By Brady McCombs
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Gary Herbert stopped short of saying the state prison must be moved from Draper, but cautioned Thursday that remodeling the current facility could be a temporary fix that won’t remedy the root problems.
The Republican governor said at his monthly televised news conference on KUED-TV that a site should be chosen that maximizes what will be a significant investment of taxpayer money. A law was passed financing up to $550 million for the project.
Herbert’s comments come as the Prison Relocation Commission is deciding which of four new sites it will recommend by Aug. 1. Lawmakers are expected to go into a special session to make a choice.
“What we don’t want to have is a new prison that is really a Band-Aid approach,” Herbert said. “If we’re going to build a new prison, let’s build a new prison that gives us the best bang for the taxpayers’ dollars that will service for the next 50-100 years.”
Utah lawmakers on the Prison Relocation Commission said this week that it’s not feasible to tear down the old facility and build a new one in Draper while trying to keep about 4,000 inmates under lock and key. State Sen. Jerry Stevenson, who co-chairs the commission, said also this week that the Draper site is a poor choice because it’s split by highways and major power lines and bordered by the Jordan River.
The four possible sites on the short list are in Salt Lake City, Grantsville, Eagle Mountain and Fairfield. The Salt Lake City site is off Interstate 80 near the airport. The Grantsville parcel is located near the Wal-Mart Distribution Center on state Route 138. The other two locations are in Utah County, one south of Eagle Mountain in the Lake Mountains West area and the other southwest of Fairfield near Cedar Valley South.
Those opposed to moving the prison from Draper say they aren’t going to stand down, arguing there’s still time to change course and opt to build a new facility at the same site south of Salt Lake City. About 200 people attended a public hearing on the issue this week, with most speakers opposed to moving the prison.
The opposition group called Keep it in Draper is planning to appeal to the Utah Supreme Court to get the issue on the ballot in November.
Herbert acknowledges that moving the prison could bring sizable economic benefits with development of land that is situated in a growing corridor that is home to many high-tech companies, making it desirable real estate. But he said that part of the equation should be secondary.
Most important, he said, is finding a site that will enable the state to build a prison that will allow for better programs to help rehabilitate inmates. He called the current facility an obsolete prison that inhibits efforts to reduce recidivism.
“The economic benefit, I think, is more gravy,” said Herbert, while adding, “I expect it could be a significant upside over the next generation as that land is developed. ... If you had more technology there on the ‘Silicon Slopes,’ who knows what the economic benefit would be over the next 20 or 30 years?”