At the Aug. 2 Utah Inland Port Authority board meeting in Fillmore, the 11th statewide UIPA Project Area was approved.
The lone public commenter raised questions about how the public was informed in advance of this project. He had asked community members if they were aware a port was coming to their area and they were not. This scenario has played out over and over.
In every project area created, there has been concern voiced over the lack of public awareness of the project before it is approved. These are not small things. Some of these projects are thousands of acres and all will impact communities for decades.
UIPA staff and board members cite adherence to all legal requirements for noticing of these meetings by themselves and local communities. Obviously, there is something wrong here and this is not enough. Whether you love the ports or hate them, no one should be OK with communities only learning about them after approval. Someone needs to do a better job.
Katie Pappas, Salt Lake City