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Show JULY '89 THE ZEPHYR PAGE 2 Walsh explained that while It was the Intent of the law that the monies should be used for roads, the legislature did not want to restrict counties In Kane County, If they felt the funds could be more wisely spent elsewhere. for example, a SpedaU Service Hospital District has been established using UDOT funds. In Washington County, a Special Service District has been set we have a up for the maintenance of their new convention center. Obviously choice, and Its not too late to exercise that choice. Alex Mansour, formerly of UDOT and now a consultant for Creamer and Noble, points out that In driving time, the new road would save precisely 37 miles. That's about 1.3 million dollars spent for every driving mile saved. We cant even be sure that UDOT will be able to pave the road, once It Is brought up to standard. Currently UDOT faces a staggering expense In just (See Ken Sleights bringing current roads up to an acceptable standard. and Plan Year Five UDOTs of prioritized needs In this comprehensive review UDOT that has promised to pave Issue.) While Mansour Insisted at the meeting H. Findlay, Executive E. from letter In a Is true. not that the road, simply states that while a he of Transportation, Director of the Utah Department Motion of Intent was passed by the Commission, "since the project is still In the formative stage, there Is no formal agreement between the counties and the State at this time. The Road Board was genuinely surprised by Walsh's explanation of Special And with good reason; ; Walsh Service Districts and their multiple use. statements Adams made at the and the Adams contradicted Rep. completely How could Adams have Insisted that the meeting with the Chamber of Commerce. UDOT money could only be used for roads? : He must have known that Special Sendee Districts were already established for such diverse functions ' as hospitals and the maintenance of convention centers. Why did Mark Wash wait until now to inform not Just the citizens, but the Road Board Itself that the mineral lease funds from UDOT could be used for a variety of purposes? Jimmie, Dutch, Ollie and Robert have been misled as much as we have. Trying to find the truth sometimes follows a rough and tortuous path. But sooner or later, we are going to get there. . page two Jim Stiles . F month. In this column, I raised some questions and concerns about the Special Service District and the proposed Book Cliffs highway. Thanks to a couple of meetings held this month, I think we're getting closer to an answer. The first meeting, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, Invited the Road Board, Steve Creamer of the engineering firm, Creamer & Noble, and other officials to discuss the Book Cliffs project : Two aspects of the Issue were discussed: the cost and financing of the road, and the varied Interpretations of the legislation that created these Special Service Districts. According to Creamer, the cost to Uintah and Grand County to Improve the road Is now estimated to be between 15 and 20 million dollars. If the State then takes over the road and paves It, an additional 20 to 30 million dollars would be required. : The ultimate cost then, could go beyond 50 million . " dollars. The Grand County Special Service Road District Is currently attempting to borrow 6 million dollars from the State Community Impact Board at 3 Interest over . 15 years. However, unless mineral lease revenues skyrocket will District the be unable to repay Its loan. In fact, It won't soon, very even come close. Creamer conceded that It would require some "creative ' financing to come up with the additional funds. , ' Once again, the government Is agreeing to borrow money for a project that It thinks we all need. ' But are we confusing what we need, with what we want? Theres a big difference. A friend of mine pointed out that she would really like to buy a Porsche. And she thinks she could possibly arrange financing. But sooner or later, she know that the debt will break her. In half. She knows what she wants, but she also know what she can afford. Sam Taylor, Chairman of the Utah Transportation Commission, endorsed the proposal and said It was an Idea that had been on the drawing board for 30 years. I'm sure that's true, but why has It never gone past the drawing board? To me the answer Is simple. No one could ever justify the cost, for the incremental benefits It might provide. : Of course, UDOT endorses this proposaL Why shouldn't It? Two depressed counties in southern Utah are agreeing to pay half the cost of a federal highway. V Because funding comes from so many different budgets and accounts and departments, Its sometimes easy to rationalize that It Isn't costing u a But thats just not true. In fact, Sam Taylor made a very wise penny. observation a year or so ago. Referring to his responsibilities as UDOT Chairman, he said oh November 5, 1987: "I guess I'm not different than most typical Americans. I think the Feds are spending way too much money, and have way too many people on the payroll I don't