Grant requests too much for PCIFB budget
Communities looking to the Permanent Community Impact Fund Board for grants at the beginning of the year may have to postpone their plans due to a large number of grant requests and a limited number of grant funds available.
For the upcoming trimester the PCIFB has $60 million in grant requests to consider and only $30 million in grant funds available, according to Commissioner Drew Sitterud, who sits on the PCIFB board.
The shortfall in grant funds will mean that the PCIFB will have to shift some projects to other trimesters. The PCIFB could request more information on projects from agencies requesting grants and may negotiate with applicants to see if they can accept less in grant money and assume loans. The PCIFB does have loan money available, but grant money is more restricted. When Emery County finalized its PCIFB priority list in November a large number of the projects that cities were looking for funding assistance on were in the form of grants instead of loans. The limited grant dollars available may mean that the PCIFB may ask if cities can afford a loan instead of a grant.
For the short term list 30 projects will be considered by the PCIFB for Emery County next year. Each project is prioritized by the submitting agency and the final priority is determined by the county.
PCIFB project funding requests that will go before the board in 2008 include:
Castle Valley Special Service District
The service district will request an $800,000 grant and $1,200,000 loan for a combined application for roads, drainage and curb and gutter projects; and a $150,000 grant request for an upgrade filter membrane at the Straight Canyon Water Plant. The funds will be added to $100,000 in local revenue.
Cleveland Town
Cleveland will request a $5,000 grant to purchase emergency response equipment.
Cleveland also will request $90,000 in grant money to purchase water shares, $150,000 in a grant for sidewalk construction, $140,000 in grant money for road improvement projects and a $350,000 grant and $150,000 loan for the construction of a new fire station.
Clawson Town
Clawson will request a $40,000 grant for ball field improvements next year.
Elmo Town
Elmo will request a $100,000 grant and $100,000 loan for sidewalk construction.
Emery County Municipal Building Authority
The building authority will request a $400,000 grant and $200,000 loan for new airport hangars; a $375,000 grant and $125,000 loan for the Children’s Justice Center; and a $1,500,000 grant and $500,000 loan for a weed and mosquito shop and storage.
Emery Town
Emery Town will request a $1,300,000 grant for the Muddy Creek diversion; and a $750,000 grant for the city hall and fire station.
Ferron City
Ferron will request a $60,000 grant for cemetery improvements; a $300,000 grant for sidewalk construction; a $250,000 grant for a recreation park; a $900,000 grant for fairground improvements; and a $20,000 grant for Mayor’s Park improvements.
Green River City
Green River will request a $1,000,000 grant for sewer and water line and equipment replacement; and a $500,000 grant for an emergency services building.
Huntington City
Huntington will request a $140,000 grant for rodeo ground improvements; an $85,000 grant for Lions Park improvements; a $280,000 grant for a skateboard park; and a $90,000 grant for new fire hydrants
.
Orangeville City
Orangeville will request a $110,000 grant for the dredging of Adobe Wash; a $60,000 grant for cemetery improvements; a $100,000 grant and $40,000 loan for a skateboard park and a $70,000 grant for ball complex restroom improvements.
When considering the funding request the PCIFB can reject the projects, request additional information or offer a different mix of loans versus grants then originally requested.
PCIFB funds are the result of the Federal Mineral Lease Act of 1920. Under the Act lease holders on public land make royalty payments to the federal government for the development and production of non-metalliferous minerals. In Utah, the primary source of these royalties is the commercial production of fossil fuels on federal land held by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Since the enactment of the Mineral Lease Act of 1920, a portion of these royalty payments, called mineral lease payments, have been returned to the state in an effort to help mitigate the local impact of energy and mineral developments on federal lands. The state of Utah then allocates the Permanent Community Impact Funds with 32.5 percent of the funds. The Board will only fund those applications for funding assistance which are submitted by an eligible applicant for an eligible project.
The board’s next meeting will be Jan. 3.
SITLA looks for bidders to compete for coal lease
James L. Davis
The School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration is betting that despite a political climate that is rapidly demonizing the coal industry that there will be those interested in bidding on a coal lease in Emery County.
John Blake of SITLA discussed the competitive bid for the coal lease during the Dec. 18 meeting of the Emery County Commission. The lease unit is comprised of more than 8,600 acres of land northeast of Joe’s Valley Reservoir. Blake said there is an estimated reserve of 48.6 million tons of recoverable coal as part of the unit.
SITLA has been advertising for bids on the unit and bidding ends Dec. 28. Blake said if SITLA receives any bids for the unit it would benefit not only the trust lands administration, but the county as well.
“We hope it will be a good thing for Emery County, for your economic development,” he said.
