By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Members of the Juab County Planning Commission took a
tour of the John Kuhni and Sons animal rendering plant in
southeast Provo on Friday.
The tour was designed to give the planning commission
an opportunity to observe the animal rendering facility as
they consider whether or not to grant planning commission
approval to a proposal to move the plant from Utah County to
Juab County by approving the necessary conditional use
permit.
The move has been proposed for a site south of the
Juab County Jail. The company has requested a
conditional-use permit to relocate to 300 acres located 2.5
miles south of Nephi.
"This is an extremely important decision and I think
we need to be responsible with it," said County Planning
Commission member Art Cornish.
Planning commission members and Kuhni plant
representatives met in an open forum once the tours were
over.
"I was quite impressed by the facility," said County
Commission member Robert Steele. Steele represents the
county commission on the planning commission as a non-voting
member.
He said he was familiar with the old Kuhni plant,
prior to its up-grading, and was also familiar with other
animal rendering plants.
Nevertheless, the trip to Kuhni's is just one step the
planning commission will make in gathering research for the
coming vote. The trip to Boston will be a big step and a
necessary one, agreed planning commission members.
"I need to see some more," Juab County Planning
Commission chair Jim McWilliams said. He said there was an
odor on the inside of the plant which he noticed during the
tour. However, the odor was not detectable outside.
"It would be good to have the tax base and to have
jobs for people from our area, but if the plant smells I
don't want it," said McWilliams.
In addition to McWilliams, Russell Mangelson, Wallace
Ballow, and Cornish sit on the planning commission.
Hopefully the planning commission will learn what they
need to know to make a decision they can be comfortable with
when representatives tour an animal rendering plant in
Boston.
The entire planning commission will not be able to
make the trip to Boston but Juab County Commissioners will
pay for three members of the planning commission to visit
the facility.
"Kuhni's offered to finance the visit to the East but
the county commission thought it better that the county pay
for the trip," said Glenn Greenhalgh, county zoning
administrator.
Kuhni officials indicated they plan to construct a
state-of-the art facility in Juab County, if they are
allowed to proceed. The nearest plant to the model they
would use is the Boston facility which was built five years
ago.
"We plan to take a look at the plant and to knock on
doors of people who live around it," Steele said. "We plan
to visit government officials, neighbors of the facility,
area businesses, the ground water division, the public
health and medical people and talk to them."
If the trip is made in time, the Juab County Planning
Commission may make a final decision regarding Kuhni's
request for a conditional-use permit during their regularly
scheduled meeting on Sept. 12 in Nephi.
The planning commission will then make a
recommendation to the county commission.
The Kuhni animal rendering plant services the meat
industry and also collects used restaurant grease. Animal
trimmings, fat and bones are gathered from butcher shops.
The resulting products are used for animal feed and
tallow. The animal by-products can also be used to make
cosmetics, lubricants, crayons, paints, soaps and
lotions.
The Kuhni relocation will cost approximately $6
million.
East Bay businesses will put in approximately
$400,000.
The state Board of Business and Economic Development
on Friday, Aug. 16, approved conditions for a legislative
allocation of $1.8 million to move an animal rendering plant
from Provo to Juab County.
The $1.8 million will be used by John Kuhni Sons Inc.
to move from Provo to Juab County.
Provo city is kicking in $3 million to help cover the
costs of the plant move, and the company is contributing $1
million.
The board's Industrial Assistance Fund Committee
recommended, and the board approved, several conditions.
They include having the $1.8 million used only for
legitimate capital costs associated with the plant
relocation and having it disbursed only after the Provo city
and company funds have been spent.
The company is the only rendering plant in Utah.
Juab County visitors and Kuhni officials split into
two separate groups for the tour which created an objection
by a press representative from a Provo newspaper. The
reporter charged, in print, that the split was an attempt to
avoid having to honor the Utah Open Meetings Act.
Juab County Attorney David Leavitt disagreed.
"Did they break the law? I don't think so. I don't
believe this constituted the definition of a meeting,"
Leavitt said.
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