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Show McDonnell Douglas Picks Salt Lake for Plant Site By Joe Rolando Tribune Staff Writer McDonnell Douglas Corp. will build a $12 million to $15 million plant next to the Salt Lake City International Airport where it will manufacture fuselage panels for the U.S. Air Force's new military transport planes. 7 The announcement, made Thursday at a news conference in the governors board room at the state capi-to- l, confirmed weeks of rumors fueled principally by leaks from state economic development leaders. But McDonnell Douglas officials also dismissed a number of other rumors about work-forc- e size and scope of the operations. One of those dismissed had the Salt Lake City plant involved in aircraft maintenance. Robert Kinder, vice president of government program development for McDonnell Douglas Douglas Aircraft division, said although he is hesitant to forecast the size of the Salt Lake City work force, it should range between 200 and 500. Later, in response to questions, he said the company has never even al acres of Salt Lake City airport property at about 1700 North 2200 West, about 1,500 feet north of the Utah Air National Guard building. Site development is expected to begin in April. Local architects and contractors will be sought, said Mr. Kinder. The plant is expected to be ready for production in the summer luded to employing 1,500 or 1,800 as some early press reports indicated. However, Mr. Kinder said most of the work force will be hired from the Salt Lake area. These will be new he added. jobs for the most part," "Some obviously will have to come from Long Beach." That southern California city is the headquarters of Douglas Aircraft Co., manufacturer of large commercial and military transport planes and the McDonnell Douglas subsidiary with which the Salt Lake plant will be affiliated. Mr. Kinder and Dan DeAngelis, Douglas Aircrafts director of facilities, said the company will do all of the necessary training for the assembly related jobs in Salt Lake City. They added minimal qualifications for those jobs will include a high school diploma and passing an aptitude test. The Salt Lake City plant will consist of about 150,000 square feet of manufacturing space and of 1987. Mr. Kinder said the Salt Lake City plant is an important component in McDonnell Douglas effort filling a billion contract it was just awarded to develop the U.S. Air Force's latest airlifter, the He said the the fuselage panels for the 7 the Salt Lake City plant will manufacture will range from 38 feet by 10 feet to 8 feet by 12 feet and will be shipped primarily by truck to Douglas Aircraft Co.s Long Beach facility for further assembly. will not necessarily be the The first plane to lift heavy combat equipment overseas, said Mr. Kinder, adding that task can be done with and Rather, he noted, it will be unique for its capability to make the $3,387 7 10,000 square feet for offices, said Mr. s. Kinder. The operation will be built on 18 See B-- Column 1 McDonnell Douglas Corp. announced Thursday it will build a manufacturing plant near Salt Lake City Internationl Air- port which will employ 200 to 500 workers. 1W be Local Halt fake tribune ,;j'v Friday Morning February 7, 1986 Section B 1 Pago ' iiioT f noil r f h'i MacKay to Face-EPSuit, Says ", Judge in IllinoisBy Joan OBrien Tribune Staff Writer A federal judge in Illinois has refused to dismiss the Environmental Protection Agencys lawsuit against Sandy businessman Michael T. MacKay which seeks to recover costs of cleaning up waste from the Film Recovery Systems. Mr. MacKay, who faces charges in Illinois in the death of former Film Recovery Systems employee Stefan Golab, had asked U.S. District Court Judge Ann Claire Williams to dismiss the EPA lawsuit, or at least transfer it to Utah where a nearly identical suit is pending. But Judge Williams refused, writing in her Jan. 17 order that the events giving rise to the governments claim occurred in Illinois. Mr. MacKays attorneys argued he could not travel to Illinois to defend himself in the civil suit because he faced arrest on the murder charges. But Judge Williams also rejected those claims. By asking this court to use this factor as a basis for transferring this case, MacKay asks the court to countenance his refusal to defend the criminal charges against him. This the court declines to do, she wrote. MacKays refusal to defend himself against criminal charges of the State of Illinois is simply irrelevant to this motion to transfer. Mr. MacKay, an unsalaried vice president of Film Recovery Systems, was one of five men charged in the death of Golab who worked at an Elk Grove Village, 111., plant. Illinois prosecutors claimed that cyanide, used to recover silver from used film, poisoned and killed Golab. They argued company officials knew plant conditions were endangering their employees. Three former executives were convicted of murder June 14; charges against a fourth were earlier now-defun- ct Winds gusting to 70 mph overturned this semi near Far- - mington Thursday. The driver, Michael James, Washing- - I ton, was not injured. Inclement weather was blamed for a number of traffic accidents throughout the state Thursday. Winter Storm, Winds Whip Southern Utah By Mike Gorrell Tribune Staff Writer Strong winds associated with the first major storm to hit southern Utah in