West Desert research facility gets board's incentives OK

The Governor's Office of Economic Development Board on Friday approved a $350,000 incentive for the Project West Desert High Energy Astrophysics Research Facilities' second-phase work in Millard County.

Disbursements would be received by the University of Utah and would help pay for upgrades of an assembly/office building and staging area, additional road upgrades and site preparation, and additional environmental impact assessment work required by the Bureau of Land Management.

The project is expected to lead to 28 new jobs and 200 temporary construction jobs. It involves a capital investment of $19 million to $21 million. The incentive calls for dollar-for-dollar matching funds from other state and local sources.

The facility has three complementary elements: a telescope array, a project of the Japanese government; a high-resolution facility moving from Dugway Proving Ground to Delta; and the Northern Pierre Auger Project, an international collaboration.

The facility had received $350,000 from the state for the first phase.