Does this indicate that Mr. Valentine works for the real estate firm that will be selling the land or someone interested in buying the land? Or could the comments mean that Mr. Valentine has interest in the company likely to be building the new prison or taking down the existing one? I don't get it, if a legislator speaks on taking care of Nuclear power, they have an interest, or handling water rights, they have an interest. Utah must have the nation's lamest political influence laws. Someone always has their fingers in the pie.
The starting point for this discussion should be: Does Utah need to relocate the facility? I can't think of any compelling reasons to do so. Many buildings are new, the staff can live close by, and the courts are normally in Salt Lake, Utah, or Davis counties. Again close by. We are in a recession, incoming state taxes will slow down, with high fuel prices, where will the tax money come from? Who will pay for the transportation cost increases? Other needs have to come first.

That's why they should start the 3rd prision, and do all expansion at the new site over the next several decades. Then eventually, the old prision will be obsolete and in disrepair and at that time be more economical to tear down and move.

This is called planning or forward thinking and --- WE NEED TO ELECT PEOPLE WHO HAVE THIS CAPACITY --- NOT JUST ELECT LAWYERS!

The only push to move the prison is so developers can get the land.
Who pays the increased transportation costs if it is moved further from courts? Why move it from its current location? It perfectly matches Draper and Bluffdale and provided a nice reminder for all those who drive by that Utah has its share of crooks.

The Utah State Prison is in a perfect place now--right next to I-15 at the point of the Mountain where hundreds of thousands of folks can drive by and see the direct consquences of crime.

It would be fool hardy to relocate the prison for a few dollars of dubious future value.

When I drive by the prison, I reflect upon my own behavior so I don't end up there. The current location is a great deterent to crime. The monetary value of the prision's deterent location can not be calculated.

Relocating the prison to a hidden location will not serve the public good.

The prison should stay where it is as visable deterent to crime.

A prison in the middle of a growing residential area is not safe or practical. The prison was moved from the Sugarhouse area because of this in an earlier time. It will be worth the money to move it, even if the cost isn't immediately recoverable from the land value. The area near Topaz would be great, but Gunnison is primed and ready to receive it.

I pray that voters don't buy this same garbage Huntsman fed us a few years ago. This is a pet project, pork barrel, or whatever you want to call it. I think the voters are smarter this time around and won't get sucked into this rhetoric.

Nathanial Ashby
Libertarian Candidate ousting Becky Lockhart

This has nothing to do with the public interest or what's best for the prison. This move is all about the Utah GOP arranging to make their real estate developer buddies rich (or richer) when the land the prison is currently on is up for grabs for ticky-tacky subdivisions and strip malls.

The state will sell the land to developers for a song, and the developers will make millions. They, in turn, will make juicy campaign contributions to the politicians who are making them rich, and the politicians will be outraged at the very suggestion that perhaps they're not acting in the public's best interests.

This is what you get for one-party rule in this state.

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the civilized world. For example, a black male has about a one in three chance of going to prison. The prison is symptomatic of something very wrong with our society. Maybe the hundreds of millions of dollars, that it would cost to move the prison, should be used to address some of our social problems that lead to convictions. The money could be better spent on education, affordable housing, and drug rehabilitation.

If Draper or Valentine want to cough up the extra millions to get the prison moved, go for it. But, odds are, they just want the rest of the State to cover the costs so they can put some extra money in their own pockets and coffers. The best solution would be to build an independent, third prison, at some location where you can find staff. Rebuild the present facility as needed, to keep it up to date.

Just think about all the officers that will also have to relocate. The staff is already underpaid, and making all of them move is just not feasable.
then there is the costs of moving all the inmates, bringing them back into the salt lake valley for court, etc...
just because the rich people on the hill in draper dont like the view, well the prison was here long before those houses were built.

