Local prison celebrates 25th anniversary

Local News

Related Photos

Photo Provided

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

August 24, 2008

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG The Press Republican Sun Aug 24, 2008, 12:00 AM EDT

ALTONA -- Looking at Altona Correctional Facility, many people would never know that inmates sleep, eat and learn where local students once gathered for classes.

For 25 years, hundreds of inmates have served their time at the medium-security prison, which once served as Altona High School.

But after the school closed in the early 1980s, officials began eyeing the large building as the site of a new state prison.

Though remnants of the school are still visible to many correction officers who roamed the classrooms and hallways as kids, the facility has undergone a dramatic transformation.

It is now lined with gates bristling with barbed wire and features security towers and locked doors.

"You can still see the architecture and nuance of the school, though," said Deputy Superintendant of Programs Mike Lira, who's worked at the local facility for about two years.

After working at about a dozen other facilities across the state, Lira said, Altona "is probably one of the greatest jails I've worked at. There's a lot of history here."

TIES THAT BIND

He said the welcoming and close-knit community not only makes Altona a great place to live but gives local correction officers "a strong sense of camaraderie" as they work with many of their childhood friends, relatives and neighbors.

In return, Lira said, the facility has close ties with the community as many officers give back to their hometown by volunteering as area firefighters, sports coaches and referees.

They were there for the community during the 1998 Ice Storm, when prison officials opened the Quality of Work Life building for emergency housing to help the more than 20 area residents who were displaced from their homes.

And their service to the community hasn't stopped there.

Officers often collect money among themselves to help support neighbors, friends and families during times of need.

The staff also participates in the national Make a Difference Day, donates food to area pantries, sends supplies to domestic-violence shelters and hosts breakfasts for area senior citizens.

CELEBRATION

In honor of their service and the facility's 25th anniversary, many of the dedicated officers and staff members recently gathered for a staff-funded barbecue celebration.

"It was really nice," Lira said of the event, which drew together current and past officers and staff for an afternoon of reminiscing.

"There was a lot of nostalgia here that day."

avanvalkenburg

@pressrepublican.com