By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Plans are to start construction on the proposed power
plant near Mona as soon as Dec. 1, 2003, or as soon as final
approval is received from the Public Service Commission of
Utah.
J. Rand Thurgood, Ph.D, managing Director of Resource
Development for PacifiCorp, said the meeting held in
commission chambers in Nephi was held to make the
announcement but three more meetings with local officials
and with residents of Mona and Nephi were planned.
"We will hire a plant manager as soon as we can,"
Thurgood said. "We expect him to be in your community to
work with you even through the construction phase."
The first work that would be done at the site said
Robert A. Van Engelenhoven, P.E., Manager of Resource
Development for PacifiCorp, would be preparation work.
That would consist of clearing the site, doing
leveling, and other preliminary site preparation work.
Temporary construction facilities would be built and mobile
office units would be put in place.
When Thurgood was asked by Mona Mayor Bryce Lynn if he
thought there would be impact to the community, he replied
that he did.
"When we visited the site recently," he said, "we
stopped at a burger shop in Mona."
While there, he said, he met a young girl of 13 who
also had some smaller children with her. When the girl and
children left on a 4-wheeler, the girl neglected to stop at
the stop sign.
"I thought: 'How are these children going to
understand that they can no longer do that with the 300
workers who will be employed during the construction phase
traveling on this road?'"
Many of the impacts to the cities of Nephi and Mona
will be positive. But there will also be other issues,
including traffic, which will need to be understood. For one
thing, the motels in the area will be full.
"We want to understand the impacts and we want you to
understand them," said Van Engelenhoven.
He said most power plants were constructed near small
communities and so PacifiCorp was aware of issues that might
concern residents and planning officials.
"We are confident that together we can work through
the issues that you have."
After all construction phases of the plant are
complete, said Thurgood, there will be approximately 25
permanent workers, including management, employed to operate
the plant.
Commissioner Robert Steele said he was excited about
having the power plant located in Juab County and saw it as
a positive asset to the area.
"I am very excited," he said. "I would also like to
thank Glenn Greenhalgh (county economic director) for the
work he has done."
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