Bobkins, you are absolutely right. He's got an interest somewhere. The only reason that people are looking at moving the prison is because they moved close by and now they don't like it. It's like all the people that moved in around Hill AFB and now complain when the air force flies over their houses. The prison was there first, quit whining.

I have to wonder how you can possibly transfer your own inflated sense of decorum to the entire commuting population. Crime has not been deterred in the least having a prison next to I-15. We have more crime and more inmates and more drivers. How is this working in your world?

The perfect place for the new prison would be out on the way to Wendover. It's useless for growing anything, is freeway accesible and then they could garden the tree thats out there. Perfect. If The hazardous waste disposal plant can do it, so could the state.

This is all about the east side upperclass getting their way again, even if it is going to cost all of us in Utah a bundle, it is important to move the prision away from the Draper residents so they can keep their high class status, and get more buiness and continue their supremacy.

If it is not haveing the gov split the district for the east side, or making west siders pay their own tolls on their roads, or forcing west siders to pay for Tom Dolans soccer stadium, it is moving the prision out of Draper. This is not the best financial move but we gota do what the millionaires of Draper and Sandy want us to do again!

Taxpayers need to remember the cost of all of this. The prison is in a great place now. With the rising costs of transportation, people need to realize that the farther out the prison goes the more money it is going to cost more to get prisoners there and also to get them into the court for their hearings, their work release jobs, and required medical procedures.

Topaz would be great only if it were a little closer. People also need to remember that prison need to be in places where there is a work base to pull corrections officers and other employees from.

I am sure the people of Draper would like to see the prison move but the prison was there first and all those people that moved there knew the prison was there and agreed to put up with it. (Due to buying their property there).

The prison should be a super-max prison like the one in marion,illinois.the majority of it is under ground.the more violent the convict the farther down he is housed.once you reach the last level then you can start working your way back up.sunshine is a rarety for these violent convicts.

Maybe the prison would be best situated about 20 miles north, closer to the most likely source of inmates, as an adjacent building to the Capitol.

Couldn't resist...

FYI...there is already a prison in Gunnison. Are you suggesting expansion (assuming you already knew there is a prison there)? Just curious...

When Gov Huntsman was originally running for Govenor and he mentioned that he wanted to move the prison, I figured he had his rich friends in mind in helping them out in clearing prime land for high cost Real Estate. Now that is being brought back up, I still think the same.

There's not much of anything on the long road to Wendover. Put somewhere that if a prisoner escapes, they get to wander the desert for a few days before either dying or being found under that one piece of sage brush.

With Utah growing, a 3rd prison or a new larger complex really is needed. I just hope someone on the Hill thinks things through and finds a cost-effective way to do it. Hey, it never hurts to dream!

Note to all of you wacked out anti establishment folks/badmouthers: You are wrong! We should elect Sheriff Joe Arpello, Maricopy County, Arizona as the Sheriff of the State of Utah. His prison is located adjacent to the Phoenix major landfill facility...He houses the prisoners (not inmates) in tents; they wear pink jumpsuits; do not smoke; no drugs; no liquor; no law libraries; no recreation; no exercise room (gladiator training), as in weighlifting; TV is restricted to Disney programming; these scumbags only want to serve their time, get released, and not come back. This is prison life; not what is going on in Utah, and most of the rest of the nation; these are not correctional institutions; the are PRISONS; for the punishment of the people who go there; it is not about parole and all of this bunk; if they are sentenced to ten years, they serve ten years; not three or four. We need a three strikes and you are out (in prison for the rest of your life); none of this interminable repeat feloneous activity we have going on around the country these days. We need as many prisons as it takes to clean up the bad guys.

All of you who think it is just a money making opportunity should go live next to the prison. You can probably get the land cheaply enough. You don't want to live there? Why?
You make it sound like developers are evil. Anybody who wants to develop land where a prison once was is scum. If these people can and want to develop it, more power to them. If people are concerned about strip-malls they should talk to their elected officials.

