Paris Hills Phosphate Mine Proposal

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

Dave Kramer, Vice President of Paris Hills a subsidiary of Stonegate Agracom, (http://www.stonegateagricom.com) came to the Rich County Council, as a courtesy, to talk about the Paris Hills Underground Phosphate Mine which his company proposes to build on leased, private land between Paris and Bloomington, Idaho.  They acquired the property in 2009, and there has been some exploratory mining completed in 2010 and 2012.

The feasibility study was completed in 2012. They believe that initial construction will begin in the fourth quarter of 2014 and initial mining in early 2015 if permits are approved.  The project boundry is in the west hills of Bloomington.   The phosphate rock is transported directly from the mine to market after crushing in limited surface facilities.  They believe that the expected life of this mine is 19 years.   Only 300 acres will be disturbed but grazing can continue on the rest of the land.

At its peak, there will be 358 employees.  Including 88 management workers, 36 surface personnel  and 234 underground personnel, skilled equipment operators and certified electrical technicians.  Kramer said that they will pull people from 1 and ½ hour away from Kemmerer to Logan.  Wages will be high.  Employees in training will be paid $26 an hour, skilled labor,$30 to $34. Electricians will be paid $35-$36 an hour.  It is competitive with the rest of the mining industry.

The mine will use a lot of electricity.  The company is in the process of negotiating with Rocky Mt. Power. Highway 89 will be impacted as there will be trucking 12 hours a day 5 days a week.  Every six minutes one truck will leave the site, cross Highway 89 to a county road, then reappear near Ovid and run through Montpelier and on to Soda Springs.  A bypass road between Ovid and Montpelier will be built if the mine is successful.   There will be a conveyer at the site.  At peak mining operations they will produce a million tons a year.  They will have a small waste rock pile of non-saleable grade phosphate.   

They plan to de-water the existing aquifer to get to the underground phosphate.  The hydrologists estimate that 16,500 gallons of water per minute for a significant period of time will empty the mine.  The pumped water will be injected into the Salt Lake Formation which is an aquifer east of Paris and Bloomington and is in tightly bound clays and silt at a depth of about 2,500 feet below the valley floor. The water will be pumped out of the mine by 17 dewatering wells and pumps and should not affect local wells.  The mine’s water is so much deeper than the surface wells. There are 8 groundwater monitoring wells and other technology to monitor water. 

Reclamation planning has been done for waste and water treatment.  There have been nine environmental studies done.  They must permit through county, state and federal agencies.  Over 60% of the project is on private land which only need state permits.  They will wait to excavate the small part which is federal land to get federal permits.  Trucking will be bid from private companies.  Rich County Commissioner Tom Weston asked if it will affect surface water, Kramer answered that the hydrologists say it will not.

Bloomberg Business Week describes Stonegate as: "Agricom Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of agricultural nutrient projects in the Americas. The company produces and supplies phosphate rock concentrate that is used in the Stonegate  manufacture of phosphate-based fertilizers. Its principal projects include the Paris Hills phosphate project that consists of 3 patented lode mining claims and 21 contiguous fee parcels covering an area of approximately 1,010.5 hectares located in Bear Lake County, Idaho; and the Mantaro phosphate project that encompasses 54 mineral concessions covering an area of approximately 27,500 hectares, located near the city of Huancayo, Junin District, Peru. Stonegate Agricom Ltd. is headquartered in Toronto, Canada."  They currently have 27 employees.

Their 52 week stock high was .89 cents, at the time of this article, the stock was trading at .19 cents on the Toronto Stock Exchange.  Their top compensated officials are:  (From Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

Stonegate Agricom Ltd (ST) Top Compensated Officers

Mr. Mark N. J. Ashcroft M.Sc., P.Eng.

Chief Executive Officer, President and Direct...

Total Annual Compensation: C$375.0K

Ms. Germaine M. Coombs B.Comm., CMA

Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of...

Total Annual Compensation: C$220.0K

Mr. David Paul Kramer P.E.

Vice President of Operations

Total Annual Compensation: C$160.4K

Mr. James P. Geyer

Vice President of North America and President...

Age: 61

Total Annual Compensation: C$238.8K

Mrs. Lorna D. MacGillivray LL.B

Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate...

Age: 61

Total Annual Compensation: C$210.0K

New Conservation Easement in Rich County

Birch Tree Conservation

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah.  January 8, 2014.  Birch Tree Conservation Easement  is a protection for 6,446 acres of grazing and  hunting lands on the north and south  of the Monte Cristo Road which will be held by Rocky Mountain  Elk Foundation,  Dan Dygert brought in the baseline plat for the county records.  “It is good that they are preserving this , because it is pretty prime development property,”  Said Tom Weston.  This easement is now protected in perpetuity.  This keeps it as open space for grazing and hunting, wildlife and agriculture. They have reserved full grazing rights.  There are tax benefits to land owners who put their land in conservation easments.

