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Show PAGE 5 THE ZEPHYR APRIL 1995 some water rights go so that we can avoid development in state lands above the boundary, once they become private property. We feel that the government is too tight and too dose, and that it needs to step back and be run more through the county. "Now since we have a new subdivision ordinance, the valley will be protected by a much more comprehensive zoning ordinance through the county than it is through the towns. At any given point, a new group of people can come to power and run roughshod over the previous group. Like this one is over the group they ran roughshod on. The next group may be real as you are in the county. To be able to development fanatics... you're just not as change the rules will be much more difficult with the county's rules than the town's. "The bureaucracy in the town has done nothing but split people up and made enemies of people who could be getting along. We were always a varied group but we always got along. But now it's gotten so ugly, nobody helps anybody anymore. And it's all because of this town. People have gotten control, people resent the control, and it's turned the valley against itself. And there's no reason for that." well-protect- ed C of C Kills a Bad Idea Last fall, the Moab Chamber of Commerce board approved a plan to sponsor a barbecue and fireworks display on the Saturday night before this year's Jeep Safari. The event was to be held at Ken's Lake in San Juan County. But recently the Chamber faced some pointed criticism from Moab restaurant owners who felt the barbecue would hurt the very businesses it is supposed to help by pulling potential customers out of town and away from its many eateries. Competition is stiff enough as it is, it was argued, without the Chamber of Commerce getting into the ad. The new Chamber board agreed The event has been canceled For a one-sid- ed diatribe on this subject, see Marooneys 'Dark Side. County Council considers a sweet deal for the Sportsmen's Club. The election wSI be held on April IS. County Council Debates Wilderness & Possible Conflict of Interest On Friday, March 17, the County Council gathered to hammer out their Grand County wilderness proposal. Governor Leavitt has requested that all Utah counties submit their own wilderness recommendations to him and to the Utah Congressional delegation. Of particular interest was the Westwater wilderness study area, a parcel of proposed wilderness that was even agreeable to Congressmen Orton and Hansen. The Council voted to remove a significant amount of potential wilderness (about 3000 acres) in the northern section of Westwater. The deletion was due, in part at least, to several mining claims in the area that are owned by Ron Pcne and his brother. County Councilman Ray Pene. Councilman Maynard stated his belief that Pene should refrain from participating in the vote because erf his vested financial interest in the mining claims. Pene, on the other hand, felt that the area failed to meet the criteria for wilderness in the first place. Therefore, his mining claims did not affect his vote. Maynard also suggested that an existing county road (950) disqualified the area for wilderness. According to County Road Supervisor Dave Warner it is a Class D road and is only maintained "on request" Warner says the county has not actually performed maintenance in over 10 years. The Pene claims, called the Pussycat daims, were assessed for mineral potential by the Bureau of Mines in August 1989. According to the report, there are 24 ounces of recoverable gold On March 22, the County Council temporarily tabled a proposal by Councilman John Maynard to give deeded county land to the Sportsmen's Qub, so the club can sell it and give half the profits back to the county. Huh? Should you read that again? According to Maynard, almost 40 years ago, the Sportsmen's Gub wanted to patent property belonging to the BLM, but was required to work through the county. He claims the dub gave the county the money to make the purchase.; it is recorded as county land in the recorder's office. There is no record of any involvement by the Sportsmen's Qub. Since 1958 the dub has used that property for a shooting range. The land has been protected by the county's liability insurance for all those years and it has not paid any property tax. Now the dub wants the property deeded over to them and it is reported that they have been offered as much as $7000 per acre for the 40 acre parcel. The Sportsmen's Qub has offered to return half that amount to the county. The County Council will vote on the proposal on Monday April 3. If all Grand County dtizens show up at the meeting and daim to have given the county money to make the purchase 40 years ago, maybe aw can get in on this sweet deal too. Check with the County Qerk for an agenda of the meeting. The World biros Round Up is compiled by Jim Stiles. County Council hammers out wilderness proposal. in a 5000 cubic yard area erf sediment within the boundaries of the Pussycat daimsi At $382ounce the gold has a value of about $9000. But according to Ray Pene, the Bureau of Mines withheld information that suggests the actual gold content is 10 ounces per ton. In addition the BLM has issued two violation notices on the Pene claims for upgrading roads without a plan of action. However, those citations have been appealed and a dedsion is now pending with the Interior Board of Land Appeals. Councilman Bill I ledden offered an alternative. He proposed that the entire unit be approved for wilderness, subject to a review by the BLM of the mining claims' economic viability. Based on the BLM's own regulations, Hedden maintained that if the claims were determined to be economic, they could not be taken away from Pene and the area would be deleted as wilderness. The alternative was rejected, and chi a 4 to 3 vote, induding Pene's with the majority, the deleted version was approved. All Utah counties must submit their wilderness recommendations to Governor Leavitt by April 1. Following hearings throughout the state, Leavitt and the Congressional delegation plan to submit a bill to the Congress by June 1. Expect the reel battle to begin then. The bill will be a pathetically watered down version of 1 i.R. 15001 Tram Update Most Moab dtizens thought that on February 28, the City Council would decide the fate of the tram. Instead, it is still in a state of limbo. The Council never even got around to voting on annexation because it couldn't agree on the conditions of the development agreement they would present to Emmett Mays, president of Portal Recreation, Inc. It was dear that the conditions of the proposed development agreement were not satisfactory to Mr. Mays. It required that his corporation pay for 40 of all infrastructure improvements, Induding the upgrade and realignment of 500 West and Kane Creek Rd Whether Mr. Mays' dissatisfaction with the development agreement affected the Council's vote is not certain. Because the dty has invoked its right to annex Mays' property, it can negotiate up to a year and perhaps longer. While Mays has gone to the County Council for assistance in getting Class B road monies to make the needed road improvements, it's doubtful that any construction could begin until Moab Qty and Portal Recreation, Inc. have exhausted every opportunity to reach an agreement. Stay tuned. BSE Issohn's. 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