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Show BQBtlC doubles offer for school impact mitigption With a little coaxing, Deseret Generation and Transmission Cooperative has doubled their offer to $3 million in prepaid taxes to pay the Uintah School District for schools needed for the impact of their proposed Bonanza power plant. A delighted school board reviewed the proposed agreement last week in which DG&T agreed to pay $3 million for the construction of two schools in the Uintah District. This figure is double the original amount offered by DG&T last January when negotiations began on an agreement. At that time Sterling Merrill, Deseret Generation, told the Uintah School Board that his firm was willing "to bear the full share" of the impact of 392 students to be brought into the area by the proposed power plant. Blayne Morrill Uintah School board member assigned to work out an agreement with DG&T. said several times he hinted that the district needed $3 million instead of the proposed $1.5 million. "We are very pleased with this agreement," Morrill said after reviewing DG&T's $3 million agreement last week. With the $3 million the school district agrees to construct two new schools whose ownership and control shall be the district's says the agreement. Besides the $3 million in prepaid property taxes, the agreement says DG&T will pay nearly a million dollars to the district in four payments over the next four years for use in hiring teachers and other personnel. The intent of the four allotments for teacher's salaries "was to be a grant," Merrill told the board last week. Merrill said he felt confident DG&T would accept the agreement with only some minor changes when it came before their board June 18. The agreement stipulates that credit shall be given to Deseret Generation by the School District at such time as the ad valorem property taxes become due and otherwise payable. A portion of the $3 million in prepaid property taxes by Deseret will be applied against the id valorem property taxes due the School District each year by paying 30 percent of the school district's share of the ad valorem property taxes assessed against Deseret Generation each year or $300,000 a year, whichever is less, until the $3 million is used. Payment of the $3 million under the contract will be made to the Uintah School District offices before Sept. 1, 1981. after which the district agrees to begin construction of the two new schools "Action iaken by the stale 'if Colorado has us dead in Ihe waler," Slcrhng Men-II told the board concerning con-cerning the slailirg dale for the con s'nielmn of the. power plant. 'We planned to break ground June 13-15, hut thai 's been stopped." Merrill (old Ihe Ixiard that Ihe letter from Gov. Lamb of Colorado to the LLM asking for more mitigation and studies has delayed the construction Governor Malheson has seal a letter to Ihe LLM saying there have leen plenty of studies and it's lime to act, Merrill said " We art- still positive that hopefully tins month we v. ill break ground" Merrill said. Superintendent Philip F.Ilis told the hoard that he had sent a Idler to the governor in suppor? of the power i 'an! pro ieel . "I feel Deseret Generation has treated us very fairly," F.Ilis told the board The board pas.-.ed a motion in support of the agieeinenl with DG&T This is Ihe first such agreement in which DG&T has entered into with anottier entity and the school board felt it would set a precedent for other energy firms coming into the Uintah Basin. |