| OCR Text |
Show 2 Vernal Erftest wwioy, n ovombf 18, 1987 MM By JockWollis Don't increase translator fees Federal agencies are considering increasing the fees they are charging for radio and television translators sites on federal lands. Most rural areas in Utah receive their television and some radio signals from translators located on high mountain peaks usually belonging to the U. S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management. Tabby Mountain to the west on the Ashley Forest and Blue Mountain on the east on BLM land are essential sites for TV and FM reception in the local area. Uintah County maintains translators at both sites. Currently there is a minimal or no fee charged to place radio and television televi-sion translators on land owned by the federal government. But if new fee schedules now being considered by the Forest Service and the BLM go into effect the cost of maintaining translators will skyrocket. The fee increase would make it too expensive for small rural cities and towns to receive their regular radio and television signals. This is especially true when many translators are needed to relay the signal from mountain peak to mountain moun-tain peak to get it into many rural areas. Uintah County uses tax money to maintain its translator network. Schools, law enforcement agencies and private businesses all depend on translator sites to carry on their activities. ac-tivities. U.S. Congressman Howard Nielson is proposing that local governments in Utah be exempt from translator fees as has been done in some regions of .the country. He would also like to see a more gradual fee increase for privately owned translators if fees must be increased at all. The burden of maintaining isolated translator systems, especially during the winter months, is an expense the public has been willing to pay for good television reception in rural areas. But to have government agencies charge unreasonable fees for the use of these mountain sites raises public concern. Rather than charging fees it would be more equitable to expect those who build the translators to share in any extra costs they may cause to the landowner because of extra road construction con-struction or maintenance of these roads. Power companies should also share in the cost of maintaining access to the sites. With the increasing use of translators, satellites, and microwave telephones as communications com-munications links in our society we feel the access to these essential services ser-vices should remain as economical as possible, especially in rural areas. Everyone should be able to enjoy these communication marvels and be informed concerning events and have access to the vast store house of knowledge that is being opened up through electronic means, not just those is the cities and those who have above average means. m , - 'tk rv- - '; - Mr- CHUCK PRECCG and Stewart Waikms complete the tmibh on the driveway outside the new entry way at the county fairgrounds, Vernal Express ft .-. i j r -' n-4 S? t'J r l v "? H W I r W t I'UHLIC FORUM iiniRsioiiiRipnoR I b" t'- ml MamtaK t? t Industrial growth ti" 4 v-fy 5 .., ti -1 1 r:4 : i I "", : 1 - - I 1 ; r r ; i r .- ft. f e i f f. in i4 U-if! it imttiiir.i' c!inf:: c! fj,..r fr.njf ll f- 6 i ti V jr. r "ft IM srgr f f-. lj et "y sf fa!'!', fr'-t fisV, jf.-tjf.ie. f :u ;:(!. f I Jr ! 1 ft.'tsnH f A c T rii! 5tf r t "-r Ji.' 'f t-- J -Tit ?'t ?7v f" i:'rf l I "-.-'ah i n 'IT-.c f ':' f ' f ; ' -i - ' - T : ' 1 f - ;i I ' t - -. J 5 ' J' - f S i'i ; '-' THE HOLIDAY season will be ushered in with the turning of the lights and a Holiday Parade. Groups urged to join in holiday parade Groups, organizations and businesses of the community are being be-ing encouraged to get an entry in the first Santa's Holiday Parade to be held the day after Thanksgiving in Vernal. According to parade chairman Judy Gipson, the parade participants will be gathering at Sunburst Recreation Recrea-tion Center at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27 and the parade will begin its march down Main Street at 5 p.m. The parade is intended to boost the holiday spirit of the community and get everyone in the mood for Christmas season. "We have the combined high school and junior high school marching band, Santa Claus, lots of costumed characters, a decorated tractor contest so far, and many others who have committed to being in the parade," said Gipson. Prizes and certificates will be awarded. award-ed. ! The parade will end at Dinosaur Gardens where an awesome lights-on ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. Santa Claus has been invited to flip the lights-on switch at the gardens and singing groups will be entertaining entertain-ing throughout the evening. Merchants Mer-chants will remain open for late shoppers shop-pers Friday evening after the parade and lights-on program. "We want the parade to become an annual event," noted Gipson. "It is a great way to kick off the Christmas season in Vernal." The parade chairman chair-man can be reached at 789 6476 for more details. The parade will lead to more fun on Saturday, Nov. 28. The first annual Jingle Lied Hock Itace will toke place on South Vernal Avenue at 10 a m. with the Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce Turkey Drawing to follow at II a m. on the Zions tank parking lot. Santa will be visitinR with the children at Vernal Middle Schwl Nov. 28 from I to 4 p m He w ilt have a treat for each child. Scrolls will be selling hot drinks during holiday khfj'ping hour end various urging and performing group uill keep the hnij ns tn a festive mood Many of lhee aeliviiin will continue throughout Ue Chrir-lman M-Aiwfi, Chamber to show Oliver North's slides TV :.! :r:ri.'