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Show Stewart named Uintah County Fair Grand Marshal Vernal Expren Wednesday, July 2$, 1992 3 I A: 1 0URAY T0 CISCO 1 A w I 13 ?iV, HIGHWAY Arden Stewart, former Sheriff of Uintah County, will lead this year's Uintah County Fair parade as Grand Marshal. The parade will begin at 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 3 and will head east on Main Street from the roller skating rink to 200 East. "I think this is one of the greatest honors to be named Grand Marshal. It is great I didn't think it would ever ev-er happen to me," Stewart said after he was notified of the parade committee's com-mittee's choice. Stewart is multi-talented. Besides serving 16 years as Sheriff (1971 to 1986), he is a certified gun smith through Smith and Wesson, a pro-rodeb pro-rodeb rider, an artist, a saddle maker, mak-er, a cowboy poet and an orator. He was raised on a ranch in Willow Creek and has spent the majority of his life in the Uintah Basin. He has always been active in community and civic affairs. He has been a member of the American Legion for close to 40 years and has held the position of Utah State Commander. He has coached little league, served as Bishop in his church, and is a member of the Uintah County Search and Rescue. During his tenure as Sheriff, he served on many state and national committees including the Governor's committee for drug prevention pre-vention and abuse. Stewart is an expert shooter and is considered one of the top "in the state of Utah. He is a certified firearms instructor and displays a full room of trophies and medals that have been won. In the most recent years, Stewart has become very interested in outlaws, out-laws, lawmen and their history. He became interested in the outlaw history his-tory while he was Sheriff. He spoke last weekend to the members of the National Outlaw and Lawmen Association during their convention on the history of Uintah County sheriffs. One of his most recent hobbies is to "chase tourists" over to Browns Park. He and his wife have been called to conduct tours in the area. He has also been very active in the Outlaw Trail Ride and other festival activities. His father worked on a ranch at one time with Butch Cassidy. While he was growing up he had the opportunity op-portunity to know many of the outlaws out-laws that settled along the river in the Book Cliffs. Arden and Donna Stewart have been married for over 40 years and have been blessed with three children, chil-dren, 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Bonnie Moon, chairperson for the parade, said that this year's parade should be the best one yet. She is expecting over 100 entries including floats that have not yet been seen in any other parades this summer. The parade will feature all of the county's coun-ty's industry, including that of oil and gas. JO Arden Stewart "We want to feature those industries indus-tries that help to bring in the money to the county," Moon said. Businesses around town and various churches in the valley will also be showcased. Royalty from other counties are also expected to participate partici-pate in the parade. Following a serious auto accident that happened in Currant Creek Canyon on July 8, Moon has been manning the telephones from her home, making final preparations for the parade. She says she has the best committee in the fair because they have had to take over many duties that she would normally have done herself. Moon has been recuperating from her accident at home. """ Hll"f HWIM Illll IWPHWIMM.JUSJ i g j , ,.,... :, f( j& Spl JU -t. : ijvjii . ' -r .. '.'..;r.:.:.ii:.-..:.tv25 1 f 1 i $b: -4 a i fee 4 g ? THE 1992 Uintah County Fair Board includes: (front row), Linda Hacking, Jean Fabrizio, Kristy Curtis, Gaylynn Case, Kathy Meeks, Terri Shirk; (center row), Leah Harrison, Jacque Hobbs, Kathy Lesh, Judy Kurtz, Joyce Bentley, Sherry Gardiner, AUean Foley; (back row), Stan Arias, Wendy Owens, Jamie Uleeks, Max and Patsy Rasmussen, Jim Barth, Kent Keller and Max Martin. The Board is making final preparations for the 1992 Uintah County Fair. UINTAH HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM AUG. 1,1992 7:30 p.m. $3 Per Person rii:i Theme Anything I Want Shoot or the Stars Uintah County Fair The Seep Ridge Road is an existing county Road (mostly dirt) that runs generally NorthSouth through the Book Cliffs area, connecting Uintah and Grand Counties. The route is 90 miles long from Ouray to Cisco, Utah. The Uintah and Grand County transportation districts have joined together with the Utah Department of Transportation to upgrade the road to a State Highway Classification. The upgraded road would follow