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Show Hpi Ijiiiiyrr Number 15 Thursday, April 4-wh- eel nine-da- spring-breaker- trails. The registered vehicles carry an average of almost three persons and typically attend two of the nine days. About 1,000 vehicles were lined up on downtown streets for the Big Saturday departure on the morning of April 6. During the Easter Jeep Safaris 30 years, it has evolved from a local to an international event. The trail guides themselves represented 16 states, and the event drew registrants from 38 states and three foreign countries (Canada, Germany, and Liechtenstein). The organizing club held a special meeting Monday, April 8, to exchange trail experiences. Most trail guides reported very successful trips. Many participants were family groups enjoying the outdoor experience along with the challenge of getting their equipment across some daunting ob- drive-trai- s. I n fiv Grand Canyon . . . Through the was on the Colorado River Grand Can- in mighty group e of flood a a result as week when last the hit, 45,000 cubic yon foot per second release from Glen Canyon dam. Here, one of the party, Molly Martin, makes her run through Dubendorf Rapid. See feature story, (Photos by Nik Hougen and Zane Taylor) Page A Moab rafting man-mad- B-- City cleanup cm schedule for Saturday M.OAB. day Do you know what MOAB Stands for? This Saturday, April 13, it will stand for "Make Our Area Beautiful," and everyone is invited to take part in the festivities to help make MOAB Day a reality. Each MOAB Day, citizens from all walks of life get together for four hours of fun and community service. This years event will focus on the town baseball fields and Rotary Park. Activities include painting bleachers, landscaping, planting trees, installing equipment and gettinthe fields in tip-to- p shape. MOAB Day is a good way for lodal folks to get together and show how much they care about their town, says City Manager Donna Metzler. City staff will volunteer their time that day, Bill Hedden appointed to Parks & Recreation board interests of Carbon, Emery, Grand and San Juan counties. He is filling the unexpired term of Ron Cooper, who recently passed away. Hedden has been extensively involved in community service since 1986, having served as senior conservation advisor to the Grand Canyon Trust, vice chair of the Grand County Council, chair of the Canyon Country Partnership, and as a member of the Utah State Board of The Nature Conservancy. Hedden also served as chair of the Board of Canyonlands Field Institute and as a member of the Board of Di rectors of High Country News, a newspaper dealing with natural resource issues in the mountain west. Hedden is a furniture maker and homesteader. His work has been featured in many galleries and in publications such as Fine Woodworking magazine. Mr. Hedden and his wife, Eleanor Bliss have two children, Chloe and Sarah. Hedden will join eight other members on the Utah Board of Parks and Recreation. The board consists of nine members, one from each judicial district in the state, and a ninth member from the general public. Members are appointed by the governor to set policy for the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation. unteers should bring a shovel, rake or paint roller (the City will provide the paint and roller covers) and a strong desire to have fun. Last MOAB Day, more than volunteers and over 10 organizations planted trees, painted structures, built a stream and installed musical playground equipment at Rotary Park. 75 Many organizations have already received fliers on MOAB Day. If you havent, but are interested in participating or need more information, call Catherine or David Hansen at 259-225- 5 See you Olsen at 259-512- ums. At the city council meeting two weeks ago some nearby neighbors spoke out against the proposal saying the zone change could lead to increased traffic congestion and loss of a singlefamily neighborhood feeling. Additional letters were received by the city also opposing the change. The Algers showed up at the council members with a number of supporters of their plan. According to Joe Baldwin, the Algers grandson and the real estate developer of the project, the idea is to construct units that would sell for between $90,000 and $120,000 each. Bill Council member McDougald indicated his anger at some of the newer residents in Moab who try to stop development proposals. He said he has known Alger for many years, and that the Algers had built a fine business in town. McDougald added that there was a home shortage in Moab. and that the project would help provide affordable housing. But other council members questioned calling homes selling for six figures affordable, considering the average median income here. Jeanne Veteto said that nearby residents should have a when its going to impact a complete neighborhood. Doug Fix and Jane Roberts, who live on Fifth West about one block north of the property, suggested by letter that the Algers talk with neighbors to see if there is some plan that could meet both the objectives of the Algers to sell the land at a profit and the voice Clash between mayor and council may result in petition for changes too. Activities will start at 8:30 am and end at noon on Saturday, April 13. Moab City will provide materials and refreshments. Vol by Ken Davey City residents who want voters to decide the form of city government are going to have to do the work themselves. Tuesday evening, the city council turned down a request from seven people to put a referendum on the ballot to adopt form of city government increasing the powers of the mayor. Until January of 1994, the mayor was the citys chief administrator. applying the rules and regulations passed by the city council. When the council passed an ordinance creating a city manager position chosen by the council. This new proposal would again place the mayor as the top administrative official, or give WEATHER STATISTICS ... History book off the presses two-famil- which allows multi-uni- t projects including condomini- Seven tipover accidents were Governor Michael 0. Leavitt has appointed Bill Hedden, a resident of Castle Valley, to the Utah Board of Parks and Recreation. Hedden will represent the 1996 2, reported, three of them being full rollovers. Such accidents occur at very slow speeds, and the use of seat belts in all cases limited injuries to superficial bruises. The only severe injury reported was a woman who injured her back in a fall while walking near Gold