Correctional Facility Expansion Complete at Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar

By Mario T. Icari, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Public Affairs

MIRAMAR, Calif. (NNS) -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, celebrated the completion of an expansion and alteration to the Joint Regional Correctional Facility at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Feb. 4

The official ribbon-cutting party included Navy Personnel Command Commander Rear Adm. Donald P. Quinn, Clark Construction Senior Project Manager Albert Valdivia, Clark Construction Senior Vice President Alan Petrasek, Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar Commanding Officer Cmdr. Erik A. Spitzer, Navy Corrections and Programs Director William Peck, and NAVFAC Southwest Commanding Officer Capt. Keith Hamilton.

"This project truly highlights what a team can accomplish when everyone works together toward a common goal," said Lt. Michael Guzzi, Naval Base Point Loma NAVFAC Southwest Facilities Engineering Acquisition Division (FEAD) director. "The teamwork between Clark, NCBM, and NAVFAC was fantastic with the proof being a project completed ahead of schedule and under budget, while maintaining a laser focus on safety and quality; truly amazing."

NAVFAC Southwest awarded Clark Construction Group a $27.6 million contract, Sept. 4, 2009, for the design and construction of the Joint Regional Correctional Facility expansion. The expansion includes male and female housing, a new dining facility and prisoner maintenance facility, in addition to improvements to support the growing facility infrastructure. The estimated 99,000 square feet of new construction falls under the management of NAVFAC FEAD Point Loma. This Navy facility is a special area of Naval Base Point Loma and operates under the funding and program direction of Navy Personnel Command.

"There were a number of unique and innovative approaches that allowed this project in less than eighteen months, from award of the contract, to completion of the facility, a pretty remarkable accomplishment," said Hamilton. "As a result of the extraordinary efforts of our contract partners, NAVFAC Southwest IPT, Naval Base Point Loma, and Facilities Engineering Acquisition Division, the facilities were completed on time before the aggressive deadlines established by BRAC legislation.

"We are driven to legislative time-lines to complete BRAC projects, and this project was well ahead of those schedules. It allowed for the early closing of existing facilities aboard Camp Pendleton, Edwards Air Force Base, and Kirtland Air Force Base," said Hamilton.

Camp Pendleton, Edwards Air Force Base, Kirtland Air Force Base existing facilities and the associated detainees, prisoners and staff will be transferred to the Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar (NCBM). In total, the project constructed facilities for an additional 200 prisoners to be added to the existing 400 prisoner facility, by expanding the existing facility by more than 98,000 sq. ft. The expansion includes a Level 1 male facility to house 120 service members awaiting trial or serving short term sentences, and level 2 women's facility to house 80 service members.

Streamlined construction processes were utilized in the creation of NCBM expansion. The primary facility is a new multi-story building made with concrete masonry unit (CMU), pre-cast concrete cells, and poured in place reinforced concrete with concrete foundations and membrane roof. The precast concrete cells consist of two cells per module, complete with fixtures, and with a utility room in between. Each cell was formed and poured in Arizona and then trucked individually to the site.

"This project has been built to achieve the leadership and energy efficiency gold standard," said Hamilton. "Key LEED enhancements in the sustainable construction methods that were included in this project included reusing existing asphalt for the new parking lot, site grading adjustments that eliminated the need to haul in and out a lot of extra fill, 20,000 tons of construction debit was recycled and diverted from our local landfills, recycled content was used in the concrete masonry units in the precast concrete cells, solar thermal panels were used to service the domestic hot water system in the facility, low-flow toilets reduced the flow of 50 percent of water, water efficient landscaping, and high efficiency mechanical systems.

These are things that will serve us and reduce the operations and maintenance costs in this facility for a long time and is very important in this resource constrained environment to be able to do these kinds of innovations in the facilities we are building today," said Hamilton.

This project had a significant impact on the creation of more than 700 jobs and the employment of more than 500 contractors from the local San Diego area. The project was completed with a safety achievement of 450 days, almost 200,000 man hours, and without a lost-time incident.

As part of habitat mitigation, 8.9 acres of conservation easement was obtained by NAVFAC Southwest for the federally threatened coastal California gnatcatcher. This 8.9 acres is part of a larger 32 acre mitigation (or conservation easement), located in the San Dieguito River Park near Poway.

The mission of Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar is to ensure the administration, security, good order, discipline, and safety of male and female prisoners and detained personnel from all military services; to retrain and restore the maximum number of personnel to honorable service; and to prepare the remaining prisoners for return to civilian life as productive citizens.

Flexibility was configured to provide independent support and to divide groups of prisoners by sentence length, disciplinary status, special program or treatment needs, adjudged status, and a new dining facility to support the 200 prisoners. Additional supporting facilities were constructed to include security fencing and lighting, a parking lot with access road and lighting, sidewalks and walkways, administrative areas, storage and logistical support areas, health service facilities, recreational and educational areas, health service facilities, a Corrections Programs Support facility, and labor and industry building to provide work and training support spaces.

NCBM is the only corrections facility that houses DoD women prisoners, regardless of their sentences. Special considerations were applied to address the specific needs of women at the facility. The new women's housing unit design is a ground-up approach addressing the specific differences in women's corrections from that of male prisoners. The new women's facility breaks the housing unit into small "communities" of prisoners. Female prisoners will have access to laundry facilities, private showers, indoor exercise areas, computer stations, and televisions. The women's facility includes a large skylight and other windows allowing for natural lighting of the dayroom. Enhanced finishes were installed including colored concrete floors, wood doors, moveable furniture in cells, and carpeted areas. Centralized support spaces allow for vocational and academic training, clinical treatment, life skills training, and work opportunities.

For more news from Naval Facilities Engineering Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/navfachq/.