Commissioner Brady looking at exporting coal possibilities

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The Emery County Board of Commissioners met for their first meeting in April.
The board ratified out-of-state travel to California for Commissioner Keith Brady. Commissioner Brady said Carbon, Emery and Sevier counties are looking at ways to export our coal internationally. While in California, he met with businesses trying to do this. The port is in Oakland that will ship coal internationally. There are investors who think this is really going to move and mines are being purchased. The port will be operational by the first or second quarter of 2017. The loading facility will load ships with the coal to be sent overseas. It’s a deep sea port. “If other countries purchase our coal it could extend our coal out. The lease on the port is 66 years,” said Commissioner Brady.
The commissioners opened bids for spring yard clean-up and fall leaf removal for Emery County libraries and road department. A bid from Tennant Lawn care appeared to be the low bid. Commissioner Ethan Migliori will review the bids along with executive assistant Leslie Bolinder.
The commissioners opened proposals for fire extinguishers annual inspection and certification. The board approved to authorize Commissioner Migliori to enter into a contract with the vendor after RFP review.
B. Paul Weddle, requested a letter of support from Emery County for a scheduled training exercise. A three person group of special operations officers from North Carolina will be coming to the county. The three men will have no guns, no ammo, and the scenario will be unconventional warfare. The scenario gives the area a fictitious name. The special ops group will come into the area to gain information on returning the area to its original political control. The area has been taken over by a group. The men will meet with the insurgents and do an assessment to see what needs to be done. They will look at power and water sources as well as the local populace. The men will stay in a motel a couple of nights and also do some camping in the area. There will be 10 support people out of Price. The operation will take place July 25-Aug. 3. Weddle said he is requesting the permission to hold the training activity with the individual cities, county, sheriff’s office and any private land owners. The group will coordinate with the sheriff’s office every 24 hours to lay out the operations for the next day. The sheriff’s office as well as the rodeo grounds will be used for possible meeting places.
Madi Allinson, Levi Jensen and Kelvin Childs approached the Emery County Commission for a donation. The boys and girls swim teams each won the state championships and the team is fundraising to purchase championship rings for the teams. Commissioner Migliori wondered if the swim teams would be willing to give community service by helping the younger swim team in exchange for the donation. Jensen said they would be glad to help out. Jensen said the rings are $240 each and they will need approximately $4,000 to get everyone on the team a ring.
Commissioner Paul Cowley voiced his concerns with donating county money to go towards the purchase of a personal item. He said he couldn’t support it and the school district gets a big chunk of tax dollars.
Commissioner Keith Brady said he felt more confident with a donation if the swimmers agreed to help out with the younger swimmers. Commissioner Brady and Commissioner Migliori voted to approve the donation of $250.
The commission approved the names of Roger Barton, Craig Johansen and Sherrel Ward to the Emery Water Conservancy District Board. Talma Peacock was appointed to the Museum of the San Rafael Board of Directors.
The commission approved the Permanent Community Impact Fund Board Local Capital Improvement short term and long term list for Emery County.
The board approved the Amendment of Solicitation/Modification of Contract between Emery County and the BLM for weed control on BLM lands in Emery County.
The board approved the USL Memorandum of Agreement between Emery County Library and Department of Heritage and Arts, Utah State Library Division. Carole Larsen from the libraries said this is federal money which helps offset the cost of phone and internet for the libraries. The amount coming in is $7,082.
The board approved an amendment to the contract for services to staff the travel show booth in Quartzsite, Ariz. for Mark and Terry Williams. It’s a nine day show and they took care of seven and a half days. The contract was for $3,000 to take care of the entire show, but they weren’t able to help at the beginning of the show, so a deduction will be made to the $3,000 and $2,550 will be paid.
Commissioner Brady also went down to the show and will be paid $1,200 for reimbursements, per diem and mileage. The trouble with the contract is the job wasn’t bid out. The travel bureau will need to review their policy and procedures for travel shows, expenses and reimbursements. Contract approval needs to be made in advance of a show. The flat fee of $3,000 for the Williams was no mileage or per diem. The previous year expenses of $5,000-$6,000 were incurred for this show. The travel bureau thought having a contract for the show would save them money. Funds for this contract will come out of the travel bureau budget.
Howard Tuttle from Johansen and Tuttle asked for approval of the final change order for the debris basin project in Huntington Canyon. He said they had a media day and tour of the project on April 6. The final change order is in the amount of $73,139.45. This brings the cost of the two debris basins and the wetlands mitigation project to $3,088,473.57. The project is now complete.
The board approved the 2015 Emergency Management Performance Grant.
The board ratified a tax deferral agreement for Dona Ralphs-Roberts.
Commissioner Migliori reported the Spanish Trail silhouettes that were damaged by the Buckhorn Wash Information Center will be replaced. The damaged ones will be placed down in the Green River area.
Commissioner Migliori said he met with the BLM south of Green River and east of Goblin Valley to look at roads and trails.
HB 323 allocated money to the counties to help with county general plans. The county is trying to leverage the money and work with the Southeastern Utah Association of Governments to ask the CIB for matching funds.
The Southeastern Utah Energy Producers is doing a socio-economic coal study to see how it affects this area. Other studies didn’t look at the trickle down effect when a coal mine closes to look at other related industries to see how it affects them. This is a year-long study.
Commissioner Brady said he has restarted the natural gas conversations for Emery, Lawrence and Green River. At the legislature a high cost infrastructure tax credit was established. He will also be talking to the CIB board and the towns involved to see what can be done to bring natural gas to outlying communities.
Commissioner Brady talked to the bouldering group and they said Emery County is further along in working with the agencies involved to facilitate bouldering in this area. The group was also involved in a work day at the climbing sites in Straight Canyon. They worked on erosion control and made trails to bouldering locations.
Commissioner Cowley said he went to Washington DC with Randy Johnson, public lands consultant and Ray Petersen, public lands director. It was a successful trip and they were welcomed everywhere they went in visiting eight or 10 different offices of congressional members and agencies.
He attended a catastrophic fire meeting where they are determining locations where fire dangers are high. He toured the Goblin Valley road to look where the fencing project will take place to keep cows off the road. It was around Easter time and there were tons of campers in the area.
Commissioner Migliori said they are starting interviews for the open Emery County Economic Development position.
The board approved out-of-state travel for Bret Mills to Reno, Nev. for 2015 National Translator Association Annual Meeting and Convention. The county will begin the recruitment process for seasonal weed and mosquito technicians. The county will hire Ryan Jensen as a Patrol Deputy II in Green River.