By Julie Johansen
The Emery Town Council opened its March meeting on Wednesday with a public hearing to hear comments regarding rezoning a small portion of southeastern Emery from residential to light industrial. This request came from the owners of United Minerals. The company stated that there would be no change in operations and this would just make everything legal. Once the hearing was closed, the council unanimously approved the rezoning.
Following this, the Emery Town Fire Chief reported trainings for members of his team and requested permission to purchase radios for each of the department’s seven members. He also reported that they recently traveled to Colorado to obtain barrels of foam that they could use for training.
The final update from the chief was that the fire department is working with a junior fire department and assisting with training. Emery Town Mayor Jack Funk stated that he supports the training and hopes that they will receive additional training in CPR.
Councilwoman Lyndsay Edwards then addressed the council about adding stop and yield signs at various intersections in town. She said she was waiting for a response from the state as to what is allowed and needed in the area. Several citizens commented about the traffic problems on the busiest roads in town, but they were told to contact the sheriff’s office for traffic violations.
Continuing, councilman Pat Sundstrom said they have had some problems with chickens being bothered by predators, but he had advised owners to lock their birds up at night.
Next, councilwoman Kimberly Hansen reported that she is working with the city recorder to update the budget. She also started a discussion about the town’s Pioneer Day celebration, asking for volunteers to serve on the committees. After some discussion, it was decided to change the celebration dates to the week of July 16 in order to coordinate with other communities in Emery County.
The mayor then presented the idea of moving gym equipment from the upstairs of the city hall building and into the recreation center. Several comments were heard about the use of the recreation center for family events, and a suggestion was given to use the ceramic building for the gym. The mayor also stated that he would like to create a skatepark east of the present playground on the city park. In addition, he is considering installing cameras on city buildings.
Fundraisers were then discussed as a way to give back to the community. The mayor also called for timesheets from city employees so that they can certify their time for the city’s records as well as keep the council and citizens informed on the work being done.