Delta City airport construction nears finish

Construction to repave the runway, build more accessible ground approaches to the strip of asphalt as well as install new lighting and new stripes should be completed in December. The city received a $4.16 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration this past summer to make the improvements. Geneva Rock is the main contractor on the project. Millard County Chronicle Progress

State funds could help save port but railway plans falter

During the legislative session, Utah lawmakers committed $1.65 million in tax dollars to join in a lawsuit aimed at forcing the City of Oakland in California to permit a seaport where Central Utah coal could be put on ships for export to Asia. But the other half of the project, a new railway linking Central Utah to the Union Pacific line running to the West Coast, may be getting left by the wayside. And abandonment of the rail line could blunt much of the economic benefit Central Utah anticipated from a two-pronged rail-and-port development. The $1.65 million was appropriated to help pay the costs of a lawsuit that Phil Tagami, head of the proposed Oakland seaport, has filed against the City of Oakland. Sanpete Messenger

Richfield Airport’s new terminal and SRE building open

The Richfield Regional Airport’s new terminal and snow removal building opened last week. Like the other upgrades in the airport project, the Federal Aviation Administration funded some 90 percent of the project, with the state of Utah and Richfield City splitting the other 10 percent. The primary function of the new $540,000 building is to house the airport’s snow removal equipment. Two different sized snowplows and a de-icing unit are stored in the new structure. It provides an area to protect equipment from the weather, as well as to make sure it is ready to go when needed. The new terminal also has a pilot’s lounge that’s set aside for working pilots who are ferrying passengers in and out of Richfield for different reasons. Richfield Reaper

Richfield Airport reaching final stages

The Richfield City Council approved plans to move ahead with the final components of its airport upgrade and expansion. A new building is designed to house snow removal equipment and the airport’s new terminal. It represents the final big-ticket item for the airport expansion project, but fencing along some areas of the airport, as well as concrete that will tie the new terminal and parking areas together need to be completed. The estimated cost of the final piece of construction is some $103,000.

The FAA pays just over 90 percent on these projects with money matched by the Utah Department of Transportation, Richfield City’s obligation to complete the concrete project would be some $5,000.

The council voted to approve the project. One caveat on the project is that the Federal Aviation Administration funds are not yet secured, but the project can move forward once they are available. Richfield Reaper

Oakland City Council votes to ban coal — from Utah or elsewhere — at its new port

Utah's push to export its coal culminated in a raucous Oakland City Council meeting, when officials debated, and ultimately approved, an ordinance banning the chunky fossil fuel from passing through a major deep-water port taking shape on the shores of the Bay Area city.

After months of study and fielding four hours of impassioned public comments, the council passed in a 7-0 vote the ordinance banning the storage and handling of coal and petroleum coke to resounding applause from the residents packing the council chambers. The council also passed a related resolution applying the ordinance to the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal (OBOT), which four coal-producing Utah counties want to invest in. The measures come back to the council for a second reading July 9.

 The move exposes the city, its lawyers warned, to hundreds of millions of dollars of liability for breaching its contract authorizing developer Phil Tagami to build what is known as Oakland Global Trade and Logistics Center on the city-owned former Oakland Army Base at the foot of the Bay Bridge.

OBOT is a $250 million component of Tagami's project, aimed at moving 10 million tons of bulk freight per year. Under a deal with four Utah counties — Carbon, Emery, Sevier and Sanpete ­— half that capacity would be reserved for Utah products in exchange for $50 million. Salt Lake Tribune

Central Utah rail line project faces controversy, opposition

Political pressure and scrutiny from the public and press may be poised to create problems for a 43-mile Central Utah rail line project and an associated export terminal in Oakland, Calif., facilities designed to give a shot in the arm to the area economy.

