State of Delaware

This project includes a new 25,000 sf addition and 6,350 sf renovation to the kitchen serving the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution, a Level 5 prison facility, located in Wilmington, DE. The facility processes approximately 60% of all admissions in the Delaware Correctional system, and houses the majority of the detainee population. The addition is comprised of a two-story space over a crawl space.  The first floor above the crawl space contains an expanded facility storage area, new bulk dry food storage, a sally port serving only food service needs, a food service receiving area, loading dock, elevators and machine room, and trash rooms with space for outdoor compactors. The second floor contains a new food service kitchen serving 2,000 inmates, three meals a day.  Spaces include a new sally port, frozen and refrigerator storage, day dry food storage, non-food storage, can/wash recycle area, staging area including space for at least 33 food carts, two staff offices, an inmate break area, elevators, preparation area, cooking area, warewashing area, and tray assembly area. 

Renovations to the space included a detailed, $5,000,000 security system upgrade, which was also the largest contract for the project.  Upgrades included the installation of Allen Bradley PLC and inner connection wiring for the same, along with upgrades and an addition of 190 new cameras to the over 100 existing cameras in the facility’s closed-circuit television system.  The upgrades were successfully converted in phases for two months while maintaining all security functions of the prison at all times.  

Additional security concepts incorporated were: 

• Doors are controlled / operated by central control
• Exterior walls consist of horizontal and vertical reinforced masonry / concrete
• Window penetrations are no wider than five inches
• Loading docks and service yards are secured with sally ports
• Security glazing consisted of glass-clad polycarbonate
• Security ceilings were utilized