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Show Mining Firm Wants Use Of Old Moab Airport Another twist to the controversy con-troversy surrounding the old Moab airport was added this week when officials of Keystone-Wallace Resources told members of the Chamber of Commerce that they would like to see the old airstrip reopened as a private fie tel. George Hummel of Denver, assistant to the president of K-W, indicated that presently the company's single largest expenditure was found in air transportation of men and parts to their mill location in Lisbon Valley. The company, com-pany, Hummel stated, is presently pre-sently facing a decision about cutting those costs to a workable figure and the shorter shor-ter distance of moving men and parts from the old airport air-port to the mine is now being considered. One other possibility possi-bility would be to relocate their offices and planes in Monticello where the strip is only 24 miles from the mine and mill site. Hummel said, "When we came in here a year and a half ago, we were looking at two years c operation. Now, thanks . to the work of our geologists, we have ten years solid, locked up and a possibility possi-bility for more." He continued contin-ued that it is a simple mater of economics to be located nearer an airport with the facilities that are needed by the company and when costs of transportation are extended extend-ed over that ten year period, they are too great to be economically ec-onomically fasible with the present setup. Chamber members indicated indi-cated that they felt that Dick Smith of Canyonlands Aviation, Avia-tion, who is interested in using us-ing the old field to the extent ex-tent of charter flights, mech anic service, etc., should make the necessary applications applica-tions to see if this can be done. Presently there is some question as to whether or not the field can again be used after being closed when Canyonlands Can-yonlands Field was constructed. construct-ed. Smith stated that he had previously filed application with the State Land Board for a lease on the property. A Land Board official told news writers last week that his agency had received no such application. That matter mat-ter is currently being looked into. |