Sanpete County, in conjunction with Sevier, Carbon and Emery counties, and with the help of a $53 million loan from the Utah Community Impact Board (CIB), is an investor in the two-pronged project. The goal is to bring rail service to the four counties. That could permit coal mined in Sevier and Emery counties, and other local cargo such as hay and farm products, to be shipped to Oakland by rail, loaded on ships and sold overseas, mainly in Asia. The entire rail/terminal project will cost over $250 million to make a reality, most of it to come from private investment. But the $53 million state loan could be important seed money to get project going.

Port proposal under review

A proposal to invest some $53 million in the form of a loan into the construction of a port in Oakland, Calif., came under fire last week by environmentalist groups in and out of the state of Utah. The proposed port project would allow four counties — Sevier, Sanpete, Carbon and Emery — the ability to ship goods internationally. The Utah Permanent Community Impact Fund Board approved the $53 million loan in April. The project would give the four counties a right to use 49 percent of the port’s capacity for trans-Pacific shipping. This could include shipping of salt, potash, agricultural goods and other products.

However, since one of the key factors in all four counties is the coal industry, the proposal has drawn the ire of environmental activists. A letter signed by representatives of the Center for Biological Diversity, Grand Canyon Trust, the Sierra Club and Earthjustice last week urged Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes to invalidate the proposed loan. Richfield Reaper

Kenworth opens new doors in Salina

The new Kenworth location in Salina officially opened the doors to its new 25,000 square-foot dealership. The building includes 12 service bays, and represents a $4 million investment. The new location at 305 West Industrial Park Drive quadruples the size of the Salina dealership. The facility includes a large parking lot providing room for drivers to park and maneuver their trucks and trailers, or drop off after hours. The Richfield Reaper

Sevier Rail Project moving forward

The Sevier rail project, proposed by Sevier, Sanpete and Juab counties, would connect a coal-transfer terminal near Salina with a Union Pacific main line in Levan. Since the rail line was lost in the 1983 Thistle mudslide, more than 600 trucks have had to travel weekly from SUFCO to the rail line in Levan.

The proposed 43-mile rail line would eliminate more than half of that 82-mile truck trip. The project (also known as the Central Utah Rail Project) has been winding its way through the approval process since it was originally proposed 14 years ago but is now expected to be issued permits from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board in June. Sanpete Messenger

New Bus Service Available in central Utah

Elevated Transit, a Salt City-based bus company, offers transportation between Richfield and Salt Lake, with several stops throughout Sanpete County. The federal government provides funding to the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) to open up mass transit in underserved areas. UDOT call for bids on providing the service, and Elevated won the contract. The company purchased brand-new coaches, complete with a restroom, free wireless Internet access, DVD players and satellite television. Sanpete Messenger

Construction on Richfield Regional Airport almost complete

The grand opening of the new Richfield Regional Airport is scheduled for September 13, 2014. While there are still some buildings to be constructed and stripes to be painted, the majority of the airport expansion and reconstruction project is finished. The $28 million undertaking was completed with the Federal Aviation Administration providing between 90 and 95 percent of the funding. The Richfield Reaper

Coyotes and Deer Focus of New Study

Just how many fawns do coyotes kill? And how does the killing affect the number of mule deer in Utah? What about efforts to control coyotes? How effective are those efforts? And how do those efforts help deer in the state?

Biologists with the Division of Wildlife Resources want to know. In cooperation with Brigham Young University and Utah State University, they’re launching a study to find out.

The study on Monroe Mountain is just one of several things the DWR and its partners are doing to help mule deer in Utah. In just the past six years, tens of millions of dollars have been spent to help the state’s deer herds by restoring deer habitat, reducing highway mortality, and stopping deer poachers. KCSG Television

Barney Trucking layoffs

One of the largest employers in the central Utah region was forced to lay off approximately 50 employees earlier this month due to less demand for coal transportation. “We are doing what we can and looking into other fields to get them back to work,” said Dennis Johnson, operations manager for Barney Trucking. He said while the company hopes the layoffs are temporary, it is difficult to predict when or if drivers will return to work. Richfield Reaper