Minimum Security Prison Proposed for Prescott Valley (Phoenix, Tucson: relocation, real estate)

[and the]

As far as jobs, this area needs A LOT of jobs. At least the prison job would pay better than the $6.75 a hour Gateway Mall or Wal-Mart. Plus, they offer benefits, unlike 80% of the jobs here. If PV or Prescott wants to survive as a town, it needs to grow, prison and all.

I say BUILD IT! I support it 100%.

And then build the next one, and the next one after that.....Pretty soon PV will stand for "Prison Valley" or "Prison View". Local businesses that sprung up to service the prisons will go out of business as Prison Industries starts to assert their very significant influence Instead of college, high school kids will figure they can just get a job at one of the prisons for a couple years and end up staying 30.

You'll be sorry.

[Greatday]

Only as a comparision - Florence, AZ

Maximum security prision. Been there for years. Yet Florence is fast becoming home to 1000's of new residents and some major master planned communities (Anthem being one).

New schools being built

New retail being built

New Homes being built

AND, all within a very short distance of the Prision

[Gretchen B]

Thanks for the input on Florence, Greatday. Do you live there? Do you know much about the community in general? I'd really like to hear from people who lived in a community before the prison came and afterward. I'd like to know about some of the promises of economic growth and if those happened as planned . . . In other words, if the communities grew and their economies improved BECAUSE of the prisons or IN SPITE OF the prison. If anyone lives in Florence or Marana or Kingman, I think your input here would be very valuable, and I thank you!

The Daily Courier did a promotional piece for the proposed prison. They interviewed the president of the Chamber of Commerce of Kingman and also the VP of marketing for MTC (the private prison corporation). And since MTC is a member of the Kingman Chamber, I assumed the comments probably weren't the most unbiased.

Murphy, the MTC PR guy, talked about the community service jobs that the prisoners had performed. That sounded nice. However, one of the jobs was restoring a historical building and another was painting the city building and chamber office. Excuse me, but wouldn't those jobs have normally been awarded to a local contractor? Seems to me that's taking jobs aways from the independent businessmen.

Further along in the article it states: "The prison's wastewater treatment plant and reuse operation take up 20 acres." So obviously there is additional infrastructure that is needed.

Also the Courier reports Murphy as stating: "However, these minimum-security prisons do create business for area motels, restaurants, and other tourist businesses because the visiting hours are on weekends and holidays." Have any of you been to Prescott/PV on a weekend or holiday? Hotel rooms are usually booked weeks in advance. And you usually have to wait to get a table at a restaurant. I don't see prisoners families coming to town on weekends/holidays as a big boon for the town.

If PV were having economic problems, and if $15/hr jobs could provide the primary income for a family to live here, then maybe the prison would be a viable solution to some of the problems. What I've been reading, though, is that once a prison comes to town, other businesses and industries shy away. Maybe because of having to compete for the labor force? I'm not sure.

Prescott Valley has worked so hard lately to change it's image and to get a downtown district going. And things are looking good right now. The Convention Center has been built, Kohl's has just gone in, and SuperWalMart is being built, along with a Hotel & Suites (I thought it was Hampton Inn, but Pettrix says it's Comfort Inn - either way). While some view the prison as "pro-growth", I really feel it's going to have the opposite effect on the town. I've already heard from several people that they are planning on moving if the prison comes in.

[Gretchen B]

Here's some links to some of the current news from the local newspaper:

Map showing proposed site, and article with proponents and opponents views: http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?Sec...rticleID=48570

And the PR story in the PV Tribune: http://www.pvtrib.com/main.asp?Secti...rticleID=46690

(Hopefully those links work. Especially the link for the proposed site.)

[and the]

I like how they make sure to refer to it every time it is mentioned as a "minimum security prison". As far as I'm concerned, a prison is a prison is a prison. I'm not worried about escaping prisoners at all. I'm worried about everything that was mentioned in the PBS documentary on Susanville, CA, where it just so happens one of the guys who spoke at the council meeting came from, after working 20 years for the prison system. Wonder why he just didn't stay in Susanville?

[joeyla91601]

its going to be accross hwy 69 from the country clud area behind the cemetary

Originally Posted by Gretchen B

According to the newspaper articles it's proposed site is east of Fain Road (the Hwy 69/89 bypass road) on 100 acres in a large (yet to be developed) industrial park near old Fain Road. "The prison would be the conrserstone of the proposed 600-900 acre industrial park."

