By Christopher Smart
The Salt Lake Tribune
GUNNISON — While several Wasatch Front cities have spurned a proposed Utah State Prison move to their communities, folks in this Sanpete County town couldn’t be happier that the Central Utah Correctional Facility is located here.
Monday, Department of Corrections officials broke ground on a $30 million expansion of the existing 1,600-inmate facility in Gunnison. Upon completion in August 2016, it will add an additional 192 beds and require 76 more employees.
Presently, the central Utah prison employs about 350 with an annual payroll of $26 million. Most live in the six-county region encompassing Juab, Millard, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier and Wayne counties.
Gunnison Mayor Bruce Blackham said the prison has brought opportunities to the town of about 1,600 that didn’t exist before. It has created jobs that have allowed young central Utah families to stay in the rural setting they love.
Full story: Central Utah town welcomes prison expansion