Pt. MacKenzie is preferred site for prison

PALMER Dec. 8-- Taking the next step in the search for a potential prison site that began last June, an Executive Site Selection Committee today recommended the Point MacKenzie site, north of Alsop Road, as the preferred site.

While no site is a perfect fit for the medium-security prison, the features of the rural Point MacKenzie site - its comparable operations costs, clear land title, fewer affected property owners, manageable traffic impacts, and less public outcry - moved it to the top of the list.

Public comment from the Point MacKenzie area has been mixed. Some landowners have signed a petition welcoming the arrival of jobs, and gas and electric utilities; others, including the local community council, oppose the project.

Dollars were not the only determining factor in choosing a potential site for the state's largest prison. The Point MacKenzie site is the most expensive site to build of the three remaining sites, though not by much, considering the magnitude of the $303 million project (plus inflation costs). Estimated site development costs are: Point MacKenzie $37.3 million; Sutton $37 million; Palmer $28.6 million plus traffic mitigation and land acquisition costs.

The alternate choice of the Site Selection Committee is Sutton next to the existing Palmer Correctional Facility. The site at South Palmer is off the list. The Planning Commission and Assembly will not consider South Palmer as a prison site.

The preference for the Point MacKenzie site will go before the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning Commission for a public hearing on Dec. 18, and another public hearing before the Assembly on Jan. 16. The Commission and the Assembly will decide whether to approve the site. The final decision rests with the Assembly.

The final sites were chosen from a list of 16 sites. The sites under consideration have been narrowed down to the recommended sites using varying levels of engineering information. Additionally, the public made its voice known at five public hearings as well as through written comments. Public comment had much to bear on the selection process.

The Site Selection Committee has members of each of the entities involved in the project: Alaska Dept. of Corrections, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

After evaluating the extensive public testimony, the Committee based its decision on a Site Selection Report. The report lays out how the three remaining sites differ by technical information, site development costs, operations and maintenance costs, and public comment. A large amount of engineering information has been amassed to analyze the pros and cons of the final sites. That report is on the Borough Web site at www.matsugov.us

Among the report findings: Initially, it seemed the operations costs for the Point MacKenzie site would be three percent to four percent more than costs for South Palmer or Sutton. However the coming MAT-SU's "Susitna" ferry could, over time, reduce such costs and make operations at Point MacKenzie less than costs at South Palmer and Sutton.

The ferry is projected to run in the summer of 2008. The 195-foot long ship will carry at least 20 cars and 100 passengers at up to 20 knots. This will allow transportation options to either Anchorage or MAT-SU Valley location ns.

The Point MacKenzie site has less people affected. Three homes are about 4,500 feet away from the proposed footprint. The number of structural improvements close to each of the sites is: Point MacKenzie 44 improvements within two miles, 174 within five miles. Sutton has 207 structures within two miles; 1,114 within five miles. South Palmer has 559 within two miles, and 6,528 within five miles.

Other comparisons involve land ownership. The land title for the Point MacKenzie site is clear. The Borough owns it. The title for the Sutton site has a leasehold interest. The time required to change the lease adds some risk as far as timing with bond sales. The South Palmer site would be purchased from a private landowner. Negotiations present some risk for a potential delay to the bond sale and the project.

Vehicle access to the Palmer site is complicated by a railroad crossing and elevation differences between the site and the Glenn Highway. One thousand vehicles per day are expected on the roads as a result of the project. Access mitigations for the rail crossing and vehicle access alternatives could run more than $5 million.

While Pt. MacKenzie has no comprehensive plan, Sutton's Comprehensive Plan limits the numbers of new prison beds to 700. While that document is not law, it is a guiding document from the community for the MAT-SU Borough.

Public testimony does influence the decision makers. During phase II, 580 comments were received with most residents opposing any site near them. All the testimony and petitions are included in a two-binder set, 2,000 pages long. The agencies will have a copy for review. Palmer had the greatest number of opponents for the prison project, 2,153 people signed a petition against it. A breakdown of the public comment is in the final report.

Property owners within 1,000 feet of the two remaining sites will receive a public notice of the project in the mail before the Planning Commission public hearing. Notices were sent out today.

The process next goes before the Planning Commission on Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. at Swanson Elementary in Palmer. The Assembly public hearing will be Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Central MAT-SU Fire Station in Wasilla.

For more information, contact Ron Swanson at (907) 745-9868 or Ted Kinney at Dept. of Corrections (907) 269-7361, or Stu Barrows at AHFC (907) 330-8118.