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September 07. 2012 12:56AM
Berlin federal prison opens with low-security inmates
BERLIN — The new Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) in Berlin got its first inmates Thursday, Senator Jeanne Shaheen announced, and more will be arriving this month.
“I know how hard everyone in the community has worked to ensure Berlin Prison's opening and I am glad to see that the prison took an important step today with the arrival of its first minimum-security inmates,” Shaheen said. “This step signifies that Berlin Prison is now an official federal correctional facility within the Bureau of Prisons. Bringing jobs back to the North Country is crucial for the economic revitalization of the North Country and Berlin Prison has already brought a new energy to the community.”
The federal prison is just one initiative that the city of Berlin, with the help of state and federal officials, undertook in 2001 when the owners of the pulp and paper mills in Androscoggin Valley began to show signs of financial distress. Shaheen was governor at that time, and she, along with Commissioner George Bald of the state Department of Resources and Economic Development, worked with community officials and stakeholders to find ways to mitigate the loss of the region's largest employer.
When American Tissue declared bankruptcy, its subsidiary, Pulp and Paper of America, laid off 860 mill workers without warning. The Berlin City Council, with then-mayor Bob Danderson leading the way, appealed to then-senator Judd Gregg to try to get a federal prison located in Berlin.
The project took longer than expected, with several bumps along the way, including, last year, the lack of money in the federal budget to open the prison. The facility was completed in November 2010. The empty prison was maintained at a cost of about $4 million a year. Before funding to activate the prison came through, the prison only had a staff to ensure its security and maintenance, and a small administrative staff to be ready for when the funding did come through.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has hired 115 staff members for FCI Berlin.
Sara Young-Knox may be reached at syoungknox@newstote.com.
“I know how hard everyone in the community has worked to ensure Berlin Prison's opening and I am glad to see that the prison took an important step today with the arrival of its first minimum-security inmates,” Shaheen said. “This step signifies that Berlin Prison is now an official federal correctional facility within the Bureau of Prisons. Bringing jobs back to the North Country is crucial for the economic revitalization of the North Country and Berlin Prison has already brought a new energy to the community.”
The federal prison is just one initiative that the city of Berlin, with the help of state and federal officials, undertook in 2001 when the owners of the pulp and paper mills in Androscoggin Valley began to show signs of financial distress. Shaheen was governor at that time, and she, along with Commissioner George Bald of the state Department of Resources and Economic Development, worked with community officials and stakeholders to find ways to mitigate the loss of the region's largest employer.
When American Tissue declared bankruptcy, its subsidiary, Pulp and Paper of America, laid off 860 mill workers without warning. The Berlin City Council, with then-mayor Bob Danderson leading the way, appealed to then-senator Judd Gregg to try to get a federal prison located in Berlin.
The project took longer than expected, with several bumps along the way, including, last year, the lack of money in the federal budget to open the prison. The facility was completed in November 2010. The empty prison was maintained at a cost of about $4 million a year. Before funding to activate the prison came through, the prison only had a staff to ensure its security and maintenance, and a small administrative staff to be ready for when the funding did come through.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has hired 115 staff members for FCI Berlin.
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Sara Young-Knox may be reached at syoungknox@newstote.com.
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