like the deficit either, nor the national debt. But I dont want my taxes . raised, and I Just recently returned from a trip to Washington, where I went seeking massive funding for local projects above and beyond what had already been budgeted to be spent last - ' . In Utah. 1 ; FIRST ANNUAL GOATHEAD CONTEST .' V Its that time of year. The little buggers are coming. ..That dreaded ' - . ; spiny plant, the goathead, Is already surfacing around Moab and Grand County. The 1989 Goathead Season Is underway. I guess Ive despised goatheads since I first stepped on one. They have been cursed at, here In Grand County, for almost three quarters of a century.. According to legend, goatheads found their way here via a circus that came from Texas: This circus set up Its tent on a. site near, today's Middle School When the circus left town, they left us some goatheads, deposited In the hay theyd brought along for the animals. The rest, as they say, Is history. And for.75 years, Moabites have been trying to get rid of them. But maybe were going about this all wrong. Maybe we need to wage a little psychological warfare. A Dttle reverse psychology. Let's celebrate the ; existence of these nasty olantmonsters. The Zeohvr Is pleased to announce the First Annual Goathead Contest We are looking for the largest goathead plant In Grand County. As you know, the goathead looks something Dke a bicycle wheel with spokes. From a central root the goathead radiates stems In . five or six ground-huggi- ng directions.. We are looking for the plant with the largest diameter; that Is, the distance extending In two opposite directions from the central root PIEASE1 NO PRUNING AND NO CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS. The winner will receive .a one-ye- ar subscription to The Zeohvr. and the knowledge that he or she has the largest goathead plant In Grand County, Utah. If you have a contender, let me know. A winner will be selected in ust and announced In the September Issue. Good luck. , Z mid-Aug- A Note To New guess we are all going to have to begin practicing the game of arent going to Ike It, Sams absolutely right "consistency. either.,. , . . We aren't going to Ike K, but the key word Is We can't complain about deficit spending elsewhere, If we do Ourselves. : Interpretation of the legislation that created these Special Service Districts became complicated and confused at that first meeting. Rep. David Adams, who sponsored the bill, Insisted that mineral lease monies distributed to UDOT could in turn gnjy be given to Special Service Districts for the Steve Creamer seemed to construction, maintenance and repair of roads contradict Adams, but his answer was too ambiguous to be definitive. On June 17, however, the Road Board held a pubDc meeting and Invited Mark Walsh of the Association of Counties to comment on the legislation. Walsh explained that as the legislation reads, other single purpose special service districts can be created by the county for a "multitude of purposes. Further, according to Walsh, the Grand County Special Service District could even now be broadened In scope to accommodate other purposes. Those services Include water, sewage, drainage, flood control, garbage, hospital, transportation, recreation. Are protection and street lighting. . , ; : Subscribers n V- consistency. And we It , ,,? Until now, I've been trying to accommodate new. subscribers who wanted their subscriptions to begin retroactively : with the first or second Issue. was a bit of a bookkeeping nightmare, but now It has become a logistical Issues 2 and 3 sold out; Pve tucked a few away for Impossibility. posterity or the bird cage, whatever Is more applicable.. But for the most part, they're gone. vi.v From now on, heres how subscriptions will be handled. Out of town Zephyrs are mailed bulk rate the day after the paper Is printed. Any In after arrive that bulk will the the Included be subscriptions mailing day next months mailing. Ive considered selling back Issues Individually when they're available. They would be' , mailed first class (which Is dose to a dollar) and. I'm not sure anyone wants to spend a buck and a half or two dollars for a 'paper. v Anyway, thats the best solution Ive been able to come up with regarding It . . . lV- , ' - .i ; ; . subscriptions. One other note. To the person who sent me a card stating that he or she did not receive issue two and signed their name Dke this: U . THE CANYON COUNTRY ZEPHYR Who are you? Theres no address and I couldnt even read the postmark. "rush" the paper to you as soon as you come forth and Identify yourself. P.O.BOX 327 I'll MOAB, UTAH 845.32 (801)259-777- 3 , JIM STILES, PUBLISHER r ' Trish West ... ; SUBSCRIBE NOW ; ' . ' an annual subscription is only manager , contributing writers Audrey Graham, Jim Mattingly, Steve Mulligan, Lloyd Pierson Ken Sanders, John Sensenbrenner, Alan West, Terry Tempest Williams $12.00 . ' V Ken Sleight THE CANYON COUNTRY v;;.: name. 1989 The Canyon Country Zephyr address all rights reserved ZEPHYR P.O.BOX 327 MOAB, UTAH 84532 jj23332E522222233iI3Si2i2!SS2iiE2iiS32E3353S2 BSaaiitf 3k3S2S3r |