1/6/2010 10:23:00 AM Prison company first approached Prescott Valley officials
Corrections Corporation of America began gathering information in Prescott Valley 11 months ago, said PV Economic Development Foundation Director Gary Marks.
Courtesy photo/Clipart.com
(Editor's Note: This is the second in a series explaining how the concept of a prison resurfaced in Prescott Valley, and the process of bringing any company to the community.)
Eleven months ago, inquiries about building a private prison in Prescott Valley began with questions and the gathering of information.
Gary Marks, executive director of the PV Economic Development Foundation, said whether it is a correctional facility or a company such as Lockheed-Martin, the process of looking into establishing a business in any one city or town is the same.
Sometimes an inquiry from a company has a project name and he doesn't even know what the business is or what it entails.
Marks said it works like this: The potential business gives PVEDF a name and an outline of its needs - how much land; size of buildings; labor, benefits, payroll needs; and water, gas, electrical, and communication demands.
"We have to take all that information and say, 'We have a building on this piece of land that seems to be the right size, but it has a 2-inch water line that will not meet your demands,' and we tell them those things. 'If you need more, or need something closer, this will not be a good fit,'" Marks said.
The Foundation contacts the service providers - electrical, gas, water - and asks if they can fulfill the company's needs before the Foundation responds. An example, he said, is an inquiry from a wet food processing plant that involved about 100 jobs and had a water demand that matched that used by the entire community.
"That's not a good fit, and we would tell them we're not interested," Marks said.
Sometimes he is able to know if a business is a good fit or not within a 10-minute conversation. Others take months of work gathering data and information.
"We just went through 11 months on a project and got notified we didn't get it," Marks said. "It is extremely competitive."
Prescott Valley recently made the short list for a customer service center offering 400 jobs that will instead locate to Texas. While it wasn't a single issue that knocked PV out of the running, Marks said there was concern about the age demographics and the lower percentage of bilingual speakers.
He said it is common for national and international companies to start with an interest in 1,400 different communities in the first round. That number drops to less than 100 after initial inquiries, then is cut to less than 20. The final round might come down between two communities each in three states.
He said in an average month, he fields anywhere from four to 15 or 20 inquiries. Many companies will get initial information from a town's website. Then they send a request for further information and data. From there, a company moves from inquiry to "suspect." Representatives may call and say they will be in town on a certain date and wish to sit down with community members, tour the area, look at possible buildings and sites.
"Now you know they're serious. You've made their short list," Marks said.
"In the corrections field, just because we're having a discussion doesn't mean we're on the short list, even with a tour."
Louise Grant, vice-president in charge of marketing for Corrections Corporation of America, said CCA is currently evaluating several sites in Arizona. For competitive reasons, she is not at liberty to say where the other sites are located.
CCA looks at several factors when making a determination of a good fit: work force demographics; overall quality of life with access to schools, hospitals and a good infrastructure in the community; and the level of acceptance in the town.
Grant said a prison brings a wide spectrum of careers to a community, not just involving correctional officers, but also teachers, medical and mental health workers, maintenance supervisors, and a number of business professionals in clerking, payroll and management.
"Employees have a lot of opportunities for rapid career advancement," she said. "We are very proud of the fact that our CEO began as a correctional officer 17 years ago in a facility in Kansas, and worked his way up to CEO last year."
She said CCA brings a strong economic impact in the way of property taxes, sales taxes, payroll for salaries and partnerships with local businesses.
A third benefit is the employee participation in community civic and charity involvement. On the other hand, community organizations often get involved in volunteer work with inmates, such as literacy classes, faith-based groups, 12-Step programs, vocational skills training, and social responsibility courses that teach accountability for one's actions.
Some people have said they feel safer because of the trained law enforcement professionals in the community, she added.
"Never have we had a community express a regret. We've had some say they wish we had brought them in earlier," Grant said. CCA operates 64 prisons.
The residents of Prescott Valley and private prisons will continue the dialogue about whether they make a good match or not. Before much more can be decided, however, the private prison companies need to see the RFQ from the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee so they know what information to request. At this time, no one knows the size of facility or facilities the State will request, the number of beds or the level of security.
"Once the state releases an RFQ and the requirements, you could have some of the private corrections companies say, 'We are not going to bid on this project,'" Marks said. "Or every one of them could decide to."
Ryan Judy, assistant to the town manager, said the town council does not have any discussion on prisons on its agenda for the Jan. 7 or 14 town council meetings,.
Posted: Thursday, January 14, 2010
Article comment by:
Web Administrator
@ George Orlik:Letters to the editor are printed on the editorial page (page 4) of the print publication, and are prefaced with the word "Letter:" in headlines on the website.- pvtrib.com staff
Posted: Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Article comment by:
Good-bye Gary Marks
Right on Lisa I.! Gary Marks in no friend to the residents of Prescott Valley.
Posted: Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Article comment by:
No name provided
People can get the written truth about prisons on www.noprisoninpv.com
Posted: Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Article comment by:
Lisa Imburgia
Gary Marks was here years ago when the people of Prescott Valley said, NO PRISON. Once he learned it was a prison he should of stopped working with these people. His continuing the process is a waste of time/money the town pays him. He has violated the trust people have given him and should not have his contract renewed. I'd like to ask Gary Marks,'do you think the people are brain dead?' I think you, Gary Marks,out lived your usefulness to the people of Prescott Valley!
Posted: Friday, January 08, 2010
Article comment by:
partsfinder
A prison will cost Prescott Valley residents more than it brings to the community in benefits. Hospitals in the area will foot the bill(Taxpayers) When prison Infirmary can't do the job.. Big Business will no longer wish to come to Prescott Valley with a PRISON here. Who benefits ? Not the Taxpayers. NO PRISON
Posted: Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Article comment by:
George Orlik
Will your silly little driveway rag start printing some letters and opinions? As it now stands your paper is a bother to pick up and from the website no ones ever writes in an opinion? Well heres one the slimy snakes in Pv Town Government and the PVEDF that takes almost 1/4 million dollars a year from the taxpayers has set out to sell us out, destroy our life style and home values all for the developers and Landowners. Don't think for one second a shower of large paychecks will float down on the residents of P.V. ain't going to happen.
