Utah's prison is relatively young, with most of the buildings on the site built during the 1980s and 1990s and the oldest building dating back 50 years. But the wear-and-tear on the structures requires constant upkeep and updates, even if the prison could be torn down in the next several years.

For the upcoming fiscal year, improvements totaling nearly $2.2 million are planned, Ford said. These include perimeter fencing, upgrades for two control rooms, reroofing the infirmary and paving at the Promontory facility.

In the future, the sagging kitchen floor at Wasatch will need replacing — a project that could cost $5 million, though the department may deal with kitchen needs by contracting with the private sector.

Two months ago, the state completed a $1.3 million improvement on the prison's Promontory facility to turn it from a minimum-security unit to medium security.

But all of those pricey improvements may be turned to dust if the state decides to transplant the corrections facility.

And the task of demolishing the 100 buildings on the site will be no easy feat, Ford said.

Along with 19 housing structures for 3,700 inmates, the Draper campus includes administrative offices, a mail center and a pump house used to pump water from a geothermal spring under the prison.

The housing structures are made of reinforced concrete and steel to keep some of the state's most dangerous criminals securely locked up, Ford said.

And demolishing those types of buildings — 1,111,459 square feet worth — could cost $4.2 million, said Bryce Christensen, an estimator at Grant Mackay Demolition Co.

The demolition costs aren't included in the $250 million to $300 million price tag Huntsman estimated to build a new prison elsewhere.

Terry Thornton, spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections, noted a comparable-size prison in her state had a price tag of nearly $312 million with roughly $24 million in added costs for planning and design.

Welcome to the neighborhood

Just where to invest that construction money is another key factor the winning consultant will be studying in the coming months.

According to the request for proposals, that study must address the potential of at least three cities to house a new prison and whether those cities could support a prison or a satellite facility.

Perhaps the most critical aspect of where a new prison should land is whether the site is far enough away from development to ensure it can stay for at least 50 years, Draper City Manager Eric Keck said. While the Draper site used to be considered the boondocks of both Utah and Salt Lake counties, the area is now flourishing with development that is pushing closer to the prison grounds.

"If you're going to move the prison, you only want to do it once," Keck said.