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Letter: Don’t be fooled again by the lowball estimate of the cost of Utah’s proposed homeless campus

(Utah Office of Homeless Services via The New York Times) A conceptual rendering provided by the Utah Office of Homeless Services of a complex that state planners have said will treat addiction and mental illness and provide a humane alternative to the streets.

We have been informed that the price of building a new campus for the homeless on 2200 West among warehouses and not far from the airport would be $75 million.

We’ve heard all this before. Do you recall that the new Utah prison was supposed to cost $550 million when the project was originally sold to the Legislature, but it ended up costing twice as much and for a smaller campus?

The proposed homeless campus will have incarcerated individuals (against their will), which requires increased building standards, like the Utah prison. Don’t be fooled again by a lowball estimate. Perhaps $500 million would be a better forecast of building costs.

James King, Salt Lake City

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