Davis County high school graduations

Bountiful High School: Friday, June 5, at 7 p.m. Bountiful Regional Center (This is a change from last issue, listed incorrectly as Thursday.)

Clearfield High School: Thursday, June 4, at 4 p.m., Dee Events Center

Davis High School: Friday, June 5, at 4 p.m., Dee Events Center

Layton High School: Thursday, June 4, at noon, Dee Events Center

Northridge High School: Friday, June 5, at noon, Dee Events Center

Syracuse High School: Friday, June 5, at 7 p.m., Dee Events Center

Viewmont High School: Thursday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. Dee Events Center

Woods Cross High School: Friday, June 5, at 3 p.m.,

Bountiful Regional Center

Refinery officials finally meet with WX

WOODS CROSS — Woods Cross leaders finally met with Silver Eagle Refinery officials, the first meeting in what both sides agree will be better communications between the city and the refinery.

City officials have been frustrated with refinery officials, after trying to get some answers concerning the Jan. 12, 2009, explosion which injured four people.

Refinery officials, along with South Davis Metro Fire Agency Chief Jim Rampton and Woods Cross Police Chief Paul Howard met in a work session prior to the regular council meeting Tuesday, where improved communications, a public open house and a citizens advisory committee were discussed.

Still, council member Jon Hadlow expressed his frustration that no one from the refinery had discussed any of the refinery’s plans with city officials. “I’m disappointed you didn’t take a more proactive stance (about the refinery explosion). We had to come to you.”

Refinery manager K.B. Carroll responded they held two meetings for Woods Cross residents and got only 25 and 30 people at them. “We would have loved to have 400.” But council member Dave Hill said if the refinery got 25 or 30 people at their meetings, they should be happy. “We only get that many (at city council meetings) when there’s something big on the agenda. People don’t respond until it affects them.”

While a date wasn’t set for an open house, a late summer date was discussed. The advisory committee, made up of city officials, city and county emergency personnel, refinery officials and Woods Cross residents-at-large will meet later this month at the refinery.

Refinery officials would not discuss the specifics of the explosion, as it is still under investigation by the U.S. Chemical Safety Hazard and Investigation Board and by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), but they agreed to contact city officials in the event of an emergency, or even during a training session, or Environmental Protection Agency inspections, because anytime it appears there’s something going on at the refinery, the city receives calls wondering if there’s an emergency. “Maybe the incident’s not an emergency, but we get calls, and its much better if our response is ‘yes, we know what’s going on and this is what we’re doing about it,’” Mayor Kent Parry said.

Refinery officials promised to add the city to its list of people to contact with notifications when anything is going on. For incidents not of an emergency nature, Parry said, “Just shoot us an email. We don’t want this to be a burden for you.”

Some of the communications problems on Jan. 12, had nothing to do with refinery personnel, but with keeping the public appraised of the incident and with evacuation procedures.

To address those problems, Howard presented a Silver Eagle Incident Response Plan Tuesday night, a plan which outlines the role Woods Cross Police would play in the event of another incident at the refinery.

mwilliams@davisclipper.com