By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News

It was a full house for the Price City Council on Wednesday, Sept. 24, as the city prepared to present its first batch of ‘Take Pride in Price’ winners in addition to the city’s ‘You’ve been Recognized’ award.

Kicking off the meeting, Taren Powell with Emery Telecom approached the council to make a $10,000 donation in support of the Price City Pickleball Courts. Price City Mayor Mike Kourianos also provided an update on the state of the court’s construction,” I think the bottom line to the community is that, yeah, we got set back with the flooding,” adding that a request for proposal was expected to be completed by spring of next year.

Moving forward, the council celebrated the winners of the inaugural ‘Take Pride in Price’ competition. Jen Boshard took the silver medal, earning $100. “The way I see it is that if you start something, it makes a ripple effect, like the drop in the river or the water where it makes that little effect, where other people want to do it,” she said. “So, I think it just shares our light and spreads that light around with everyone else.”

Coming in first was Kerry and Robin Lunt, “When we first got that house, there was nothing in the yard. We’ve been trying to get it all together. And trying to set an example for the other people down the street on both sides.” For their hard work, the couple received $150

The city also took the time to present several citizens with the ‘You’ve been Recognized’ award. The first was presented to Barbie Haeck for her work in planting flowers around the Carbon County Administration Building. Next was Gary Blake and the Crestview Drive neighborhood, which organized a community cleanup on a vacant plot of land to assist the city.

The council also recognized Gary Christensen, Wade Williams, Alan Peterson, Ed and Tara Knight, the Vasquez Family, and Paul Guzman.

Continuing the theme of charity and civic improvement, the council sought to approve a property donation from the North Park Estates. It was explained to the council that, under its current ownership, there was nothing citizens could utilize it for, ultimately concluding that it would be better off in the hands of Price City. When put to a vote, the council unanimously approved the donation.

Moving to civil services, the council approved a subscription to MaintainX asset management software to help keep track of work orders across the city more efficiently. Public Works Director Miles Nelson shared that this change is primarily due to a discontinuation of support for the current system the city utilizes. The item was passed unopposed.

The council then moved into a public hearing to gather public comments on the authorization of up to $14 million in taxable water and sewer revenue bonds to help construct water system improvements. City Attorney Eric Johnson spoke on the necessity of the project,” Up on Soldier Summit areas where the city has its springs, and it has a main line bringing water down the canyon, I have been informed that line was put in the 1930s. Now, a water line like that would have an expected reasonable life of 40 or maybe 50 years, and we’re approaching 90. Which means it has been well-managed and well-used. So, that’s what the project is.”

To fund the project, which is expected to total $15,197,000, the city has obtained a grant to cover $4,559,000 of the total cost, with the remaining expense to be covered by a $10,638,000 loan. Johnson explained that this would be a low-interest loan with a rate of 2%. The reason for the request of up to $14 million was to help cover any unexpected costs associated with the project.

One citizen approached the podium and asked if this loan would lead to another increase in water rates. The council explained that the purpose behind the original increase was to help fund projects like this and acquire grants from state organizations.

City Financial Director Lisa Richens also implored citizens to reach out to local leaders and city offices with any questions instead of waiting for public hearings.

Closing the hearing and moving into a vote, a unanimous decision was reached, approving the authorization.

Following this, the meeting was adjourned.

The next meeting of the Price City Council is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 5 p.m. at Price City Hall. For those unable to attend in person, a video stream of the meeting will be available on YouTube at KOAL-Castle Country Focus.

Watch the full meeting here: