ENOCH – The Enoch City Council accepted a donation for Rescue Enoch from the Iron County Board of Realtors and discussed the sewer lift station in the Parkview Subdivision at its meeting Feb. 20.

Representatives of the board of realtors were at the meeting to present a $5,000 check for the efforts. After the Aug. 17, 2012 flooding, the board submitted a grant application to the Utah Association of Realtors, and though it took some time, they were pleased to receive the $5,000 to benefit the community, they said.

Mayor Robert Rasmussen said there were still a few projects going on and the money would be helpful, and Council Member Rick Bonzo said with the discounts and volunteer labor Rescue Enoch had secured, $5,000 would go a long way.

Also at the meeting, the council discussed the sewer lift station in the Parkview Subdivision, and will continue to talk with the owners to determine whether the city would like the property. The current owners, who acquired the property through a package purchase that included the lift station land, land east and south of the fissure in Parkview, and land in other areas, approached the city about the lift station property.

They are looking to develop, utilize or get some value out of the properties they have purchased, and Bart Penrod, one of the partners who own the property, said they aren’t necessarily just asking the city to purchase the property. They may be willing to trade water rights or something of that nature.

City Manager Rob Dotson said the city has not budgeted funds for a purchase, but the council can look at a possible trade if they think the city should own the property. Currently the lift station is not complete or operational, but the property has a building and 16 feet of underground concrete that cost the city more than $400,000 when it was put in. It was designed to handle at least 600 homes.

The council discussed the desire to own and protect the investment it had, versus the liability that would arise if the city owned the property. Penrod said while they didn’t want to do away with the lift station, they didn’t want the liability either, and if the city didn’t want the property he wasn’t sure yet what they would do with it.

Council Member Destry Griffiths said he would like to see some development that would indicate the lift station would be useful before making a decision.

Penrod said he believes the city owning the sewer lift station would encourage development because the station is 80 percent in place, and a small developer can’t afford to put in a lift station.

Bonzo said he believes the city and the property owners need to continue to discuss the issue, and he asked Penrod and his partner, Bob Elliot, to come up with a value they would like to get for the property.