Council approves permanent pipeline easement with UNX, conditions payment or in-kind work for gun-range improvements

Representatives from UNX presented a proposed permanent easement for a pipeline route that overlaps or runs adjacent to existing utilities and a long-range shooting area. Joe Garcia and Drew Esler outlined the route and said temporary workspace will be needed for installation and reclamation, and that the company expects to begin work later this year.

Council members and city staff discussed mapping existing utilities to avoid conflicts and asked for legal review of the easement document. Multiple council members raised the nearby thousand-yard gun range as a local priority; one council member proposed the council approve the easement while requesting that UNX either provide in-kind work or earmark funds toward gun-range improvements if a direct trade is not possible. The motion to approve the easement included that provision and made approval subject to legal review. The council approved the motion unanimously.

Staff said the easement is for permanent buried infrastructure and that temporary laydown areas may be required for up to three months during construction; the company committed to reclamation and warranty work if necessary. Council requested that staff draft a map of all pipelines, easements and utilities in the area to prevent overlapping construction and to guide permitting and future reviews.

The council’s action authorizes staff to proceed with the easement review and to finalize the agreement after city attorney review and the agreed-upon earmarking or in-kind-work condition.