Miller family removes Tooele location from prison relocation list


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TOOELE — The list of sites under consideration for a new Utah State Prison has been narrowed to four.

The Larry H. Miller family removed their property next to Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele County as a potential prison relocation site, according to a statement released Tuesday. The decision is a triumph to Tooele County and city leaders who have worked for months to remove the site from the Prison Relocation Commission's list.

The Larry H. Miller Group of Companies had previously announced it would not renew its lease, which ends in October. Now, the company plans to shift its focus to developing the land next to the park, said Scott Bates, president of Miller Family Real Estate, in a prepared statement.

"This is certainly good news," said Tooele County Commissioner Shawn Milne. "This is the result of the efforts of many community leaders throughout Tooele County working together to provide a very factual basis for why it just didn't make sense to place (the prison) there."

The family's decision to withdraw the property from consideration drops Tooele County's chances of being chosen for the new prison from 40 percent to 25 percent, as the commission is still considering one other Tooele County site in Grantsville, next to the Wal-Mart Distribution Center.

The area's limited water resources and water rights, which would be better utilized for residential or commercial growth, influenced the Miller family's decision, Milne said.

Rep. Doug Sagers, R-Tooele, worked with Bates on the decision and said the Miller family decided after further analysis that it made more sense to not sell the property for the state prison, but instead use it for future economic development, which would include light industrial, commercial and residential uses.

"We are encouraged by local leaders' stated goal to make this property a crown jewel in their economic development efforts," Bates said.


This is certainly good news. This is the result of the efforts of many community leaders throughout Tooele County working together to provide a very factual basis for why it just didn't make sense to place (the prison) there.

–Tooele County Commissioner Shawn Milne


Tooele Mayor Patrick Dunlavy said the news relieves an enormous burden from his city.

"It's a happy day here at City Hall," Dunlavy said.

But along with the Grantsville site, the Prison Relocation Commission is still considering putting the 4,000-bed prison on a site west of Salt Lake City International Airport near I-80 and 7200 West, as well as sites in Eagle Mountain and Fairfield.

Commission co-chairman Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, said the Miller family's decision "won't make a difference" as the commission continues on to evaluate the four remaining sites, since the commission's goal was to pair a "willing buyer" with the state as a "willing seller."

"We just have one less site to consider," Stevenson said. "This isn't really a plus or minus for us."

David Everitt, Salt Lake City Mayor Becker's chief of staff, said since the Miller group's decision shortened the prison relocation list of sites, it hurts the chances that the prison will be relocated to Utah's capital city.

"It certainly doesn't bode well for Salt Lake City," Everitt said. "This only reinforces our need to speak out in opposition to the prison coming to Salt Lake City."

Grantsville Mayor Brent Marshall said he's looking at the Miller family's decision from a positive perspective, even though the site in his city is still under consideration. He said if the prison is placed in Grantsville, it would still have a negative impact in surrounding cities, including Tooele.

"One down, one to go," Marshall said. "We'll keep fighting to make our points heard."

A public meeting on the Grantsville site is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday at Grantsville High School, 155 E. Cherry St. Marshall said a rally against a Tooele County prison will begin at the same time at Grantsville City Park.

For the other potential sites, a similar public meeting will take place June 2 at Frontier Middle School in Eagle Mountain.

Dunlavy said his next hope is that the Grantsville site will also be removed from the commission's list.

"We’re still working on showing the commission that that’s not a viable site either," Dunlavy said, "and so we're supporting (Grantsville) 100 percent."


Katie McKellar is a Dixie State University graduate with a bachelor of science in mass communication. Before interning at Deseret News, she reported and edited news content for Dixie Sun News, first as Photo Editor, then as Features Editor. Email: kmckellar@deseretnews.com

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