CAMP HILL – The new state prison that will be built in Centre County will be named the State Correctional Institution at Benner Township, the Department of Corrections said today.
The new, 2,000-bed medium-security prison will be constructed on the grounds of SCI Rockview.
Officials from the DOC and the state Department of General Services met with local officials in March to discuss plans for the prison, including design, construction, employment, and how the prison will operate.
SCI Rockview Superintendent Frank Tennis and DGS are leading the design and construction work of the facility.
In January, the commonwealth announced that a design-build request for proposals for SCI Benner Township will be released this spring.
Plans are to build the new facility on state-owned land near the existing prison beginning this summer. The design-build concept will enable construction to begin as soon as possible this year by requiring the successful contractors to design the structures as they are being built.
The project is expected to be completed within three years and will share warehousing and administrative functions with the existing prison to minimize costs to taxpayers. SCI Benner Township is expected to employ approximately 650 people.
The construction of this prison is part of a broader state initiative that will add nearly 9,000 beds to the state’s prison system. Other projects include new prisons in Fayette and Montgomery counties, as well as four additional housing units in Crawford, Forest, Indiana and Northumberland counties.
The new prisons will be certified according to energy-saving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ratings.
The General Assembly authorized construction funds for the seven projects—expected to equal $862 million—through the state’s capital budget.