Mapleton favors taking Ensign-Bickford land

MAPLETON — When Debra Herbert went to last week's the City Council meeting she was hoping the panel would vote down the boundary line adjustment with Spanish Fork. She didn't want the resolution of intent approved that could lead to bringing Ensign-Bickford Corp. land into the city until the state Department of Environmental Quality finished its report on the cleanup of the site where explosives were manufactured for more nearly 70 years.

She left disappointed. The council voted 4-1 for the resolution. On Tuesday the Spanish Fork City Council also voted to approve the deal.

"We will vote against every council member who voted for this without having sufficient evidence (the land was cleaned up)," she said. "They could have tabled this and waited for the state."

Only Councilman Brian Wall voted against the proposal. Like Herbert, he wanted the state's final report first so residents could make meaningful comments.

"It's only one shot away if we pass (the resolution of intent) tonight with no safety net," he said. "I can't do that."

The meeting wasn't a public hearing, Mayor Laurel Brady told the capacity crowd at the onset of the discussion. Only Jack Evans, the developer and managing director of Ensign-Bickford-owned Presidio Capital, was allowed to explain his position.

That didn't sit well with David Nemelka, a vocal opponent of the proposal since discussions began months ago. Several times Brady and others on the council tried to quell his outbursts. Finally, Police Chief Dean Pederson walked over and spoke to him quietly. The interruptions stopped.

Prior to the discussion beginning officially, Mary Street, a member of the Economic Development Commission, told the council that the boundary adjustment was an excellent chance for Mapleton to bring in commercial development. Two major highways border the more than 500 acres, U.S. 6 and U.S. 89.

"This is an incredible resource," she said, that could potentially "bring many jobs to Mapleton."

The council's vote formally opens a 60-day window for residents to comment on the proposal. A public hearing will follow, possibly in December, before the final vote. If the issue isn't resolved until after December, a new City Council must take it up. Both Wall's and Councilwoman Anne Tolley's terms are expiring at the end of the year. She isn't running for re-election and Wall is running for mayor. Tolley made the motion to approve the resolution.

Evans said the location of the property created a natural boundary with Spanish Fork. He said the property would be developed either in that city or Mapleton, which he preferred.

Presidio would pay all costs of the boundary change, so as not to burden Mapleton taxpayers, Evans said. Only 30 percent of the acreage had to be cleaned up and the property is deemed clean enough now for commercial development. Most of the residential development, as many as 1,000 homes, would go on land that was never used for explosives manufacturing, he said.

Evans rejected Nemelka's assertions in a letter circulating among residents that the development company was manipulating the process or "fleecing" the city or that the council is fast tracking the proposal or that it is a "backroom deal."

Residents can either take advantage of the boundary change or watch Spanish Fork benefit if the boundaries remain as they are, he said.

e-mail: rodger@desnews.com