Sutton says no to prison

Nov. 23, 2006

By Michael Rovito

Frontiersman

SUTTON - Opposition to a proposed prison was back on its feet in Sutton Monday, just two days after overwhelming support was shown for the project in Houston.

Only one person out of 17 who testified publicly Monday - nine residents gave comments privately to a court reporter - spoke in favor of a prison in Sutton, with most blaming their distaste on what they called poor relations with the existing Palmer Correctional Facility.

&#8220The present prison hasn't dealt with the community at all,” said Nancy Dryden, referring to what she called an ongoing battle over light pollution.

Dryden, a Sutton resident, said she has collected about 250 signatures from neighbors on what has become the latest in a series of anti-prison petitions.

Other concerns voiced Monday dealt with what residents called a failure by the Palmer Correctional Facility to live up to promises made over the years, with lighting being one of the top issues.

The lighting problem can be attributed to the lack of shields on large lights meant to keep prison grounds illuminated, borough manager John Duffy said. Without those shields, light shines into the night sky, and on cloudy evenings, reflects back to the ground causing the light pollution many Sutton residents complain about. Officials from the borough have attempted to resolve the issue in the past, Duffy said.

&#8220We've talked to them many times,” he said.

An official from the Department of Corrections said fixing the lights at the existing Sutton prison has been a priority, but budgetary issues have thwarted its completion.

&#8220It's a matter of money,” said Ted Kinney, the DOC's expansion planning facilities manager. &#8220The state budget has been very limited.”

Kinney said, while fixing the lighting in Sutton is a priority, it takes a back seat to life safety priorities such as roofs, smoke detectors and more.

&#8220It's not that we're skirting responsibilities,” Kinney said. &#8220We recognize we have issues out there.”

Patty Sullivan, borough public affairs manager, said fewer people turned out than expected at Monday's Sutton meeting.

Actively opposing the prison with his wife Nancy, Dan Dryden - a member of Sutton's comprehensive plan review team who also was on the town's original comprehensive plan team - said a borough fact sheet distributed at public comment meetings contains false information.

In a section dealing with the town's comprehensive plan, Dryden said a key stipulation that a new prison not exceed 700 beds has been omitted. Furthermore, he said, the borough handout states there is no K-12 school within a mile of the proposed prison site.

Dryden said the Chickaloon Native school, Ya Ne Dah Ah, is less than a mile away.

When asked whether that would scrub Sutton from the list of possible prison locations, Alaska Department of Corrections Commissioner Marc Antrim said, while DOC officials have used the one mile stipulation, the rule is more a guideline than a hardened regulation.

&#8220It's really to keep students away from the prison,” Antrim said, adding that, typically, prisons have more problems with people wandering around the property than with escaping prisoners.

In response to Dryden's allegations of false information on borough handouts, Sullivan said it is possible mistakes were made, and she is looking into issues brought up by the public.

&#8220We're putting these things out, and we're certainly learning with each public hearing and meeting,” Sullivan said.

The Sutton meeting was the last of four originally scheduled meetings facilitated by RISE Alaska, an Anchorage-based management company.

An additional meeting has been scheduled in Palmer after the large turnout at that city's first meeting. Residents will have another chance to comment Nov. 29 at Swanson Elementary School, where an informational meeting will run from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., with a public comment session from 7- 9 p.m.

Borough officials will be in Willow Dec. 4 when the Willow Area Community Organization addresses the prison topic. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Willow Community Center. The borough will provide an audio tape of the meeting to RISE Alaska and public comment forms will be available.