Alan Barbar and his family will manage the grazing.  He currently leases land to Bill Steward who has cattle grazing until July when he takes the stock off so that cover can grow back for good hunting.  There will also be fenced acreage for sheep grazing.  The primary purpose of this easement is to protect wildlife.

The Unmuddled Mathematician

My Internal Processor

Chris Coray, The Unmuddled Mathematician

Maybe it was Aristotle who said, “Moderation in all things”.   Certainly that is an often quoted phrase with respect to advice for human behavior.   However, there are aspects of my personality that are in direct contradiction to that advice, sometimes causing stress for those in my family. 

One issue is my need to have stuff work or always being ready to work.   My wife, Bobbie, and our kids know all too well that if some piece of equipment fails then I am all over it.  Now.  Not in an hour.  Not even if the whole family is sitting in the car and we are about to depart for California.  My internal processor will not permit me to have a piece of our support infrastructure in non-operational mode.

 I am the kind of guy who has backup systems for everything, sort of like the International Space Station.  For example, in our house here we have two furnaces, two propane fireplaces (that do not require electricity), an emergency propane-fired heating stove, and of course, a backup generator of substantial size.  On the positive side that means that we are unlikely to ever be cold.  On the negative side that also means that should any one piece of my system stop working then I cannot be at peace until it is repaired, even if it requires that I break up normal daily routine, often interrupting some ongoing activity that may include others not in my family.  This may not be polite on my part.

Bobbie and the kids dread telling me about something that has broken because they know of my single mindedness in getting it repaired.   Normal human behavior shuts down in my actions.  This behavior attribute of mine needs an acronym.  We’ve all become familiar with OCD, ADHD, etc.  My problem can be briefly described as, “Needs universe to conform always supremely effectively.”   The problem with the acronym for this condition is that it works out to NUTCASE.   Well, it is what it is.

To give you an idea how far over the edge I’ve gone,  think about what happens if you get a flat tire.  You change to the spare, and then you get another flat tire before you can race to the repair shop (which in my world is now the first place we’re going) and get the first flat fixed.  The solution to the initial problem is that all cars should have two spares.  But then, …  you see where this is going.  To give you another example, I have two computers with the same stuff on them and I have a complete hard drive backup besides.  These are just two tiny examples of a mind gone amuck.  In my imaginary world, everything always works, which is of course not possible.  Hence backup systems and backups for backups.   Is there a support group for guys in my corner of the world? 

It all started with “Screwdriver” Bob Timmerman.  Bob went to high school with me and always, and I mean always, had a screwdriver in his pocket.  During gym class he had to carry the screwdriver in his basketball shorts, so he sewed a pocket in them to carry the life-saving repair tool.  But he always had the screwdriver and once tightened a loose screw in the gym floor during a game in which he was playing. This story is true.  He was my idol.

To all I’ve offended with my clearly crazy behavior, I apologize, but I don’t know if I can be cured.  Frankly, I am also a little suspicious of the “Muddled Male”, who I think should go through a metal detector to check if he has a concealed screwdriver (no permit required).  He may be a member of NUTCASE.

By the way, it was Aristotle, who posited that “Moderation in All Things” in all things was a good idea. He needed a screwdriver.

Short Term Rental Approval, Council Assignments & Building Permits

Kathie B. Anderson, Reporter

Rich Civic Time

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  January 9, 2013.  Eddie and Tracie Garcia, 429 Raspberry Patch Road, Bear Lake Project Management were approved for short term rental licenses, as were  Jerry and Connie Hunsicker, 509 Raspberry Patch Road, Bear Lake Project Management.

Council Member, Darin Pugmire, discussed the current parking ordinance; Mayor Sphuler discussed the Council Member roles and responsibilities.  Bess Heufner-Parks, Trails, and Raspberry Days. Chuck Stocking, Operation/IT Technology, Darin Pugmire, Planning and Zoning, Bruce Warner, Water.  Mayor Sphuler asked that if a Town Council Board Member had any questions or concerns to communicate personally with each other.  Council Member spending limit is $1500.00 The Bid process and Bid amounts were reviewed. 

George Peart, Rich County Building Inspector reported that no new permits have been issued.  Last year 31 permits were issued.  Peart is working on his Residential Building permit and will begin working on his Commercial Building permit.

Garden City Public Works Report

Kathie B. Anderson, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  January 9, 2014.  The Garden City Town Council held their regularly scheduled meeting  and heard an update from Riley Argyle, Public Works Department which included the following:

Water master plan

       . On July 9^th JUB ran some flow test

       . Pulled data logs from big meters for JUB

       . Working with Lewis and Young Engineering on impact fees and rates

Garden City Gun Range

     .  Project in conceptual phase

     .  Can receive only one hundred thousand in funding from state

     .  Signed an M.O.U. with the county

     .  Danny White has completed the master plan

Heritage Park

     . The well is done and is on a monitoring device that shuts off when the water drops

     . Waiting on plans to install infrastructure, sprinklers, power, and seed

Heritage Park Pond

     . Have dock for ADA at the fish pond

Light Project

     . Four lights are left to be installed

300 West (South) Water Line/Ditch Work

     .  Started the ditch work, and have most of the pipes for project

     .  The project needs a 14” line installed for bypass reasons and to serve properties along with water and fire flow.  The line will need to be installed from 300 W/US 89 to Buttercup.  Public Works will try to do some of the labor themselves, but the materials will be a major project.

