Rep. Jason Chaffetz wants Utah to look again at moving state prison

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah should take another look at moving the aging state prison from Point of the Mountain, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said Thursday.

Meanwhile, prison officials are warning again that if they do not receive additional state funding, they will have to release inmates due to overcrowding.

Chaffetz told the Deseret News that being named to the House Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee will allow him to look at ways to make the move economically feasible for the state.

In 2005, then-Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. ordered a study of what it would cost to move the 675-acre prison in Draper to free up the property for development. The study found the price tag was prohibitive.

Chaffetz, who was Huntsman's chief of staff at the time of the study, said the federal government could help pick up some of the cost through long-term contracts to house federal prisoners.

"Anything you do — including nothing — is expensive to the state," the congressman said. The prison is "literally crumbling," he said, and costs a fortune to maintain.

"I want to work closely with the state," Chaffetz said. "I'm curious if there is a model that could include the federal government."

Any move, though, is likely a decade away. "This is not going to happen overnight," he said. "It's not No. 1 on my list, but it is important and I will spend some time on it."

At the time of the 2005 study, Tooele County was seen as a potential location for a new state prison. In 2008, the Draper City Council and the Salt Lake County Council passed resolutions asking the state to reconsider a move.

Gov. Gary Herbert's spokeswoman, Ally Isom, said he "feels moving the prison may be a good idea, as it's not the optimal use for that site, but he questions whether it is a feasible idea. He's uncertain about the costs affiliated with relocation and transition."

Isom said the governor, who served as Huntsman's lieutenant governor, would not be opposed to another study. Huntsman found a move would cost $461 million, but bring in only as much as $93 million from the sale of the land. Some said the study undervalued the land.

Draper officials are pushing for the move.

"Draper City is very aware of the ongoing discussions about the issue," Mayor Darrell Smith said. "Moving the prison would be of great value to Utah, providing an economic benefit to the state and the Draper community."