I don't get it. Why is it a secret that our elected legislator can't talk about? And how about that quote about his "tricks up his sleeve??? We need to get rid of all these idiot politicians. The public should get full disclosure of what's going on. If he has to keep it secret from us then it can't be in our best interests.

Did Senator Valentine actually say that he "had a few tricks up [his] sleeve?" Did an elected official actually feel confident boasting that he was making back room deals relating to a major public expenditure? Have we actually reached such a degraded state that our elected officials can say these things in public without fear of retribution? I don't know a thing about the issue of moving the prison, but Sentators who say such things ought to fear tar and feathers. But I'll bet he got a standing ovation when he finished speaking.

Are you thinking there are no residential areas in Gunnison or that those neighborhoods don't need the "safe or responsible" consideration?

Is that true? Gunnison is "primed and ready" to recieve another prison?

Those of you commenting how this is some trick by Huntsman - you have read the story incorrectly. Huntsman expressed interest in moving the prison when he was running for Governer. Once elected, a feasability study was done that said the state would lose over 400 million by moving the current prison as opposed to building a third prison in another location. Since then the prison move talk has pretty much ceased until now when Valentine let us know about all his "tricks."

Oh - and any politician that blatantly brags about all the tricks he has up his sleeve shouldn't be re-elected. This reeks of underhanded back-room deals that will line the pockets of Valentine and his buddies while the rest of us real law-abiding citizens pay the price.

The costs used in the study are wrong. The land is worth more than what has been represented. The State should appoint a successful Developer in the private sector to facilitate the redevelopment. This could actually save money by moving the prison closer to court, jobs, affordable housing, ect.. There is a better way.

And, why, Liberal Larry, do you think the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the civilized world? Could it be that we have been too permissive for too long? As our society has become more permissive in condoning promiscuity, divorce, drug use, etc., our crime rate has skyrocketed. At the same time we've passed 10,000 anti-gun laws and stopped allowing parents to discipline children. We've also reduced prison sentences for a myriad of crimes. The death penalty is rarely enforced today. A black male today is more likely to be born to an unwed mother than to a bride. Any connection there? Meanwhile, liberals have taken control of public education, banning any discussion of God, prayer in schools, creationism, etc., while requiring sex education without JudeoChristian values, and we've told kids to practice safe sex rather than abstinence. We don't need money to address our social problems; we need to get rid of liberalism. We lost the war on drugs when we stopped arresting and imprisoning drug users. Educating people about the evils of drugs does very little good. Waiting to try to cure addicts does very little good. A good, strong DETERRENT to crime is needed.

Its nice to move the prison, but its also nice to get educational funding where it needs to be and its nice not to have toll roads in Utah, and have adequate transportation.

Is moving the prison the best use of Utah funds? I don't think so.

Let's look past why Valentine said he has a "few tricks up his sleeve" and ask a more pressing question: why are inmate totals rising? The new prison is only a symptom of the problem. The root, or core, of this problem is the fact that we need more space to house people who have broken the law and are worthy of prison time. Why is this happening? Let's not be so quick to look at only the fruit on the tree. Let's check out the roots.

A real estate developer would need tons of cash to amass a public relations effort to change the public's perception of the Point as a desirable place to live.

"Oh, I live on Gary Gilmore Way at the Point of the Mountain."

M-m-m, not such a sweet ring to it.

Those who say moving the prison out to the middle of the west deseret need to understand these prisons need to be staffed. Who will staff this prison in the west desert? They can hardly staff the prison now.

For those who talk big, I challange you to come down to the point of the mountain and see what it takes to staff the prison, then factor in the the low pay!!

Because I have a feeling some people in the legislature will be spending some time there!

To Space Man Spiff, I say ditto. How many of you have actually taken the time to see what is happening at the Point? To see the same staff work many hours because they are so short handed. And what about the volunteers that spend time there to help staff programs? Many are older retired couples and won't be able to relocate or travel long distances to continue to serve.

