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The two-year construction of the Goose Creek Correctional Center (GCCC) in Alaska’s Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Borough has been a contractor’s dream project in many ways. The ahead-of-schedule project has benefited from agreeable weather and hassle-free soils throughout the entire project. 

“We haven’t had many setbacks,” says Russ Krafft, a purchasing officer and GCCC project manager with the Mat-Su purchasing division. “That’s evidenced by the fact that we’re so far ahead of schedule.” The contract stipulates a December 2011 completion, but the project will most likely wrap up in August.

“When construction first began we were able to begin one-and-a-half to two months earlier than we anticipated to start some of the ground work,” Krafft says. “The trend in this area that we’re starting to see is the break up into spring is happening a little earlier. Also, where the site is located they tend to have more favorable weather because they are farther away from the mountains, and generally, the weather is much warmer where they are.”

The construction team was able to have the foundation built and the building enclosed before winter set in. During the colder months, the team worked on the interior, which meant no winter shutdown.

Concerning the soils, Krafft says the state government conducted its own geo-technical studies for site proposal. He says they knew it was a good site, “but as it turned out, it was a great site.” It boasts a high gravel content with coarse sands that possess excellent drainage properties and stability. On the other hand, it lacked silt, clay and peet. “Our contractor described the site as perfect for what they were doing,” Krafft says. “All the gravel needs they were able to extract right from the site. There’s also good road infrastructure going out there as far as moving materials to the site.”

Amid these conditions, Mat-Su ran into one crucial snag. The GCCC is in a rural area at the end of the utility grid. The utility network could not sustain the post-construction operational needs let alone the construction itself.

“Although the site is only 30 minutes from Wasilla, it’s at the end of the utility grid,” Krafft explains. “There was electricity service, but not enough to support [the construction]. The nearest natural gas was five miles away. We had to coordinate with the local utilities to get service in place or up to a level that would support both construction activity as well as operation of the facility.” Mat-Su’s construction team, including design/build contractor Neeser Construction Inc. and project management firm RISE Alaska, were able to get sufficient electricity and gas service to the site. Also, across the street, there is a $22 million water supply and wastewater treatment plant under construction that will serve the future site.

The medium-security correctional center consists of five buildings sitting on 90 acres. The buildings’ square footage totals 430,000 square feet and includes a two-story, 1,536-bed housing unit; a three-story administrative building; and a multi-level services and institution building. The other two buildings on the site include a warehouse and vehicle maintenance structure.

Krafft says a project of this size is outside the typical scope of the Mat-Su Borough. He credits the project’s success not only to the excellent weather and site conditions but to the execution of the entire team. Alaska Planning and Architecture is working with the Alaska Department of Corrections to develop program specifications for the project. The borough has since retained it as a consultant for any design questions that should arise.

Krafft says design/build team Neeser Construction and its subs have been wonderful to work with and show a strong commitment to safety. “In terms of safety, I think a lot of companies will say safety is No. 1 but I think Neeser really lives up to that claim,” he says. “For the most part it’s gone on without a hitch. They do a good job making sure that all the people come to the site each morning and leave each day safely, knowing they will be back the next day to work in a safe environment again.” Key partners on the project include M/Bed Block Systems.