Gunnison prison growing again

GUNNISON — The signs are planted outside the prison gates, advertising in big, bold letters: "Now Hiring."

The Central Utah Correctional Facility is poised to grow again, thanks to a $54 million boost from state lawmakers to expand the prison. Construction is already under way on some housing units.

"(The prison is) probably one of the biggest employers in Sevier and Sanpete counties," said Spencer Snow, an Aurora man who was interviewing for a job at the prison.

The expansion will bring more jobs, both inside and outside the corrections industry.

"When you think about it, it's a miniature city within itself," said warden Chuck Bigelow. "There's maintenance, medical, mental health. There are not just corrections officers."

Bigelow greets some inmates as he makes the long walk from the administration building to the facilities under construction. "Warden Big," as he's sometimes called, is escorted by an officer and his deputy warden as he gives a tour of the expanding facilities.

Inside the Hickory facility, as it's been dubbed, construction crews are working on a 192-bed unit. Corrections staff have had input on what they want in the facility for better security and easier use.

"We try to go around with the line staff and say, 'You've been running this control room for two years. What works? What doesn't?'" said deputy warden Dennis Sorensen, who is overseeing some of the construction.

All plumbing and mechanical operations are accessible through a hallway behind the cells, making it possible to make repairs without ever having to step inside a cell. TVs have been moved, making it easier for officers to do head-counts. Control rooms have been redesigned, giving better vantage points on the inmates they monitor.

Beyond the razor wire fences and secured doors, construction trailers have been set up for the prison's next expansion.

"Right out here's going to be the west compound," Bigelow said, pointing toward a flat patch of land where inmates are occasionally sent to clear the tumbleweeds for security reasons.

The Legislature's $54.5 million funds the first phase and the design and planning for the second phase. Corrections officials expect they will receive the money next year to complete it all. The expansions are slated to be completed in 2010 and 2011.

The growth is good for the economy, but the presence of a prison is still unnerving to some in Gunnison.

"You get mixed reactions," said Gunnison Mayor Scott Hermansen. "There are people who are glad it's here for the economic boost. There are people that wish it wasn't here."

The prison has been an economic boon to this part of Utah. The Six County Association of Governments named it the economic development Business of the Year.

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