New Men's Prison $36M Architectural Design Contract To Get Council Vote

By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH

CONCORD, NH — The state will be asked to agree to a $36 million contract for the full design of a new state prison for men in Concord when the Executive Council meets on Wednesday.

The firm DLR Group Inc. of Omaha, Nebraska, had been chosen by the state to do a $10 million preliminary analysis which focused on geologic testing for the property which is owned by the state on North State street and is close to the much smaller women's prison.

This 750,000 square foot facility will house 1,500 compared to the existing 1,408 but will not have the existing Secure Psychiatric Unit. A separate facility is under construction by PC Construction of South Burlington, Vt. Delayed due to a design error, it is located on the campus of the NH State Hospital in Concord.

The council will also be asked to formally accept almost $10 million for that project from the insurance company as part of a settlement which delayed the construction project making that total price tag for 24-beds $56.6 million, up from the expected $41 million paid for through the post COVID-19 American Rescue Plan Act. https://media.sos.nh.gov/govcouncil/2026/0325/135%20GC%20Agenda%20032526.pdf

This new men's prison could cost up to $600 million to construct and is likely to not be finished until 2035.
Former Commissioner of Corrections Helen Hanks said the project was overdue with the existing 1878 structure in poor condition. InDepthNH.org found the conditions there included rats, mold and rain coming into the kitchen. See story here: https://indepthnh.org/2024/07/10/rats-overrun-state-prison-for-men-in-concord-conditions-called-shocking-inspection-reports/

The money for the new men's prison will come from capital funds of the state and will be bonded.
There is currently $38.9 million available for the project in fiscal year 2026. This replacement project also has a $1.5 million contingency fund attached.

It calls for DLR to deliver "complete architectural and engineering services including all phases of design and construction" through its completion to become a "multi classification maximum to minimum custody correctional facility for men..."
"This design shall be based on comprehensive pre-design data" developed under a separate contract.
The contract itself is for $35,998,790.

A copy of the proposed contract is here https://media.sos.nh.gov/govcouncil/2026/0325/134%20GC%20Agenda%20032526.pdf

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.