Wellington Approves Land Sales, Discusses ATV Trail

By Sun Advocate

The Wellington City Council met May 10 and revisited the issue of land sales at the city industrial area.
After discussing the matter, the council finalized the purchase of 15 acres by David and Tina Jensen and the sale of a separate two-acre parcel to Johnson Plumbing and Heating.
A 17-acre land sale to Larry Young was also approved in principle by the Wellington officials. The final contract is contingent upon approval by the city attorney and the signature of the mayor.
A 55-acre land sale to Shane Campbell was discussed and tabled for future consideration.
Introducing an unrelated matter at the meeting, Carbon director of planning David Levanger and Bryan Barton of Jones & DeMille Engineering gave the council a slide presentation on the progress of the countywide all-terrain vehicle trail being constructed from Scofield to Nine Mile Canyon.
Levanger emphasized that the eastern end of the trail is expected to be in operation this year from Helper to Nine Mile over Patmos Ridge.
Levanger told city officials that, once the “backbone” of the main trail is completed, other side trails will be constructed to link Wellington and Price with the main trail system.
Levanger explained that the county has worked out a possible route to Wellington, but the final route would be decided by the city council. He said the county was willing to help in any way possible.
Burton suggested that the city organize a committee to study the trail system and then make recommendations to the county.
Wellington Mayor Karl Houskeeper asked if money available to complete the trail system or if it would be finished piecemeal as future funding is made available.
Burton indicated that some money has been allocated for the project, but a final draft of the trail system has not been completed yet.
Burton said the engineering firm would meet with county commissioners soon to work out the final details. Things like the number of rest stops, spacing between rest stops, signage and some parking/staging areas have yet to be worked out.
Councilmember Glen Wells reminded the two men that Matt Rauhala and Wellington city had been instrumental in the early stages of the ATV trail initiative, and the city wanted to be kept abreast of all developments and progress of the trail system.
Houskeeper told Levanger that the city would organize a committee to make recommendations on a city connection to the main trail system.
In a separate matter, Rauhala appeared before the council requesting permission to set up a temporary singlewide trailer in the city limits. The council discussed the proposal at length, reviewed city ordinances and past practices and then denied the request.
In another matter, Kristy Prettyman appeared before the council requesting a business license to expand an existing business within the city limits. The council approved the action unanimously.
With business licenses out of the way, the mayor introduced Jason Llewelyn, the new Carbon County emergency services director. Llewelyn addressed the council and presented them with a letter outlining the steps necessary for the city to become compliant with new National Incident Management Systems, part of the Homeland Security Initiative outlined by the federal government.
Llewelyn told the council that all city officials and emergency responders will be required to be trained to NIMS standards or the city would not be eligible for any federal grants or loans. He told the council that part of his job is to train people and to help the city comply with the new federal regulations. He discussed several of the steps necessary for compliance and offered his help in completing the tasks.
And in a final matter, the mayor explained a recent agreement he had worked out with the Price River Water Improvement District concerning a pending water service agreement.
He told council members that he had offered to comply with provisions of a draft of the water service agreement for one year, even though it had not been finalized and approved by the city council.
He explained that the need for some kind of agreement was crucial or the city would not be able to meet its water commitments for the coming season. He asked the council to approve his actions by a resolution.
The council approved the mayor’s actions, after which the council went into executive session with counsel to discuss the ongoing issue of the water service agreement.