nearly two months whipped the west slope of the Wasatch Mountains on Thursday, causing a traffic jam on Interstate 15 when a semi blew over in the northbound lanes. The storm deposited 8 to 10 inches of snow in Cedar City, Beaver and Parowan, as well as 20 to 24 inches at Brian Head ski resort and a foot at Blowhard Mountain east of Cedar City. There hasnt been a major storm . in southern Utah since i and they really needed the pre- - cipitation, said National Weather Service meteorologist William Alder. The surface low generated strong canyon winds throughout the day along the Wasatch Front, including a 79 gust in Farmington about 6:30 p.m. Thursday. A high wind warning was in effect through Friday morning, and the Weather Service also issued a travelers advisory for The winds picked up again in the early afternoon. About 2:55 p.m., a gust estimated at 70 mph tipped over the second trailer of a double rig one mile south of the Farmington exit on mile-per-ho- southeastern Utah, the southern mountains and southwest valleys. y easterly winds began whipping out of Wasatch Front canyons between 1 am. and 4 a.m. Thursday. Gusts were recorded at 79 and 58 mph in Farmington, 60 mph in Bountiful and 35 mph at Hill Air Force High-velocit- Base. The driver, Michael James, Washington, was not injured, but the prone trailer blocked all three northbound lanes for 45 minutes, forcing the Utah Highway Patrol to reroute traffic along the frontage road. A to e jet attempting take off from the Brigham City Airport Thursday at 5 p.m. was apparently slammed by stiff winds into the muddy alkali flats near the runway but apparently no one was injured. twin-engin- Brigham City police Patrolman Lauri Johnson, said one person who was aboard the craft, owned by General Dynamics, Ontario, Cal., was at the Brigham City Community Hospital. FAA investigators were notified and were expected to be at the scene Friday. Inclement weather and high winds also were blamed for two accidents east of that snarled traffic on Wendover. Wind also contributed to a 9:35 a.m. accident in which a semi lost near Corinne, Box Elits load on der County. were Eastbound lanes of See B-Column 4 3, X-r- - dropped. Mr. MacKay has successfully fought extradition to Illinois' to face the same charges. Gov. Norm Bangerter is now considering a third request by the Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson to turn Mr. MacKay over to Illinois officials. Three days after Cook County,. 111., Circuit Judge Ronald J.P. Banks convicted the company president, plant manager and foreman, Mr. MacKay received a letter from the EPA demanding repayment for the costs of cleaning up the film chips left over from the bankrupt operation. Mr. MacKay on Aug. 2 filed suit in U.S. District Court for Utah seeking to enjoin the EPA from attempting to collect some $250,000 incurred in the film chips in cleanup of warehouses and trailers in Illinois. Three days later the EPA filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, seeking reimbursement for the cleanup costs from both Mr. MacKay and Steven J. ONeil, former presi" dent of Film Recovery. The two cases are basically identical. But Mr. MacKay argues he could not fairly defend himself in Illinois, while attorneys for the government say it is impractical to try the case.ln Utah solely for Mr. MacKays convenience. j i Judge Williams ruling supports arguments by government attorneys who have asked U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Greene to dismiss the case pending in Utah, or in the alternative, to transfer it to Illinois. A hearing oi that motion is scheduled for March 17. i ( Its really a situation of which foj rum would provide the opportunity for a fair trial, said Richard B. Fer rari, Mr. MacKays lawyer. wanted this matter litigated in a foi See B-- 3, Colum ( i I Officials Closer Public Hearing, Special Election To Naming Prosecutors ! Letters affirming the employment of two special prosecutors for Salt Lake Countys first grand jury in 11 years still are a few days away from being issued. Spokesmen for Attorney General David Wilkinson and 3rd District Court judges who voted to impanel the grand jury say the selection procedure is on schedule. Mr. Wilkinson and two assistants l jmet Tuesday with 3rd District judges to resolve questions he had about a letter his office received Friday requesting it to appoint two lawyers to advise the grand jury, said Assistant Attorney General Paul Warner. Third District judges voted in January to impanel the grand jury to investigate alleged public offenses relating to Utah Power & Light Co. and public offenses or malfeasance in the Salt Lake County Attorney's Office. ; i The grand jurys letter requested Mr. Wilkinson to appoint lawyers Rodney G. Snow of Salt Lake City and Larry R. Keller of Summit County as special prosecutors. Mr. Warner and presiding Judge Phillip R. Fishier described the Tuesday meeting as cordial and said one result of it may be seeking to have Utih's law covering grand juries amended later to make clearer the attorney general's responsibility to appoint special counsels. The Attorney General's Office's See Column 4 I. B-- Residents to Have Say in Fate of By Conrad Walters Tribune Staff Writer Salt Lake City residents will get their chance to voice desires on what to do about the deteriorating y first at a Feb. 18 Building public