City of Blanding moves ahead with asphalt on 4th Reservoir trail, to be completes this month

by David Boyle
News Director
Members of the Blanding City Council approved upgrades to a new trail, heard from the school district on the retention pond fence and received reports on youth health surveys at their latest meeting.
The Blanding City Council approved a $32,000 change order for the surface of the new Fourth Reservoir Trail at their May 12 meeting.
The trail was originally designed to be built with a natural rock path, but the contractor recommended a switch to two inches of asphalt. While the initial cost will be higher the contractor adds the 30-year lifespan and lower maintenance requirements compared to the 3-5 year lifespan on the stabilized rock makes asphalt a preferred method.
Members of the council approved the change. It was noted that the trail is expected to be completed by the end of May with a grand opening scheduled for June.
Members of the city council also revisited concerns about the fence installed around the water retention pond at the new Blanding Elementary School.
The “climb-proof” fence at the school has created a blind spot for drivers at the intersection of 700 North and 100 West.
At the meeting, council heard from San Juan School District representative Steve Francom, who acknowledged that the fence does create a visual obstruction, but adding the fence is a necessary safety measure to keep children out of the pond.
Francom explained the pond had to be engineered larger than originally planned to protect neighboring homes from runoff. The city and school district are coordinating fixes, including new stop signs, crosswalks and the exploration of other solutions ahead of the grand opening of the school in August.
Members of the city council also heard from Bill Moulton of B3 Development about the proposed affordable housing project at 650 South Main Street.
Moulton reports the group has assembled nearly $11 million in capital but changes in the state legislature qualified allocation fund rules has created a $300,000 funding gap.
The result has meant additional work for the project with Moulton looking at other state sources. This has not stopped the project from its aim of a final application to the city in June, with hopes to break ground on the project in 2027.
Members of the city council also heard a report from Shauna Sherrow on recent youth and community health surveys. Concerns highlighted in the report include that just 37-percent of local youth get the recommended eight hours of sleep on school nights and over 76 percent of youth spending more than two hours daily on non-school-related screens.
Some highlights were strong family bonds with 68 percent of youth reporting eating dinner with families at least five nights a week and also noting that a recently launched Music in the Park series at Central Park drew 100 people at its first event.
Council also received several staff reports. Ben Muhlestein said that work continues for the 4th of July Celebration with the theme this year being “Made in America”. He said that vendor spots are nearly full and also said the city received a grant to install permanent bathrooms near the pickleball courts.
Police Chief JJ Bradford said that the department is now fully staffed which will allow them to resume handling the majority of calls without having to rely on sheriff deputies or highway patrol.
Bradford also reported that the department is handing out safety cards and pushing for helmets to address the continued rise of e-scooter usage.
Finance Director James Francom said the city is preparing for its FY27 tentative budget but noted that water and sewer rates are currently operating at a deficit and added that a rate increase may be necessary in the future to keep pace with deprecation and operational expenses.