Community members showed up in force at Vernal City Hall on Wednesday evening to learn about and give input on the options Vernal City is considering in regards to the Lamplighter Inn property. Vernal City Council member Ted Munford led the discussion and shared that in 2022, Vernal City learned of soil contamination on the adjacent property to the Lamplighter Inn block. Environmental testing was performed and the findings showed that a leeching chemical plume was found underground caused decades ago by a dry cleaning business dumping chemicals into a ground drain. Thankfully, for now there are no public health concerns with culinary water or air quality but chemical cleanup will need to take place, including on the Lamplighter block. Munford also shared that Vernal City has been exploring the purchase of the Lamplighter property through a federal grant for the past 4 years and while a negotiated sale has been the preferred route to acquire and improve the property, there remains a significant gap in negotiations with the property owner seeking a price far above the appraised property value. With the property in a state of blight and now with the environmental cleanup required, the third option of seeking condemnation of the property was brought before the public for input. During the near hour and a half of public comments received, majority of the commenters shared support for the acquisition of the property, including through process of condemnation if necessary. The main concern expressed if the City obtains the property without burden to the taxpayer is how the City would manage the operations and maintenance costs of whatever the block is then used for. A second story on the public comment and proposed town square will be shared in a news story on Friday, June 7th.
