On September 5, the Monument Replacement and Restoration Committee (MRRC) met to finalize a request for proposals from Utah counties for grants to protect or rehabilitate the state’s section corner monuments.
Section corners in the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) form the foundation for all descriptions of private property and public land boundaries in Utah. As property descriptions are all ultimately described using the exact location of the physical survey monuments as a starting point, it is important that the monuments are protected and, as a backup, their locations are collected and preserved.
In the 2017 General Session, the Utah State Legislature dedicated $150,000 to the County PLSS Grant Program to be distributed by the MRRC (established in Utah Code 63F-1-510, opens in a new tab) “to assist counties in maintaining and protecting corners or monuments.” That funding was divided and distributed to twelve counties, who were awarded contracts according to their proposed needs. (There were also PLSS efforts in FY2016; learn more about those efforts in this map journal, opens in a new tab.) This past 2018 General Session, the Legislature dedicated the same amount for the PLSS Grant Program.
Accordingly, the MRRC is currently looking for proposals for using these 2018 General Session funds. Per Utah Code (63F-1-510 Subsection (3)(b)(i), (ii), and (iii)), and as referenced by the MRRC in notifying the counties of this opportunity:
(b) A county wishing to receive a grant under the program described in Subsection (3)(a) shall submit to the committee an application that: (i) identifies one or more monuments in the county that are in need of protection or rehabilitation; (ii) establishes a plan that is consistent with federal law or rule to protect or rehabilitate each monument identified under Subsection (3)(b)(i); and (iii) requests a specific amount of funding to complete the plan established under Subsection (3)(b)(ii).
The committee also informed counties that “Grants will be awarded by the committee based on the evaluation criteria provided in the attached documents.”
If you would like to submit an application for this program, email the grant application and supporting documents, opens in a new tab to Denise Peterson from UGRC at denisepeterson@utah.gov | 385-392-4011, or Sean Fernandez from UGRC at SFernandez@utah.gov | 801-209-9359. Applications are due by October 5, 2018, at 5:00 p.m. MT