Blanding talks food truck park, EV police fleet

by David Boyle
News Director
The Blanding City Council approved an annexation declaration, and spoke about a veterans memorial, an electric vehicle fleet, and a food truck park at their latest meeting.
Members of the Blanding City Council approved an Annexation declaration of restrictive condition as part of their August 13 meeting.
City Manager Trent Herring explained the updated declaration will require any property that gets a connection to any utilities serviced by the City of Blanding outside of city limits sign a contract that states that if the city ever wants to annex that property into city limits the property owners can’t fight it.
Herring said that a similar requirement had been in place about 20 or 30 years ago but it changed to just have the requirement for water users. City council members unanimously agreed it was time to have the covenant come back.
Blanding City Council also heard a proposal from resident Tony Wojcik for a Veterans Memorial on city property.
Wojcik explained the proposal would be for a memorial at what he dubbed as clock island, which is the triangle shaped piece of property the city owns where Center Street, Highway 191 and 200 East meet.
The proposed memorial was described as virtually maintenance free and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 
The design would include a plaque, a Gold Star Wall engraved on black granite with a bench in front of it, as well as an American flag pole with a light in its center.
Wojcik shared he had $200,000 in funding for the project and asked for the council to give their blessing to move forward with the creation of a committee to develop drawings and plans for the site.
Members of the council gave their approval for the project to move forward.
As part of a discussion, city staff and council showed enthusiasm for a proposal to designate a food truck park in the City of Blanding.
Herring shared one proposal that would possibly use the city owned lot on the corner of Main and 200 South.
Similar food truck parks exist in nearby Moab and Durango, and Blanding has seen an increase in food trucks operating in town, as food trucks have a lower barrier to entry for businesses rather than operating a brick and mortar store.
One item of concern raised by council is the possible impacts on neighbors, but generally the council and staff seem in agreement that they’d like to further explore the option.
Monson concluded the conversation by adding, “It’s one of those things where the council is not saying we’re doing it tomorrow, but there’s enough support to see what that would look like and how those impacts would affect the area.”
Blanding City Council also held a discussion about a grant that would provide for an electric vehicle (EV)  fleet for Blanding City police.
Herring explained a grant writer who grew up in Blanding approached the city about possible involvement in the grant. Herring explained the city would only do it if it is 100 percent grant funded and if Police Chief JJ Bradford is open to the idea.
The grant would cover the cost of vehicles, infrastructure for charging stations, and the cost of maintenance to vehicles. Herring shared that the grant writing group noted Blanding’s small size is a plus for the project. 
City staff also noted they wouldn’t want to make a complete EV shift at once but gradual if the city were to pursue the program. 
Council member Charlie Taylor expressed some concern about the program.
Taylor works as a Lieutenant with the Utah Highway Patrol and noted that Blanding City Police does assist at times outside of city limits, which could be a concern depending on the mileage remaining on the battery of a vehicle.
Taylor also noted that law enforcement keeping their cars on at all times could impact the life of the battery, both short and long-term.
Taylor noted that he’d like to speak with the police department in Indiana that went all EV to find out some of the concerns and potential drawbacks.
Herring added that a large reason for exploring the grant would be the potential savings, including 10’s of thousands of dollars for a new vehicle, plus the modest savings monthly in gas prices.
Herring said if the city moved forward with the grant, they’d continue to budget for cars if the department needs to make a sudden change to purchase new gas vehicles. But if the program works, those funds could go towards other needs in the department.
Council informally signaled support for further research into the possibility of applying for the grant.
Blanding City Council also held a discussion regarding the Blanding Senior Citizens Center. 
Herring and Council member Cheryl Bowers met with County representatives at the request of citizens about the use of the county-owned building for senior activities.
Funding for the county program goes toward feeding lunch to residents at the center. A proposal by the city would have the city fund a volunteer paid position through the county to run activities for Seniors.
The county reported they’d be willing to entertain the idea with city staff agreeing to look into the potential costs for the city.