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Show The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Your Community Newspaper August 1, 2003 PRSRT STD POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 11 EDEN UT POSTAL PATRON EDEN-LIBERTY-84310 HUNTSVILLE-84317 OGDEN CANYON- 84401 HCR 843AO Bureau Plans to Erect Ten Foot Vertical, Concrete Wall Across Dam By Shanna Francis Ogden Valley News Firefighters battle blaze near Highway 39 east of Huntsville. Ogden Valley Impacted by Area Fires By Shanna Francis Ogden Valley News On Monday, July 14 a call came in to Weber County’s dispatch office at 2:08 p.m. reporting a range fire in the Evergreen subdivision located approximately 8¼ miles east of Huntsville. The call came from Red Rock Ranch and Outfitters restaurant manager and co-owner Marci Miller who had been notified of the fire by a 17 year-old who, according to preliminary reports, witnessed the fire being started by a 45 year old male operating a track hoe. Apparently a spark, created by the heavy equipment rolling over rocks, ignited the wildfire. Weber Fire District Fire Marshall and Public Information Officer Ted Black stated that the fire burned approximately 486 acres before being contained the next day. Most of the blackened acreage was located within the Evergreen subdivision, with some rangeland being affected in the recreational community of Sourdough. Final reports indicate the fire destroyed one cabin, six trailers, and two out buildings, all located within Evergreen. Evergreen, along with the neighboring developments of Sourdough and Beaver Creek, composed mainly of summer cabins and trailers, were all promptly evacuated, and power was shut off to the area around 9:00 p.m. Highway 39 was closed to traffic between the state sheds on the west and milepost marker 30 on the east. Residents were allowed to return to their homes by Tuesday. Management and control of the fire became a joint effort between the Weber Fire District, Ogden City Fire Department, Cache County, the State of Utah, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Weber County Sheriff’s Department. Black stated, “This fire could have been a lot worse. We were lucky that we were able to respond so quickly. Fortunately we were able to mobilize equipment and resources from the nearby Farmington fire.” The fire was fought on three fronts—by helicopters, tankers, and ground crews. By Monday evening, 90 firefighters were on the scene battling the fire, along with two tankers—airplanes used to spray firefighting chemicals; five helicopters; five full sized engines; eight smaller brush trucks; and five water tenders, which shuttled water to the on ground firefighters. FIRES cont. on page 8 Eden Feasibility Petition Circulating Submitted by Feasibility Committee drates, all while being entertained by a local band. This portion of the event is also open to the general public and guests of the Triathletes. begin the last leg of the event with a run through the town of Huntsville, continuing east around to the Monastery and back. The awards ceremony for the Triathlon Copies of the petition requesting a formal Feasibility of Incorporation Study for a new Eden City are now being circulated by volunteers. Owners of property within the boundary are invited to sign. Only one person needs to sign if the property is owned jointly. If successful, the petition will result in a professional analysis of the demographics of the proposed city, and a budget. It will answer the most common and perhaps most important question—“What will it cost to have a city?” Signatures on the petition will only be Cost for the meal is $10. Reservations may be made by calling The Yukon Grill at 745-9293. TRIATHOLON cont. on page 5 FEASIBILITY cont. on page 10 Firefighting helicopter, the “Red Tomato,” lands behind Red Rock Ranch. OVBA and Tri-Utah Organize First Annual Ogden Valley Triathlon Huntsville, Utah – The Ogden Valley Business Association and Tri-Utah have come together to bring the First Annual Ogden Valley Triathlon to Ogden Valley. The event will be held September 20, 2003. A triathlon is a multi-sport event consisting of swimming, biking, and running. This USA Triathlon sanctioned event will consist of both a Sprint Triathlon - .75k swim/ 20k bike / 5k run, and an Olympic Triathlon – 1.5k swim / 40k bike and 10k run, which will take place simultaneously. The event will start on Friday evening, September 19, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., with a “carbo-loading” dinner hosted by Huntsville’s Yukon Grill and The Rendezvous Lodge. Race participants will have the opportunity to check and secure their bicycles for the race the following day while loading up on much needed carbohy- The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) has announced a modification to the original Safety of Dam (SOD) project plans. At a meeting held July 16 at the Ogden Valley Branch library in Huntsville, Area Manager Bruce Barrett was asked about the rumor that a ten foot high vertical wall was going to be erected along the west side of the roadway as it crosses the dam. Barrett confirmed that the concrete wall was now included in construction plans. The wall will retain an embankment that has been designed to extend above the original dam elevation, and will be erected eight feet from the road’s outer edge. Area residents concerned with the visual impact of the wall, asked if the Bureau would consider modification options to mitigate, what they considered, an aesthetic impairment. Suggestions included the planting of trees, shrubs, and other greenery between the roadway and the wall, and the use of other materials or the incorporation of an artistic design on the wall’s surface area. Barrett was also asked about the possibility of a non motorized pathway paralleling the road within the eight foot area between the wall and roadside, or about a trail running up the west side of the dam from below, then leading up to the road near the spillway. Barrett conveyed that the number one consideration for the Bureau is dam safety, and that the Bureau would not commit to non-funded options, or plans that could compromise the safety of the dam. A committee has been formed to address concerns over the new plans, and will meet with Bureau representatives on August 11, along with Forest Service representatives. The committee is also questioning whether the new SOD design complies with the Environmental Assessment completed and published by the Bureau in March 2000. The Bureau also reported that the next anticipated road closure would be from the middle of, to the end of September 2003. During this two-week period, the road will open on weekends, and after hours from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Thereafter, no additional permanent, long term closures will be conducted. On Saturday morning, event participants will stage in Huntsville Park and be transported to Cemetery Point to commence the swimming portion of the race in Pineview Reservoir. This first event of the Triathlon will start at 9:00 a.m. Athletes will then jump on their bicycles, pedal up Old Snowbasin Road, around the resort, and back down Trappers Loop Road to Huntsville Park. Bicycles will be dropped off in the park and the athletes will then Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . Page 2 Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6 Historical Article . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9 Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15 |