Blanding may reopen city transfer station

Members of the Blanding City Council moved forward on airport hangar leases, a re-opening of the city transfer station for recycling and approved new fencing code at their latest meeting.
Members of the Blanding City Council moved forward on a project to partially re-open the Blanding transfer station at their August 25 meeting.
Members of the council directed city manager Pratt Redd to draft an agreement with the county following a presentation from Landfill Manager Jed Tate.
Tate shared a proposal for source-separated recycling in Blanding. Tate shared the success of a pilot program in conjunction with Canyonlands Solid Waste and New Solutions, a Grand Junction-based nonprofit.
Tate said the pilot program started in La Sal and expanded to Bluff and has seen great participation levels. La Sal produces four 40-yard containers of cardboard monthly.
Blanding residents currently drive up to 15 miles to recycle at the landfill. Tate proposed reopening the city transfer station.
The proposal would have San Juan County assume full financial and operational responsibility to run the transfer station, which would be open two days a week, likely Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 5 or 6 pm. This would allow residents to drop off sorted recyclables for free and standard household trash for a fee equivalent to current landfill rates.
Council members expressed opposition to a proposal to sell the city transfer station land to the county, but are agreeable to a long-term lease agreement with the county’s operational costs, property maintenance and community service offsetting those lease fees.
Members of the Blanding city council also made some changes at the city airport.
Members of the city council reached general agreement through advice and consent to select an option for leasing hangar rates at the airport. The new rates will set square footage at $1.90 per square foot for hangers under 1,400 square feet. For larger hangars that rate is $1.75 per square foot. Council made plans to lock that in for the next 10 years to provide predictability for airport users.
The new rate contract will also feature a credit system. Commercial tenants can earn credits to lower their rates through many means including job creation, and structural improvements.
Upgrades must meet professional standards and receive approval from the airport city manager. While there is a maximum on incentives rates can be lowered to as much as 80 cents per square foot. 
Along with the rate structure, the council also directed a relaxation of flight school and rental rules in its minimum standard documents. Flight schools will now only be required to operate one aircraft instead of at least two, a flight simulator requirement was deleted and fixed base operator (FBO) mandatory hours were adjusted from 24/7 to sunrise-to-sundown.
Council discussed if the city should take hangar management from the current FBO Freedom Fuels to capture more revenue. City staff recommended against that, noting administrative costs, hangar-keeper’s insurance and additional staff presence would consume projected profits.
As part of the discussion Freedom Fuels was praised for their service level with a notice of updates to the airport lounge by the FBO.
Members of the council also passed an ordinance amending the city code related to fences, walls and retaining walls. The amendment gives guidelines for approving walls taller than five feet on variable terrain.
Members of the Blanding City Council also approved a resolution awarding a $25,500 contract for a comprehensive Blanding City Electrical System Load Study.
Instead of paying $9,000 to study a single circuit for a potential extension near Dry Wash, the city negotiated an $11,000 bulk discount to evaluate all four municipal circuits.
The study is required by UAMPS and Rocky Mountain Power to verify capacity before adding major developments including industrial facilities or electric vehicle charging stations.