the existing road right of way for most of its length. The road would be constructed in two phases. Uintah and Grand Counties would pay for bringing the road to State approved subgrade. This work consists of aligning, leveling and installing drainage, and is estimated to cost $20,000,000.00. The Utah Department of Transportation would then adopt the road as a State Highway, construct the paved surface and maintain the road as part of the State Highway System. The cost to the State for paving the road is estimated at $20,000,000.00. The Uintah and Grand County transportation districts would bond for the money to pay their share of the road construction cost. The money to repay these bonds would come from the counties transportation districts respective share of Federal oil and gas funds. Federal oil and gas funds are the rents and royalties that energy and mineral companies pay for the mineral rights on Federal leases. The State of Utah receives 50 of these funds and returns a guaranteed amount each year to the county transportation districts in which these funds were generated. The Uintah Transportation District received $1 ,320,000.00 and the Grand Transportation District receives $320,000.00 per year from Federal oil and gas funds. No public tax money (such as sales tax, income tax, property tax, etc.) will be used to pay back these bonds. Upgrading the Seep Ridge road will improve access into what can literally be described as Utah's energy storehouse. This area contains one of the nations largest deposits of oil shale. A resource with proved production potential and of recognized strategic importance to our State and our Nation. This area also contains Utah's largest deposit of tar sands. This deposit is particularly important for the State of Utah, in that the heart of the deposit is entirely State owned. There are hundreds of oil and gas wells in both Uintah and Grand Counties that this highway would serve. The mineral lease monies that Uintah and Grand Transportation Districts receive are intended to be expended at the point of origin of oil and gas production and is to improve these oil and gas impacted roads and highways. The State of Utah is a major landowner in the Book Cliff area, and improved access will allow the State and State school system to increase their income from State owned lands in Uintah and Grand counties. In 1991 the Utah Division of Lands and Forestry received $3,306,976.00 from these two counties, most of which comes from the Book Cliffs area. The Utah State Schools benefit directly from these counties in the amount of $1 ,935,000.00 yearly from oil and gas funds. The Book Cliffs contain an extensive network of mostly unimproved dirt roads. Most of these roads have been in place for more than 50 years. An upgraded highway would centralize traffic on one main road and reduce impacts in other areas. The distance from Moab to Vernal on the Seep Ridge Highway would be 160 miles. The existing route from Moab to Price to Duchesne to Vernal is 225 miles, 65 miles longer. This more direct route with reduced grades should improve the cost and flow of freight into and out of our area. Tourism would be boosted by directly connecting Southeastern Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico into the Vernal recreation area, along with access from Wyoming south through Vernal to Moab, etc. Much confusion surrounds the right of way passing through an edge of the Winter Ridge Wilderness Study Area. A wilderness study area is NOT wilderness, it is an area that has to be treated under wilderness guidelines while it is studied to determine if it contains the values appropriate for wilderness designation. The Bureau of Land Management has determined that Winter Ridge does NOT contain suitable wilderness values and has recommended to Congress that it NOT be designated wilderness. When Congress acts on the wilderness Bill, this area should revert back to the multiple use status of other BLM lands. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources openly opposes this Highway improvement, choosing instead to pursue an restrictive wildlife program that will impose unreasonable burdens on resource developers in the Book Cliffs and ultimately damage the economy of the Uintah Basin. Uintah County and its residents rely on Public Lands such as the Book Cliffs for jobs as well as recreation and the Seep Ridge Road Project will improve opportunities for both activities. If further information is needed piease call: Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce co Transportation Committee and Industrial Development Committee Chamber of Commerce: 789-1352 Stan Anderson: 789-2123 Stan Fabian: 789-1272 |