The Utah Permanent Community Impact Fund Board awarded Carbon County with more than $6 million in funding toward four county projects. CIB members met Jan. 5 and reviewed the requests from the county.
The four special projects proposed by the county had an original price tag of $5.8 million, all of which was funded by the CIB.
Increased construction costs and changes in scope have increased the cost to $13.4 million, a difference of $7.6 million.
The Carbon County Recreation and Transportation Special Service District agreed to fund $4 million of the amount, leaving $3.6 million in outstanding proposed costs.
County officials began exploring some years ago the need to relocate the county road shop.
The current facility on Carbonville Road has proven to be inadequate for the level of work performed by the county.
As a result, the county plans to transfer operations to a facility to be constructed on Airport Road.
Originally, the project was anticipated to cost almost $1.4 million. However, soil problems, construction cost and design escalations have increased that figure to slightly more than $2 million.
County officials requested the difference from the CIB, which was awarded as a $194,430 supplemental grant and a $525,000 loan.
The funding is expected to cover the costs of the first phase of the new road shop.
The second project reviewed by the CIB was the county’s ambulance garage.
While still working in a building more than half a century old, county emergency medical crews are looking forward to a state-of-the-art facility to be constructed on Airport Road near Tram Electric.
“The current ambulance garage should have been condemned long ago,” said Commission Michael Milovich in an interview this week. He explained that the walls have numerous cracks in them, some measuring more an inch across. He said that make-shift repairs cover the cracks with sheets of plastic and duct tape. In addition, the roof leaks and there are other problems with the building.
The new garage was originally estimated to cost just over $2 million but has increased to $2.7 million. County officials told CIB members that the original site planned by the county was not acceptable. As a result, the county acquired acreage costing $200,000.
While the county worked to find the new site, plans have been delayed. Those delays have made the project budget subject to rising construction costs.
Further, the county modified the design plans. One change has been in the scope of the emergency operations center. The facility, set to be housed on the second floor of the ambulance garage will serve as a crisis management headquarters in an emergency and as a backup communications center for the state’s public safety dispatch center in Price.
Changes in state voting law will bring electronic voting machines to the area. As the administrator of public elections, the county will have to house the equipment. The computers an other electronic equipment must be housed in a controlled environment, protected from excessive heat, cold and moisture. The county has opted to create such a housing facility as part of the ambulance garage.
Those changes have increased the cost of the facility by more than $700,000. County officials requested supplemental funding from the CIB to cover the increased cost. The board voted to fully fund the project with a grant for $357,320 and a loan for the remaining $360,000
The third funding consideration presented by the county to the CIB was the county expo center planned for construction at the fairgrounds.
The original facility was designed to be 10,000 square feet. A total change of scope has increased that to 33,000 square feet.
At conception, the designs allowed for recreational and agricultural exhibitions. A significant change in design, a reinforced concrete floor will make the facility capable of hosting industrial exhibitions and trade shows.
Further, a sport court flooring option will allow expanded recreational opportunities and community event staging.
Originally planned to be constructed with a budget of $911,000, the project has increased to a facility that will cost an estimated $5.5 million.
The change in scope adds an additional $4.6 million to the center’s price tag. Dennis Dooley, special projects director for the county, explained that the county’s recreation and transportation special service district has agreed to fund $3.5 million of the increased cost.
Due to the change of scope of the project, county officials rescinded their original request and gave up previous funding awards. A new application for the project was created with a funding request for nearly $2 million needed to complete the facility.
The CIB accepted the request and agreed to fund the county’s project with a grant for $997,000 and a loan for $998,000.
The final funding request from the county relates to the proposed North Springs Shooting Center located near the defunct town of Wattis in the southwestern region of the county. The shooting range has also seen a total change of scope from the original plans. As a result, a new application was submitted and the county again opted to forfeit previous funding awards.
When county officials originally requested funding from the CIB, plans called for a single purpose, indoor shooting range. That has changed to a multipurpose outdoor range venue.
Original designs were for a handgun range that would serve as a public range and training facility for local law enforcement.
At present, designs call for a series of ranges. A mock western town will provide cowboy action shooting. The police training range and handgun ranges have been kept, while expanded plans include muzzle loading, general rifle and sporting clay ranges. In the future the county plans to include a 1,000-yard rifle competition range and a full trap and skeet facility.
In its proposal to the CIB, county officials explained that there is a great deal of interest in shooting sports and the county wishes to create a world-class facility what will attract tourists and professional marksmen.
The changes in scope required the purchase of more than 600 acres at a cost of $300,000. The total project cost was originally estimated at $1.5 million. That amount has doubled to $3 million for completion of the first three phases of a four-phase project.
The special service district has agreed to a $500,000 contribution and the county received a grant for $1,285,000 and a loan for $1,290,000 from the CIB.
[dfads params='groups=4969&limit=1&orderby=random']
[dfads params='groups=1745&limit=1&orderby=random']