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Show INSIDE Search and Rescue rummage sale 3 Hints on water storage 4 Teenagers honored by Elks .6 Youth arts festival 13 Japanese childrens' art 19 Uintah girls place first 25 . .iOO so. Vernal 32 Pages Single Copy 25 Editorial 2,3 Obituaries 7 Public Notices 8,9 Classified Ads . . Expressions . . , Sports ........ ,.10-11 ,.13-24 ..25-32 TV Guide , . Six Adv. 21-22; Inserts : eirooys OTinme died Dimes o WEDNESDAY May 2, 1984 Vernal, Utah 84078 92nd Year No. 35 THE SERIOUSNESS of crime in a nose dive in 1983 which falls To proceed Chevron will expand Brus Standard Oil Company of California (SocaD through officials of its subsidiaries, sub-sidiaries, Chevron Chemical Company and Chevron Resources Company-has Company-has advised state officials in Utah and Wyoming that, pending receipt of remaining re-maining necessary permits, it will proceed pro-ceed this summer with construction of a major phosphate fertilizer project. The $250 million project will include expansion of the phosphate mine and rock beneficiation plant at Vernal, operated by Chevron Resources Company; Com-pany; construction of a 95-mile-long slurry pipeline to carry the crushed County Democratic Party sets convention time and place Members of the Uintah County Democratic Party will meet in their 1984 county convention at the Golden Age Center, 155 South 100 West, May 3 beginning at 8 p.m. Delegates to the county convention were selected at mass meetings throughout the state April 25. Sixty-four Sixty-four local residents were selected to represent the party at the county convention. The delegate from the second voting district is Marilyn W. Merrill. The fourth district will be represented by Perry Mace and Louie Phillips. Fifth district delegates are Jacqueline Uintah County prepares for flooding, just in case With the threat of heavy runoff looming over residents in tl.c flood plain of Ashley Creek, Uintah County and Vernal City officials are making efforts to be better prepared than last year. The focus of their efforts this week are along the south bank of Ashley Creek near the Kiwanis Park, 1750 West 1500 North. Last year Ashley Creek flooded beyond its banks near a bend In the stream, flooded nine to ten homes on 1500 North and caused extensive damage to homes and properties. Only one of the residents along 1 500 that were flooded has moved, That resident said it was not because of the flooding last year. Residents along the street are preparing for more flooding this year. A five foot concrete retaining wall us. a sr-- " 1.06.2 94.4 82.6 78. B 59.0 47 . 2 35.4 23.6 11.8 0.0 l l I 1 I KHl 9 9 9 9 9 7 8 8 8 8 9 a 1 2 3 Vernal City took in line with the national trend. If the trend continues, there may be cutback measures in the department. $250 mil phosphate ore over the Uinta Mountains Moun-tains to the fertilizer plant to be constructed con-structed at Rock Springs, Wyoming; and utilization by this new plant of sulfur produced by Chevron U.S.A. at Carter Creek, Wyoming. The Utah portion of the $250 million project will represent an investment of $52 million, $27 million for the Vernal Ver-nal mine and mill facility and $25 million for the slurry pipeline, according accor-ding to construction figures. The capacity at the Brush Creek plant will increase from the present Dickson, Kevin Dickson and Kelly and Michell Brown. Those representing the sixth district are David Montgomery, Christine Montgomery, Daniel Praeuner and Corey Grua. The eighth district will be represented by Richard Davenport, Laura Davenport, and Richard Perry. The delegate from the 11th district is Charles Gray and Donald Simmons will represent the 12th district. Delegates from the 15th district are Carolyn Lee Clifford Lee, Thelma Winn, Arda Mansfield, Jacob Mansfield, Grace Moore and Marlene Harrison. has been placed around the Ken Phillips residence, which was severely severe-ly flooded last year. Mrs. Pfiillips said she hopes the wall will stop a flood from getting her home this year. Also volunteers are aiding Uintah County in building cages filled with cobble rocks and placing them along banks at the bend In the creek that caused the problem last year. The shore of the creek has been sloped and the creek's strcambod has been cleaned up. "It's looking in good shape," said Byron Merrell, Uintah County Commissioner. Merrell said he is hoping for a lower peak runoff than last year, but just in case, the county has 90,000 sandbags ready. The sandbags can be obtained, In the case of an emergency, from Jess lion f A IS A. annual ore mining production of 1.5 million tons to 3.5 million tons and from 550,000 tons of concentrate to 1 .3 million tons of concentrate with the new operation. The concentrate value at the present