By Julie Johansen
Four items received a vote of ratification at the Emery County Commission meeting on Tuesday afternoon. The first was a business license for Randall Aquatics, which will allow Randall to sell aquarium fish from his home. Second was an agreement for the Lawrence Cemetery Waterline repair project between Emery County and Allred Construction. Third was a Technology Grant Enhancement, which gives each of the eight libraries in the county $13,500 to update their technology. Finally, Western Metals was awarded the county landfill metal pile as the lone bidder.
The 2022 trails grant recipients were then announced and approved. The recipients include the Back Country Horsemen, Huntington City and Epicenter. Each received the maximum amount of $15,000, which was funded with Transient Room Tax monies.
Three Main Street and Business Grants, which aim to improve outdoor seating and Main Street appearances, were also awarded during the meeting. These businesses included Creative Floral in Castle Dale, Freckled Cow in Ferron and La Veracruzana in Green River. This was the first of three cycles of grants to be awarded. The grants are made possible by the Emery County Travel Bureau, State of Utah, ARPA and the Emery County Business Chamber.
The Schindler Modernization Proposal for the repair and update of the elevator in the county administration building also received approval, which was declared timely as the elevator is not presently working.
Following this, the Green River EMTs’ stipends were increased to $100 for Green River residents and $125 for nonresidents on call. This is for the day shift, Monday through Friday. Approval was also given to again hire for the Economic Development Services of the Utah Associations of Counties. This amounts to $60,000 per year, which is paid quarterly at the rate of $15,000.
Next, the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) ordinance was discussed. It was decided to visit with cities within Emery County to gather feedback before adopting a county-wide ordinance.
During the elected officials’ reports, Commissioner Kent Wilson discussed three planning issues, including updating the Emery County General Plan, the desire of local investors for slaughterhouses to serve businesses in the county and the affordable housing called for with solar funds.
To conclude, Commissioner Gil Conover remarked that they are still waiting on the Build Back Better Grant funding for the San Rafael Energy Center Research Center. They are almost ready to begin hiring and hope to have these funds soon.