2/9/2010 12:02:00 PM CCA no longer considering PV site for proposed prison
Matt Hinshaw/The Daily Courier Jim Rounds Senior Economist with Elliot D. Pollack and Co. presented his companies findings to the Prescott Valley City Council on the economic impact a private prison would have on the town January 28 during a Town Council meeting in Prescott Valley. Corrections Corporation of America is no longer considering land in PV for a prison because of opposition from the Town Council.
PRESCOTT VALLEY - Corrections Corporation of America has scuttled plans to consider land off Fain Road for a private prison because the company lacks support from the Town Council, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.
"We are no longer considering that site in Prescott Valley," said Louise Grant from corporate headquarters in Nashville, Tenn. "We certainly are focusing on a number of (other) areas."
Grant declined to say whether CCA is considering other potential sites in Yavapai County, such as the Drake area north of Chino Valley.
Grant spoke four days after Brad Wiggins, CCA's senior director for site acquisition, notified Gary Marks, executive director of the Prescott Valley Economic Development Foundation of the company's decision.
"This is to provide you with formal notice that Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) has terminated our site selection activities in Prescott Valley," Wiggins wrote Marks.
"We certainly thank you for the support shown to us by your organization and the local leadership group members," Wiggins wrote. However, he added CCA "effective immediately" has removed Prescott Valley from consideration as a potential site.
"This action follow our decision last week to suspend public outreach programs and I trust that you will share this letter with the appropriate Town officials so that they may know of our decision."
Wiggins dated the letter eight days after three members of the council told an audience at a packed meeting that they opposed the location within a mile of subdivisions. Mayor Harvey Skoog went public a day earlier - Jan. 27 - against the site.
The council did not take a formal vote, but the majority opposition all but killed plans by CCA and the foundation to proceed with further consideration of the site near the Grapevine Industrial Park.
The council took a similar stance - without a vote - in October 2007 after residents organized opposition to a private prison by Management and Training Corp. of Centerville, Utah. Foundation officials had brought that company's plans to town officials.
The foundation staff e-mailed a press release Feb. 2 indicating CCA canceled outreach meetings in the CASA Senior Center and the Ravenridge subdivision.
Marks is attending a conference in Anaheim, Calif., and could not be reached for comment regarding Wiggins' letter.
Jeri Ann Kooiman, a real estate broker who heads the foundation board, acknowledged CCA's decision in a voicemail to The Daily Courier while adding she did not have "much of a statement."
Foundation officials and other prison supporters cited the benefit of jobs and increased revenues for the community that a prison housing as many as 5,000 inmates would create. Opponents expressed fears about higher crime, declining property values and the stigma of becoming a "prison town," as well as CCA's reputation.
Councilwoman Patty Lasker, who favored continuing the process because she believes the prison would create badly needed jobs, commented, "Now is the time for the community to heal. We need to move past this and look forward to exploring other opportunities for job growth."
However, former councilman Tom Steele, who spearheaded opposition to the prison, will not let the issue die.
"It is not a dead issue," Steele said. "I want a registered vote on their position (of the council members) in Prescott Valley that they will never support a prison in Prescott Valley."
Steele said a decision Tuesday afternoon to delete from Thursday's council agenda a presentation by Frank Smith of the Private Corrections Working Group, which is critical of private prisons, amounts to an insult to prison opponents.
Smith, who lives in Harper County, Kan., said, "I'm still going to attend. I have a nonrefundable (plane) ticket from Wichita (Kan.) to Dallas and to Phoenix."
Skoog said, "I'm not interested in listening to him. It's a dead issue."
Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010
Article comment by:
Crime does not pay
Val Gradaro Missa d point, you have to be unemployed, retired or just someone with nothing else to do in life. You will see what it does to the economy when you do not let growth in. There are Prisons everywhere.
Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Article comment by:
Re Grungy Skamper Fi
So what will the Ex-press soldiers do now? I bet they are working on Prison plan number 3. The council needs to add "no prisons" to the PV zoning.
Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Article comment by:
val Grandaro
To think PV. I did think and I think if this is such a good idea let Prescott have it. So they can make up for their other mistakes.
I love listening to the pro prison whiners trying to convince who of the prison? Certainly not us in PV as we sent the Prison packing and if the notion of a prison is tried again we will send them packing again. So you keep whining as it gives the rest of us something to laugh at.
Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Article comment by:
Think PV
PV apposers to this prison, remember when the city of Prescott turned down a bid for Walmart to be in the city limits and the tribe took them on. Millions lost for that foolish act. Remember when the people voted down the jail tax and now the cities have to transport prisoners to Camp Verde? This is jobs and steady paying jobs. Your going to be sorry.
Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Article comment by:
peter white
When a person from Yavapai County is convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison, where should we send them. To a prison in another county??? Why should another county have to put up with our miscreants? Has anyone even thought of asking Kingman how many incidents they have had there? There is a privately-owned prison outside of Kingman. How many of you knew that? I don't recall any announcements of escapees running amok in Kingman. A lot of the prisoners there are from Yavapai County. I think each county should be burdened with housing their own prisoners and NOT be able to burden another county with them. I have heard a lot of people comment about moving if a prison comes here. Well, with most of the current jobs here paying not much over minimum wage, who do you plan to sell your house too? Are you going to price it so that a person making $9 per hour can afford it? Or are you going to carry the mortgage yourself because most people won't qualify...
Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Article comment by:
Lisa Imburgia
PV resident, this really was only about money. If PV was going to gain anything why was one of the questions on the survey, ‘would you be willing to have PV pay for infrastructure to the prison?’ I am sure that would have cost a few million dollars. If this prison were such a moneymaker they surely would not be looking for free bees. I asked Mr. Wiggins about that and he told me the beauty of working with them is they ask for nothing. One week later at the study session it was on the phone survey. Read the Polick Report, it had a lot of wonderful numbers but the whole this was hypothetical information given them from CCA. Then go to Polick’s website and see there association with the Big Chino Pipeline. This was a dirty bad deal for the people in Prescott Valley from day one and it was a few business people that do not live in PV that were pushing it.
Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Article comment by:
Tricia Cable
The issue was already supposedly done and decided two years ago, when public opposition was in the majority dead set against it. I think it should be rallied against until it is concretely a dead issue.
Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Article comment by:
Poor Tom
Poor Teabagger Tom wants the issue to continue, he was enjoying the attention. He sounds like a two year old when he says "I want...". It's pretty obvious to the rest of us that this issue is dead...a majority of council came out against it and the company withdrew, seems pretty clear. While I didn't agree with Patti Lasker's position on the prison, I agree with her comments that it is time to move on.
Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Article comment by:
not moving
Well at least we don't have to move now, which we would have done if the prison was built. Didn't want any part of a town with initials PV that would have meant "Prison Valley". It's bad enough we have an "ED"....
Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Article comment by:
An Even Stronger group.
{ "We certainly remain interested in Prescott Valley. We do believe there is a very strong group of individuals who are supportive."}
Yeah that group would be fain and his lackeys or soldiers as they like to call themselves. Unfortunately they are nowhere near as strong as the other 30,000 plus who want nothing to do with the Prison.
Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Article comment by:
PV resident
Why does it always have to be about money. Why is it so hard to believe that there was logic in choosing the PV area -- the land, the proximity to the highway, services and housing available to potential employees? PV could have benefited from this deal.
Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Article comment by:
LG LG
That "strong group " that were supportive of the prison in PV never really existed. A few individuals...and we know who they are...wanted the prison because it was a money maker for them! So Louise Grant, you can full some people, some of the time...but not those who really love this area. The prison plan is dead...and amen!
Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Article comment by:
aaliyah bloodstained
No Prison ~ No Problem! We need to clean house and soon. PV Government is truly corrupt and strange bedfellows will follow.
Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Article comment by:
Dan Speer
GOODBYE, CCA. Happy hunting in OTHER places.
Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Article comment by:
George & Claudette Bonds
Thanks Courier for keeping us well informed and for all your dedication to those you serve. We appreciate the refreshing look you've created. What an amazing job! No prison? No loss!
Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Article comment by:
Tommy Titanium
So while 99.5% of Prescott Valley is celebrating we should not forget the .5% who is throwing stuff around their offices. The people have spoken lets hope the message is crystal clear to the city council that the people of Prescott Valley are tired of the big land owners getting what they want. This town belongs to everyone. Remember .5% we will never allow a prison to be built in this town.
Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Article comment by:
Good Bye
So CCA is still interested in PV. I guess we did not give them a clear enough answer. Hows this. PRESCOTT VALLEY WILL NEVER HAVE A PRISON EVER, SO DON'T BOTHER TRYING TO BUILD ONE HERE. THIS MESSAGE IS FOR ANY PRISON IN PV BY ANY LAND OWNER.
Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Article comment by:
Lisa Imburgia
It would not surprise me if the large group they think they have is made up mostly of the same group from Prescott that makes up the political slate. No one/company likes to learn they lost. A prison of any kind is not compatible within Prescott Valley. Especially not that location! The owners should have thought of that before they placed senior developments, young homeowners and schools so close. A prison was never part of the 50 year plan for Prescott Valley so why lower yourself fighting for this prison? You and CCA can not brainwash enough people to get it past a referendum.
Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Article comment by:
Happy Gilmore
Great news now the next step is to make a zoning ordinance that no prison is allowed in town limits. I hope a certain land owner & the council realize that the people of PV will never allow a prison to be built in our town so stop entertaining the idea. Thank you Courier for keeping us all informed of this prison issue.
Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Article comment by:
keen observer
Just who are the "strong group of individuals who are supportive?" Could we have their names? It would be interesting to know their motives and why they would want to make Prescott Valley a prison town.