So I'm assuming somewhere out in that open space SSE of the Yavapai County fairgrounds . . . or maybe closer to Hwy 69 and Fain Road where those warehouses/distribution centers are.

It will be very large. The paper had a picture of the 500-bed prison in Kingman, and that looked pretty big. The PV prison is to be 2,000-bed . . . so 4 times as big. I was trying to do a little research, and I think it would be the largest minimum security prison in AZ.

[LBear]

Originally Posted by Gretchen B

Pettrix - I've missed you. Where 've ya been lately?

Now, water . . . that's a whole other issue. But for now, let's just relegate the discussion to costs to the taxpayer rather than availability.

Busy, busy, but thanks for asking!

Taxes, well, we all hate paying taxes. American's get taxed $16.5 billion dollars a year for NASA. Plus the dozens & dozens of other taxation. So, taxation, for the most part is always wasteful. Now, if these taxes help support future jobs and growth. I don't mind it as much.

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by Pettrix

Busy, busy, but thanks for asking!

Taxes, well, we all hate paying taxes. American's get taxed $16.5 billion dollars a year for NASA. Plus the dozens & dozens of other taxation. So, taxation, for the most part is always wasteful. Now, if these taxes help support future jobs and growth. I don't mind it as much.

Well, the prison coming will be one way to effectively effectively slow growth. Once a prison comes to town, other industries shy away because they have to compete with the prison for the labor force. Plus prisoners on work/release and those who've finished their sentences compete with local workers for jobs. And local contractors end up losing jobs to prisoners doing "community service".

Sorry, Pettrix, but the prison coming will be a definite negative for future growth. The only reason people are starting to move to Florence (home of the state pen) now is because land and housing is cheaper than anywhere else. Unfortunately, people buying in Florence either work at the prison (the only major employer in the town) or else they commute a long distance to jobs in Phoenix. People aren't going to move to PV for $15/hr jobs because they can't afford to buy a house on that. Of course, it may help rentals, and may spark a bunch of government subsidized housing. I guess . . . if that's the kind of growth you're looking for.

I think it's too bad in view of all that PV has done recently to spark building and to reinvent itself. This seems like one step forward and two back when it comes to enticing profitable businesses to relocate to the area.

[JeepGirl118]

Some people are not thinking how good this will be on motels/hotels, retailers and restaurants. Some of you are only seeing the "inmate" aspect of this all. What about the families that come to see their friends and loved ones from afar. . . they need lodging - if they drive, they'll buy gas. . .a convicts family eats and if the prison turns someone away because the visitor is wearing the wrong outfit or something is too low-cut - they will shop in the retail stores for a new one if they did not bring it along.

If you do not know a prisoner, it happens more than you would imagine - we visit a friend of ours every two weeks who is in the Florence prison.

If you own a restaurant, motel/hotel, gas station or a retail store - smile because your sales will go up on weekends and holidays.

You are incorrect about it being two steps back, Gretchen B. Business-minded people know that Rome was not built in a day.

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by JeepGirl118

Some people are not thinking how good this will be on motels/hotels, retailers and restaurants. Some of you are only seeing the "inmate" aspect of this all. What about the families that come to see their friends and loved ones from afar. . . they need lodging - if they drive, they'll buy gas. . .a convicts family eats and if the prison turns someone away because the visitor is wearing the wrong outfit or something is too low-cut - they will shop in the retail stores for a new one if they did not bring it along.

If you do not know a prisoner, it happens more than you would imagine - we visit a friend of ours every two weeks who is in the Florence prison.

If you own a restaurant, motel/hotel, gas station or a retail store - smile because your sales will go up on weekends and holidays.

You are incorrect about it being two steps back, Gretchen B. Business-minded people know that Rome was not built in a day.

Jeep Girl - I hear what you are saying. And that would normally be true. But Prescott/Prescott Valley are tourist destinations already and our motels are always booked, most times weeks in advance. Same with our restauarants. One almost always has to wait to get a table. So what would normally be a good thing will actually be a negative, because tourists with money to spend won't be able to get a room and will most likely head to another destination such as Flagstaff or the White Mtns.