Bar Rim. She was transported to the local hospital by the helicopter being used by the Sheriffs Department. Despite that discouraging incident, the womans son and his fiance carried out their plans for a wedding during the lunch stop at Gold Bar Rim. stacles. Some trail guides, however, reported slow travel, often due to 11, by Ken Davey The Moab City Council said no to a controversial west side zone change, but not before getting involved in a philosophical discussion of how much influence neighborhood residents should have on proposed changes. The request came from Ray and Ellen Alger, who own property along Fifth West now zoned R-y for one- - and homes. They want a change to R-- encountering other groups using the trails. Although Jeep Safari participants sometimes took days off to travel with smaller groups, they tended to avoid the trails being used officially, and the other groups encountered seemed to be locals or Some of those deliberthe official groups harassed ately and they were often seen damaging the land by driving off the roads. Trail officials reported numerous breakdowns and several accidents. Many of the breakdowns seemed to be unrelated to travel, such as electrical and fuel problems. Things like flat tires, however, can be partly related to the type of roads used, and the broken and suspension parts could unquestionably be scored as obstacle related. y iyrr,yrirT'jr,if Requests for zone changes occupy council as city responds to local needs Jeep Safari still growing as fans came to town event. Added to this number are the 127 officials, all volunteer members of the club, who guided the inpiii Make Our Area Beautiful this Saturday Volume 103 tended during the ip M.O.A.B.! Serving Moab and Southeastern Utah Since 1896 Moabs 1996 Easter Jeep Safari grew once again about ten percent over last year. Organizers at the Red Rock Inc., reported that they have not promoted extensively, but about 1,600 registered vehicles at- giiniir iii Copies of the Grand County history volume are now off the presses and in Moab bookstores. Bruce Louthan, chair of the committee which supervised the project, is shown presenting a copy to Bart Leavitt, County Council Chair, and Sam Taylor, chief local reviewer of the manuscript. Part of a series of 29 county histories produced for the Utah State Centennial, the book is list priced at $19.96, but it is being discounted as an introducin print. tory offer. The completely new history by noted historian Richard Firmage, is the 3rd one of the series him or her the power to appoint a manager. The new plan would also give the mayor veto power over city council votes (subject to councils ability to override the veto with 4 out of 5 votes). According to David Noorlander, one of the local residents asking for the change, one of their objections to the current setup is that residents used to control city administration by electing a mayor, and that the decision by the city council to alter that arrangement has meant less citizen power. After being faced with the request, the council had two options: the first was to accept the proposal and place the referendum on the ballot in November. The second option, the one they chose, to was to turn down the request. That means supporters of the change, including Mayor Tom Stocks, will have to obtain signatures on petitions to place the initiative before the voters. Monday afternoon supporters of the proposal gathered at a city hall meeting to discuss their aims. One often repeated belief Continued on page 3 nearby residents hoping to protect the character of the neighborhood. Two other planning requests were granted. Wayne Bowers was given permission to establish a subdivision at 860 Kane Creek Boulevard, and Lucile Carlisle was permitted to subdivide her land along Bittle Lane. In other business the council approved the appointment of Dorothy Markle to the Moab Planning Commission. The planning commission makes recommendations to the council on zone changes and planning ordinances. Other applicants for the planning commission vacancy included former city council member Dan Mick, owner of the Star Diner Mark llorwitz county employee Linda lice, educator and former mosquito abatement district chair Annette Greenberg, and park service planner David 1 Wood. cil In further business the counturned down a resolution that would have given severance pay to appointed officials if they are not Appointed positions include the police chief, city treasurer city recorder, attorney and public works director Appointments are made every two years by the mayor, and with the consent of a majority oft he city council Strong criticism of the proposal came from Bill McDougald, who said appointees are aware when they come on board that job security is limited. They know they are subject to electoral politics when they take it, he stated. Tom Stocks agreed, saying that it's not right for the public to pay when the mayor and a majority of council members do not believe an appointed official is doing a good job. New commercial projects may find it more expensive to build in Moab The council infee creased the parking-in-liefrom $2,500 per space to $5,000. Under city law. commercial construction must provide hard surfaced parking for fee. customers or pay the u The number of spots required are determined by the type of business and the size of the building. u t, La Sals see near normal snowpack as spring comes Snowpack conditions on the Mountains are at a nearnormal level, according to measurements taken the end of March by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The La Sal Mountain lower measuring course, near South Mesa at 8800 feet elevation, showed 31 .4 inches of snow with 10 inches of water. This was 103 of normal, but officials cautioned that warm weather since that date has probably reduced the level. The La Sal Mountain upper course is at an elevation of 9600 La Sal feet near Geyser Pass. The snowtel reading on April 8 showed that it has 11.1 inches of water, representing 87 of normal. The total year precipitation now stands at 96 of normal. Snowpack conditions on the Abajo Mountains in San Juan County were not so encouraging. Camp Jackson at an elevation of 7600 north of Blanding, had no snow on the ground at measuring time. The total year precipitation there was 6 6 inches, only 38 of normal 4 fcuiflt'rtli. ifljj. Tfi.i"i tflifliiiiHf fllniA HTTimfl iittIii rtuMwnlf irlSurirt nfrnll jcnTU j)f nWtinnHiii iffl nnifT in inTi ilfii ilfl nlffin '"11 ill m irf ii if r v |