On June 6, Helper City held their council meeting with all in attendance, except for Councilman Cole Stapley.
The meeting opened with a statement from members of the Upper Price River Watershed Plan. The amount of water studies that have been done and a discussion of all of the different locations that have been considered were discussed. It was expressed that by doing this, Carbon County would not only be able to conserve more water, but the new reservoir would also provide more recreational opportunities for the community. Community members can find out more info at: https://www.upperpricerivereis.com/
Comment from a concerned citizen regarding the parking situation near Helper Beer was also topic of discussion. It was stated that there are individuals parking in red zones and on the side of the road in front of their home, which is a very narrow road, making it almost impossible to pass. The concerned citizen expressed that he would like to see “No Parking” signs in those red zones. He also stated that they have seen an influx of semis coming off the highway.
Attorney Dominique Kiahtipes stated that there has been an issue with Google giving incorrect instructions to take that exit and it was mentioned that maybe that’s an issue than can be fixed with Google directly. It was also mentioned that finding a solution in parking for Helper Beer when they are experiencing an overflow of people would be the best solution.
Mayor Lenise Peterman did agree that putting up “No Parking” signs in the red zones is something that definitely needs to be done.
The Blackhawk annexation was the last agenda item to be discussed. A representative from Blackhawk joined in via phone call. It was stated that a water study had been completed and the study found that Helper potentially had enough water to allow development, but that Helper would not be able to sustain peak days. The representative from Blackhawk stated that they would decrease the number of developments to accommodate for those peak days. Mayor Peterman expressed that if Helper City gave the go-ahead to build 80 homes and Helper City is unable to provide that much water, it could lead to a lawsuit.
Mayor Peterman advised that she agrees that the Blackhawk development of lower income homes would beneficial to Helper, but she also does not want to put Helper in a position where they are unable to provide the amount of water that has been promised.
Mayor Peterman expressed her concern that not a single council member, including herself, has the experience or the knowledge to go about this type of growth in a good and logical way that benefits both the development and the city. Mayor Peterman advised that she has been trying to obtain funding and a plan to add in a couple of wells to increase the amount of water available to Helper City.
Council agreed to table the conversation for the Blackhawk annexation for now until they are able to obtain the actual water study report that Blackhawk had done.
Mayor Peterman ended the council meeting with a bit of exciting news. USU Eastern Baseball and Women’s Fastpitch Softball teams will be signing a 15-year agreement with Helper City to utilize the Gardner Field and the Heritage Field for their games.