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Show County Signs Cooperative Fencing Pcct With State Road Commission The Grand County Commission Com-mission this week signed an agreement with the State Road Commission of Utah, which will result in the construction con-struction of badly - needed fencing along U. S. Highway lG'J between Canyonlands ' Airport and Crescent Junction. Junc-tion. Signing of the agreement culminated months of work on the part of the Grand county Safety Council unde the chairmanship of Harold Jacobs, who had attempted all summer to get the project pro-ject put together. The fencing should do a lot , to curb the alarming number of accidents, some) of which resulted in deaths, wherein automobiles struck livestock along that stretch of highway during the nighttime night-time particularly in the winter months when the cows were placed on the winter range. Under terms of the agreement, agree-ment, the State of Utah will, over a two year period, provide pro-vide $22,349.22 in materials for the project, including posts, wire, etc., and Grand county will gurantee the e-rection e-rection of the fencing. "The county does not have funds for all the work," Chairman Ralph J. Miller pointed out, "but nearly one hundred concerned Moab residents have volunteered their personal per-sonal efforts at erecting the fence," he said. Also Will Assist Curtis Young, a livestock operator who ranges cattle in the area during the winter win-ter months, and who has lost a number of animals in mishaps mis-haps during the past few years, was present at ths County Commission meeting Mdnday. He told Commissioners Commis-sioners he was completely in favrtr of the project, and would furnish equipment and manpower to assist in driving driv-ing and setting posts for the fence. He also reiterated that the Eastern Utah Cattle Cat-tle Growers' Association had pledged assistance in the project. As soon as the State pro-Continued pro-Continued on Page A3 W" : - -' -I k i . -? ' " ' ' i Chairman Ralph J. Miller cf the Grand County Commission, signs the unique agree-mer.t agree-mer.t with the S!ate Road Commission, which guarantees that Grand county and its people will complete construction of high way fencing on U. S. 160 if the State will purchase the. materials. The stretch of highway which will new be fenced has been the scene of numerous auto-animal accidents over the years. (T-l Photo) i ft t County Signs Fencing Pact . . . -ivei the nunn'ml, a work mi Hii fern-ins project be-pin. be-pin. It staled tins week lv Mr. Jacobs. He snid it is hireinely important that tlw tork be completed in the month or two, nior to jlit- movement of livestock jrom the hiiih mountain t.ines to the desert, f -Whereas it is desired hy 1he parties to this agreement provide', for the fencing of Mit-ot'-wsy .' along portions (if Highway I'S-IHO. from jYeseent Junction to a 'point ifear Moub Canyon. Milepos: jo. and. due to loeal and stn!e ioncem over the loss of livestock live-stock and in the interest of public safety it is proposed that a project be undertaken faintly by; the State Road fommissioii of Utah and Grand County.", " Fwrnljh Material t Specifically, the agreement States .that the State Road Commission, over a two year period' will provide the materials ma-terials necessary to install fie fight of way fence including in-cluding rwo 8' x 14' cattle tunrd w:,h end sniards and jit 14' ami 6 -. 16' right-of-jray gates.. 1 t also states Jiat a survey crew will be f'Hvshed- for staking align-f-ht f fencing and locations 6! gntes 'and cattle guards, approximately five men for one week including transportation transpor-tation and subsistence costs The cost to the vStale Road Commission as its share of the project is estimated to be $22,:!50. Crand county is to be responsible re-sponsible for the installation in accordance with Stale Road Commission right-of-way modified fencing standards, stand-ards, comprising ;!;! miles Grand county is also responsible res-ponsible for maintaining the fence after completion, it was agreed. Commissioner Miller expressed ex-pressed his pleasure over the State's part in the project pro-ject and reiterated that Grand county would find the means to complete thej project. pro-ject. It would not be possible without the volunteer assistance assis-tance that has been offered, he said. Commissioner Mars Pope had signed the agreement agree-ment before he loft the City this week, and in a phone call Monday to County Clerk Barbara Domenick. lie stated stat-ed again that he was in favor fav-or of the project, even though not at the meeting. Votes Against Project Commissioner Fred Beylor was oppjised to the project because, he said. Grand county was accepting a project pro-ject it had no responsibility for and could not afford. He was overruled by the other two commissioners. Alarming statistics concerning con-cerning loss of property and life on that stretch of highway high-way supported Mr. Jacobs' ordinal requests for assistance assist-ance on the project, lie said recently that just since May 1 of this year, there have been eight accidents in the area involving cattle on the highway, resulting in $7,0(10 in damages, five injuries and one fatility. Trior to May 1 in lllOfl, 14 accidents occured, attributed to cattle on the highway, he said. Involved in the primary work have been, in addition to the county and state road commission, the Utah Saftey Council and other groups interested in-terested in a solution to the serious problem. "The Bureau Bur-eau of Land Management and livestock men in the area cooperated in 5.6 miles of fencing in the vicinity of me airport this summer," Mr. Jacobs said. He went on to say it was hoped that the Rt,M would assist in the coming work also. "I have written to director Boyd Rns-musscn Rns-musscn in Washington, outlining out-lining the reasons I feel they should cooperate," Mr. Jacobs stated. |