Echo resident Frank Cattelan said he is against a proposal to build a military and law enforcement training facility on 2,500 acres in the North Summit area.
The project is drawing criticism from many people on the East Side of Summit County. Critics claim the facility would be a major fire hazard and could contaminate water in the Coalville area.
The training exercises on the property would focus on military exercises, including vehicle and sniper training, use of communications equipment, surveillance and counter surveillance techniques, according to Summit County planners.
But a recent wildfire near a military shooting range in Salt Lake County has Cattelan on edge.
“We’ve had a fire right behind our place,” he said. “You’ve got no communication up there. If a fire was coming, you’d have to get down to Echo to call the fire department.”
The Eastern Summit County Planning Commission is scheduled to continue discussing the proposal on Wednesday. The meeting is slated to begin at 7 p.m. at Kamas City Hall.
Utah-based ChamTech Enterprises has applied for a permit to develop the facility northeast of Echo on private property that is currently used as rangeland.
Residents packed a hearing in August to speak out about the proposal.
“The public hearing was pretty contentious and there were a lot of very valid concerns that were raised,” Summit County Planner Kimber Gabryszak said. “The biggest concerns were both fire danger and whether or not they have legal access to the property.”
At issue is whether people are permitted to use the Sawmill Canyon Road for commercial activities. Nearby property owners, who are opposed to the proposal, claim the road can be used for private or agricultural uses only.
But fire danger is the major concern of most people, Gabryszak said.
“They have had some smaller fires in those areas and the concern is that if there were to be a fire there is no easy access for firefighters to get in there,” Gabryszak said. “All of the fire suppression would most likely have to come from the air, which is extremely expensive.”
Though machine guns and explosives would likely be banned at the site, Gabryszak said many wildfires are caused by “human activities.”
“So if they have sparks from shooting a gun or if a four-wheeler or ATV throws off a spark then it could cause a fire,” she said. “Or also if someone up there is smoking or has a campfire and those types of things.”
Another hearing is scheduled Oct. 20, according to Gabryszak.
“[ChamTech is] trying to respond to the concerns,” she said. “They’re still moving forward with the review process. As to what the outcome will be I can’t speak to that. We are weighing all the concerns very carefully.”
The Planning Commission would need to justify a denial of the permit application.
“In order for them to deny it they would have to make pretty solid findings,” Gabryszak said. “But in a case like this, where there are so many concerns, it’s not unreasonable to think that denial is a possibility.”
ChamTech officials were not immediately available to comment.