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County holds public hearing on $1.4 million Vernal Memorial Park storage building grant application
Summary
The Municipal Building Authority held a required public hearing on a Community Impact Board grant application seeking $700,000 toward a $1.4 million multipurpose equipment storage building to support maintenance at Vernal Memorial Park; a nearby resident asked whether the building would affect burial plots.
The Municipal Building Authority, convened by the Uintah County Commission, held a public hearing on a Community Impact Board grant application to build a multipurpose, insulated equipment storage facility at Vernal Memorial Park.
Officials said the estimated project total is $1,400,000 and the MBA is requesting 50% from the CIB, a $700,000 cash grant request. The county and Vernal City are expected to supply the matching funds: county match of $550,000 composed of $50,000 from the cemetery fund balance and $500,000 from revitalization funds, and Vernal City up to $150,000, according to the presentation at the hearing.
The proposed building dimensions and features presented to the public were 150 feet by 60 feet by 18 feet and included a concrete floor and exterior pads, seven garage doors, two man doors, insulation and heating, interior and exterior lighting, a half bathroom, hot water and water spigots, translucent panels for natural light, and barrier posts outside garage doors. Officials said the facility would support equipment storage and maintenance for the county—overing 11 county cemeteries and result in long-term operational efficiencies.
Resident Scott Major, who lives adjacent to the Vernal Memorial Park Cemetery, asked whether the new building site would take space reserved for burials. County staff responding at the podium said the proposed site is on the south side of Vernal Memorial Park and "is not space that is plotted for burials" and that it had historically been used for buildings, equipment and parking rather than burial plots.
The MBA opened the hearing for public comment and, after receiving no further comments, closed the hearing. Officials noted that the CIB can award full, partial or loan funding instead of a cash grant, and that if the CIB does not fully fund the request the county would consider downsizing the facility or removing features to reduce costs.
The presentation included a statement that the project would not raise cemetery property taxes or cemetery fees; officials also said cost overruns would be addressed through a combined city-county share and cemetery fund balance if necessary.
The MBA adjourned at the close of the hearing; no final CIB decision was recorded at the meeting.
Minutes and the public record will reflect the hearing as the required public participation step in the CIB application process.