hearing and then in an April special election. The decision to place parts of the $30 million issue in the hands of voters came during a City Council meeting T1 ta sday. The historic building is earthquake prone and in need of restoration, but the city must first decide whether to repair the building or construct anew. The City Council has considered the restoration issue for years, but now work toward that end has progressed to a point that a decision must be made on whether to spend $30 million on repairs or for a new city hall. Residents will be asked for input on that question at a public hearing io be held in less than two weeks. With the comment from that and from the information the council has collected over two years, it will decide whether to opt for restoration or new construction. Initially Councilwoman Sydney Fonnesbeck talked down the idea of holding another public hearing on the restoration question, noting previous councils did that repeatedly and found virtually unanimous support for restoration. City-Count- But council newcomers, including Florence Bittner and Willie Stoler, said constituents they met during their campaigns were adamant about wanting a say in the decision. Although Council members Fonnesbeck and Earl Hardwick said they have heard enough information to make a decision in favor of restoration, they agreed to the Feb. 18 public hearing for the conscience of the four newer council members. After that public hearing, the city will face a special election to determine how to finance the choice Building City-Coun- ty whether it be repairing the old building or constructing a replacement. Money will be spent regardless, but residents will be allowed to select the method, much as county residents did last March for a new county complex at 2100 S. State St. At first, Ms. Fonnesbeck questioned the purpose of an election that would cost more than $200,000 and bring out few voters. Salt Lake County's last special election attracted 5.1 percent of the eligible voters. Elected officials are chosen to make decisions, Ms. Fonnesbeck said, suggesting the election is unnecessary. But Councilwoman Bittner countered that voters deserve involvement on a question of this magnitude. Because the city has devised a time line for some elements of the issue, the city will proceed as quickly as possible with the special election. City officials directed that work begin Friday. The choices will be to issue a general obligation bond or a revenue bond. A general obligation bond requires voter approval, and the ballot Utahs Unemployment Up in January Utah's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged up slightly '.n January to 6.1 percent, according to the Utah Department of Employment Security. The January unemployment rate was only slightly above December's 5.9 percent unemployment rate and it does not mark any significant departure from unemployment rates reported for the past nine months, the department said. The states unemployment rate has been fluctuating around 6 percent and January's slight increase does not mark a departure from particular trend, said Ray Sargent, the departments labor marthis ket economist. Although we haven't seen downward motion lately, the curof a rent rate does fall seven-tenth- s percentage point below Utahs January 1985 rate and the state is still running approximately one point below the national average, he said. January's increase in employment over the previous years January rate continued to run just under the three percent market at 2 9 percent. There were 17,600 more non-far- jobs this January than last, Mr. Sargent said. With the exception of coal mining, the rest of the state's mining industry, primary metals, electric machinery, chemical and petro- leum products manufacturing along with the railroad transporta- tion industry continued as weak employment sectors. area Bright spots in employment included coal mining, where employment was up 8 percent over the previous years January level, Mr. Sargent said. In addi-tioemployment in the Column 4 See non-far- B-- t; L residents will see in April will presumably ask them whether or not lo issue that type of bond. Jj If it is approved, the city would, be able to issue the preferred genevtl obligations bonds. Their attractiveness stems fron the lower interest e rate they carry. That reducticn would range of a percentage half to point. Over the life of a bond issjSe lasting 20 to 30 years, the city coqjd save an unknown, but significant, amount of interest pj If voters reject the general obliajjj-tio- n bond, the city would then turn o the revenue bond option. The declifle of the first will automatically lead the use f revenue bonds, City Cbunfll members said. The reason the move is automatic, they say, is because the city must either restore its current space or prei pare another. We have no option. We have to have a place to live," Council Chair. man Hardwick said. Another aspect of the entire question is where the city will go while either the building is restored or neW space is constructed. K The city has been evaluating our choices, and on Thursday it was given a financial comparison of those. Based on those figures, discussed at a meeting closed to the public, the city will begin negotiating for space at the Commerce Financial Center build- froa three-quarte- rs J . i ing. 324 S. State St. , |
