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Letter: We’ve made a terrible mistake putting the port by the prison

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Aerial photos of various Salt Lake points of interest including the proposed inland port area. Salt Lake Tribune, downtown, capitol, North Salt Lake.

Not too many years ago, we were told by our elected officials in the Utah Legislature that the state prison, occupying 1 square mile, was an obstacle to economic development and had to be relocated to facilitate growth in the Draper area.

Now we are being told by some of the same people that the "inland port" will be the biggest economic development opportunity in the history of the state of Utah! But wait, there's a contradiction here: The inland port is right next to the new state prison under construction.

You can't have it both ways. Let's have the courage to admit that we have made an absolutely terrible mistake, foisted upon a naive Legislature, and stop work at the prison site near the Great Salt Lake, sell the property and put our construction money into rebuilding the current prison at its desirable central location.

James King, Salt Lake City