TICABOO -- A Canadian mining company that bought a mothballed uranium mill in southern Utah has now acquired the entire private community.

Toronto's Uranium One Inc. bought the town for its housing. The property includes mobile home and RV parks, the infrastructure for a housing subdivision, a restaurant and convenience store. The deal even came with a boat.

Wyoming-based U.S. Energy Corp. had owned the mill and town and sat on the assets for more than two decades, waiting for the uranium market to rebound. It operated the mill for less than three months in 1982, when the market crashed.

It sold the mill for $6.6 million and stock in Uranium One, plus the promise of royalties. The price for the town was $2.7 million.

"Housing is in limited supply in this area," said U.S. Energy Chief Executive Keith Larsen, "and Uranium One has recognized the importance of owning a fully developed Ticaboo town site to accommodate its employees as it prepares the Shootaring Canyon Mill for full production."

Only half a dozen homes have been built at Ticaboo, but Larsen said numerous sites in the mobile-home park are filled by employees of Dennison Mines, which operates a mine about eight miles away. Other employees stay regularly at a local motel.

The demand for housing is expected to emerge when Uranium One wins approval from the Utah Division of Radiation Control to resume mill operations.

"We'll be starting from scratch, so we'll need to hire a work force," said Chris Sattler, senior vice president of investor relations for Uranium One. "This town site will provide our work force with a cheaper form of accommodation."

Uranium One has operations in Kazakhstan, South Africa and Australia, and was eager to expand into southern Utah because of its relatively high grade of uranium deposits. Also, Utah is a hedge against political instability in less-developed countries.

News of Ticaboo's acquisition pleased Garfield County Commissioner Maloy Dodds.

"Anything that develops southern Utah excites me," he said, citing Dennison's ongoing operation and the refiling of thousands of uranium claims originally staked in the 1970s before prices plummeted.

Dodds said a study is close to being done assessing the possibility of extending power lines to Ticaboo, which depends on diesel-fueled generators.

Ticaboo is a Paiute word meaning "friendly."

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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com