SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Options to relocate Utah’s main prison in Draper are being reviewed by a committee tasked with making recommendations to state lawmakers about the facility’s fate.
A consultant presented a preliminary report detailing the options to the Prison Relocation and Development Authority on Friday.
The options include replacing the Draper prison by 2018 at an estimated cost of $942 million; phase it out by 2024 at a cost of $908.1 million; or to phase it out by 2020 at a cost of $851.6 million.
Even if the Draper prison remains, projections show the state will need more than 3,000 new beds by 2033 to accommodate the rising prison population, said consultant Brad Sassatelli of Texas-based MGT of America. And by 2018, the state would likely need to build a new facility anyway to deal with the population increase.
If the current prison remains, the aging buildings would likely need to be repaired in the meantime at an estimated cost of $238.9 million, Sassatelli said.
Rep. Eric Hutchings, R-Kearns, said he would like the panel also to consider keeping the prison at its current site for the next 50 years.
“I want to make sure people understand that not moving the prison doesn’t mean we’re not spending money,” Hutchings said. “There’s a massive dollar figure behind not relocating the prison. There’s a difference, but it’s still massive.”
The committee plans to meet Feb. 5 to consider all the options.
Utah officials for several years have been studying whether to relocate the prison to build a bigger, more efficient building. Gov. Gary Herbert has said the state would need extra prison beds whether or not the prison is relocated.
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