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Residents urge Utah County to address Kilgore Mine activity on West Mountain; commissioners offer follow-up
Summary
Two residents said Kilgore Mine truck traffic and operations on West Mountain are creating safety hazards and environmental concerns; they urged the commission to investigate and consider closing the mine until legal matters involving a former commissioner and Mr. McKee are resolved.
At a Utah County Board of Commissioners meeting, two residents described safety, environmental and community impacts tied to Kilgore Mine activity on West Mountain and urged county officials to take action.
Colette Russell, who identified herself during public comment, said trucks from the Kilgore operation are running stop signs and creating dangerous conditions near homes and where children wait for school buses. "They're running the stop sign. Just about killed my son that was feeding cattle last week," Russell said, adding she had photographs of the truck movements and called for commissioners to visit the area.
Clark Karas, who identified himself as the precinct chair for Utah County Lehi District 1, told commissioners that more than 200 residents from Benjamin and Lakeshore raised concerns at a caucus about road damage, stop-sign violations and impacts on historic properties. Karas said some residents believe the mine should not operate while legal proceedings involving Mister McKee and former Commissioner Gary Anderson remain unresolved: "Until those proceedings... that mine should be closed," he said.
Commissioners acknowledged prior discussions with county staff and said they had met with Richard Nelson and were aware the situation was starting up; one commissioner offered to arrange a site visit with county staff and Terry Newell from UDOT. Commissioners asked staff to follow up with Kilgore representatives and state traffic officials to assess road impacts and enforcement options.
Speakers raised additional concerns about proximity to wetlands and the presence of petroglyphs on West Mountain (BLM land), asking whether environmental or cultural-resource reviews had been completed. Commissioners did not commit to closing the mine during the meeting; they offered to coordinate further visits and contact UDOT and Kilgore representatives to gather more information.
The public comment concluded and the commission proceeded to scheduled closed-session business.
