It will take over $160 million taxpayer dollars to prepare a new prison site on a swampy high-water table land owned by Rio Tinto, and that’s just to try and get the ground stable enough to build on. Additionally, $56 million more over the course of 50 years would be used for costs of getting goods to the prison and inmates to court in Salt Lake City.
Only the two original pods need to be replaced, as they were built in the early ’50s — all of the rest of the buildings are in great shape. The visitors, volunteers and correction personnel do not get paid for transportation.
Our public schools could use the money instead. Let’s vote on moving the prison by comparing the actual dollar amounts of building a new prison with building two new pods on the existing site.
Bill Finch
Holladay