Mayors in Draper and Bluffdale — the two communities closest to the prison — say it makes economic sense to move the facility and develop the land.

Property immediately west of the prison has some of the best geothermal pools in Utah, and Bluffdale Mayor Wayne Mortimer envisions a luxury resort coming if the prison is gone. The resort could gain thermal energy from the pools while guest could relax in the hot waters.

"What Bluffdale would like to do is have a resort come in there and use the thermal energy," Mortimer said. "It would be an excellent resort-type facility."

While many prison workers live in Draper, Mayor Darrell Smith said moving the prison makes sense in the long term. Still, Smith cautioned that any new development on the former prison land should be carefully planned out and likely should mix commercial and housing uses.

"Obviously there's a lot of property out there, and if it's planned right it could be a good thing for the whole county," he said.

Moving the prison would be an expensive undertaking.

During the heat of the gubernatorial campaign in September 2004, Huntsman said the move could cost between $250 million and $300 million. The proposed prison move was criticized by Democratic challenger Scott Matheson, who ran television ads stating that Matheson "wants to use the state's scarce resources to improve schools, not build an expensive new prison."

Part of that expense, however, could be made up by developing the Draper land, proponents have argued.

The new feasibility study will cost $140,000 and must not compromise the mission of the Utah Department of Corrections to protect the public and reintroduce prisoners into society.

The winning proposal, which is to be announced June 13, must address the following:

• The value of the 675-acre Draper prison property

• Projected use and demand of the land

• The impact on zoning and master plans of Salt Lake County, Bluffdale and Draper

• The cost of a new prison site and prison construction

• The cost of moving prison staff and population

• Providing sufficient utilities and roads to a new prison

Besides identifying three or four best locations, the study must list any increase or decrease in operational costs compared to the Draper site and must evaluate the impact on the availability of staffing, medical care, emergency services and support services, such as garbage, food and maintenance.

In September Huntsman said a new prison needs to strike a balance between its remoteness and accessibility. It shouldn't be overtaken by growing communities, as the Draper site was, he said.

The deadline for submitting proposals to the Utah Division of Purchasing is June 1 at 3 p.m. The winning proposal is expected to be announced June 13, but that date may change, depending on the number of proposals submitted. A draft is due Oct. 14, and the first two weeks of November will be available for public comment on the draft. The final report is due Dec. 1.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com; bsnyder@desnews.com