OCR Text |
Show community comments... A copy of a letter crossed my desk this week which was of real Interest. It was from Harold J. Tlppetts, Director of the Utah Division of State Parks & Recreation to the San Juan County Commission, concerning the long-range development of the Newspaper Rock State Park on the entrance road to the Needles Section of Canyonlands. A number of years ago, the Division made application to the Bureau of Land Management for an additional thousand acres of land near Newspaper Rock, on which they planned to develop an elaborate campground facility. That original decision Is now being questioned by Mr. Tippetts and his Commissioners, and he is now asking the San Juan officials for their comments. Not only would the campground be located In the dangerous flood plain of Indian Creek, it would require considerable increases in the cost of operating the small, but unique park. But worst, in my opinion, it would slow, if not stop, development of such facilities on private or leased ground nearer to Canyonlands, at a point near Dugout Campground facilities, federal agencies are finding, are darned expensive to operate and maintain, and where they don't exist, private campgrounds have been developed. Ironically, private campgrounds, by law, must be built to much higher standards than those operated by federal or state agencies, although some state facilities such as the one at Dead Horse Point are built to extremely high standards. I am glad the State Division is reassessing Its future at Newspaper Rock. Development of campgrounds by federal or state agencies should be done only in those locations where Isolation and limited travel make it impossible for private enterprise to move In and do Its thing. -sjt- "I wish I knew more about it," Is the most common comment I've heard the past few months regarding the plan which will be voted on In May by Grand County residents, relative to consolidating city and county government. , i , .- t - I've heard very little In the way of negative talk about the proposal, but people in general are afraid, at this point, about being asked to vote on something which they know nothing about. Grand County Commissioners this week took steps to clear up any questions in the minds of the voters by scheduling two public hearings, on Feb. 17 and 19, where the plan will be discussed In detail. In addition, abstracts of the plan are available ast the office of the County Clerk, where they can be obtained by anyone interested. We are carrying a story this week outlining the proposed merger of governmental agencies, and will continue it with a second feature next week. In the subsequent Issues of The Times-Independent, we will carry additional information on the proposed merger, so that by May, the issue, and the rationale of Grand County Commissioners and City Councilmen which brought this issue to a vote, should be fully clear to any who wish to take (he time to understand. In this column, over the space of a couple of years, I have made no secret of my feelings on the matter. I think that merger is in the best possible interest of the people of Grand County, and that many of the problems facing us today, ranging all the way from water and sewer in Spanish Valley to a smokey city dump, could have been handled with much more dispatch by a consolidated form of government. I am sure that readers will want, also, to express their views on the matter, and they are invited to do so through our Letters to the Editor column. I don't care which side of the Issue letter writers take, but I'm going to publish only those letters written by residents of Grand County. I have already received Indications that the vote In Grand County is being watched closely by Interests located In the Salt Lake City area, and that leaders of certain groups in the city would be involved In the pre-vote activities here. This issue, I feel, is strictly a Grand County issue. We have proven over the past years that we have the ability to innovate, to think for ourselves, and to move our county and community forward as one of the most progressive in the state. We have the ability to understand this issue, and to make a proper decision. And we don't need the help of upstate brainpower in making that decision. sjt We call the attention of readers to a story on Page B1 relative to the presence of an extremely dangerous drug In the Moab area, apparently being sold under false name to unwary illicit drug purchasers. The story, which came from the office of Everett Johnson, Director of Region VIII Task Force, is of extreme importance. |