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Show December 15 02.qxd 12/7/2021 3:09 PM Page 2 THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 2 Volume VII Issue V December 15, 2002 The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Staff: Shanna Francis Tel: 745-2688 Fax: 745-0062 Cell: 791-4387 E-Mail: shannafrancis@att.net Jeannie Wendell Tel: 745-2879 Fax: 745-2879 E-Mail: crwendell@att.net crwendell@msn.com Opinions expressed by advertisers, columnists or letters to the editor are not necessarily the opinions of the owners and staff of The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS. Guidelines for Letters to the Editor Letters should be 300 words or less. Letters must be signed and the address of the writer submitted. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS reserves the right to edit or decline printing of any submissions. Announcements Sought As a community service, The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS will print local birth, wedding, obituary, anniversary and missionary farewell & homecoming and Eagle Scout announcements free of charge. We invite residents to send their announcements to: The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS PO BOX 130 EDEN UT 84310 If you would like your submitted items returned, please send a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS, while respecting all property received, will take no responsibility for lost or misplaced items. Please remember to keep a copy for yourself. Invitation for Articles The staff of The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS welcomes the submission of articles by our readership. We invite you to submit local historical accounts or biographies, articles pertaining to contemporary issues, and/or other material that may be of interest to our readers. We also invite you to submit to the paper, or notify the staff of local events. Awards that have been earned by the reader, family members, neighbors or friends are also sought. While the staff of The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS invites the submittal of information and articles, we reserve the right to select which material will be considered for publication. All material, to be considered, must be submitted with the full name, address and telephone number of the person submitting the material. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS’ liability on account of errors in, or omissions of, advertising shall in no event exceed the amount of charges for the advertising omitted or the space occupied by the error. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS does not endorse, promote or encourage the purchase or sale of any product or service advertised in this newspaper. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS hereby disclaims all liability for any damage suffered as the result of any advertisement in this newspaper. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS is not responsible for any claims or representations made in advertisements in this newspaper. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS has the sole authority to edit and locate any classified advertisement as deemed appropriate. It also reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Letters to the Editor Frustration Continues Over Pineview Dam Project Like most Valley residents, I am getting more frustrated over the Pineview Dam project each day. This project is costing all of us extra time, fuel, increased costs for delivery charges up in the Valley, etc. And did you know that it is costing our taxpayer dollars to the tune of almost $2.9 million? I am very frustrated by the press releases given to our newspaper. They claim that the contractor is working around the clock to finish the project, but I don’t see people working when I go by in the middle of the night or early morning, or on weekends. They claim that delays have been caused by the weather, but the weather has been unusually mild this year. So why has the completion date been extended again? The only way we can hope to bring attention to this problem is to write letters to people in government. The project is listed on the internet under the management of the Bureau of Reclamation. Since they are managing the project, I’d recommend you write to the Secretary of the Interior under which their department falls. The Secretary’s e-mail is: Gale_Norton@ios.doi.gov I would also recommend you write your Senator and Congressman. You can easily find all their addresses on the internet. If we send enough letters, we might get some attention focused on this, and get the project completed this year. Terry Paasch, Nordic Valley Delays on Pineview Dam Could Have Been Avoided Like most of the residents of the Valley, I am feeling extreme frustration regarding the completion of the work on Pineview Dam. First of all, the Bureau of Reclamation and its contractor CM Concrete originally said it would be completed October 19, 2002. This proved not to be true. Mid-December was the next date given for completion; this also will likely not happen. Look for them to drag it along, and make up excuse until June or July! In the last issue of this paper, it was stated that in an effort to complete the dam project, crews were working “around the clock.” However, we have passed by there at various times, like 7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m., and 1:00 a.m., while coming back from Ogden, where you can see better than when going down, and there was absolutely no sign of life there. There is a light on, but no personnel. All the cars usually parked on the road over the dam during the day are gone. There is only one vehicle there at night, which appears to be a supply truck. Enough said. All of this on a $3 million contract that was let out and signed by both parties with no completion date and no penalty clause, such as a $1500 a day penalty for each day over the completion date. It’s common knowledge that these clauses are important in any contract affecting the public. When a contractor knows he has to perform and finish by a given date, he plans his work and the number of personnel necessary to meet that completion date. I have been involved in construction work all over America, from Miami to New York City, Los Angeles, St. Louis. My father was one of the largest contractors in Florida, and both of my grandfathers were contractors— one a building contractor, the other a mechanical, plumbing and electrical contractor. My father owned St. John’s Electric in Florida for over 40 years. My brother was a contractor, my uncle was a superintendent. I have worked on jobs such as the World Trade Center, Wall Street, 5th Avenue, New York Subways. Some of these contracts were very large—several billion dollars and some were small—$10,000 - $25,000. The problems this delay is causing are readily apparent—extra time for every trip to and from Ogden and beyond. Therefore, extra gasoline costs for all of us. Extra wear and tear on our vehicles as well. The hazards of going over the Divide in winter for those of us choosing to take that route even on occasion. Drivers speeding through the Valley due to the longer route, trying to make up time. We interviewed a Sheriff’s Deputy recently, and he said the increase in traffic down through Huntsville has overloaded the roads. There are many accidents, almost impossible to control. One person ran off the North Ogden Divide, not familiar with the conditions. CM Concrete will probably next blame the weather saying, “we run the risk of the concrete freezing and crystallizing, making it weak and dangerous.” How would you like to live in the canyon below the dam? The Bureau of Reclamation and the people in Salt Lake City do not care much about our problems here in Ogden Canyon, or Huntsville, Eden, and Liberty. Something has to be done about the whole untenable situation. We don’t want to be driving the long way around all the way into spring and summer. John P. Schraedel, Liberty Road Closure Reports from UDOT The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) announced that State Road 158 over Pineview Dam is scheduled to remain closed through December 28, 2002 for dam renovation. The current detours will remain in place through that date. Monte Cristo Pass (State Road 39) from Huntsville to Randolph is now closed for the winter season from Milepost 37 in Weber County to Milepost 68 in Rich County. Signs are posted to notify the traveling public. Heavy snowfall on this road exceeds the UDOT’s capacity to clear and maintain it for travel during the winter months. The road will re-open next spring as weather conditions permit. UDOT advises motorists to reduce speeds and use caution while driving through work zones. Construction schedules are subject to change due to inclement weather conditions, equipment problems or emergency situations. Eden Park Service District will hold its Budget Meeting at the ReMax office next to Valley Market December 19 at 7:00 p.m. Agenda: Budget Proposal for 2003. Inspirational Thought A vision without a task is but a dream. A task without a vision is drudgery. A vision with a task is the hope of the world. — Author Unknown The deadline for the January 1, 2003 issue is December 18, 2002. Expires 1/15/03 Now Serving 570 South 7800 East Huntsville Donuts 3064 South 1900 West Ogden |