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Show Volume II , Issue VI Page 7 The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS March 2000 Dear Friends of Ogden Canyon You joined us before—will you join us again? Ogden Canyon is among the most beautiful places in northern Utah having been designated as a scenic byway. We are trying to keep it that way, but need your help. Our canyon needs a unified voice to seek the preservation and restoration of its scenic and aesthetic value to canyon users, residents and enthusiasts. Places such as the Ogden Canyon have a long history of being “improved” beyond recognition as the once scenic and wild places. A “close to home example” is the once beautiful Weber River, which has been straightened and lined with stone, and Weber Canyon paved with a four-lane highway. I’m sure you have a story of some location where these things have happened, and probably wonder how it did happen. With the building growth in the Ogden Valley and its effects on the canyon, we need your help and membership which strengthens the organization, broadens our support base, and increases our influence. We have reduced the taxdeductible yearly membership dues to $10.00 which includes a subscription to the publication carrying the Ogden Canyon Club newsletter. Since the club is a nonprofit, privately funded organization, we can also accept donations. One more request from you! Please join us at our Annual Membership and Election Dinner at the GrayCliff Lodge on Tuesday, March 21, Social at 6:30 p.m. and Dinner at 7:00 p.m. Cost is $12.00 (includes taxes/gratuity). RSVP to Judy Macner 392-1205 NLT March 20. Election results will be announced. Here is your chance to become part of your community! If you, or someone you know (with their approval) want to serve on the board, enter your/their name next to the position of office on the nomination form and send to Judy Macner, 154 Ogden Canyon, Ogden, Utah 84401 OR bring it to the dinner. It would be great to see you there!! ALSO, we are going to add another T-shirt design to our previous collection. Of course we will hold a contest (to include a prize) for the best T-shirt design submitted by one of our members. Please submit your design at the dinner, or send to Judy Macner. Here is your chance to become part of your community! Simply put, we need your help! OGDEN CANYON CLUB BOARD The Art of Destroying Under The Guise of Progress By Lorine Murtagh Have you, as a canyon dweller, noticed the huge influx of traffic within the canyon? I have and it worries me. I have been told throughout my life to look for the “red flags” heralding either a good or bad situation. What is happening in the canyon is a huge red flag! It signals that changes are coming to the Ogden Valley and the canyon in terms of growth—population as well as traffic. I am becoming more and more concerned about the minute-byminute movement of BIG oversized construction equipment and building material convoys. They represent growth—change. They are not the normal weekend traffic created by people enjoying the recreational facilities nestled in the mountains, boating on Pineview Reservoir, winter sports, or citizens just wanting to take in the scenic beauty that the Valley has to offer. I don’t quite understand why the current wide-load and weight limit laws are not enforced which would cause them to traverse Trappers Loop and Highway 84, but that would just be a temporary fix. What I see is change on a permanent basis, and I don’t like it. You ask what I don’t like? If approval is given for the proposed two shopping centers—one, touted as a “low-key up to four-story village-like shopping center” located on seven acres at the corner of State Road 39 and the road to Snowbasin, and the other one a “90,000 square-foot twostory shopping complex designed with “Italian-Western building facades” located next to the American Legion Hall and designed to give you the feeling of walking down a street in Park City, how will Ogden Canyon handle all the traffic? The build-up of Snowbasin Ski Resort with its accompanying plans for year-around facilities has to also be thrown into this equation. How will the canyon road and residents cope with the traffic as the success of these malls will depend upon shoppers from others outside the valley? The title to this article is “The Art of Destroying Under the Guise of Progress.” The Ogden Canyon would be destroyed by a few developers who, for some reason, want to turn Ogden Valley into another Park City, which is only a 45-minute drive away. I ask them why they can’t invest in a commercial development over there knowing that Ogden Canyon cannot handle the traffic....plain and simple? Are you willing to destroy one of the most beautiful and pristine natural wonders of Northern Utah? Heaven forbid to even think that the Ogden River, which has been designated as a Class A fishing river, would one day be harnessed by a cylinder of cement like the Weber River so the roadway could be widened to accommodate shoppers on their way to the upper valley. I dare say the majority of the canyon residents and upper valley folks live there for a reason—to get away from traffic lights and congestion, strip malls, and large commercial developments. The sign located by the Pineview Dam says “Scenic Byway” and that is what it is supposed to be. At the present it is a gorgeous view—the dam to the left, farmland-looking center and to the right, encircled by forests and mountains. A real picturesque view not to mention the serenity it brings as you gaze at the white church nestled in the rural atmosphere, or watch the Trappist monks harvest their fields. As Robert Williamson wrote, “Is the shadowy canyon just a slash in the mountain, nothing at all to get excited about? I glance downward at the river water; the light reflecting off its surface like the twinkle in an old friend’s eye. I peer into the river’s depth and see its secret life. A world of aquatic insects and predatory trout. The magic of the canyon and its river does not end for me when I leave the canyon’s mouth. I carry its coolness in my bones; the beauty of its landscapes remain in my eyes, and the sounds of its river forever ring in my ears. These images and feelings are vivid and alive when I close my eyes, no matter where I am. The shadowy canyon is more than just a slash in the mountain. It is something for all to get excited about!” I encourage all of the canyon dwellers and Canyon Club Members to help manage growth and change that will affect your lives forever. Attend the Valley Forum Meetings held at the Ogden Valley Library at 7:00 p.m. every second Thursday of each month. This forum is a combination of the East Huntsville Planning Commission; LibertyNordic Valley Planning Commission; the Eden Planning Committee; and the Huntsville Planning Commission, to include representation from the Ogden Canyon Club, and the Ogden Valley Pathways Committee. It is open to the public. OGDEN CANYON CLUB MEMBERSHIP AND DONATION FORM The Ogden Canyon Club needs your support. Annual membership fees are only $10.00. Your membership, and active participation, strengthens our organization and helps increase our influence. Your dues include a monthly subscription to the publication carrying the Ogden Canyon Club newsletter. Please help us by joining today or renewing your membership. The Ogden Canyon Club is a non-profit, privately funded organization; therefore, donations are welcomed. MEMBERSHIP: $10.00___DONATION: $_____ NAME____________________________________________________ STREET__________________________________________________ CITY__________________STATE____________ZIP______________ TELEPHONE NUMBER_____________________________________ Additional family members:___________________________________ Mail your payment to: Ogden Canyon Club c/o Colleen Camp P.O. Box 1766 Ogden, Utah 84402-1766 Pieces of Dreams Timeless gifts and cherished keepsakes for those not content with the ordinary Floral Arrangements Unique Baskets Collectibles Bridal Registry Eclectic Accessories & Furniture Linens Monday - Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Trends & Traditions 266 Historic 25th St. Ogden, Utah 84401 (801) 394-4157 |