But does it look nice?

Safety and aesthetics were the top concerns raised by the Saratoga Town Council in regards to a proposed bulk propane storage facility south of town during their January 19 meeting.

The facility, which will be constructed and operated by Blakeman Propane, is just outside town limits on property owned by Arthur Ingleby.

Due to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Town of Saratoga and Carbon County approved on July 2, 2019, however, the county is required to solicit comments from the town council.

As was reported previously (see “What a gas” on page 1 of the January 20 Saratoga Sun), the project was discussed by the Saratoga Planning Commission, Councilmember Ben Spaulding and Mayor Creed James. While the planning commission met on January 12, comments were due back to Carbon County Planning and Zoning by January 13.

Will Zilka, representing Blakeman Propane, appeared before the governing body to address safety concerns over the facility.

According to Zilka, the facility planned for Saratoga is just one of 24 similar facilities planned throughout the state of Wyoming. The bulk storage facility would have two 30,000 gallon propane tanks on a two-and-a-half acre parcel along Wyoming Highway 130.

It was this proximity to the highway that seemed to be the point of most concern for members of the council in their comments to the county and which Zilka addressed.

“While I genuinely appreciate the concerns (the) council and other people have about the project, I can assure you no one’s more motivated to do it right than Blakeman. We’re not going to make money if we do it slipshod (sic) or do it unsafe and our people work with and around this stuff all the time,” said Zilka. “So, we’re going to be sure to follow all the rules and standards that we set for ourselves in addition to what are set for us by NFPA 58, which is the standard for all things propane.”

Zilka informed the town council that Blakeman Propane had submitted an approximately 50-page document to the Wyoming State Fire Marshal for the facility. Following approval by the state fire marshal, Zilka said Blakeman Propane began to work with Carbon County Planning and Zoning. 

According to Zilka, the state fire marshal told the Wyoming-based propane company that they were able to build their facility alongside the fence line separating the highway right-of-way from the Ingleby property. The Wyoming Department of Transportation, requested the facility allow for five feet of space in case of fence maintenance. Carbon County Planning and Zoning, meanwhile, had informed Blakeman Propane that a 50 foot setback was required for the facility.

“So, we’re asking for a variance not because of a safety concern, we’ve addressed all that, but because anything we’re going to have further out is going to be a drifting concern on the east side of that. So, all of our bulkheads have to be on the west and north side,” Zilka said. “Accessing our tanks and being able to pump propane in and out of them, we pretty much have to have them on that side.”

One of Spaulding’s concerns centered around the potential of a bleve, or boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion. A bleve is an explosion caused by the rupture of a vessel containing a pressurized liquid that has reached temperatures beyond its boiling point.

“The tanks themselves are incredibly strong. This is three-quarter inch steel sitting atop 12 inch I-beams,” said Zilka. “We’ve got 2,500 pound blocks perimetering this thing, plus we’re 100 feet or better from the highway, plus we’ve got the right-of-way, plus we’ve got (a) six foot chain link fence.” 

Pat Walliser, fire chief for the Saratoga Volunteer Fire Department, informed the council that the fire department had reviewed the documentation provided by Blakeman Propane. Following that review, according to Walliser, many of their concerns were addressed. 

Councilmember D’Ron Campbell raised the aesthetic concerns, pointing out that the facility was in sight of a subdivision. Councilmember Jon Nelson echoed Campbell’s concerns, referencing the Town of Saratoga’s 2016 Master Plan. This 256 page document, which was published following multiple years of community input, is also referenced in the MOU between Saratoga and Carbon County.

“The input of the community was put into this and I think a lot of people that have spoken to me, and maybe some who haven’t, feel like we need to be really sensitive to what we encourage to be developed and how we encourage those corridors coming in and out of town to be developed,” said Nelson. ““That certainly hits on the aesthetic issue of trying to make those gateways as aesthetically pleasing as much as possible. I kind of looked at it more from a 20 year, big picture perspective of how we’re going to grow into these highway corridors on each side of town.”

Nelson further added that his concern was that, with the construction of the Blakeman Propane facility, it would encourage the development of a light industrial area along one of the gateways to Saratoga. While Zilka clarified that Blakeman Propane was only leasing the property from Arthur Ingleby, Nelson reiterated his concern over the entry corridors.

“My personal opinion as one member of the council to the county planning and zoning board was that this corridor needs to be protected in a way that maybe it’s not being protected right now,” said Nelson.

No formal action was taken, as neither the Saratoga Town Council nor Saratoga Planning Commission have any authority. Zilka, however, requested that the Town of Saratoga write a letter to Carbon County stating that Blakeman Propane had been in attendance to address their concerns.

A public hearing before the Carbon County Planning and Zoning Commission will be held at 10 a.m. on February 1 with another public hearing held on March 2 before the Board of Carbon County Commissioners. 

The next meeting of the Saratoga Town Council will be at 6 p.m. on February 2 at Saratoga Town Hall.