| State and local officials break ground at the construction site of the Utah Department of Natural Resources building planned in Carbon County. |
With the turn of several shovels of dirt last Saturday, state and local officials broke ground for the construction of a new Utah Department of Natural Resources building at a site slightly outside of the Price city limits.
The building, which will eventually house the Department of Natural Resources regions office and four of DNR’s agencies, will be located on the grounds of the present county road shop. The road shop will soon relocate to the county’s new facility on Airport Road.
“This is a big day for us,” said DNR executive director Mike Styler in ceremonies conducted before the ground breaking on Jan. 20. “We have been waiting for this for a long time.”
The four agencies of the state’s department of natural resources that will be housed in the 12,000 square foot building have been scattered at locations around the community in various facilities.
When the building opens in fall 2007, the DNR agencies will finally be operating under one roof, which will cover a building that is considered to be a state-of-the-art facility when it comes to energy efficiency.
“Several deep wells will be drilled near the building,” stated Styler. “The water will circulate through pumps and will provide heating and cooling for the facility.”
| Mike Styler, DNR director |
State and local officials spoke during the ceremonies that were presented in a portable meeting/classroom the county has placed on the grounds.
Several speakers commented on the fact the building has been a long time coming.
State officials expressed the hope that the centralization of the DNR agencies will make for better communication between the offices as well as provide a place that will serve the public in a more convenient manner.
Along with Styler, the speakers at the groundbreaking event included Scott Evans, the building’s architect; Brad Knowlton, the president of Ascent Construction, the firm that will be erecting the building; Lynn Hendricks, a representative from the state’s division of construction management; Joe Piccolo, mayor of Price; John Bosa, director of the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining; Bill Krompel, Carbon County commissioner; and Mike Dmitrich, state senator from Utah District 27.
The new building will house the regional offices of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the Utah Division of Water Rights, the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands and the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining.
The total estimated costs to construct the facility register at $2.5 million.