Local governments tackle roads, growth, fire safety

KANE COUNTY — Local governments across the county spent July working through issues ranging from federal law enforce­ment funding and future transportation needs to fire protec­tion, development and community projects.

Kane County Com­mission

The Kane County Commission autho­rized an application for up to $800,000 in Department of Justice funding connected to the county’s partici­pation in the federal 287(g) immigration enforcement program. If awarded, the grant could be used for im­provements at the Kane County Jail, pa­trol vehicles and night-vision equipment.

Commissioners also unanimously approved rezoning a parcel in the Windmill Ranch Unimproved Subdivi­sion to Agricultural zoning, allowing occa­sional rental of a single yurt. The rental re­mains subject to condi­tional-use permitting and infrastructure requirements.

Andrew Heaton was introduced during the month as the new Utah State University Extension agriculture agent for Kane County, providing agricultural support and outreach to area residents.

Commission discus­sions during July also touched on road proj­ects, wildfire assess­ments and Tourism, Recreation and Trails funding set aside for road maintenance.

Kanab City Coun­cil

Growth outside Kanab’s current boundaries remained a concern for the Kanab City Council.

The council unani­mously authorized a letter to Kane County regarding the pro­posed Old Fort Ranch development, which lies outside city limits but within Kanab’s future annexation area. City officials raised concerns about potential effects on water, transportation, emergency services, infrastructure, public access and future city finances and asked the county to consider additional analysis before granting long-term development rights.

The council also ex­tended Kanab’s fire protection agreement with Kane County as the two governments continue working through annexation and possible changes involving the area’s special service district. The agreement is in­tended to maintain fire coverage for developed properties outside the city while those larger issues are resolved.

Orderville Town Council

Orderville officials got their first detailed look at a 30-year Trans­portation Master Plan designed to guide road and transportation de­cisions through 2055.

Sunrise Engineering told the Town Council that Orderville’s exist­ing road network is generally performing well and that future transportation needs are expected to center more on safety, con­nectivity and manag­ing growth than traffic congestion. The plan anticipates the town reaching about 1,300 residents by 2045.

Its proposed capital improvement program totals approximately $16.23 million, with Orderville’s estimated share at about $4.64 million.

The council also au­thorized engineering work to upgrade the water line serving the North Event Center area from four inches to eight inches to im­prove fire protection.

Work on part of the town’s park project was temporarily halt­ed after concerns arose about the stability of built-up soil at the site. Toddler playground equipment has already arrived, but the coun­cil authorized seeking engineering proposals for compaction testing, site design and possi­ble remediation before construction proceeds in the affected area.

Orderville also di­rected its fire and water departments to establish a regular testing program for the town’s approxi­mately 110 to 120 fire hydrants, with older hydrants receiving priority and the en­tire system placed on a three-year testing cycle.

Glendale Town Board

The Town Board agreed in July to revive the Glendale Apple Festival, setting this year’s event for Sep­tember 25-26. Officials plan to recruit vendors and establish a com­mittee or chairperson to organize the festival, with ideas including a cooking competition. Despite discussion about whether enough apples would be avail­able in September, the board agreed to retain the Apple Festival name.

The town also report­ed receiving $67,210 in Community Impact Board funding associ­ated with the Silver Spur project. Of that amount, $47,210 was allocated to Silver Spur and $20,000 will reimburse Glendale’s water fund for money the town had already paid toward the proj­ect.

Two rezoning re­quests were approved during the July meet­ing. One changed an existing property from single-family to multi-family zoning to satisfy refinancing requirements for ex­isting structures, with officials emphasizing that the change does not allow additional units on the property. A second rezoned a 14- acre parcel from Resi­dential Agriculture to Rural Residential to allow it to be divided into two lots. Mayor Jeremy Chamberlain recused himself from the second vote be­cause of a conflict of interest.

Glendale officials also received an up­date on a planned veterans memorial, where a statue has arrived and organiz­ers are considering lighting and other improvements. The memorial is planned to include the names of veterans buried in Glendale cemeteries.