WASHINGTON– U.S. Senators Judd Gregg and John Sununu today announced that the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons has just signed the Record of Decision to construct and operate a proposed Federal Correctional Institution in Berlin, New Hampshire.  This action concludes a comprehensive and exhaustive environmental impact process and was taken after considering the Final Environmental Impact Statement, comment letters and other materials.

Senator Gregg stated, “We got more good news today on the Berlin prison. The Bureau of Prisons announced a record of decision, which means they are committed to going forward to building this project and the only thing that stands in the way now is the funding and actually we do have the funding in place to do this project.  This is a major step forward and means the prison is on track.  That means that 400 really good jobs are going to be created in the Berlin area, which clearly needs them, when the prison is up and running.  While the prison is being built, there will be a tremendous amount of construction activity and that will also spin off a lot of jobs.  So this is good economic news for the Berlin region and I am glad that we were able to get this far.  We look forward to working to make sure that this comes to fruition.”

Senator Sununu stated, “This record of decision is a positive step forward for the entire scope of the prison – an initiative that will ultimately bring hundreds of jobs and their corresponding economic benefits to the North Country. As the project gets underway, I look forward to the prison being a good neighbor to the communities that surround Berlin and to prison officials continuing to work to solve any outstanding issues with neighboring communities.”

Pam Laflamme, Berlin City Manager, stated, “The City of Berlin is pleased with the announcement that the Federal Bureau of Prisons has made their decision to locate here in the community and we are grateful for the support Senators Gregg and Sununu have provided us throughout this process.  The City is transitioning toward a new economy and this project is a critical component of that transition.  We are looking forward to starting the next phase of the project and the jobs that it will bring to the region.”

The decision to go forward with this project is based on the Bureau of Prisons’ critical need for additional capacity.  The prison will be a medium-security facility.  The Bureau is currently proceeding with the procurement process to award a construction contract for the project next spring.  Once a construction contract is awarded, the project is expected to take about 36 months to complete. 

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