DOC says it will invest more than $1.2 million into air conditioning at Somers facility
The Connecticut Department of Correction announced on Thursday that it will invest more than $1.2 million into large-scale air conditioning units at the Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers.
The announcement comes on a day when feels-like temperatures are expected to be as high as 115 degrees.
A total of 18 industrial-grade air conditioners will be installed at the facility. The units are capable of producing a combined 645 tons of cooling and include 13 40-ton air handlers and five 25-ton units, generating a total of 7.74 million BTUs of cooling capacity, according to a press release from the DOC.
The Osborn Correctional Institution opened in 1963 and was built as a replacement for the Old Wethersfield State Prison.
“Due to the age of the facility, it was constructed without the benefit of a central air handling system,” the DOC said in its release.
The DOC said that the majority of other prisons in the system have air conditioning, but because of the extreme heat forecasted, it has instituted its heat mitigation protocol across all facilities.
The protocol includes providing ice water for all housing units, deploying industrial-sized fans, reducing outside recreation, and monitoring for signs of heat-related illness, according to the DOC.
Upgrades are also coming to HVAC systems at the Bridgeport and Hartford DOC facilities in 2027, the DOC said.
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