Rebuilding Northpoint will cost $18.8 million

FRANKFORT — Northpoint Training Center should be fully rebuilt and remodeled to hold 1,256 inmates by the end of 2011 at a cost of $18.8 million, according to state prison officials.

Five buildings that have space for food service, sanitation, visitation, medical use and canteen services were destroyed, and five of the prison's six dormitories were damaged in a fiery riot Aug. 21 at the medium-security facility near Burgin, about 30 miles south of Lexington.

Al Parke, the state's deputy corrections commissioner, and Mark Robinson, the correction's department's administrative services director, provided details of the rebuilding project Thursday to the Capital Planning Advisory Board.

Robinson said the goal is for the prison to have the same capacity it had before the riot.

About 700 inmates are there now, he said, with the remainder moved to other prisons.

Robinson said debris from the fire has been removed, the dorms have been cleaned and repaired, and several services — visitation, medical and dental, inmate programs and canteen services — have been restored.

He also said a temporary kitchen and dining structure is in place and an interior fence for security has been installed.

Congleton-Hacker Co. has been selected to manage the construction, and GRW Engineers is doing the architectural and engineering work.

Construction is expected to begin Jan. 1 and continue through 2011.

Money for the rebuilding will come from $18.8 million in bond funds approved by the state legislature last month in a state budget.

Robinson said the buildings were insured, but the state does not have a final figure on how much it will get from its insurance policy.

Parke said 170 inmates were charged for internal discipline and 165 have been convicted and placed in segregation.

About 125 are under review for criminal charges, and 10 of those have been indicted, he said.

Parke said the riot occurred when one group of inmates attacked two other inmates.

Inmates began setting fire to trash cans in reaction to a partial lockdown and restrictions on their movement, he said.

"It just spread."

A lockdown was implemented. That and some other security issues led to a fire being set in a building, he added.

Parke noted that security should be enhanced at Northpoint with about $1.95 million in federal funds being sought for cameras to provide more surveillance.

This story was originally published June 11, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Rebuilding Northpoint will cost $18.8 million."