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From Quartzsite Times - Blythe,CA,USA
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
City may partner with local farm to build fuel station
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
By Marty Bachman
The Blythe City Council discussed the possibility of entering into a partnership agreement with Hayday Farms to build a Liquidified Natural Gas and Compressed Natural Gas (LNG/CNG) fueling facility on Intake south of Interstate 10, at their meeting on June 24.
According to acting City Manager Butch Hull, the city, which has been planning to build a CNG station, was approached by Hayday Farms' Dale Tyson about partnering in the facility. Hull said that Hayday recently purchased 20 LNG fueled semi-trucks for delivering loads of hay into the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.
"Their immediate expectation is to fuel 20 trucks, five days a week from a temporary fueling trailer to be located on South Lovekin," Hull wrote in a staff report to the Council. "Tyson expects to put these units in service within the next 60 days. As Council is aware, the Palo Verde Valley Transit Agency has also had a standing mandate to convert its fleet to alternative fuels. The above availability would allow that conversion to CNG vehicles to take place immediately."
Hull said that Tyson was more under the gun than the city, which has been searching for a site for their CNG station for the past couple of years, and that Tyson had "done his homework" prior to making his request to the city.
Hull told the Council that the intent of any approved Memorandum of Understanding between the city and Hayday Farms would be to outline their contractual relationship, determine the longevity of the station operation, guarantee public access and provide a fair governmental price relative to the public investment.
Mayor Robert Crain expressed concerns about public access, noting that he would like to see the station accept credit cards and be open 24 hours a day. He said that the station would be the only one between Avondale to the east and Palm Desert to the west.
If an MOU is approved by the city's Redevelopment Agency, which will invest $100,000, it must still meet approval from the other stakeholders in the project, Palo Verde Transit Agency, Riverside County ($100,000), Mohave Desert Air Quality Management District ($375,000), and Riverside County Transportation Commission ($155,587).
Hull proposed that a four-acre site be set aside from the net 78 acres that the city owns at 14th Ave. and Intake Blvd.
"While the initial project envisioned for that corner was a casino and another 3 acres for a County Fire Station, the reality is, there is no certainty of either development," Hull said. "The Intake property has definite advantages for this use that all of the other sites in aggregate can't produce."
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
City may partner with local farm to build fuel station
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
By Marty Bachman
The Blythe City Council discussed the possibility of entering into a partnership agreement with Hayday Farms to build a Liquidified Natural Gas and Compressed Natural Gas (LNG/CNG) fueling facility on Intake south of Interstate 10, at their meeting on June 24.
According to acting City Manager Butch Hull, the city, which has been planning to build a CNG station, was approached by Hayday Farms' Dale Tyson about partnering in the facility. Hull said that Hayday recently purchased 20 LNG fueled semi-trucks for delivering loads of hay into the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.
"Their immediate expectation is to fuel 20 trucks, five days a week from a temporary fueling trailer to be located on South Lovekin," Hull wrote in a staff report to the Council. "Tyson expects to put these units in service within the next 60 days. As Council is aware, the Palo Verde Valley Transit Agency has also had a standing mandate to convert its fleet to alternative fuels. The above availability would allow that conversion to CNG vehicles to take place immediately."
Hull said that Tyson was more under the gun than the city, which has been searching for a site for their CNG station for the past couple of years, and that Tyson had "done his homework" prior to making his request to the city.
Hull told the Council that the intent of any approved Memorandum of Understanding between the city and Hayday Farms would be to outline their contractual relationship, determine the longevity of the station operation, guarantee public access and provide a fair governmental price relative to the public investment.
Mayor Robert Crain expressed concerns about public access, noting that he would like to see the station accept credit cards and be open 24 hours a day. He said that the station would be the only one between Avondale to the east and Palm Desert to the west.
If an MOU is approved by the city's Redevelopment Agency, which will invest $100,000, it must still meet approval from the other stakeholders in the project, Palo Verde Transit Agency, Riverside County ($100,000), Mohave Desert Air Quality Management District ($375,000), and Riverside County Transportation Commission ($155,587).
Hull proposed that a four-acre site be set aside from the net 78 acres that the city owns at 14th Ave. and Intake Blvd.
"While the initial project envisioned for that corner was a casino and another 3 acres for a County Fire Station, the reality is, there is no certainty of either development," Hull said. "The Intake property has definite advantages for this use that all of the other sites in aggregate can't produce."
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