Brice Wallace
A new inland port area in Beaver County could someday became “central hubs for fueling, logistics and emerging industry growth.”
That’s what the Utah Inland Port Authority envisions for a four-zone area of about 19,820 acres. Dubbed the Mineral Mountains project area, it would encompass parts of Beaver City, Beaver County and Milford City.
The port authority board will consider creating the project area at an Oct. 4 meeting in Milford. At a September briefing to the board, Jen Wakeland, Beaver County strategic development director, said the county wants to continue to invest in agriculture but also into agriculture technology, mining, advanced manufacturing, aerospace technology and renewable energy.
“In short, Beaver County is uniquely situated to continue supporting the existing economy and allows for agility to expand into emerging and diverse industries,” Wakeland said.
The four Mineral Mountains zones being considered as a port area are the Milford Flats Zone of roughly 17,115 acres north of Milford City; the Beaver City zone encompassing approximately 2,070 acres; the Milford Depot Zone of about 445 acres; and the Minersville Zone of 190 acres.
Among the area’s advantages are proximity to Interstate 70, Highway 21 and rail access, plus two airports, one of which has cargo capacity.
UIPA documents indicate that the Beaver City zone is suited to trucking logistics because its anchor point is nearest to Interstate 15 and is near the midway point between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.
“Our history as a county is one of resilience,” Wakefield told the board. “We have survived centuries of boom-and-bust economics, both prosperity and turmoil. We have seen the rise of mining, agriculture and rail. We have also seen their decline.
“And yet, here we are, sitting in front of you today, in front of your board, with a proposal at hand — a proposal that we know will be a blessing in the lives of our residents, a proposal that bets on the good established there, and invests in the infrastructure that we have already built.”
UIPA documents indicate that its incentives for companies considering the area will favor those in the following industries: agriculture, agriculture tech, advanced manufacturing, mining, aerospace, warehouse and distribution, research and development and renewable energy.
“While the county has had its share of private-sector growth and contractions, without question both the Utah Inland Port Authority and Beaver County will be better off joining forces to economically empower the community,” the documents say. “This new Project Area will benefit from synergized resource investments, targeted economic growth, and logistics development. The Port Authority will be working closely with the county to identify infrastructure opportunities, durable businesses, grant opportunities, and other efforts that will strengthen the county.”
“Beaver County has been on board since Day One with the announcement of the inland port,” said Beaver County Commissioner Tammy Pearson. “We’ve had the same, similar vision in our area. We’ve been working towards this for long time.”
Pearson said Beaver County has a long cultural history similar to those of other rural counties. “Our biggest export is our children, so we’re working on ways and means of keeping infrastructure built that is going to bring an economic driver to our counties that’ll keep our kids at home.”
Utah has five inland ports, including the initial one in Salt Lake County and four created this summer: the 899-acre Iron Springs Inland Port near Cedar City that is being developed, owned and operated by BZI Steel; the 2,200-acre Verk Industrial Park project area in Spanish Fork; the Golden Spike project area totaling 1,500 acres in Garland, Tremonton, Brigham City and other parts of Box Elder County; and the Central Utah Agri-Park of roughly 35,000 acres in three parts of Juab County.
Ben Hart, UIPA’s executive director, said other project areas to be considered soon are in Tooele County and west Weber County.
“People have asked, ‘Are we just going to keep expanding, expanding and expanding?’ No, we’re not,” Hart said. “There are some people who believe that we will, but we’re going to be very, very prescriptive or very, very deliberative about the project areas that we bring on after west Weber County.”
UIPA has had “really good conversations” with several communities, he added. Places being considered by UIPA must already have a “good, strong rail presence” and “that want us there,” he said, “where can really engage and make a positive economic difference and also logistically as well.”