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Show Council gives UP&L construction go-ahead By BRUCE LEE Record Editor CEDAR CITY The much-talked-about resolution encouraging Utah Power & Light Co. to build a service center in Cedar City's fledging industrial in-dustrial park was passed last week by the Cedar City Council. The action came during a meeting punctuated with heated discussion concerning the entire power issue, including discussion of Cedar City dropping out of the Southwest Utah Cooperative Power Federation and of changing the current negotiating team working with UP&L towards Cedar's possible purchase of the power system in the area from Federation representatives to City Council members. In addition Federation Vice President Carl Palmer presented additional figures concerning the possible purchase of the system, saying that such a purchase could possibly net the City $500,000 per year. However, many in attendance at the meeting expressed skepticism and outright disbelief of the figures. Not giving up on municipal power In passing the resolution encouraging UP&L to build and promising that the City would purchase the building along with the rest of the system if it were successful in finalizing a deal, the Council said that it was definitely not giving up on municipal power, only looking at other problems lacing the City. "We are not saying yes or no to municipal power," Mayor Robert Linford reminded the large audience near the close of the discussion. Instead, the Council said that an industiral park was extremely important im-portant to the life of the City and that the UP&L service center would be a catalyst for the development of such. "We're right at the threshold getting an industrial park," said Councilman Harold Hiskey, adding that UP&L could put the City over that threshold. In additon, several private citizens also spoke in favor of the park. "We need an industrial park, and we need it now," said businessman Frank Nichols. "We have an opportunity now to do that." However, Palmer didn't feel that way. saying that the Council was going against the will of the people. "You are inviting a company into this town that the people went to the ballot box and voted against," he said. Revised figures on purchase price Palmer also, under another agenda item presented revised figures concerning con-cerning the purchase price and expected ex-pected revenue of the electrical system if the City should go to a municipal system. These figures showed that the City could make $500,000 a year profit from the system. This is up from a figure of $200,000 Palme!1 presented to the City Council -and the . Power Board two weeks ago. Problems with the figures However, several pointed out that there could be problems with the figures, and Mayor Linford and others pointed out that there definitely were problems with the earlier figures. Palmer had obtained the figures that both bottom-line totals were based on from Stewart Jordan of R. W. Beck Engineering, and had presented them as fairly accurate and reliable. However, Linford said that he had been in touch with Jordan since and the figures were a very broad estimate. " 'I have no idea as to the exact cost of the system,' " he said, reported Linford. In a later interview with the Record, Jordan confirmed that the figures were "a rough first approximation." Yet, he also added that "I think it's in the ballpark alright." Also, several in attendance disputed other points of the figures, saying that they were inaccurate or . incomplete. . "(See accompanying box.) Withdrawing from Federation possible The Council also heard some discussion, much of it heated, concerning con-cerning Cedar City withdrawing from the Federation and pursuing municipal power on its own. The sentiment among some councilmen was that the Federation was doing more harm than good through its opposition tactics. "I'm very skeptical about being a member- of the Federation," said Councilman Lee Fife. "Personally, I don't want to be involved because this Council has more to answer to than you," he told Palmer. On a related note Councilman Tom Cardon suggested that the team presently negotiating with UP&L for purchase of the system be changed, and that two councilmen and the mayor make up the team instead of representatives from the Federation. Neither item was on the agenda; thus no action was taken. However, there was talk of placing both on the agenda of the next meeting. |