BY BILL DEAVER
 

Boron plans for growth in 2004

Borax plans for the next 40 years

BY BILL DEAVER

BORON - Kern County Supervisors are expected to take action early in January to allow Southeast Kern's largest private employer to expand its mining operations as it faces the final four decades of operation.

Approval of a conditional use permit (CUP) recently okayed by the Kern County Planning Commission is one of the biggest issues facing Boron as it enters the new year.

Also on the agenda for local leaders are efforts to develop other job opportunities, expand medical care, improve retail opportunities, and continue to attract travelers off the Highway 58 Freeway.

Borax plans

The Borax CUP combines several existing permits into one, which is expected to make it easier for county officials to monitor operations at the huge facility, one of two major deposits of borates in the world.

Borax wants to expand the mine's "footprint" from its current 1,731 acres to a maximum of 3,254 acres, if necessary, and expand overburden piles as needed.

Boric acid operations would be expanded, increasing the Boron boric acid plant's capacity by 90,000 to 100,000 metric tons by 2005. The plant currently produces 260,000 metric tons annually. Borax officials say the expansion is needed "to meet the growing global demand for boric acid."

The planning commission considered the proposal at two public meetings and heard testimony from a handful of residents of Cherryhill Drive objecting to terms of the CUP. Before approving the CUP, commissioners tightened requirements for mitigating dust from mining operations.

Medical services

Topping the Boron Chamber of Commerce's agenda for 2004 is improving and expanding medical services in the community. The chamber is working with the Muroc Healthcare District board of directors on efforts to increase the numbers of hours and days the local clinic is open. One option being considered is contracting with the Tehachapi Healthcare District to operate a rural health clinic like the ones it operates in Mojave and Tehachapi. Another option involves attracting a Lancaster physician to operate the clinic.

In addition to operating the clinic, the Muroc Healthcare District owns the ambulance operated by Hall Ambulance to serve Boron, Desert Lake, and North Edwards.

Specific plan

Updating the Kern County Planning Department's specific plan for Boron and Desert Lake is also on the Boron chamber's agenda. Community leaders met recently with Kern county Planing Director Ted James to ask that the planning document be updated. James said the effort will begin when funding is available. The department completed a new specific plan for Mojave in 2003.

Retail and jobs

Efforts to attract additional retail outlets and jobs to Boron are underway, the outgrowth of a community needs assessment sponsored by U.S. Borax. Residents responding to the assessment listed jobs and youth recreation opportunities as major priorities for Boron. Boron businessman F.O. Roe is spurring efforts to attract additional retail businesses to the community.

Tourism has become a significant business in Boron, as travelers on the 58 freeway visit the 20 Mule Team and Vernon P. Saxon Aerospace museums and the U.S. Borax visitor center. Several restaurants and antiques businesses cater to the visitors.

MULE TEAM that once carried borax from Death valley to Mojave is the internationally-recognized symbol of U.S. Borax, East Kern's largest private employer, which plans expansion in 2004. U.S. BORAX PHOTO
 
 
 
 

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