Another thought... what is the priority - punishment? or rehabilitation? Remember, everyone of these inmates is someone's son or daughter, or mom or dad or brother or sister. Would you want your loved one considered a throw-a-way?

Praise be to John Valentine for admitting that he does business with tricks done behind closed doors. John Valentine and Greg Curtis are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Anderson Development. That's probably who wants the prison land. Valentine should do more to get more cops on the streets and more child abusers in prison, instead of trying to make money by moving the prison.

I think we need to burn the prison then outsource to Nevada and .. .especially Texas for those we have need of incarcerating.

This will deter frivilous action by the state to get more working for the AG and it will deter Utah'ns from imprissoning their own.

Texas has already proven they are ready to imprisson the children who are the heirs of the founders of Utah and its original traditions prior to its inception as a state. I think its a wonderful tribute to allow and encourage as Sen Reid and AG Shurtleff are doing, to make sure that the blessings given 120 years ago through covenant to those and their posterity are fully annulled.

Never mind, we have already Outsourced to Texas the Lebarons, the Kingston Clan and the Jeff's.
Lets keep up the good work; oh, by the way, don't be at all surprised Mr Huntsman, when you get a Bill from CPS and the state of Texarkana for the housing of the Polygamous branches and their posterity.

It can easily be proved that you disavowed your ... Texan Duty to Stamp out your progenitors roots.

Not everyone living in Gunnison enjoys having a prison there, of course, but the State already has one--for maximum security inmates. There is room for growth and, in fact, expansion is undergoing now, approved and funded by the legislature. The town is unlikely to ever expand its residential neighborhoods to surround the geographically separated prison area, like Bluffdale has done.

The drive to SLC is reasonable, the area is rural but liveable. Besides, prisons are a growth industry!

I still think that Topaz would be better but agree that it doesn't have the infrastructure. Wendover was another great idea!

The idea of phasing out the Bluffdale area to another site was also a good one. Doing nothing is not.

Des News, SL Trib and or the TV News guys could easily do an expose on this proposal. Just follow the money(that is to be gained by the move) and all will see this is a blatent attempt by developers to make their land prices go up.

It is simple, find who has recently been purchasing land around the prision area. Look to see which of those guys are in the legislature or are contributing big to the lawmakers. It will be as clear as day who wants this and who they are paying (I mean contributing to) so it gets done.

Hey, I live in Draper and I can see how big of a boon doggle this would be...

Follow the money then expose the players for what they really are, not looking to reform or improve, only to make the cash $$$$$

So if we move the prison, how much more will we spend in transporting prisoners? This is a develpers dream. The rich get richer folks.

I hear Suncrest is need of some developing.

This is just another case of NIMBY but slightly updated for the screwed up 2000's.

Not In My NEW Back Yard. Since the prison wsa there first how can the newly arrived residential areas complain? What right do they have? They KNEW the prison was there when they built.

On located to Rush Valley in Tooele County. This either is very good or very bad depending on your viewpoint. During any large scale toxic gas emissions from the nearby weapons incinerator two things could possible happen:
1- Large scale gassing of prisoners. Clearing out and refreshing the system for the next batch huh. Not bad idea.
2- Large scale emergency release of prisoners to escape accidental release of mustard gas.

Both options have merits depending on whom you are pulling for. :) My guess is that Rush Valley is not a safe site.

Lethal gases and lethal people don't mix well.

Just like the soccer stadium that could have been built down in UT county with private donations. But NO! Curtis and Valentine wanted it in Sandy.

Instead of housing them. Rehabilitate them. If they are not rehabilitatable (and some aren't), then do the # of bed rule. When the beds are full, the longest one there is executed.

We have made crime pay. 3 squares a day, cable tv, gym facilities. Not saying it is the Ritz Carlton, but it isn't Maracopa County AZ either.

Most of the criminals run the place. Why doesn't the DN do an indepth look into who benefits. No I wouldn't want it in my back yard, but then it was there before the back yards were.

