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Show Cyan Magenta Yellow Black A4 Sanpete Messenger/Gunnison Valley Edition TO U.S. government cancelling American sovereignty THE EDITOR... FOR LETTERS-TO-THE-EDITOR POLICY GO TO WWW.SANPETEMESSENGER.COM, CLICK ON ‘OPINIONS’THEN ‘LETTERS TO THE DITOR’ Ephraim should preserve library Seeing your picture of Ephraim’s library on the front page of the Messenger brought back wonderful memories of all good things this library brought to me in my growing up years. However, as I read the accompanying article my initial response was clouded by the thought that our old library could possibly be demolished unless, of course, the bond issue is passed, which should preserve it in its original state as much as possible. If the bond fails, come to Draper and see our new library before the “destroyers” get to Ephraim. Our library looks like nothing more than an expansive and expensive horse barn. It reminds me of remarks made by a New Orleans architect who is temporarily residing in Utah who made note of the desolation brought on by chain stores and the non-urban world built on ideas of convenience and the car. I think of many old buildings that are lost to us forever and wonder what mentality prompts supposedly reasonable people to make such thoughtless changes. The same mindset, I suppose, as the idiocy of those who prevailed as we watched our magnificent old Ephraim West Ward tabernacle get torn down only to be replaced by the ordinary-looking red-brick chapel which now stands shamefully in its place. The same kind of thinking was responsible for demolishing Dr. Anderson’s great old home (built by early settlers as a small hotel). The home was constructed of oolite, the same kind of stone used in the Manti Temple as well as tabernacles in Manti and Spring City (cities, by the way, that had the good sense to save them). The old hotel was, sadly, replaced by an ugly fast food “cubicle,” which sickens me whenever I pass by. And don’t forget the laying flat of those beautiful trees that lined the road to the cemetery and were carted off for fire wood. Ephraimites in the Salt Lake area with whom I have spoken, are appalled at the possibility of loosing another grand old structure in our hometown. Upgrading needs to be done but I hope with much care and thought to preserve our heritage. Carol A. Peterson Draper Narrows project would provide opportunity for Sanpete Since the first settlers arrived in the Sanpitch Valley in November of 1849, water has always been the most critical and treasured natural resource of the area. Because of the continually growing population in Sanpete County, the highest and best use of this resource becomes even more important than ever before. The Narrows Dam and Reservoir, represents the one remaining opportunity to deliver a water right to Sanpete County that has been of record and assessed for over 70 years. When considering the maximum value and use of the water involved in the Narrows Dam and Reservoir, there are some very convincing comparisons to consider. 1-Sanpete County has considerably more irrigated agricultural acreage which will benefit from this water than the traditional use in Carbon County. 2-There is substantially more population to benefit from this water in Sanpete County than in Carbon County. 3-There would be positive potential downstream benefit beyond Sanpete County, affecting agricultural water use, as well as recreational use in the Sevier Drainage. 4-Creation of the Narrows Dam and Reservoir would provide a rare recreational opportunity for not only residents within both Sanpete County and Carbon County, but for the entire State of Utah. It is certainly time to complete this project involving an historical water right, delivery of which has been promised for over 70 years. This project has been delayed for personal and political reasons for too long, and now most assuredly deserves the highest priority and support of all entities involved. David Christensen, President Palisade Corporation While most Americans remain unaware, President Bush and top officials in his administration are implementing plans to cancel U.S. sovereignty and form a new “North American Community” that will merge Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Called the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP), the arrangement calls initially for legalization for millions of Mexican illegal immigrants, practical destruction of any remaining border security, and the transfer of huge amounts We just moved (home) to Sanpete County, but I did not understand that when you live and shop in the Gunnison area, you pay 30-plus cents per gallon more than on the Wasatch Front. Reliable transportation is important. Let us help you move down the road with confidence. Gunnison Valley Bank Your Locally Owned Bank Member FDIC - Gunnison, Utah We are here to serve you! “NAFTA-Plus” by some, and implementation of the yet-to-beapproved Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) by others. Whatever it is called, it should be challenged immediately by a supine Congress that seems unable or unwilling to assert its constitutional powers to rein in an executive branch eagerly working to destroy our nation. Please write your congressman, Chris Cannon, and ask him to act on this vital issue. Kenneth Davies Spring City On Oct. 20 and 21 we purchased regular unleaded gasoline up north for $2.54.9 per gallon, and this was not the lowest price we saw advertised in the Salt Lake area. The price in Gunnison is $2.88.9 per gallon for the same gas. What is it? Greed, gouging r price fixing? Jerry Roberts Axtell News Ephraim assisted living center will showcase addition at grand opening By Suzanne Dean Publisher EPHRAIM—Golden Skyline Assisted Living will hold a grand opening Saturday for an 8,000squarefoot addition that will enable it to accept Level II residents. Everyone is invited to visit the facility from 1-6 p.m. Refreshments will be served and door prizes awarded. The addition more than doubles the capacity of the center, which opened about five years ago as the first assisted living facility in Sanpete County. The original