EVANSTON — A highlight of the March 19 meeting of the Evanston City Council was a resolution asking the council to approve a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the boards of county commissioners of Lincoln, Sweetwater and Uinta counties and the cities and towns located within those counties regarding impact funds associated with construction of the Project West Solution Mine and Soda Ash Plant to be located near Granger in Sweetwater County.

Several council meetings prior to the March 19 meeting, city attorney Mark Harris had alerted the council to the proposed $1.2 billion Project West Solution Mine and Soda Ash Plant.

The project has now submitted an application to the Wyoming Department of Environment Quality (DEQ) and to the Industrial Siting Commission (ISC). It is recommended that the local governments considered to be primarily affected by the proposed project agree to an MOU regarding the impacts faced by local governments from the project in order to determine an amount of and schedule for payment of impact assistance funds for the Project.

The rules of the ISC define the phrase “area or local government primarily affected by the proposed industrial facility” as “any defined geographical area in which the construction or operation of the industrial facility may significantly affect the environment, population, level of economic well-being, level of social services, or may threaten the health, safety or welfare of present or expected inhabitants” and the definition includes “any such county, incorporated municipality, school district, or combination thereof formed under Wyoming Joint Powers Act.”

“This is a huge project and we need to allow for the impact on the police and fire departments, public utilities, roads and all first responders,” Harris said. “Rocco O’Neill received data from Sweetwater County that shows a formula for determining impact for the two years of 2025 and 2026. Impact for Uinta County on housing including hotels, motels, RV camp sites will be about 3.3% of the total impact on all counties which is about $25 million.”

Harris said another plant will be going through the same process in June 2024 and that plant is projected to be four times the size of the Project West Solution Mine and Soda Ash Plant.

“This is definitely a good project. The county addressed this earlier today,” Mayor Kent Williams said.

The council voted unanimously to agree to the memorandum of understanding with Lincoln and Sweetwater counties and municipalities.

Other business included granting a street closure request to Jon Pentz for the Evanston Car Show to be held on Saturday, July 27, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A motion to accept the bids for excess or surplus property from the public auction was approved.

A waterline development agreement for sharing of costs with Uinta School District No. 1 was discussed. The agreement was to replace the 8-inch pipe, which is 40 years old, with 12-inch pipe. The line runs down the west side of the high school, and connects to Twin Ridge and runs down to west Cheyenne Drive.

Harris explained that an agreement was drafted by former director of engineering and planning Dean Barker. After Barker left employment, the project was released for bid and the current bid went over the engineer’s assessment. 

Harris referred the council to the contract with the district, which states in item j. “The District shall submit all requests for changes in work which exceed a total of $50,000 for the Project (the Force Account Work) or any requests for extension of the Project completion date, as established in the contract documents, to the City for approval and to do so in a timely manner.”

“The bid from Lewis & Lewis of $1.2 million is $100,000 over the estimate,” Harris said. “If they need an extension of time that will also have to be reviewed and approved.”

The waterline development agreement was unanimously approved by the council.

Residents on City View Drive may be happy to know that WYDOT will be starting reconstruction of City View Drive in late April and plans to complete the project before school starts in the fall.

“In 2020, the contract with WYDOT was signed and this resolution for an amendment to the cost portion of that contract brings it up to date for the funding of the reconstruction,” city engineer Damon Newsome said.

The city council approved the amended contract with WYDOT.

Mayor Williams said it is a great benefit to the city to partner with WYDOT.  He added that the summer will be difficult with the work being done on both the 6th Street overpass and on City View Drive, but it is necessary.

Evanston Police Chief Mike Vranish asked the council to approve an MOU with the Wyoming Attorney General and the division of criminal investigation (DCI) to provide funds to the EPD for the high intensity drug trafficking area program.

“This is a recurring contract we have with the DCI and the funds provide the wages and overtime pay for one full-time officer to focus on these particular crimes,” Chief Vranish said.

The council approved the MOU with the DCI and the Evanston Police Department.