‘Been a long time coming’: 20-plus years of hard work pays off for Short Creek utility needs

Written by Nick Yamashita
April 12, 2023

ST. GEORGE — Short Creek community leaders and residents of Hildale and Colorado City, Arizona, welcomed a new era in partnership as the natural gas pipes were opened — a 20-plus-year vision coming true.

Short Creek mayors opened the gates for natural gas service after 20+ years of work, Colorado City, Ariz., March 29, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Heather Musser, St. George News

The long-awaited vision of transporting natural gas from Hildale over the state border to Colorado City came to fruition March 29 when Colorado City Operations Manager Weston Barlow cut the ribbon at the doorway of the fenced-off gas gate station located at 1220 W. Uzona Ave. near the state border on the Arizona side.

“It has been a long time coming,” Hildale-Colorado City Utilities Board Chair Arvin Black said in welcoming those who attended.

Colorado City Mayor Howard Reams and Hildale City Mayor Donia Jessop both turned the valves to open the pipes for the gas.

Jessop opened the gate from Hildale to Colorado City, while Reams opened the gate that allowed the gas to flow into the pipelines of Colorado City.

As previously reported by St. George News, the vision started during the late-1990s. But the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Natural Gas Act made it illegal to transfer natural gas over state lines.

“Many people have put in their time without compensation to get this moving forward and continue to move forward,” Black said.

Local leaders Erwin Fischer, Dan Barlow, David Zittting and Lee Bistline Sr. were among those who started the project and have continued to work on it, along with employees of the local utility department. Weston Barlow was recognized as the main proponent of the project crossing the finish line.

The main speaker at the ribbon-cutting was former Colorado City Mayor Dan Barlow, who served as the first mayor from 1985 until his resignation in 2004.

“I am so pleased,” he said.

Dan Barlow (L) was the keynote speaker for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which resulted in natural gas being serviced to Colorado City, Ariz., March 29, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Heather Musser, St. George News

During the process, he said community leaders had to fly to Washington, D.C., to meet with every agency and representative for approval to transport the natural gas they had purchased from Hurricane to Hildale to Colorado City. Despite these efforts, more paperwork was required by those entities.

“It was a challenge,” Dan Barlow added. “It was a big challenge.”

When they first started the vision, the communities were trying to get a power plant going but needed powerlines and gas lines built prior to having the plant up and running.

“The man who did the most was Erwin Fischer,” he said. “He was a very outstanding man in pressing forward and accomplishing these Herculean tasks.”

Barlow said Fischer was the catalyst in obtaining permission to transport natural gas over state lines as well as the implementation of a power plant for the communities.

The former mayor complimented those who worked out a solution and achieved approval for the project, which included the current mayors.

“This community has grown and is at the crisp of greater growth,” he said.

Hildale Mayor Donia Jessop, Colorado City Mayor Howard Ream and Utilities Director Weston Barlow opened the gates for natural gas service to Colorado City, Ariz., March 29, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Heather Musser, St. George News

Nathan Fischer, the nephew of Erwin Fischer and representative for the joint utilities department, summarized the history, the set-up and the final approval received in November 2022 to transport gas across state lines.

He said the bid for building the pipeline from Hurricane was about $10 million, but they went with a local business and were able to do it for about $2 million.

The pipelines have been in place since the power plant was built and opened on Feb. 4, 1997. The pipelines involve an 8-inch line from Hurricane to Hurricane Hill, where it switches to a 10-inch line.

The very first gas line was installed June 1, 1999.

Colorado City residents were able to be serviced with propane gas as regulations were different than natural gas. The Colorado City Gas Department made the deliveries of propane by pipeline and truck delivery until the power plant closed down, then it was put under the utility department.

Fischer said there are now 302 natural gas meters in Hildale and 400 propane meters in Colorado City. He said there will be lots of orifices that must be changed out, but he said they have a good staff and it will get done in good timing.

Both mayors have said multiple times, the importance of the two communities working as one, and on March 29, they gained a huge step in that pursuit.

“Thanks to these mayors, the efforts and visions continue,” Black said.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nick Yamashita has extensive experience reporting for small town media, covering a variety of subjects and events for The Virgin River Times and The Progress in Southern Nevada. Before a career in journalism, he worked a variety of jobs in criminal justice systems. Yamashita holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a master's degree in interdisciplinary studies from Southern Utah University. He is an award-winning photographer and writer. He has been published in scholarly articles and poetry compilations. In his spare time, he practices and teaches martial arts.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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