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Show Cyan Magenta Yellow Black Battles continue over fallen timber A2 75¢ GUNNISON VALLEY EDITION www.sanpetemessenger.com VOL. 84 NUMBER 38 WEA THER EATHER Wednesday 69/47 Showers Thursday - 69/44 Showers Friday - 76/43 Sunny and warmer Saturday - 77/43 Mostly sunny Last Week’s Weather (Courtesy Ted Olson, Snow College) Date Sept.18 Sept.19 Sept.20 Sept.21 Sept.22 Sept.23 Sept.24 Max. 76 84 89 72 79 75 72 Min. Prec. 38 39 41 47 .24” 41 42 45 - AT A GLANCE Riverwalk hearing will decide bond issuance A hearing has been set for next Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005 at 8 p.m. in the Gunnison City Hall, to authorize the issuance of sales tax revenue bonds. The council requests all citizens to attend and give their input. Aquifer and water source public hearing dated for Oct. 5 The Utah Division of Water Quality has scheduled a public hearing on Oct. 5, 2005 at 7 p.m., at the Sanpete County Courthouse. Public input is being sought on the county’s aquifer classification, and water source protection plans for the county and municipalities will be reviewed. Sanpete County may soon have a new website County commissioners have approved the purchase of the domain name sanpete.com, appropriating $500 for the purchase. County Clerk Kristine Frischknecht said that as long as election information appeared on the site, $10,000 from the county’s election budget could be used to pay for its creation, which will be spearheaded by the county’s director of economic development, Kevin Christensen, and the county’s information technology specialist, Jason Cherry. The site will become t h e c o u n t y ’s o ff i c i a l website. MANTI, UTAH • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005 Gunnison officials rebuff request for prison expansion By John Hales Assignment editor GUNNISON—In an effort to better define Gunnison City’s relationship with the Central Utah Correctional Facility, city officials have said “no more” to expansion at the prison, at least not without clear public support. The issue of growth at the prison— and Gunnison City Council’s reaction to it—was discussed by city and county officials, prison officials, and even Utah state Senator Darin Peterson during a meeting of the City Council last week. County economic development director Kevin Christensen, county commissioners Bruce Blackham, Mark Anderson and Claudia Jarrett, Sanpete Sheriff Kay Larsen, prison warden Lowell Clark, Utah Department of Corrections division director Belle Brough and Sen. Peterson all met with the city council on Sept. 21 to “determine what role Gunnison City wanted to play in future expansion with the Department of Corrections,” as Christensen put it. He said the county was there to offer support if Gunnison wanted to seek expansion at the prison, and even to lobby the city council a little bit to do just that. Christensen said Utah’s inmate population is growing at a rate of 250 prisoners per year. “The Department of Corrections asked if Gunnison wanted a piece of that pie,” he said, referring to the economic impact prison expansion could have on the area. In fact, UDOC is courting Gunnison about accepting expansion, in the face of a dilemma over what to do with a crowded prison system. The Department’s Draper facility is full, and Gunnison is the only other state correctional facility. Peterson said that Scott Carver, UDOC’s director of corrections, asked him to feel out how county and city leaders feel about enlarging CUCF. Gunnison’s response was no, thank you, we’ve had enough. Even with the support of Sen. Peterson, who sits on the Criminal Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, a position that could help get Gunnison the expansion if the city wanted, Gunnison officials still turned the offer down. Ever since CUCF came to town, the relationship between the prison and the community has been ambivalent at best; some city residents glad for the economic impact, but also wary of the element that accompanies a state penitentiary. But since recent controversies have strained relations between city officials and those at the Department of Corrections on the state level, and now that there are plans to expand the number of beds at the prison by 288 this year and possibly 192 more the next, city officials are voicing concerns that until now have remained more or less latent. Most of those concerns are based on how much the prison taxes local resources, compared to how much the facility contributes to the community, at least in the perception of some local officials. For instance, Gunnison City Coun- cil member Rodney Taylor said at last week’s meeting that some of the economic benefits promised by the prison haven’t come to Gunnison because much of the work there has been contracted out to companies outside the city. “Yet Gunnison has had to support the infrastructure,” he said. Council member Lori Nay expressed other concerns. She said many local residents volunteer at the prison, draining volunteer resources from other projects and organizations. She also said the prison, the first thing people see when coming into town from the north, creates a stigma for the city. No one had to remind anyone else about the spat the city had with state corrections officials over the city’s recent sewer project, specifically how much of the project’s