Idaho Water Meters/Line

     . Two meters are left

GIS Mapping

     . The new unit is working and have collected GIS points, and have all the valves for the south end of town up to 300 West

     .  Put 100 new points on the map

     .  Most of the water meters on the south end of town are done

Garden City Park

     .  Add more parking to the south and east of park

     .  Build a new well to run the sprinklers

     .  Help Lance Bourne move his shed down by the beach bathrooms

Shundahai Subdivision

     .  Pump house was flooded due to vandalism, this issue is being resolved

     .  Easements, right of ways, or deed shave not been received. (Overdue as of December 31, 2013)

     . Dam on their storm water collection pond as been cut

     . Power is not installed correctly

The Public Works Department needs to update their ordinances and standards bonding.  Snow removal has gone well, the salt and sand is holding up.  New cutting edges for the loader plow were purchased.

Winter At The Lake

New Garden City Officials Sworn In

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah. January 6, 2014.  There was a special meeting held by the Garden City Council to administer the Oath of office for those coming onto the City Council.  The Oath of Office was administered by Sharlene Millard, the Assistant City Clerk.  Those being sworn in were John Spuhler, Mayor; and new council members Chuck Stocking and Bruce Warner.

There were several family members of these winning candidates who attended the meeting to witness the administering of the Oath of Office

Rich County December Sheriff's Report

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah.  December 2013.  There were sixty incidents that occurred during December.  Half of these incidents occurred in Garden City.  Sixteen were in Randolph, seven in Woodruff, and six in Laketown.  There was also a burglary at the north end of the County.

There were four citizen assists, three alarms, three traffic accidents with damage and three traffic hazards in Garden City.  There were two animal problems, two citizen disputes, two civil processes, two medical emergencies, and two suspicious persons/circumstances.  There was one each of the following: an assault, a domestic disturbance, a fire, lost property, a traffic accident with injuries, a trespass, and a VIN Serial number Inspection.

Laketown had an alarm, a fire, a fraud, a medical emergency, and two traffic hazards.

Randolph had an agency assist, four citizen assists, two civil processes, a criminal history, a controlled substance problem, a fire, two medical emergencies, a traffic accident with damage, a traffic accident with injuries, and two thefts.

Woodruff had an animal problem, three civil processes, two traffic accidents with damage, and a traffic hazard.

There were 15 traffic citations and violations.  There were eight in Garden City, one in Laketown, three in Randolph, and three in Woodruff.  Of these citations, one was passing the yellow line and 14 were speeding.

Garden City Library Year At A Glance

Kathie B. Anderson, reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah, January 11, 2013.  The Garden City Library was very involved during the calendar year 2013.  There was an increase of 56 new card holders, of those 114 are non-resident card holders and 379 are resident card holders, with 3 being exceptions.  Resident circulation was 88.06 % and non-resident circulation was 11.94%.   Currently there are 15,042 catalogued items in the library.  Patrons have access to Utah State Library’s online Library, “Pioneer” with thousands of titles including audio-books and periodicals.

The library offers Internet access, copying, scanning, faxing, and proctoring exams to the public.  Many programs during 2013 included a preschool “Parent & Me” story hour where 579 children learned songs, played games, made crafts, and listened to stories.  There was a youth summer reading program where 42 children participated, Kathi Robertson was the special guest and brought dinosaur paraphernalia and taught facts of our pre-historic earth to more that 90 people. 

 

The youth summer reading program concluded with a pool party and drawing for prizes.  A book club for adults was begun where several copies of the same book can be checked out at no charge.  An adult literacy program was put into place, and the 2013 year ended with a Christmas drawing providing books, videos, and gift certificates to patrons who came in during the month of November and the first part of December.

Volunteers and library board members held two major fund raisers in 2013.  The annual community rummage sale brought in over $1,734 and Burke Christensen’s 67 mile run around the Bear Lake brought in $2,761.  Fifty two volunteers offered nearly 266 hours at the library. 

The Garden City Library is open 4 days a week for a total of 20 hours a week.  During the calendar year 2013 6,240 patrons, 3,985 adults, and 2,255 children visited the library.  Each event takes considerable planning, time, and energy.  The Garden City Library and Board would like to thank everyone who has volunteered or made generous contributions helping make 2013 a great year! 

Outgoing Library Board Members were Jeff Probst, Susann House, and Debbie Forakis.  Pat Argyle was the Garden City Town Council representative.  New Library Board Members are Cyndi Caldwell, Doris Mellor, and Sharai Hardinger.  Chuck Stocking is the Garden City Town Council representative.