l The study proposal can be found at at http://dfcm.utah.gov

l Public comments can be submitted until 5 p.m. Friday by e-mail at PrisonRFPComment@utah.gov

Priceless or merely pricey?

The 673 acres that house the Utah State Prison are clearly valuable. Whether the land in fast-growing Draper is valuable enough to send about 3,600 inmates packing to make room from the highest-bidding developer could be answered by year's end.

Next week, the state's Department of Administrative Services will begin seeking offers to study the land's value and the cost of building a prison elsewhere.

Until then, the department will take public comment on any issues Utahns think a consultant should address.

Although it's unusual to seek such input before launching a study - legislators required it when they approved up to $140,000 for the report - the state says the subject is so significant that residents need to have a voice throughout the process.

"This is such a huge public policy issue," said D'Arcy Dixon Pignanelli, the department's director.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. floated the idea of moving the prison while campaigning last year. He argued that growth in the south end of Salt Lake County made the prospect of relocating the facility more attractive because the land value could help offset the price tag. However, Huntsman cautioned that a feasibility study would be needed.

While money may be the biggest factor in determining whether the prison stays or goes, one social-justice watchdog worries about the impact on inmates and their families.

"It seems to me that it will be highly unlikely that moving will be in the best interest of everyone," said Steve Erickson, director of Citizens Education Project.

If the prison leaves, Draper officials don't see the property morphing into a residential neighborhood.

"We see the prison site redevelopment as an employment center," said Maridene Hancock, Draper's spokeswoman. That means stores, offices, industrial sites and commercial uses.

Besides examining Draper, the pending study also will identify three or four possible sites for a new prison.

Count out Gunnison, says Mayor Scott Hermansen.

The central Utah town is home to a satellite facility for 1,100 inmates, but the mayor doesn't want a bigger brig.

"We'd rather be known for something else," Hermansen said.

While some officials argue a prison can be an economic force, Hermansen says his community of about 2,400 hasn't seen a boom since the satellite prison opened in 1994.

Some jobs have been created, but most of the money bypasses Gunnison.

Tooele County has been mentioned as another candidate for the prison. But Commissioner Dennis Rockwell doesn't buy that it would be an economic plus.

"I would campaign to have it not in Tooele County," he said, "and I think the citizens would back me up."

jsantini@sltrib.com