production is $17 million and under the new operation the value will increase to $40 million. Employment at the local Brush Creek plant including the Phoston railhead plant is 151 persons, the new operation will employ 179 persons. The Phoston plant will be removed and trucking will no longer take place from the Brush Creek operations to this Representing the 16th district are Earl Fowels and Pam Smith. Delegates from the 18 district are Harold N. Gregg, Wilford Olsen, Vera Olsen, Theron Davis, Lola Davis, Marvin Jackson, Rosaline M. Gregg and Leona Bowthorpe. The 20th district will be represented by Vcrla W. Williams, Jane Williams, Mary Williams, and Tom Williams. Delegates from the 22nd district are Ray Allen, Glenda Lane, Marline Mitchell, Mit-chell, Wayne Calder, Dennis Mitchell, and Machell Mitchell. The 24 district Continued on page 2 Miller, civil defense director. The Army Corps of Engineers still will not allow the county to clean out the creek is areas where It flows year-round. Merrell said the county is repairing areas In Dry Fork Canyon near the diversions, and also near the Vernal Golf Course. "The canal companies have spent a lot of money to improve their diversions diver-sions which should be in good shape this year," Merrell said. Vernal City has worked in the creek where it crosses north Vernal Avenue. Also the city has had some heavy equipment above the chlorinator In Dry Fork. "It all depends on how fast It warms up," Merrell faid. "If we gel ran along with a warm spell, there will be bravy runoff like last year." erfihzer plant h Creek operation Last year a violent crime occurred every 3.4 days and a crime jeopardizing jeopardiz-ing property occurred every 3.8 days in Vernal City. The Vernal City Police Department 1983 annual crime report doesn't paint a pretty picture for a rural community, communi-ty, but it does show a trend that "could bring crime into controlable levels in the near future." Violent crime in Vernal City, rape, homicide, robbery and assault, were down 42 percent from 1982. Although crimes against property increased in 1983, 123 percent, the seriousness of property crimes went down. In 1982 the amount of stolen property was reported at $602,542 compared to $451,791 in 1983. The increase in property crime was projected bcause of the slump in the economy, said Chief Robert T. Downard, Vernal City Police. The total crime picture in Vernal City Ci-ty shows a slight increase in Part I crime of 21 percent of 1982, but the seriousness of the crimes were down significantly, following a national trend. One of the theories for the decrease in the seriousness of crime nationwide is that for the first time since World War II, the age of the average person in the United States is over 30 years. "Some speculate that as people get older they are less inclined to be in- railhead, stated Chevron representatives. represen-tatives. An average of 160 additional persons will be employed during the major construction of the project, which is scheduled to start in mid 1984 and finish in mid 1986. The ore reserves at the Brush Creek mine is estimated to be over 700 million tons. The plant will have capacity to produce pro-duce in excess of 400,000 tons per year of ammonium phosphate fertilizer, which will be marketed primarily through independent fertilizer dealers to farmers in the Western and Midwestern states. Phosphate fertilizer is one of the three basic plant nutrients together with nitrogen and potash used to increase in-crease agricultural crop yields. Company officials estimate that an average of 400 construction workers will be employed during project construction con-struction which is slated to commence this June. When completed and on-stream on-stream in late 1986, the plant will employ more than 200 people. Chevron Chemical announced in November, 1982, a postponement of a similar project due to weakness in demand de-mand for phosphate fertilizer, resulting from the downturn in the nation's na-tion's farm economy. Despite this postponement Chevron executives said they remained op-continued op-continued from page 4 f4 VOLUNTEER AND county crews fill wire baskets shoring is being placed southwest ol the Kiwanis with cobble rocks which will act as shoring along Park where extensive flooding occurred last Ashley Creek during peak flows this spring. The year. 1129 . 0 lt6 . 1 901 . 2 790. 3 677.4 Sf.4.5 451 . 6 338 . 7 223.8 112.9 0.0 Violent Crime 5704. 0 513 3.6 4563 . 