Castle Valley Fire Protection District
Castle Valley Fire Commission
April REGULAR MEETING
Thursday, April 9, 2026 6:00 pm
2 E Castle Valley Dr, Castle Valley, UT 84532
Attending:
Maggie Peikon
Mitch Stock
Ron Drake
Mike Wakeley
Jazmine Duncan
Carol Drake
Regular Meeting:
Call to Order: 6:04pm
Public Comment:
Approval of Minutes from February: Approved, unanimous
Administration Issues: Transferring Zoom Account
Bill's account will remain active until April 2027, so we will revisit getting the Fire Department an account in March 2027.
Chief's Report: Ron Drake
Engine 1 filled with water and battery charged. Price of repairs on Engine 1 came to a bit over $3,000 altogether.
Stand by for burn on April 3rd
Regular insurance due in June 2026.
Weeding done around Station 2, needs to be maintained a few times/year.
Contacted OutBack to disable the foam system on Engine 37. They've been working on the engine and it may be ready to pick up in a week or two.
Sent Dan Thurgood an email that we were expecting a community meeting before he got too far along, but it sounds like he's ready to go and has been getting information from the counting on zoning, etc. but Ron reiterated that we should have a meeting to talk about it. Dan said that the county has a setback of so many feet and the location that he originally selected does not allow for that setback, so he is going to select a different location.
We have 1-2 permits for burning daily. We are still listed as 'moderate' fire danger, so people are still burning tumbleweeds until it's declared to stop burns.
Treasurer's Report: Carol Drake, Mike Wakeley
Our PTIF is a little over 90k ahead of last year.
$5,750 donations
Total repairs and maintenance - Enginge 1 & Engine 35 & Engine 37, for maintenance we are $2554.72, using into our maintenance fund.
Total income for the month $4,404.32
Total repairs and maintenance less than 14% of our budget used
*Note to move this item further down the agenda so that Carol can make it in time to discuss as well.
Discussion and Possible Action: Updates on Engine 37
Fixing some leaks
Didn't note any major issues
Discussion and Possible Action: Updates on Cell Tower
Trying to get a town meeting with Dan
Need renders, the balloon test
Interest in a survey/count of who is for/against
Mitch noted that us turning it down does not mean a tower won't be coming somewhere else in the Valley, and that if CVFD accepts there is a bit more control over where it goes. If we reject, we could suggest some other places. Could possibly go on BLM land or Castle Valley Academy.
Still exploring the opportunity to have our repeater updated for better communication.
Ron reads Dan's email 'Verizon Wireless has approved of this site location and would like to move forward. I have requested a title report on the property and then will get a surveyor scheduled. Is there anything you would like from me before we get a surveyor on the property? Also, I dug into the zoning code with the county and it appears that everything should work for having a tower on the property. The downside, however, is their setback requirement from any property line. We will probably have to place the tower in a different location on the property to meet setbacks.'
Roof height of fire department is about 20ft tall for reference, wondering if there is potential to drop the height of the cell tower (minimum is 60-80ft) the higher it is, the more carriers that can use it, which in turn means more $ to the FD if the tower is on our property.
Mitch shared that Starlink is coming out with a big update for satellite communication
Discussion and Possible Action: MOU Updates
Jocleyn went through and updated the existing MOU with Jazmine's updates.
Still some questions about who should sign it, did we want to set a trigger point for cost for initial attack within the town boundaries - Jazmine asked 'have we ever had to ask for payment from someone for initial attack?' There is no recollection that we've ever billed the county, but is there a point where an initial attack is going to be so costly that it would automatically get turned over to the state. Mitch doesn't see the initial attack being a big drain on resources and Jamzine agrees, 'it's what we do.' Ron noted that the last time some spent the night on a fire was at Castle Creek, Jazmine agreed remembering that we've done it several times taking shifts. Ron says to this point nothing has been a drain on resources, and Mitch says it's not currently an issue that he feels we need to address in the MOU. Jamzine suggests putting in a clause that reminds us that if/when we need to revisit it we will. Jocelyn said you could hold an emergency meeting to clarify with the town if funds are ever needed.
Possible clause to add: 'The CVFPD acknowledges that there may be circumstances in which response costs exceed anticipated levels. In the event that an initial attack or response effort is projected to reach a cost threshold that could necessitate transfer of management to the State or require additional funding beyond what is outlined in this agreement, the Parties agree to promptly confer. If needed, an emergency meeting may be convened to review the situation, clarify roles and responsibilities, and determine whether additional support or funding from the County is appropriate.'
Discussion and possible action on long term planning, fire dept. needs, priorities, vision and policies: development of standard operating guidelines, policies and procedures.
Dan (Verizon) has joined the call. Dan is happy to fill everyone in on where they stand with Verizon.
Dan asked if there were initial questions - Mitch said we would like to do a public meeting, rendering, and balloon deployment for visuals. It's taking time to get the project approved by Verizon, but we have gotten past that hurdle. Have the budget and funding to get the preliminary survey completed which allows them to put together the design. Need that design to be able to plan/schedule any public/neighborhood meetings and do any renderings. So on track still to work towards those public meetings, just have a few more steps to work on. Hopefully in the next few weeks will have that preliminary design done and then can talk about where and when the best place to be to have our first meeting to present the project to the community.
Before that, Dan said Chad Bryce is looking to schedule a visit with Rocky Mountain Power to ensure the power is sufficient for Verizon's needs. He will be the next person to visit and will coordinate with Ron just for awareness. (CVFD is welcome to join and be there to ask questions if desired) Chad will oversee the construction aspects, so is great resource to talk about anything construction-side.
Dan also wanted to share as a reminder that CVFD is not obligated to move forward with this project until the lease agreement is signed. Lease agreement should be in the next few months.
Mitch asks about putting the tower further up the valley on BLM land and Dan's position on that. Dan says they could go on BLM land, but BLM requires them to try to work with everyone else first before they will entertain the project. Dan would have to deliver 3 options that fell through before they can present to BLM.
Jocelyn asks if you can make it look like a tree, and Dan said that that is a possibility. Jocelyn asks if it has a light on it - and it does not, unless a light is required by CVFD.
Verizon's preference is to go with 80ft, but we could go with 60ft. Dan could design it for 60ft and then drop a 20ft tower segment next to the tower that can be added later if another carrier wants to join. It's engineered to be extended, but does not need to be 80ft from the getgo. For all carriers to be able to access, it's best to be 80ft tall.
Mitch noted that we do not require a light to be on it. Ron was curious if it was an option to have a light you can turn on and off (on if we needed it for a helicopter landing)
$1,000/month income from Verizon only, additional $200 per carrier after Verizon.
Adding a donation button the CVFD landing page for people to make donations to the Fire Department.
Carol potentially able to set up a 501c3 for CVFD?
Closed Session (if necessary): personnel matters, awards; recognition program, etc.
Adjourn: 7:32pm
Notice of Special Accommodations (ADA)
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals needing special accommodations (including auxiliary communicative aids and services) during this meeting should notify Leta Vaughn at 435-259-2364.