HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County commissioners aren’t showing interest in building a new prison on a light industrial site at 17th Street and Margaret Avenue, as suggested this week by a local retired engineer.

When meeting Thursday, Commissioners Chairman Dave Kessling acknowledged that the site suggested by Mike Sinisi wasn’t among the 324 parcels considered before an engineering study began focusing on the pros and cons of three potential sites.

But like the majority of the parcels excluded from the study for various reasons, commissioners spoke of similar reasons — such as environmental issues and/or hazardous material concerns — preventing consideration of the site Sinisi suggested.

Kessling also mentioned the site’s size — about five acres — will restrict the county’s option for future expansion and recreate the space issues that currently exist at the prison on Mulberry Street.

“One of the problems we currently have with our prison is that it’s landlocked and we really can’t go anywhere … and we’re simply out of space,” Kessling said.

The county prison, now housing 350 to 400 inmates, has long been described as overcrowded and lacking in space for inmate services.

Sinisi, who told commissioners Thursday that he previously examined the 17th Street and Margaret Avenue site while working for the Altoona Water Authority, pointed out that it has access to water, sewer, natural gas and telephone connections.

He offered satellite photographs showing the site and told them it hasn’t changed much in 50 years.

Sinisi also proposed that TranSystems, the architectural/engineering company that designed the nearby Altoona Area Junior High School — and that commissioners named to design a new prison — could come up with a prison building to fit the location. He suggested a design much like the junior high, with three stories and maybe a garage for employees and visitors — with connections to existing utilities.

“The cost savings at this site would be enormous as opposed to doing a sprawled out version at another site,” Sinisi said in reference to the commissioners’ pursuit of a larger site where a one-story prison could be constructed.

Kessling addressed Sinisi’s suggestion by referencing the long-term benefits of building horizontally as opposed to vertically, including the prevention of maintenance issues.

In addition, the study that TranSystems completed for the county identified a single story prison, with a mezzanine, can be operated with fewer corrections officers than needed at the current facility or in a multi-level building.

Commissioner Amy Webster showed no interest in Sinisi’s suggested site and referred to TranSystems’ recommendations.

“The engineers gave us parameters,” Webster said. “They’re the experts, so we’re following their advice.”

Sinisi also tried to interest commissioners in his proposed site by pointing out that there are few residential properties nearby.

When commissioners considered building the prison on future burial grounds owned by the Alto-Reste Park Cemetery off West Plank Road, that drew protests from cemetery owners, those with loved ones in the cemetery and nearby residents. Subsequently, commissioners backed away from relying on eminent domain to take the property and move forward with the prison project.

When Sinisi offered his suggestion to Altoona City Council earlier this week, he spoke of ongoing daily life and activities around the current prison. A Hollidaysburg Borough resident, Sinisi referred to children playing near the prison and parade routes ending nearby.

Commissioner Laura Burke said that in her opinion, the issues with placing a prison on the site Sinisi recommended are its small size and location.

“If you think about the location in Hollidaysburg, that prison has been there since the mid-1800s,” she said. “No one who lives around (the prison) moved in before it was built. They all knew it was there when they made the decision to purchase or rent there.”

Burke also spoke of how that makes it difficult to find a new site to build a prison.

“If we place the prison anywhere near existing development, it is a situation where we are bringing the prison to them, as opposed to them making the choice to purchase their property knowing there is a prison next door,” Burke said.

Since commissioners voted April 3 to back away from the Alto-Reste grounds as a future prison site, commissioners have spoken of ongoing efforts to consider new sites and to review sites previously considered.

“I would tell you that almost daily, all of us are getting calls about potential sites,” Kessling said.

While grateful for the input, Kessling said that most of the callers have been naming sites previously considered. But in hope of hearing something new, he offered no protest.

“Keep ’em coming,” Kessling said of potential prison locations. “We’ll keep evaluating them and other sites.”

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.