Town hears update on new gas plant

MEEKER — Represent-atives from Williams Companies presented information about their new Willow Creek gas processing plant to Meeker’s town board and staff prior to the regular board meeting June 17.
Located one mile south of County Road 5, construction is underway. The plant, a 450-million-cubic-feet-per-day cryogenic gas processing plant which will have the ability to extract up to 30,000 barrels per day of marketable liquids from the natural gas stream, is expected to be in service in the third quarter of 2009. According to Williams’ officials, the plant will cost $350 million, utilize 275 construction employees, create 21 full-time jobs and generate $2 million to $3 million in estimated annual tax revenues.
A wet month of May resulted in the water department pumping less than half the usual amount of water, according to Public Works Superintendent Russell Overton.
Police Chief Bob Hervey said the police department’s numbers are a little bit ahead of this time last year, with 291 calls in May.
Town Planner Anna Smith said the planning department is looking at preliminary plats submitted for the Escondido subdivision.
In the continuation of an April 1 public hearing, the Meeker board of trustees re-addressed “deficiencies” noted in a portion of the Sanderson Hills subdivision agreement between the town and Don Valentine, Golden Parachute, LLC. According to town attorney Gerard Viscardi, the deficiencies have been corrected. The trustees approved a motion that accepts the remediations, authorizes the board to issue building permits and a one-year warranty on the improvements as completed.
In other business, the board:
n Approved a special review use permit request from RE-1 School District and the Town of Meeker to install two 24-foot by 60-foot modular classrooms at the Meeker Elementary School.   
n Approved a report of changes to existing structure for Ol’ Crows Beer and Beverage to add a 12-foot by 15-foot walk-in storage cooler on site.
n Approved a special review use permit request from the Rio Blanco County/CSU Cooperative Extension Office for the construction of an 11,200 sq. ft. 4-H education center and to relocate and rebuild Irwin baseball field.
n Heard and approved the annual audit presentation from Matt Scoggins of Colorado CPA Services. “Our reserves look good,” Scoggins said.
n The board approved a $2,000 donation to the Smoking River Pow Wow committee to help cover expenses for installing temporary lighting. Town Manager Sharon Day said the town has subsidized almost every community event in the past with donations from the community improvement budget, including the sheepdog trials, snowmobile hill climbs and draft horse pulls.
n Regular board meetings will be held July 8 and 22.