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The latest skirmish in the Ute Indian Tribe's long-standing battle with Utah has erupted in Myton.

Leaders in the tiny Uinta Basin town insist the tribe must get city approval for a community center already under construction.

But Ute leaders, claiming sovereign rights as a Native American tribe, are plowing ahead — literally.

The dispute threatens to up-end a project that everyone agrees would be good for a Myton, a one-mile-square Duchesne County town of about 600 located 17 miles west of the tribal headquarters at Fort Duchesne.

On Jan. 26, the tribe's contractor started clearing land near 100 South and 100 East across from a dilapidated existing community center, according to Valentina Sireech, marketing director of Ute Tribal Enterprises.

The town "respectfully requests and urges" for the work to stop in a Feb. 5 letter to the tribe, saying it could demolish the building if it is not completed in compliance with state laws and local ordinances.

"We are not against the center. We would be happy to work this out," said town attorney Craig Smith. "We would like to bring these issues out in the open so there won't be a claim that we sat by silently while we let the tribe build this."

But Ute leaders refuse to halt construction. They consider the parcel tribal trust lands because it is among a patchwork of plots throughout town that weren't patented during the homesteading era.

"We knew those were tribal lands, there was no mistake," said Sireech. She said the tribe had switched building sites at the request of Myton Mayor Kathleen Cooper. "I'm friends with Kathleen. I'm shocked it has turned out this way."

A life-long Myton resident, Sireech helped secure financing for the 4,600-square-foot center from the Uintah Basin Revitalization Fund, which taps severance tax revenue from oil and gas development.

The new center will host art classes, youth programs, healthy living workshops and a gallery for art and photography. It also will be available to host traditional wakes for Ute families to honor departed loved ones.

The tribe's existing building is too small to be used as a community center and has fallen into disrepair, according to a tribal press release last week.

"The Ute Indian Tribe will continue to proceed with construction of the facility without regard for the bellicose threats made by Myton's attorneys," the release stated.

Bubbling beneath the fight is a 40-year-old lawsuit the Utes brought against the state and Duchesne and Uintah counties, contending the tribe holds jurisdiction within the historic boundaries of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation.

Local sheriffs, police, prosecutors and state troopers do not have the authority to arrest and charge tribal members for crimes allegedly committed in "Indian Country," the tribe contends. At the same time, the tribe asserts it has unfettered control over lands held in trust for the Utes by the federal government.

Attorneys for the Utes say prior court decisions back the tribe, which never ceded its sovereign authority over those lands as the government sliced into the reservation to accommodate Anglo settlements a century ago.

State and county leaders, however, say given the patchwork nature of federal and private land ownership in the Uinta Basin, the tribe's stance is unworkable because patrol officers cannot always know whose turf they are on or who's behind the wheel of a swerving vehicle.

Despite several rulings from higher courts, the dispute defies resolution and the Utes refiled their original suit in April 2013, adding Myton and other municipalities as defendants.

"We don't want to get in a standoff with the tribe. This has been a very expensive experience for Myton. We would be just as happy if we were never brought into this," Smith said. "We would like to see the fighting stop. We are an innocent bystander."

The underlying lawsuit is now on its sixth trip to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, where appeals lodged by both sides were argued Jan. 22.

The very week work started on the community project last month, a federal judge in Salt Lake City formally dismissed Myton from the Utes' lawsuit, finding that the town's one-square-mile footprint is not Indian Country. Smith cited the ruling in the town's Feb. 5 letter, disputing the tribe's claim that it owns the land. He noted that Myton's streets and alleys also are on unpatented land.

The letter invited tribal leaders to meet with the mayor and other town officials.

"The Town believes that historically it has enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship with the Tribe," the letter states. "Myton is willing to work cooperatively with the Tribe and help the Tribe gain the necessary permits and approvals for the center."

In its Feb. 11 response, the tribe rejected the town's invitation because Ute leaders believe there is nothing to discuss.

"The State of Utah and its political subdivisions and municipalities have no governmental power over Indians on Indian lands. Therefore, the land in question is not subject to Utah state law or Myton municipal ordinances," wrote tribe attorney Frances Bassett.

As in the town's letter, the tribe has offered an olive branch, promising to make the new community center open to all Myton residents, just as the current community center has been.

"The Tribe foresees these opportunities, which will be available to the public, providing cultural awareness to the surrounding area and fostering a true sense of community," the tribe's press release said. "Particular focus will be placed on promoting services and a safe, healthy environment for the youth in the area who will benefit greatly from the support that can be provided through the new facility."

Twitter: @brianmaffly