This probably a stretch on the VFTT universe, if the moderators feel it should be canned, go for it.
A lot of folks who visit the whites may not be aware that a new moderate sized town in the North County of NH is now slowly coming into existence. The federal government built a new prison in Berlin two years ago but due to lack of funding, the facility was not activated until this year. Last Friday they held an open house for anyone who wanted to see a federal prison on a voluntary basis. When the prison is fully staffed with a full complement of inmates the total number of people living or working at the site is going be close to 1400. The original rational for a federal prison in New England was that there was a chronic shortage of federal prison spaces in the region which meant that prisoners were serving their terms outside the region making family visitations difficult. Any new prison needed to be welcomed by a community and despite some initial reservations in the area, the offsetting loss of the local major employer and the ongoing need to create jobs in the area ended up convincing the majority of the city's residents that they would welcome the prison and its 330 new jobs. One misconception is that the prisoners will walk out the door at the end of their sentence in Berlin, apparently that will not happen as the prisoners are first remanded to a halfway house. The closest federal halfway house is in the Manchester area.
The new prison is a medium security facility with most prisoners serving a 10 year average sentence. Without debating the need or politics for more prisons, the best thing to say is the federal prison bureau seems to have the mechanics of housing inmates pretty well figured out. The facility is still hiring and training staff so they will not be full for awhile.
The first thing when driving up to the facility is that the views are incredible. For those who have been at the Mt View Grand in Whitefield, the range of views are similiar with approximately 270 degree views of the Mahoosucs, the Northern Presidentials and the Kilkennies all right there in front of you. Even the prison exercise yard is framed with a view of Mt Sucess and the Outlook with Carlo Col and Bald Cap ot the either side. I am not sure how prepared the staff is for a real winter as last year was quite mild but the reasons for having such great views may become a detriment when the westerly winds blow into an area that traditionally gets significant snow due to the local microclimate.
I expect that most folks who hike in the area can figure out the location but its quite apparent due to a tall water tower and a facility that looks like a military base.The total acerage is over 700 acres with around 650 acres in use. I expect during the daytime it may not be obvious to anyone who isnt looking for it but I expect that the folks at Madison Hut wil notice it at night when the lighting is on. To actually drive to the facility unless someone is familiar with Berlin, its a bit of a challenge and unless they drive up the road to the visitor parking lot the views are not apparent.
A lot of folks who visit the whites may not be aware that a new moderate sized town in the North County of NH is now slowly coming into existence. The federal government built a new prison in Berlin two years ago but due to lack of funding, the facility was not activated until this year. Last Friday they held an open house for anyone who wanted to see a federal prison on a voluntary basis. When the prison is fully staffed with a full complement of inmates the total number of people living or working at the site is going be close to 1400. The original rational for a federal prison in New England was that there was a chronic shortage of federal prison spaces in the region which meant that prisoners were serving their terms outside the region making family visitations difficult. Any new prison needed to be welcomed by a community and despite some initial reservations in the area, the offsetting loss of the local major employer and the ongoing need to create jobs in the area ended up convincing the majority of the city's residents that they would welcome the prison and its 330 new jobs. One misconception is that the prisoners will walk out the door at the end of their sentence in Berlin, apparently that will not happen as the prisoners are first remanded to a halfway house. The closest federal halfway house is in the Manchester area.
The new prison is a medium security facility with most prisoners serving a 10 year average sentence. Without debating the need or politics for more prisons, the best thing to say is the federal prison bureau seems to have the mechanics of housing inmates pretty well figured out. The facility is still hiring and training staff so they will not be full for awhile.
The first thing when driving up to the facility is that the views are incredible. For those who have been at the Mt View Grand in Whitefield, the range of views are similiar with approximately 270 degree views of the Mahoosucs, the Northern Presidentials and the Kilkennies all right there in front of you. Even the prison exercise yard is framed with a view of Mt Sucess and the Outlook with Carlo Col and Bald Cap ot the either side. I am not sure how prepared the staff is for a real winter as last year was quite mild but the reasons for having such great views may become a detriment when the westerly winds blow into an area that traditionally gets significant snow due to the local microclimate.
I expect that most folks who hike in the area can figure out the location but its quite apparent due to a tall water tower and a facility that looks like a military base.The total acerage is over 700 acres with around 650 acres in use. I expect during the daytime it may not be obvious to anyone who isnt looking for it but I expect that the folks at Madison Hut wil notice it at night when the lighting is on. To actually drive to the facility unless someone is familiar with Berlin, its a bit of a challenge and unless they drive up the road to the visitor parking lot the views are not apparent.
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