Public meeting for prison

proposal slated for Oct. 12

October 3, 2006

By Michael Rovito/Frontiersman

PALMER - The Alaska state Department of Corrections wants to hear the opinions of Mat-Su Borough residents about a proposed jail slated for construction in the area.

The department will be present at a public meeting Oct. 12 from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex, put on by RISE Alaska. A list of sites that have been looked at as a possible locations for the prison will be covered.

RISE, a management company based in Anchorage, is working in conjunction with Seattle-based DLR Group, the firm chosen by the borough to oversee site selection and early design work.

Currently, some 1,000 Alaska inmates are housed in Arizona because of sever overcrowding in Alaska prisons. The prisoners are commonly flown between states to appear at court dates.

Officials say a prison in the Mat-Su Valley would not only curb the need to export so many prisoners, but it would also create jobs and economic opportunity in the area.

The total cost for the prison has so far been estimated at $330 million.

The planned project has been billed as the state's largest construction venture since the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.

The facility will encompass 20 acres, with 2, 251 beds,

and is expected to have the same population count as Alaska's 10th largest city, Bethel, a borough news release said.

The city of Houston, which has been touted as a top location for the prison, recently passed legislation supporting construction of the facility in that area.

Link Fannon, a Houston City Council member, said his city is excited for the possibilities a prison could bring.

&#8220We passed a resolution letting the borough know as a city we'll do our part to invite the prison to Houston,” Fannon said.

He added that Houston is set up as a great area for residential development, and the prison, which he said is estimated to bring in 600 jobs, would be a catalyst for the development.

The borough has already established ground rules governing criteria for the new prison, including a location within a 30-mile radius of the Parks or Glenn Highways, no closer than one mile from a school and consistent with any existing comprehensive plans, according to a borough news release.

More public meetings are planned for November, with final sites expected to be determined in late October, the news release says.

The borough assembly is charged with approving an eventual site, after which construction is expected to start next spring with a completion date of 2010, borough officials said.

Contact Michael Rovito at

352-2252 or michael.rovito @frontiersman.com.