Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah State Prison’s location in the middle of a bustling tech corridor near Salt Lake City could create a “lost opportunity” for business growth because it stands in the way of such a vibrant hub of commerce, a top economic official for the governor told lawmakers Wednesday.
Gov. Gary Herbert has yet to take a position on building a new prison elsewhere at a big expense. Yet Spencer Eccles, who heads his office of economic development, made clear Wednesday that the 700-acre prison campus is an obstacle to economic growth.
“I don’t think you could find a piece of property with this many unique connections” for technology and other companies, he said.
The prison is halfway between new operation centers for eBay Inc. and Adobe Systems Inc. Utah’s so-called Silicon Slopes corridor -- it’s near a handful of world-class ski areas -- also is home to IM Flash Technologies LLC, Microsoft Corp. and Oracle Corp.
Part of the attraction for companies is a system of commuter and light-rail lines that run for 87 miles along the heavily populated Wasatch Front.
Eccles said that information technology is a growing economic sector in Utah, employing more than 51,000 -- a figure increasing at an annual rate of 6 percent and “all trends are pointing up,” he said.
The Prison Relocation and Development Authority appears years from making a recommendation to the governor and Legislature on whether to move the prison. The 11-member board had a false start a few months ago, withdrawing requests for developers’ proposals when it was pointed out nobody decided what kind of new prison to build, or even if a new prison was necessary.
Members on Wednesday discussed expanding a second state prison in Gunnison instead, or relying more heavily on county jails to take state inmates.
Frustration boiled over when Rep. Eric Hutchins, R-Kearns, laid into a consultant for taking too long to put together a report studying every aspect of Utah’s prison and construction needs. Hutchins said the work would delay the start of building on a new prison until May 2015.
Hutchins told the consultant “you just added two years to this process” and “we’re not getting much out of this.” He said he expected a “very specific plan” quickly, not a “list of options we can pick from.”
He added, “I don’t care what door knobs you plan to use.”
The consultant, Brad Sassatelli of MGT of America Inc., offered a detailed timeline for deciding how or whether to build a new prison down to the type of fastening screws -- they need to be tamperproof. He asked, “What type of locks do you want?” He also talked about whether a prison cafeteria would be required -- or whether guards would deliver meals to cells instead.
Sassatelli promised a full report by June.
Nobody has estimated the cost of a new prison.
“This is a big price tag,” said Rep. Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville. “Regardless of what we do, it’s going to cost a lot of money.”