100 CommerCial ConstruCtion & renovation — January : February 2014
federal construction • AlAskA goose creek correctionAl fAcility
The new, medium security prison
is Alaska's largest by far, housing more
than 1,500 prisoners. It's a $240 million
dollar Alcatraz in the middle of a spruce
and lichen sea. If an inmate was to make
it past the 800 surveillance cameras,
armed guards and 12-foot fence topped
with razor wire, among the sure-bet
companions would be ornery moose and
angrier mosquitoes.
Aside from its remote location in the
Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Borough,
Goose Creek has another feature that sets it
apart from many of the newer prisons in the
United States today – its Spartan atmo-
sphere. While some prisons in the lower 48
resemble high-rent condos, Goose Creek
offers no TVs in the cells, no tobacco and
no artwork. Each cell has a steel desk, bunk
bed and a storage container.
"This is one of the largest vertical con-
struction projects that's ever taken place in
Alaska," says Russ Krafft, Mat-Su Borough
purchasing offcer. "It was like building an
entire university campus all at once."
The mechanical system for the facility
is designed to meet three main require-
ments: uninterrupted year-round service,
super-effcient performance and be fully
tamper-resistant.
Anchorage-based Superior Plumbing
and Heating was tapped for the job. The frm
is part of the fve-company Superior Group,
one of the largest mechanical frms in
Alaska. "We retroft and service correctional
"W
here could they
possibly go if
they got out?" asked one local,
referring to prisoners at the
all-new Goose Creek Correc-
tional Facility in Alaska. Miles
of thick forest and deep, cold
water separates the prison
from Anchorage.
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