Community leaders view federal prison in NH
By KATHY McCORMACK
BERLIN, N.H.
Hiring workers for a new federal prison under construction in Berlin should start next winter -- if funding comes through, federal officials said Wednesday.
The 1,700-inmate prison is expected to have a staff of 332, many of them corrections officers.
Tammi Sanderhoff, a U.S. Bureau of Prisons comptroller who oversees financial management for prisons in the Northeast, told a group of community leaders that 60 percent of the jobs would be filled locally; the rest would be brought in from other prisons.
Funding for the jobs is included as an item in President Barack Obama's federal budget request for fiscal year 2011, which starts in October, she said.
"We can't proceed without funding," Sanderhoff told the group meeting at White Mountains Community College. "Shortly after we get a budget, we'll get a warden."
Barring any large, unforeseen budget circumstances, the funding should come through, she said. "The Berlin beds are needed, and activation will continue," she said.
The timing of the funding and future job postings is important. Officials said filling out the online job applications is complex, and once the applications are submitted, they are good for only a year.
Mark Belanger, director of the New Hampshire Works job assistance office in Berlin, said community leaders helping to recruit potential job candidates are looking to set up job fairs across Coos County as the time for job postings gets closer. It's likely people may apply from elsewhere in New Hampshire, too, he said. "You'll see an influx," he said.
Construction of the complex itself is nearly done. Al Cypress, an architect for the Northeast prison region, said there is one wrinkle: A new sewer line under construction is not expected to be done until next June, and that may delay full activation of the prison.
Community leaders got their first look at the inside of the complex north of the city on Wednesday, which spans more than 600 acres and has views of the White Mountains. Cypress said some design features for the Berlin prison are different from others. For example, because of the cold climate, corridors were added so people could move from one part of the complex to the other without having to go outside. Also, while other prison roofs are flat, the Berlin one is angled, to help with snow buildup and drainage, he said.
Officials said the prison will have three gyms for the inmates, who won't be able to go outside during the bulk of the generally long, cold winters.
Right now, there's hardly any furniture inside the cream and tan wall complex. One room -- referred to as the "nerve center" -- has a multi-screen console installed where corrections officers can monitor all the prison cameras and alarms. Community members also saw the future inmate visitation area, which has a children's playroom and separate rooms for inmates to meet with their lawyers; one of three housing units, which will contain bunk beds in most cells; the commissary; and room for religious services.
The federal Bureau of Prisons says the prison will house medium and minimum security inmates; officials said many of them will be serving sentences for drug- and firearms-related crimes.
Residents in Berlin voted in 2002 in favor of a proposal to bring a federal prison to the city. Then-Mayor Robert Danderson first proposed the prison after paper and pulp mills in Berlin and nearby Gorham closed down, putting hundreds of people out of work.
Work started on the complex in 2007.
