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Land north of the Spanish Fork Airport is photographed on Friday, May 19, 2023. The land and airport are part of the proposed 2,200-acre Spanish Fork Inland Port footprint.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

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Area map of the proposed Spanish Fork Inland Port.

Courtesy Utah Inland Port Authority

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A wave of muddy water laps up on shore near the Lincoln Beach Marina on Monday, June 22, 2020, west of Spanish Fork.

Isaac Hale, Daily Herald file photo

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Just over a month after the Spanish Fork City Council approved a resolution allowing the state government to move forward with plans to potentially create a new inland port in the city, a town hall meeting will bring together stakeholders from across industries with the general public.

The meeting was organized by environmental advocacy group Conserve Utah Valley and will be held June 8 at 7 p.m. in the Spanish Fork Library.

“We decided to organize a town hall where we would have government leaders come speak, we’d have people from the public come speak, we’d have people in the agricultural community attend and be able to ask questions, and so that way we can get a better understanding of it and make more responsible choices,” said Adam Johnson, executive director of Conserve Utah Valley. “The concern here is that with how fast this is moving, people that live in Spanish Fork aren’t even aware that it’s happening in their backyard.”

If the plan moves forward, the “satellite port” in Spanish Fork would be around 2,200 acres and include approximately 10 million square feet of industrial space, according to the Utah Inland Port Authority.

Environmental Justice indexes created by the Environmental Protection Agency and included in the state’s draft plan show the area ranging from the 80th percentile in Utah for wastewater discharge (72nd percentile nationally) to the 29th percentile for ozone impacts (72nd nationally). Other indexes include particulate matter (46th percentile in Utah), air toxics cancer risk (61st percentile), hazardous waste proximity (75th percentile) and more.

Johnson added that the goal of the town hall is to ensure “no projects get pushed through without responsibly looking at the project and looking at the implications of it.”

According to a press release from the organization, town hall speakers will include Utah County Commissioner Brandon Gordon, Utah Inland Port Authority Executive Director Ben Hart, Brigham Young University professor Byron Adams and Eldon Neves, president of the Lake-Shore Livestock Association and a member of the Central Utah Water Conservancy District.

Before joining the Utah County Commission, Gordon served as a member of the Spanish Fork City Council and is a multigenerational farmer in the city. There will be a question-and-answer portion for attendees after the presentations, which will also be available on Zoom.

“I think too often you think of conservation groups against the government or conservation groups against developers. I’ve been really pleasantly surprised how many people are going to engage in this town hall,” Johnson said. “People will really be able to make an educated decision for themselves where they stand on this.”

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