Despite public resistance to a proposed soil repository on SR 248, Recycle Utah is still looking at the Gordo Property as the best option for their new facility.
Recycle Utah has been working with Park City since last summer to find a suitable new location for the recycling center and got the nod from the city for the area of land known as the Gordo Property on SR 248 last June.
The city council also chose the land as the site for a proposed soil repository to hold mine tailings left over from the city’s silver mining days.
Executive Director Carolyn Wawra told KPCW the center’s current location on Woodbine Way is not ideal for traffic flow and a bigger location would work better for the amount of material they accept on a daily basis.
Wawra said moving to a location on the outskirts of Park City across from the Quinns Junction Water Treatment Plant would be ideal for the recycling center.
“We’re kind of right in the middle of the arts and culture district,” said Wawra. “The Homestake lot sits on one side of us, the arts and culture district is on the other side and we’re on a road connecting those two locations. Eventually, we’ll need to move. We’ve been working with the city in knowing that, eventually, we need to relocate. They decided Gordo is a great spot for us. A recycling center doesn’t belong on Main Street, it doesn’t belong in your neighborhood, it belongs in a rural location like this next to public works. It’s a good location for us.”
However, things got complicated when the city’s plans met stiff resistance from residents.
At a public hearing last week on the proposal, the council did not hear a single voice in support of a soil repository inside Park City.
Councilor Max Doilney told KPCW last week the council will be “taking a step back” on the plans. The next city council meeting where the soil repository could be discussed is currently scheduled for August 19th.
Wawra said although the recycling center was planned to share the property with a soil repository, Recycle Utah still hopes to relocate to the Gordo area, regardless of what’s next door.
“Hopefully the spot at Gordo works out,” she said. “It’s a proposed location at this point, but I’m optimistic that it is the right spot for us and it’s just some logistics to figure out who’s our neighbor and how that’s gonna look.”
Wawra said she and her staff are ready to begin the relocation process as soon as a final decision has been made by the city.
