Гранд-округ продлил до 2030 года срок строительства водонапорной башни в Моабе

Grand County has given the City of Moab until 2030 to complete a proposed Spanish Valley water tank as the city seeks $3 million in state financing and works toward a possible spring 2027 construction start. The proposed project includes a 1.5 million-gallon reinforced concrete culinary water tank and related facilities on about 2.8 acres of city-owned land at 2651 S. Spanish Valley Drive. City officials have said the project is intended to address existing water-storage deficiencies, improve system reliability and firefighting capacity and create a potential emergency connection with the Grand Water and Sewer Service Agency. The Grand County Commission voted unanimously Aug. 4 to amend two conditions of the project’s Major Utility Overlay approval and authorize Commission Chair Melodie McCandless to sign a required development agreement with the city. The amendment moves the county’s completion deadline from Dec. 31, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2030. A draft proposed a 2027 deadline, but Planning and Zoning Director Andrew Jackson recommended 2030 at the meeting after discussions with city staff, citing the design and financing work still ahead. The amended condition also allows Jackson to approve a later deadline after receiving a written request from the city explaining why more time is needed. The city is pursuing another funding source after the Permanent Community Impact Board denied its $3 million request in April. Board Chair Curtis Wells, who unsuccessfully ran for Moab mayor in 2025, criticized the city’s relationship with the board, accused Moab of failing to adequately recognize past CIB funding and characterized city leaders as opposing oil and gas development, which generates the federal mineral-lease revenue distributed through the board. Mayor Joette Langianese disputed those claims, saying the city had acknowledged and thanked the board for previous CIB support, had not taken a position against oil and gas development during her tenure and does not have jurisdiction over oil and gas projects outside city limits. Val Veilleux, Moab’s grants and sustainability coordinator, said the city has requested $3 million from the Utah Division of Water Resources, matching the total amount it previously sought from the Community Impact Board. The application is scheduled for its first hearing before the state Board of Water Resources on Aug. 20, Veilleux said. If the board approves the application, the city will receive more information about the available financing terms, Veilleux said. The project was estimated to cost about $5.6 million when the city made its earlier request. Moab has secured a $1.7 million grant from the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, its only secured funding, leaving about $3.9 million unfunded based on that estimate. Cory Shurtleff, the city’s Community Development director, said construction costs may have increased marginally because of the postponed process, but the city has not obtained an updated estimate. He said preparing construction documents is expected to take about six months, followed by roughly three months for bidding and construction permitting. Construction could begin in spring 2027 and finish by the end of that year or in early 2028, although reliable costs and timelines will depend on final design and bids. The Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity extended the city’s $1.7 million grant through the end of 2027, Veilleux said. Shurtleff said the deadline applies to reimbursement for eligible work completed by then, rather than completion of the entire project. He said the city expects to use the grant by the deadline and could seek another extension if necessary. The Aug. 4 action also updates the description of the required development agreement to match county land-use code. The Grand County Planning Commission recommended the two amendments 7-0 on Aug. 3. The changes do not alter the property’s underlying Rural Residential zoning, its Parks and Recreation designation in the county general plan, the Major Utility Overlay boundary or the previously approved water-tank use. Signing the development agreement completes the Major Utility Overlay approval, while final design, bidding, construction permitting and any other required approvals remain ahead. County commissioners approved the Major Utility Overlay on a 5-2 vote in November. Nearby residents raised concerns during the review about lighting, noise, groundwater, geology and the project’s effects on the surrounding residential area. The development agreement limits construction activity, equipment staging and material deliveries to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It also requires dust controls, designated haul routes, repairs to county roads damaged during construction, noise-reduction measures, site cleanup and revegetation. During operation, the city must use nonreflective, earth-tone finishes, provide fencing and screening and shield exterior lights so they do not spill onto neighboring properties. Permanent mechanical equipment must also be located or enclosed to limit noise at the site boundary.