Officials outline next steps for former UMTRA ‘‘Ultra’’ site as DOE transfer nears

City and county officials on April 17 gave an update on the long‑running effort to plan a future use for the former UMTRA/‘‘Ultra’’ tailings site, saying site cleanup has progressed but that transferable infrastructure and deed restrictions from the Department of Energy remain unresolved.

Saxon, a member of the site‑futures committee, said the site’s tailings are “gone now” and described the committee’s decade‑long public planning process that produced community visions in 2013, 2018 and 2023. Saxon said the committee must produce a list by June 1 of infrastructure items it would like to have transferred with the property so the county and city can guide future planning.

Mary, the other committee presenter, told the joint meeting the committee favors a phased, multiyear implementation and emphasized constraints on the roughly 483‑acre site, saying about 74% of the land is limited by floodplain, rights of way, steep hillside and conservation easements. She cautioned that DOE legacy‑management rules typically discourage overnight uses and said ‘‘every bucket of dirt that leaves that place will have to be tested,’’ creating added cost and liability for construction such as housing foundations.

Commissioner Brian Martinez urged early coordination with DOE legacy management to ensure priorities align. Martinez said county leaders want to avoid a decades‑long gap between transfer and use and suggested asking DOE to perform near‑term low‑liability projects—trails and interpretive waysides—before a full transfer.

Officials said legislation to transfer the land to Grand County is advancing in Congress but remains pending; staff said the transfer may not occur until 2029 and that deed restrictions are likely and currently unspecified. To manage the transition, staff proposed a smaller working group—county and city representatives plus committee members—to produce the June 1 list to present to DOE and then return recommendations to the commission for approval.

City and county leaders also discussed potential funding mechanisms for design and feasibility work, saying past DOE grant opportunities yielded roughly $1.2 million to $2 million estimates for planning and civil work. Speakers emphasized balancing community aspirations—an event center, trails and transit—with the liability the county would accept once ownership transfers.

The county and city agreed to reconvene a public outreach process in 2027 to update the community vision and said they will continue refining a prioritized infrastructure list for DOE. No formal vote was taken; commissioners said they will return the June list to the commission for formal action.