Four companies respond to prison proposal request

Four prison companies, including two that withdrew from further considering a Prescott Valley-area site, responded to a request for proposals from the state to house as many as 5,000 inmates.

Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), Management & Training Corp. (MTC), the Geo Group and Emerald Correctional Management responded to the RFP by this past Friday's deadline, said Barrett Marson, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Corrections.

Marson said he could not provide any information on how many inmate bids the companies seek to fill and where they planned to locate the prisons. He added he has not seen the bids.

"There is no deadline for review of all these bids," he said Wednesday. "Obviously, the department is going to do its due diligence."

CCA and MTC previously considered land off Fain Road for a private prison, but they faced widespread opposition from the community and a lack of support from the Town Council.

Prison supporters, including board members of the Prescott Valley Economic Development Foundation, contended the CCA prison would create badly needed jobs.

CCA management notified foundation and town officials in early February that the company was no longer considering the Fain property. However, two members of the Fain family told the council Feb. 11 that they wanted to proceed with applying to annex their land into the town and rezone it to accommodate a prison.

Bill Fain and his son, Brad, said they would let the voters decide whether they want a private prison in the community.

They have not applied for rezoning or annexing the land, Community Development Director Richard Parker said Wednesday.

"I have seen absolutely nothing," he said.