2 3992 3422 2852 2281 171 I 1140 570 9 0 12 Calls for Service volved in serious crime," Downard said. Heading the decline in violent crime in Vernal City is a sharp decrease in the number of robberies in 1983. There were two robberies in 1983, nine in 1982 and seven in 1981. Rape declined from four in 1982 to three in 1983, and assaults decreased from 100 to 1982 to 61 in 1983. The only violent crime that increased in 1983 was homicide: one in 1982 and two in 1983. Since 1977 the Vernal Police Department Depart-ment has standardized their crime reporting program tying in the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) which is used nationally. Part I crimes are homocide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft, vehicle vehi-cle theft and arson. Part II crimes include in-clude forgery, fraud, kidnapping, sex offenses, criminal mischief, drugs and child abuse. Sexual assault, which is not included includ-ed in the UCR, but is included in the Vernal Crime Report, shows two aggravated ag-gravated sexual assaults, four forcible sexual abuse, two child rapes and three rapes during 1983. These crimes are about equal to the 1982 level. In property crimes there were 161 burglaries in 1983 a 16 percent increase; in-crease; theft increased to 926 incidents in 1983, a 45 percent increase; vehicle vehi-cle theft declined 17 percent; and arson ar-son stayed the same at four cases. There was a significant increase in the number of drug offenders in 1983. The increase in largely due to a large drug bust of over 50 persosn last year. In 1983 there were 113 verified drug offenses of-fenses which is 245 percent of 1982's mark. Kidnap cases were up to six in 1983, up five incidents from 1982. If the trend set in 1983 continues next year, there may be some cutbacks, said Downard. "We are now looking at some cut Survey to make assessment of downtown businesses A survey of downtown businesses to determine attitudes and current intentions inten-tions has been initiated by the Vernal City Council, Chamber of Commerce and the City Planning Office. The survey is spurred by a trend in other cities of core downtown areas being be-ing ignored or left to the natural course of free market forces. The natural course in some areas has been that as city-center buildings age and deteriorate, and new shopping plazas are constructed on the outskirts of - i, - : !- back measures," Downard said. "The question is where to draw the line." Since 1981, there has been a drastic increase in the number of calls for service ser-vice in the non-criminal realm. In 1981 there were 806 such calls and in 1983 that number increased to 5,704 or 62 percent of the total calls. "As an area becomes more urbanized urbaniz-ed and residents get away from their families, they become more isolated, which brings up the question, 'Who do they turn for help,'" Downard said. "The police department becomes the answer." This year the police department received calls for service they never received before: a call from a woman to help her husband out of the bathtub, motorist assistance, and vacation checks. A cutback in services will affect these areas first. The effectiveness of the police department is demonstrated by an increase in-crease in the percent of crimes that are cleared by the department. Clearance rates in all major crime increased in-creased significantly: Part I, up 2 percnet and Part II crimes, up 24 percent. per-cent. In minor crimes such as traffic, littering, parking, fireworks and others, the clearance rate was down 6 percent from last year. Overall clearance rates of all crimes remained remain-ed the same with 56 percent being cleared for the last two consecutive years. The police department's manpower has remained the same since 1982: 28 personnel including 4 dispatchers, record clerk, record secretary, 12 police officers, 2 detectives, four sergeants, a lieutenant, a crime lab technician and a chief of police. The department also supports and staff three auxiliary groups, Vernal Police Reserve Program consisting of five volunteers, Vernal Police Explorer Ex-plorer Program and . two crossing guards. Some of the programs which have been implemented in the last several years are Police Crime Laboraory, computer records, computer assistance training, report writing and communication, and major task squad and tactical services bureau. Total arrests in 1983 were up slightly slight-ly from 1982 with 1080 in 1982 and 1200 in 1983. The department's response time to emergency calls has increased over the all-time low recorded in 1981, but remains well within acceptable limits, Downard said. Continued on page 2 older areas, many businesses abandon the core downtown area for the newer, more attractive areas. The survey asks downtown businesses if they have any plans for improvement to buildings. It also inquires in-quires about what if any improvements im-provements are needed in the downtown area. About 68 businesses are being surveyed in the area between 100 East Continued on poge 2 A 4 ,1 ' ; U ,' , f M .J i .... '..- i ' .,,"-.' .. ,..-.y ."T. ... |