Emery County board secures funding for industrial park master plan; recommends holding funds to pursue business recruitment

Emery County Economic Development Board members said the county secured funding to produce a master plan for an industrial park north of the San Rafael Research Center and recommended that county commissioners reserve carryover funds to pursue outside recruitment and contracting.

Board members said the master plan will cover roughly 100 acres and include drainage and build‑ready site layouts. A board member said the county obtained the money for the plan through COVID‑related funds, which removes that item from the list of projects needing support from the board's discretionary pot. The board expects to issue an RFP for engineering and planning services and said a contract could be in place within one to two months.

Why it matters: Board members framed the master plan as a foundational step to market a specific, shovel‑ready parcel to potential employers and to make the county more competitive for larger projects, including sites being discussed regionally that would require state site surveys and large capital investments.

Board discussion and next steps Board members debated how to use roughly $95,000 the group said had been freed up after the master plan funding was confirmed. Several members urged a two‑track approach: continue funding the business improvement grant program that assists local startups, while reserving some of the unallocated funds to retain a contractor or recruiter who could pursue larger employers for the future industrial park.

During the discussion, one board member cited a $20 million state budget line for a site survey that, if done for Emery County, could increase the county's chances for future large industrial projects. Members urged the commissioners to act quickly to shepherd such state funding toward Emery County rather than letting other jurisdictions pursue it.

Board action At the meeting the board moved and seconded a recommendation that the unallocated funds be held for potential use on business recruitment and that commissioners be authorized to pursue contracting options between meetings if the commissioners identify a contractor they wish to hire. The motion was seconded and approved by the board.

What was not decided The board did not set a specific dollar amount to commit to a recruiter or specify a contracting firm. Several members suggested $50,000 as a preliminary reserve to use in recruitment efforts but did not formalize that allocation; members noted that the county receives a new allocation of program funds each January and that the board can roll funds between years.

Context and quotes "We were able to get funding for that through our COVID funds," a board member said about the master plan funding, describing how the board's previously earmarked $95,000 is now available for other projects. "We gotta land a big business here that can employ a bunch of people," another member said, arguing for active recruitment rather than only supporting micro‑business grants.

Timeline Board members said the RFP for the industrial park master plan will be circulated soon and they expect a contract within one to two months. The group recommended commissioners may act between board meetings to engage a contractor if one is identified before the board's next meeting.

Provenance Topic introduction excerpt: "I can I can talk about that 1? So Wonderful. We've discussed in the past doing a master plan just north of the research center around a hundred acres..." (transcript segment starting at 295.595). Topic finish excerpt: "K. So our our first focus, and I don't our first focus is gonna get the master plan done, get a 1 sheeter, and then we'll while we're getting that done, look for a potential contractor..." (transcript segment starting at 2893.805).