This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
From the beginning, moving the state's prison was a done deal, needing only the usual and customary public funded studies, endorsements and support from varied and biased interests. In spite of credible recommendations to the contrary, the Prison Relocation and Development Authority (PRADA) will recommend to the Legislature that the state move ahead with the project.
However, a recent article ("Move The Draper prison, panel says," Feb. 6) reports there remain several "ifs, ands, buts, maybes, coulds and assumptions" that should raise doubts, and added to the mix, PRADA Chairman Lane Summerhays begs "If you turn us loose, we'll make it happen," not the most reassuring remark that makes me wonder if the effort has morphed into a free-for-all land-grabbing rodeo.
It's going to happen, but in the end there will have been cost overruns, adjusted income and jobs projections and a much larger tab presented to the public for payment.
After all, it is a government project, spearheaded by those who will gain the most.
Richard Ewing Davis
Stansbury Park