Milford council approves temporary airport lease for Western Rock ready-mix plant at $2,000/month

Milford City Council on Oct. 28 approved a temporary lease allowing Western Rock to place a portable ready‑mix concrete plant on airport property and set monthly rent at $2,000. The agreement is intended to reduce truck traffic through town while Western Rock serves a two‑year construction project nearby.

Buddy Christiansen, ready‑mix manager for Western Rock, told the council the company hopes to station a modern portable batch plant in Milford rather than hauling product from Cedar City. "My name is Buddy Christiansen. I work for Western Rock down in Saint George," he said. He described the unit as a five‑ to six‑year‑old plant equipped with a dust collector and said the company would use measures such as compacting surfaces, bringing rock surfacing and, if necessary, water trucks to limit dust.

City and airport staff raised operational constraints. An airport engineer on the call noted that part of the airport property (section 4 on the airport layout) is FAA‑owned and subject to federal regulation; moving the plant into sections 1 or 2 could avoid FAA approvals and speed local permitting. Staff also confirmed Western Rock had requested Rocky Mountain Power inspect the site; the plant requires three‑phase power and about 600 amps. Council members asked about water logistics; Christiansen said a typical heavy day could require on the order of 15,000 gallons if the operation reached about 500 cubic yards, and that Western Rock has roughly 16,000 gallons of on‑plant storage capacity.

Councilmember Les moved and Councilmember Terry seconded a motion directing staff to pursue a temporary lease and further site evaluation with Western Rock, including engineering review and coordination with Rocky Mountain Power. The motion was amended on the floor to set the monthly lease at $2,000; the council voted in favor and the motion carried.

The lease calls for the firm to work with the city and the airport on site selection and any required environmental or aeronautics studies. Staff said an aeronautics/airspace study will be required where airport land is federally encumbered and that timing may be affected by federal agency availability. The council directed staff to set up the engineer meeting and return with drafts of the lease and any conditions for permitting.

Council action: temporary lease approved; monthly rent set at $2,000. No vote tally by name was recorded in the transcript.