Granger Northern Starts Construction of New Carroll County Jail in Ossipee

Groundbreaking ceremony held May 13

OSSIPEE, New Hampshire - Granger Northern, Inc., one of Northern New England's largest private and public sector construction services firms, has begun construction of the $8 million, 73-bed Carroll County Jail in Ossipee, N.H.

The new facility, scheduled for completion in June 2003, will ease overcrowding and replace the present county jail, an antiquated facility constructed in the late 1800s around two cell blocks salvaged from an old prison ship.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site, located on County Farm Road, on Monday, May 13. Carroll County Commissioners, the Carroll County Director of Corrections and officials with Granger Northern and SMRT, the architect, took part.

The new 43,500-square-foot jail will be located on County Farm Road near the present jail on a 1,000-acre site housing the county administration building, county nursing home, proposed county courthouse and related facilities. The large size of the site will create buffering and allow room for the operation of a jail farm, said Tom Frederick, president of Portland, Maine-based Granger Northern, which is serving as the design builder of the facility.

Designed by Portland's SMRT, the new jail will hold 73 inmates but the capacity can easily be increased to house more than 100 inmates by adding a second bunk in single cells. Also, the design allows for additional expansion to meet future needs.

The new jail also will include facilities - two classrooms, a computer lab and a library - to provide educational opportunities for inmates. Outside recreation will be provided in enclosed recreation yards that offer both security for the public and fresh air for the inmates. A health services area with a medical isolation cell will be located within the facility.

"Our aim is to build a first-class facility that will serve the needs of the area," Frederick said. "We have years of experience in jail construction as well as in getting projects done on time and within budget. I don't expect this important project to be any different for us."

The county chose the design/build method of construction delivery as a way to substantially reduce project development time and identify capital costs needs early in the project. Construction will be completed in June 2003. Granger's project manager is Marc Gagnon.

In addition to emphasizing an economical structure, the facility has been designed to maximize staff utilization, thereby reducing operational costs. Direct supervision in the general population area enhances staff communication with inmates and reduces conflicts between inmates. Also, a state-of-the-art control room will provide observation of all cell-housing areas.

Besides the new jail, Granger is building a county maintenance facility immediately adjacent to the secure perimeter, which will provide work opportunities for inmates housed within the facility.

Granger has a strong reputation in jail construction. Other notable current projects include the $28 million, 350-bed, medium-security Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, Vermont; the $17 million, 250-bed York County Jail in Alfred, Maine; and Maine's two new juvenile correctional facilities in South Portland and Charleston. Granger also built the Northern New Hampshire Correctional Facility in Berlin, N.H, and the state-of-the-art Cumberland County Jail in Portland, Maine.

Since 1985, Granger has provided construction management, design building and general contracting services to schools, colleges and universities, hospitals, developers, continual care providers, retailers, researchers, manufacturers, institutions and local, state and federal agencies in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. A Maine-based company, Granger Northern is located at 84 Middle Street in Portland and employs about 100, including a full staff of skilled tradespeople. For additional information, visit the firm's web site at www.grangernorthern.com.

SMRT is a full service architecture engineering and planning firm based in Portland, Maine with branch offices in Manchester, N.H., Camden, N.J., and Sarasota, Florida. SMRT has significant experience in the design of criminal justice, health care, education, high-tech and corporate facilities. Other recent projects include the Northern New Hampshire Correctional Facility, Laconia Police Station, Elliot Hospital Women and Children's Center and Lonza Biologics. Also, SMRT is currently in the planning and design stage for a new middle school in Rochester, N.H.

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