.A', -t that 3 r4 ('.; r-J r ! t!.- n during hv tjavrf JWth trantW.Us Vw(f trii f ,j ! !- ft Jiir wt Hp tm Vm.! C l.tr.'tf fsj (WftfnmP r"iir4 tV. I UiV vf! trrr.?-ti;i t? at U j-f rirr.Vali'Trt. ,t t C2 ) !) r ( c I Je t $;i'V i;i r it 'i tV,s Jf-aJ a:r'ri t"a? IHf!. Library... a e TOMORROW ITJE QUIT Laughter: serious qualification By Steven Walllj Express Nws Editor It appears that the Uintah County Commission is in no hurry to make their appointment to Uintah School Board. It has been almost two months since the school board position of John Sadlier was declared vacant after he moved from the area. The Uintah School Board was unable to select a replacement within the 30-day limit so the honor now rests with the Uintah County Commission. Com-mission. Perhaps the commission does not want to make a "hurried up decision" deci-sion" like Pres. Reagan did when he nominated Judge Douglas Ginsburg s his second choice to fill the vacancy vacan-cy on the Supreme Court. But that could not be the case since the county commission's selection QJR TOWN does not have to have the confirmation confirma-tion of a senate nor anyone else. Last week the commission threw the door open to anyone in the Naples, Davis or Jensen area who wants to serve on the board to submit their application. The school board devoted a good portion of a entire meeting to screen eleven applicants for the job. Whoever is chosen will only serve until the next school board election in 1988. The abbreviated term will mean that three board members will be up for election in 1988 and three terms will end in 19J0, so voters will have amble opportunity to select the members of the board if they don't like the county's choice. The small four-inch legal notice in the newspaper advertising for a new school board member lists the only qualifications for the job is residency in District Number 1 and the application applica-tion must be turned into the County Commission secretary by Nov. 30 at 12 noon. Surely the county clerk was conserving conser-ving taxpayer's money by not listing all the requirements of a school board member in a paid advertisement. advertise-ment. Such a list would read like the Boy Scout Pledge including "thrifty, clean, brave and reverent." Everyone probably has their own ideas of what a good school board member should be like, but the greatest quality is the ability to laugh at yourself. If you don't you might be the only one who is not laughing. Tourism, recreation top area's growth prospects Utah had modest economic growth in 1986 but the eastern and central regions were in severe distress, according ac-cording to year-end indicators from the University of Utah Bureau of Economic and Business Uesearch. "Things are not very gxd in rural Utah, but that's true In rural areas in alt M suites," says It Thnync Hob son, director. "However, many rural communities have drmonslralcd a Maying jxmrr despite a stagnant economic hane o have no douU thry will com in to survive." Hi? forror no immediate inv provrmrnl in natural rcMRirre or agriculture. The t-?.t growth pro-Hxi$ pro-Hxi$ bta in imimtn and rmrattun, tT.pn'iAl!y in tlx M'Wll-ke I'tmrll area. M Ci.ri; Cedar City and Vrr t'pTtiparrd 10 mt (lie U! At A hnl had a I prftrf!! inrrr! lfl rmploymrnt, 17 pmrrii growth in average omailrkijjtijrsl rd a 3 ji-rci-'-t t iw in crnv UjI ! m!- TTii lo5al Valtj1 of c-."-!u !ii frf mils, however, declined 8 5 percent. In the Uintah Basin Daggett, Duchesne and Uintah counties employment dropped 11.1 percent from laaj levels, the avers ue wage was down 2 9 percent, taxable sales were off 11 6 percent and construction construc-tion valuation was less than half the previous year's total. The 5vnithr;ir,tern District, which indudnt CarUm, Kmery, Grand and San Juan couniir. ut!rred a I 4 percent per-cent drop in employment, I S percent dxlin? in evrraj?e nmwcricultural wagm and a 70 portent drop in new ConMrudiofl valuation. Thi? CVntral District Juab, MtJUrd, Tinte, JMt-.prte, rirr and Wajne count ini had an I torrent drop in cropjoj, me hi. 4 prrreid drj tn average 3g-, 2 f-rtTtil drop in HaxaM? n'r ifd 37 fTrtri-d ri l;r, jnftitv-trvi ti"t The Urp iWrrA .- frnr!rj J and gri y Mdlard srd Jmb firtjr fri,n-.!.4 tx auip (ho fotf,. I!r'"1 f He ln!rttTi)r,tiri f'tmrf Trowt tt-.d frerioiliural r -!:.!.'- in the region Piute, Sanpete and Sevier also 'howed employment declines rangi. from about 2 to 4 percent. Elsewhere in the state, Uich County, Coun-ty, whose economic base consists mostly of agriculture and recreation, posted a string of minuses a 5.7 percent per-cent drop in employment. 1.6 percent drop In wages, u s percent drop in taxable sale and 68 7 percent decline in construction. Beaver and Iron counties in southwestern Utah showed sluggish conditions. In Beaver, employment dropped 2 percent, wages II 6 percent, per-cent, taxable Sales .3 percent and construction almost CO prrrent. The rif-i line wrr? Iikrly due to a ripple titect ti HT related job and wage imr in adjacent Millard County. In contrast Id the bmm next door In Vanhif!hn County, Iron County had ! prrrmt frer jwple employed than in a Kant I prrei-.t growth in average wage, a 17.6 t-rr-rent dn litse in UxaMe Mtm and a 4 -tf t dropineomtnKtion f t (t ! IS H T - (r I 11 . J t v. .,,y -1 r- sr , f J "4 Jl , A r(j - i v v a r -; ' |