The unit goes to the boundary of the old Trail Mountain Mine and the available coal is part of the same coal seam as that mined when Trail Mountain was active. In preparing the boundaries for the unit Blake said SITLA kept unit approximately 1.8 miles from Joe’s Valley Dam for safety considerations, which he said is as close as Trail Mountain mined to the dam when it was active.
During the commission meeting the three county commissioners went on record supporting SITLA’s sale of coal in the Cottonwood unit.
Rocky Mountain Power requests rate increase
Rocky Mountain Power has proposed an 11.3 percent price increase to meet what company spokespersons term a growing demand of Utah customers for electricity.
Deb Dull of Rocky Mountain Power discussed the proposed rate increase during a quarterly update by the power company to the Emery County Commission on Dec. 18. The company also stated as fueling the need for a rate increase is an increasingly high summer peak electricity need and a need to build a secure energy future for its customers.
The 11.3 percent increase, if approved, would become effective in August of 2008. According to a Rocky Mountain Power news release, the increase represents the increase in costs to the company over a two-year period. The request would translate to an increase of approximately $4.50 per month on average for a typical residential customer using 767 kilowatt-hours.
The rate increase proposal will go before the Utah Public Service Commission and will include a long process of studies, audits and public hearings before the commission rules on the proposal.
According to the power company the major factors driving the request are the large investments needed to provide electric service to customers and the rising cost of generating and purchasing electricity. Projections indicate that capital investments will approach $2.8 billion, or 40 percent above that reflected in current prices. Costs of generating and purchasing electricity top $1 billion, up 34 percent from costs reflected in current power prices. The total amount of the company’s Utah request is $161 million.
“Rocky Mountain Power connects some 22,000 new customers every year,” said Richard Walje, president of Rocky Mountain Power. “An increase in prices is essential to maintain and expand our systems for existing customers, provide for new customers and secure new generation and transmission resources for the future,” he said.
In a Dec. 14 presentation before the Utah Association of Energy Users, Walje detailed that Utah has grown by roughly 17 percent since 2000 and forecasts point to a Utah energy requirement increase of 2.3 percent per year with the summer peak rising even faster.
In adding new generation resources to its capability, the power company has recently added natural gas power plants and wind power projects, but no where on its list of recently added or planned generation resources is any mention of a coal generated power plant and in today’s political climate proposed coal generated power plants are falling under more and more scrutiny and resistance
Generation resources slated to come on line in the next year for Rocky Mountain Power include four wind powered resources three of which that are expected to generate 99 megawatts of power each and the fourth expected to generate 94 megawatts of power.
In addressing the price increase request Walje said the company was aware that price increases affect everyone because they see how the same types of price increases affect the business of Rocky Mountain Power.
“The most difficult decision for any business is the decision to raise prices. This is especially true for so vital a commodity as electricity. We do not take the request for price increases lightly.
“Still, our electricity prices remain a significant value when compared to other goods and services. Even with this increase, our prices will be among the lowest nationwide,” Walje said.
According to the Edison Electric Institute’s June 2007 national survey of average electric prices, even with the proposed increase Rocky Mountain Power will remain amongt the lowest-cost electric service provides in the United States.
Orangeville Community Center taking shape
James L. Davis
Orangeville’s community center project is rapidly taking shape as the old fire station on Main Street is renovated to become the focal point for events in the city.
When the Orangeville Volunteer Fire Department moved into their new facility last year it left vacant the old fire station, which sits adjacent to the Orangeville City Park. The city considered alternative uses for the old building and eventually decided to pursue renovating it and using it as a community center.
City representatives went before the Permanent Community Impact Board in March seeking a $100,000 zero interest loan and a $147,580 grant to renovate the building. The CIB approved the request and Stilson Construction of Orangeville was the winning bidder on the renovation project.
The construction company has been working to complete the project by late winter and the Orangeville City Council, during its Dec. 13 meeting , voted to hold an open house for the center and hold a city council meeting there when the project is complete in February or March.
When complete, the community center will consist of one large meeting area where the city can hold public gatherings or dances and another, smaller meeting area, where city planners hope to display some of the historical artifacts of Orangeville. New restroom facilities will also be included in the renovation with an access from the outside of the building that can be unlocked during large gatherings in the park, such as Orangeville Days.
There will be a food preparation area inside the center as well. The area will include a stove and sink and microwave but is not intended as a complete kitchen. The city renovated the kitchen in the city park a little more than two years ago and with its close proximity to the community center, it was felt that the need for a large kitchen area was an unnecessary use of space.
When complete the outside of the center will be finished with stucco and new metal roofing will be installed.
During the Dec. 13 city council meeting a name for the new community center was briefly discussed. Suggestions for a name for the center can be made to Orangeville City Hall.
The community center will be available for rent from community members and the city council discussed rental fees for the center during its meeting but tabled any final decision to allow for time to research comparable facility rental fees in other cities. |
