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex - in a question-and-answer session dealing with general issues - some residents displayed a &#8220not-in-my-backyard” mentality about the prison.

The requirement that the prison be at least one mile from a school raised the ire of Valley resident John Leiner, who told corrections officials that an escaped inmate full of adrenaline could cover that distance in no time.

The issue could be dividing at least one town, with Houston residents bemoaning a prison in their area while their city council welcomes the development with open arms.

During an Oct. 17 Mat-Su Borough Assembly meeting, Sandy McDonald of Houston told the assembly that, contrary to what it might hear from the Houston City Council, the sentiment of those who live in Houston is anti-prison. McDonald said the issue has led many to claim the city council is not listening to them.

&#8220They're old-school and kind of doing it their own way,” McDonald said of the Houston council.

Earlier this week, McDonald, who owns property adjacent to the proposed site, submitted a petition with more than 200 signatures to RISE Alaska, an Anchorage-based company working on the prison project, and to the Mat-Su Borough showing the opposition to a prison by Houston and Willow residents.

The Zero Lake site has become a bone of contention after locals found out that, if built, the prison would sit on top of a historic dog mushing trail. McDonald said the petition also had signatures from Willow residents because parts of the prison would reside in Willow.

She said Houstonites aren't happy with what she called the city council's unwillingness to listen to its constituents. She let them know during a public comment session Monday.

&#8220They kind of just stared at me,” McDonald said in a later telephone interview.

Council member Link Fannon paints a different picture. Fannon, who consistently has touted the economic opportunities a prison project would bring to the area, said Tuesday he's not hearing the negative sentiments McDonald's petitions convey.

&#8220I've heard nothing but positive,” Fannon said, adding that he would like to know what percentage of signatures are Willow residents as opposed to Houston residents.

The answer to that question, according to Tom Kluberton, District 7 representative in the assembly, is that, most likely, there are more Willow signatures, but he doesn't fault those residents for wanting a voice in the opposition.

&#8220I think it's perfectly legitimate for Willow to voice their concerns,” Kluberton said.

The Talkeetna resident who is serving his first term on the assembly said he thinks the number of signatures in McDonald's petitions may have an effect on the selections committee when it comes to narrowing down the sites.

&#8220It certainly should,” Kluberton said.

The motivation for McDonald's petition is questioned by Fannon's fellow council member Steve Frost, who said even if 200 people are against it - and even if they are all from Houston - that is a small percent of the city's 900 registered voters.

In Willow, residents typically align themselves on the side most beneficial to their mushing heritage, and it is not by-and-large a pro-prison community, Kluberton said.

But Fannon, sticking with the prospect of an economic boom, said he doesn't see the value of a mushing trail taking precedence over an estimated 600 jobs.

&#8220I really like living in Houston,” Fannon said. &#8220But it takes jobs.”

The possibility of amenities such as natural gas and other utilities being plugged into the Houston area excites Fannon, who said he has no agenda and is open to public comment.

As of Tuesday, Sutton, Houston, Point MacKenzie and Palmer South still are in the running for possible prison sites.

Public meetings in those areas are scheduled for the week of Nov. 13, according to borough Public Affairs Manager Patty Sullivan.

Life may be different in Houston if development spawned by a prison ever becomes a reality. Interviews with those on both sides of the issue reveal a shared perspective that, just like much of the Mat-Su Valley, Houston is in line for change.

&#8220We need to realize times are changing and we need to decide what Houston wants to be,” McDonald said.

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