wing contains 15 rooms occupied by Level I residents, seniors able to ambulate with minimal assistance. The new wing adds 18 rooms, nine on a lower level and nine at street level. The street level rooms are available now, but the lowerlevel rooms are still being completed, explains owner Bonnie Nielson. The new wing accommodates Level II seniors “who need a little more assistance,” such as people (Continued from A1) Whether you’re starting out with your first car, or moving up, we can help you with your car loans. of U.S. aid to bring Mexico’s primitive economy more in line with its northern neighbors. The SPP has been jointly agreed to by Canadian Prime Minister Martin, Mexican President Fox, and Mr. Bush. In July, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger F. Noriega told a House subcommittee that the new partnership has already “identified over 300 initiatives... on which the three countries will collaborate.” The three-nation arrangement has been dubbed Why is gas so high here? Audit 528-7221 Wednesday, October 26, 2005 port, he said, “We want to respect employee rights.” But he quickly added, “We’re very concerned about and respect the public trust.” He said that since the Kimball Blackburn case, in which an assistant vice president at what is now Snow College at Richfield went to prison for embezzling upwards of $300,000, “President Benson has really taken this kind of thing very seriously.” In an interview a couple of weeks ago, Foisey explained that the Board of Regents had instituted a program of routine internal audits. Because Snow and other twoyear institutions were too small to employ their own internal auditors, Foisey said he was assigned to serve as the internal auditor for Snow and the College of Eastern Utah. He said he decided to identify areas within the institutions where questions had come up in the past. Student Life at Snow College popped to the surface immediately, he said. Foisey said a 1999 audit report found that a Snow College Student Life employee, who Foisey did not identify, had double-dipped on mileage reimbursement. He or she had submitted both gas receipts and mileage reimbursement claims for using a personal vehicle on the same trips. The 1999 audit also found that Student Life transactions had not been properly authorized by student officers and that some transactions could not be justified as valid business transactions because of lack of documentation. Meanwhile, Foisey reported, an anonymous tip had been left on the state auditor’s hotline com- who use wheelchairs, Nielson says. All rooms in both wings have private bathrooms, and some have kitchenettes. The new wing also has a 1,000-square-foot lounge with a large-screen TV. Eventually, Nielson says, the combination dining room and lounge in the original wing will be converted to dining only, and the new lounge will serve as the common area for the whole facility. The hallmark of Golden Skyline is the fact that it is “familyowned and family-run,” Nielson says. She says she seeks to maintain a home-like atmosphere, including home-cooked meals. Besides assistance from a “staff of caring people,” residents receive visits from a large corps of volunteers from Snow College and local churches, Nielson says. SUZANNE DEAN / MESSENGER PHOTO Friendly home-like atmosphere pervades Golden Skyline Assisted Living Center in Ephraim. plaining that student fees were being used to benefit a select group of students, not the whole student body. Foisey said he had called former student body presidents and board of trustees members. “We heard lots of dissatisfaction [with the way student finances were administered], but nobody gave us any tangible information,” he said. Foisey said he became particularly concerned about comments by past student body presidents, who are supposed to oversee allocation of student activity funds. Foisey said more than one student president told him that he or she had been told by student life staff to essentially keep his or her nose out of the financial side of things. “The college shouldn’t spend a dime of student money with the student officers’ request,” he said. “But the advisors are the ones processing and spending everything.” Last year’s student body president, Casey Dyreng of Gunnison, who took over after the Executive Cabinet, with support of student advisors, impeached the elected president, Justin Chandler, said, “I never once saw an accurate figure of how much we had. I asked Lynn Schiffman, who said he was unable to access [the data] from his computer because there was a problem with the new Banner computer system the college had just implemented.” Dyreng said he was completely surprised when, during the second semester, he was told student accounts were in the red. Student leaders, he said, had no role in transferring money to specific activities and didn’t know where their money had gone. Honey (Continued from A2) and now has about 700 property owners. He said it was supposed to have a clubhouse, 40 miles of roads finished and other things that were never completed. Other requests were to pave a half-mile of the Mountainville Road and determine what areas were supposed to be common areas. Player submitted a detailed report to commissioners Mark Anderson and Claudia Jarrett. The commissioners said they would have County Attorney Ross Blackham review it when he returned. The commissioners said they would investigate the situation with the subdivision. Moving on to nomination and appointment issues, commission- ers Jarrett and Anderson made a motion to nominate David Fox as Sanpete’s choice to represent them in Central Utah Water Conservancy District. Fox’s name goes to the governor for consideration. The commissioners considered four names for a position on the Merit Commission. The Merit Commission decides whether officer candidates are qualified to be hired. Sheriff Kay Larsen will do background checks on the commission candidates. The commissioners selected Mary Ann Peterson for a four-year term on the Planning and Zoning Board to replace Dan Shand. Peterson said she teaches freshmen and sophomore English at Manti High School and is also the yearbook advisor. |