Valentine needs to be scrutinized hard. This STINKS!!

Sounds like more SL County hotel tax revenue will soon be going to Valentine and Curtis's developer buddies. Maybe Frank Gehry can design the new prison.

These pages are filled with jealous, ill-informed idiots. You think Draper is filled with a bunch of millionaries? Have you driven through Draper? I'm sure there are some millionaires but none more than other cities....

I live in Draper and you have no clue of your silly comments.

There might be some in Draper who would like it moved, but it is NOT a Draper citizen movement at all! No one is complaining about the views.

I'm amazed at all the know-it-alls on these pages everyday. I wonder why all of you aren't elected to office or millionaire CEO's somewhere since you know everything about everything.

Please stop tying your nonsense and removing all doubt!

First of all, Gunnison is not a maximum security facility. It is medium and low security. There is not the same threat in Gunnison as there is in Bluffdale. Don't you remember the stabbing years back? Well, he (the offender) was moved to BLUFFDALE. Gunnison could not handle the addition of these inmates without some drastic changes being made.
Second, don't forget those it takes to run the prison. These are people with families. It takes more than 500 officers, captain level and below to run the prison in Bluffdale. They can't even get people to work there now and are down over 100 posts on a daily basis. You have to work more than one job just to feed your family while being on welfare. How are you going to get people to work in a desert land? It has to be a good move for those families.
Third, Valentine can't stay out of the bathroom to even make a vote. He hides unless his pocketbook is speaking. Move it, fine, just think what it takes to attract those to work in it! You have to actually pay them first, maybe then they could afford to move!

You know darn well that the fat cat developers, of which Valentine is one, are chomping at the bit to get a hold of that prime south valley ground for a pittance. They are Huntsman's biggest contributers, next to Daddy Huntsman.

These are the people who run the Republican party in this state and have caused a large share of the urban sprawl mess that we now live in in this valley. Lousy east/west roads, no freeways except I-15 and I0215 which is so out of date it isn't funny. Just run away development without paying any attention to infrastructure.

Look at Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mtn. Try driving to those places in the afternoon during rush hour and experiencing Redwood Road (all two lanes) and the time it takes to get anywhere south of Bluffdale.

The deal is already done. We just don't know it yet. We as Republicans/Conservatives need to band together and get rid of every one of these people from the State government starting with Huntsman and Valentine.

There is nothing wrong with keeping the prison right where it is.

Get off the turnip truck, quit watching the night sky for black helicopters and learn a little about our Legislators. Mr. Valentine is Tax Attorney, not a developer or builder.

First, you have to find a site where employees will want to work. Right now the Draper prison needs at least 500 officers, captain level and below, just to run the prison. They all have families and have places to live. Right now they are over 100 posts down EVERY DAY. You are still going to have to pay the staff regardless of where the prison will be. You will still have the costs associated with running it. Pay employees to work it without having to work two jobs just to qualify for reduced lunches. Wouldn't that save the state money?
Second, Gunnison is not a maximum security facility. They just opened a maximum security unit holding 192 beds. There is no way they would be ready to take on more until major changes are made. Is it worth it to the state?
Third, no matter where this ends up it won't happen overnight. The changes would come over a minimum of 10 to 20 years.
Fourth, if Valentine saying he has something up his sleeve, shouldn't Utah wake up and look into where his agenda is? Check out his voting record, or lack thereof.

The Central Utah Correctional facility, located in Gunnison, is very much a maximum security prison. although not exclusively. I think you were referring to Troy Kell who stabbed fellow inmate Lonnie Blackmon in the Gunnison prison but he wasn't moved to Bluffdale because he, all of the sudden, was a much more dangerous inmate. He was moved there because he was convicted of a capital crime, sentenced to be executed, and thus put on death row.

Mr. Valentine is a tax attorney who prostitutes himself to developers. He is the self-described master of tricks after all.