funding the prison was responsible for. Although council member Jerolyn Young pointed out the sewer disagreement wasn’t with local prison officials— “I’ve felt like we’ve had a good working relationship locally,” she said—she admits the affair probably left a bad taste in several mouths. Young said not everyone on the council, including herself, is opposed to prison expansion, but the consensus is that the concerns and reservations outweigh any benefits. She said the city has an agreement with the prison that once the prison reaches a certain capacity, further growth By Jacob Thomas Staff writer EPHRAIM—Citizens had an opportunity last week to review and give input into a proposed revision of the 19-year-old forest plan for the Manti-La Sal National Forest at an open house at the Ephraim City Hall. A handful of people showed up for the three-hour discussion and raised a variety of issues to the Forest Service planning team. “The forest planning process is the most significant thing we’re doing right now,” said Tom Shore, Sanpete District ranger for the Manti-La Sal forest. “It sets the stage for how (See “Forest” on A2) START team learning rope, heavy rescue skills By Karis Fellars Staff writer SANPETE—For the last four years, a team of volunteers has received intensive training in heavy rescue situations to provide safety to the community. Put together by Deputy Kevin Holman, emergency services coodinator for the Sanpete County Sheriff’s Office, the Urban Search and Rescue Team (START) consists of 19 volunteers from throughout the county, including EMTs, polices officers and members of various fire departments. What most impresses him about START, Sheriff’s Lt.Kevin Conover said, is “the volunteerism of this county and the willingness of each team member to give of their own time.” He continues, “All of these men and women have a deep commitment to the team and the community.” Members of the START team include Cpt. Kerry Steck, Sgt. Preston Pritchard, Kerry Nielson, Berry Pogroszewski, Kevin Stilson, Jim Bennett, Dr. Bruce Burnham and Eric Stevens from Ephraim; Deputy Holman and Mike Christensen from Mt. Pleasant; Lt. Conover from Sterling; Kerry Coats, Brandon Cook, Justin Jacobson and Nathan Miner from Fairview; Glen Honeike from Fountain Green; Jason Livingston, Casey Blackburn, Jarad Livingston and Claude Pickett from Moroni; and Roger Anderson from Centerfield. START is broken into four components: heavy rescue, confined space rescue, rope rescue and trench rescue. It is a technical rescue team trained to safely enter collapsed or structurally unstable buildings and hazardous environments. The training is strenuous and requires members to spend full days and weekends carrying out disaster simulations. Sheriff Kay Larsen said, “As citizens, most don’t realize the amount of money being saved by these individuals who are willing to volunteer their time. If we had to pay for the man-hours put in by these men, it would be a substantial amount of money and would impact the taxpayers of this county.” He adds, “I am greatly impressed by the care this team displays for their neighbors by their willingness to serve.” As more people learn about the team and its positive impact, leaders hope still others will volunteer. START will accept applications from volunteer firefighters, EMS, search and rescue, and law enforcement officers. For more information, contact Lt. Conover at 851-0126. PICTURE COURTESY OF SANPETE COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPT. Brandon Cook, Fairview, Preston Pritchard, Ephraim and Dr. Bruce Burnham, Ephraim simulate delivering medical supplies to remote mountain location. ‘Tranquil scenes’ Renowned Salt Lake artist finds inspirational home in Sanpete Opinions ........ A4 Lifestyle ......... A5 By Karen Prisbrey Sports ............ A8 Staff writer Classifieds ... A11 KAEREN PRISBREY / MESSENGER PHOTO General Excellence winner 1999 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 Citizens get to review forest plan (See “Prison” on A2) INSIDE Utah Press Association SUZANNE DEAN / MESSEBNGER PHOTO Tom Shore explains forest plan to interested citizens. World renowned artist Randal Lake and his son, John, paint one of many of Sanpete’s sagebrush dominated landscapes outside Spring City. Lake recently bought and restored a pioneer home in the town as a summer and vacation home for his family. SPRING CITY—As the glow of twilight ebbed in the western sky a renowned artist and his son sat at easels with brushes in hand, painting the scenery before them at the junction of Pigeon Hollow and U.S. 89 on Wednesday, Sept. 14. Dry June grasses and sagebrush mingled with pinion pines, climbing to the top of a rolling hill then reaching up to the mountain behind where autumnal splendor was breaking in the quakies, scrub oaks and pines upon the skyline. The faint glow of the moon breaking over the horizon presented a beautiful, tranquil scene. Randall Lake and his son John both attempted to capture the moment on canvas. Lake, who has a studio in downtown Salt Lake at 158 East 200 South, paints colorful alla prima oil landscapes, still lifes, interiors, and portraits with an impressionist/realism flair. He shares his studio building with a violinmaker who has ties to Fountain Green. About 20 years ago the violinmaker told Lake that if he wanted to paint (See “Artist” on A2) |