Mt. Pleasant will no longer

have airport, potential investors

back away from offer

 

By James Tilson

Staff writer

Feb. 22, 2018

 

MT. PLEASANT—The Mt. Pleasant City Council took decisive action on several issues affecting the future growth and development of Mt. Pleasant.

On Tuesday, Feb. 13, the council decided to finally stop any consideration of the old municipal airport as an “airport,” heard an update on the rehabilitation and repair of the Aspen Village Mobile Home Park and learned of plans for a new development on the south edge of the city.

Monte Bona, executive director of Community Development and Renewal Agency (CDRA), reported to the council that action needed to be taken on the old municipal airport.

The city council had previously been considering plans to turn the airport into an “airpark,” with houses adjoining the airstrip in a luxury housing development.

Bona informed the council the persons initially interested in backing the development had backed off, and the plans had fallen through. With a grant application to the Economic Development Agency (EDA) still pending, Bona advocated for turning the airstrip into a road in order to further the development of the properties located at the south end of the strip.

Councilman Kevin Stallings expressed misgivings about potential industrial development of the land around the airstrip. Stallings said he thought the land around the airstrip would be used as a “buffer zone” between the industrial park and the equine center around the ConToy Arena. “And that’s quite a view along the airstrip of the mountains.”

Councilman Justin Atkinson explained that sale of properties around the airstrip would be used to develop a future road and utilities along the airstrip and could be considered as part of the matching funds for the EDA grant application.

Atkinson proposed the CDRA abandon the airstrip and use it for ground transportation purposes in the future. His motion was approved unanimously.

Bona also reported on the city’s plans to rehabilitate and repair the Aspen Village Mobile Home Park. He told the council the city is working on “a plan to replace substandard housing” at the park.

The city has filed an application with the Community Development and Block Grant (CDBG) to replace current mobile homes not meeting housing codes with modern modular homes.

Bona stressed that not all of the mobile homes were substandard and would need to be replaced. The application asked for $200,000 in grant funding, with another $100,000 in matching funds to be provided by the city.

The culinary water system for the park also needed to be repaired, Bona said. The current system dated back many years and would need to be replaced.

A citizen, Michelle Este, told the council that water from the park was leaking underground and making its way to her property that adjoined the park. Bona estimated it would take approximately $150,000 to $175,000 to compete the repairs.

John Peel, standing on behalf of Glen Peel, presented an application for annexation to the council. Peel explained that the property, 40 acres just to the south of city limits behind the Horseshoe Mountain Home Center, would eventually be subdivided to turn into a new housing development. The development will eventually have between 20-60 homes, depending on demand.

Peel explained that the Zoning and Planning Committee had approved their application but told them they would have to be annexed into the city before they could start planning their development.

Atkinson explained that an annexation had not been done for many years in Mt. Pleasant, and the council would have to research all the requirements. But Stalling assured Peel that “we are enthusiastic” for the new development. Atkinson told Peel that after research had been completed, the city would contact him for the next step.

During the annual library report, new board member Jenny Spry told the council that the Mt. Pleasant Public Library achieved “Quality Library” status, as awarded by the Utah State Library.

According to a letter sent by the director of the Utah State Library, Donna Morris, the award means that the library “is an active, involved and vital part of the community, [providing] resources and services beyond the four walls of the library and exemplary outreach to all residents.”

In addition, “the library is eligible to receive funds from the Community Library Enhancement Fund” for 2018.