$152 Million to Start Turning Alcatraz Back Into a Federal Prison
We suspect most sailors sailing up the “cone of Alcatraz” to find some current relief are not imagining that Alcatraz could once again be an active federal prison, but according to the New York Times, President Trump is asking for $152 million from Congress to begin transforming Alcatraz back into a maximum-security prison. Given its current economic benefits to the local economy and the extraordinary cost to rebuild and operate it as a prison, it’s hard to imagine anyone in Congress or the Bay Area would actively support the idea. But that isn’t deterring the president from making the proposal.
Last year, when the idea was originally floated, Mayor Daniel Lurie was quoted as saying the idea was “not a serious proposal.” There are so many great San Francisco Bay infrastructure projects, like dredging, that could benefit from more federal funding. We’re also sure there are many better places where an efficient government could cost-effectively build and manage a federal prison.
According to the NYTimes, the island now receives about 1.4 million tourists a year as part of the Bay Area’s multi-billion-dollar tourism trade.
It’s hard to imagine the proposal getting serious traction, though it may distract tourists, sailors and politicians for years from far more productive endeavors. The tumultuous water and weather that surround this barren rock may be relatively calm compared to the turmoil this proposal could cause.
Editors’ Note: This story invites lots of political commentary about the current administration so we tried to keep our comments limited to the merits of the proposal. We wrote the story because the idea impacts a central feature of sailing the Bay and is clearly of interest to the sailing community. We will not be approving comments that use the opportunity to hash out well-known political views since there are endless better forums to do that. Like the prisoners on Alcatraz, we look at the Bay as an opportunity to escape.
I visited Alcatraz soon after it opened to the public, and the ranger leading our group said that no one knew how long it was going to remain open because of serious flaws in the structure. Apparently the original construction company cheated and used salt water to mix the concrete, and the ranger feared that the concrete would begin to crumble and become a hazard to the public. Of course Trump would not know this, and would not understand its ramifications (COST!).
Hobart very interesting. Do you know if there were ever repairs made to address the
flaws in the structure? How much is being spent by the FEDS now to keep Alcatraz open to the public? Yes the prison idea may not be feasible, it may also not be feasible to keep it open
due to the flaws in the structure you mentioned. The Feds need to do a complete review of
Alcatraz safety issues and costs.
The present proposal of re-opening it as a Federal Penitentiary is unwise for many practical reasons:
There is no fresh water source on the island and is resupplied daily by a barge.
All supplies (food, fuel, materials) are brought in.
All trash and sewage must be taken off.
Keep it as a museum which generates tourism and an iconic landmark just beyond the city front. It also makes a great course marker, as well as, a wind or a tide “shadow” for sailors on the beautiful SF Bay.
This is another classic example of Trump’d up economics. The $152M would barely pay for the cost of getting just the estimates as to how many Billions of dollars it would cost to make Alcatraz able to house federal prisoners. But maybe he is doing this for his good friend and former girl friend of Jeffery Epstein. Ghislaine might want a prison cell with a better view than the plush one she is currently staying in. But hopefully the collective response from Congress will be “No Way In Hell you are we wasting more money” on something that is for optics only. Trump has already overspent for his war in Iran, which he still has not secured approval of Congress to declare War against, and as his ball room project is currently on hold, maybe he can divert those private funds to pay for rebuilding a prison that will actually cost more than his big ugly ballroom was projected to cost.
The actual scope of the project including the underground tunnel connection from San Rafael to San Mateo is being considered as a potential solution for the development of new incarceration systems transportation infrastructure problems.
HAHAHAHA !!!!!
Oh boy, I’m sure there are better things to do than build/rehab prisons and the associated costs and infrastructure
Back in the old days the Alcatraz prison guards might have occasionally shot at racers getting too close.
Hmmm…152M. That’s about 15% of an America’s Cup campaign. Seems like a bargain.
I think a better idea would be ship all the homeless folks to Alcatraz. Wouldnt that clean up our streets and reduce crime a bunch?
A small amount compared to the CA (promised soon to be built) bullet train…or the GG Bride suicide nets…to name a few.