OCR Text |
Show iiiiigr'-;r"-Lfiir "yriini : y ' AfSOCIATIC.N'X X UTAH PFSv5; 307 W 200 S ? iUJ, UT fc41Cl 71 Mmmi VJH hal truffle control page 16 1 Uintah Smart Site page 2 Halftray bxxac taMrri page 3 Bririof dream , .pager 12 Dinoland video .... page 13 Western Park action page 14 Express online: www.vemal.com (Single Copy 50 THSDNESDAY, Alignst 22, 2001 Vernal. Utah 84078 109th Year No. 33-18 Pagest jChepk einiAniD m By Virginia Harrington Feature Writer A request for a salary increase, benefits and extended contract for a economic development advisor was met will some apprehension Friday by members of the Uintah County Commission. At the joint meeting Vernal City Council and Mayor Kremin met with the Uintah County Commission and Naples City . Mayor John Mathis to discuss hiring hir-ing an economic development advisor. advi-sor. Garth Heaton presented the recommendations rec-ommendations of the Economic Development Council concerning this issue. After advertising locally and in the Salt Lake Tribune, six qualified applicants . for the position were interviewed and one applicant was offered the position. Heaton said that individual refused the position because of the one year contract and the absence of benefits. The Economic Development Council then researched salaries, contracts and benefits for similar positions state wide. Heaton said the Council put together a package from this research, that would be competitive with other cities and attractive to applicants, assuming the City Council and County Commission want an economic development advisor and an economic eco-nomic program. Heaton said Uintah County is currently cur-rently in a pcfiod of slow to moderate moder-ate growth in 'ill areas and mat this growth is likely to last through the next 10 to IS years. He said it is the - :u Over $55,000 in crystal meth was Force agents. Largest meth bust land two in Monday afternoon the Uintah Basin Narcotics Strike Force arrested arrest-ed two California men after they delivered over a pound of metham-phetamine metham-phetamine to Uintah Basin Narcotics Strike Force agents in west Uintah County. The crystal methamphetamine has a street value of over $55,000, the ' largest meth bust ever within the Strike Force's jurisdiction. Intelligence information gathered by Strike Force agents in this investigation, inves-tigation, indicate mat this California connection has been a major source of roethamphetarnine in the Uintah Basin for the past year and a half. Arrested were Arturo Martinez Jr., 25 and Jody Hernandez Cobos, 29, both of San Bernardino, Calif. Cobos was booked at the Uintah County jail for distribution of methamphetamine - 1st degree felony; possession of methamphetamine methampheta-mine - 2nd degree felony; use of rnethampnetamine - 2nd degree felony; possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia - both Class A misdemeanors. Martinez was booked for distribution of methamphetamine, a 1st degree felony. Following the arrests, search warrants war-rants were completed on the two arrestee's vehicles. Additionally, a n a recommendation of the Economic Development Council that a decent salary with decent benefits be offered to qualified candidates. The nxommendation is for a yearly salary between ' $36,000 and 45,000 plus a retirement IRA amounting to 3 of salary and an insurance program that includes life and family health insurance. In addition, the , recommendation includes a three year contract as a minimum instead of a one year contract con-tract Salary and benefit costs would be shared by the City and the County. Goyd Harrison said the County Commission has been doing some research and has found a "big red flag" concerning the City contributing contribut-ing to the income and benefits of a Chamber employee. Harrison said he has spoken with the County Attorney and there is some question as to the legality of the city government govern-ment contributing to anything that doesn't have a tangible result City Manager Ken Basse tt said this is different as it is a contract for services, ser-vices, not a contribution. Mayor Mathis said he believes it falls in the area of professional services and is thus legal. Mayor Kremin asked if it is legal for the County to contribute to the salary and benefits of such an employee and Harrison said it is, if the employee is placed within a County department. Council and Commission members discussed the best place to house the Economic Developer, either within the Chamber or the County, and comparisons com-parisons were made with other ... i confiscated by Uintah Basin Strike county jail search warrant was executed at a Davis County motel room where the arrestee's had been earlier in the day. Efforts were coordinated with the Davis metro narcotics strike force for the motel room in Davis County. . The Uintah Basin Narcotics Strike Force is comprised, of officers offi-cers from the Roosevelt Police Department, Vernal Police department, depart-ment, Uintah County Sheriff's Department, Duchesne County. Sheriffs department Adult Probation and Parole, Naples Police department and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Police department Both Naples PD and the Bureau of Indian .Affairs joined the strike force just mis year. The strike force is funded partially partial-ly by 75 federal grant and 25 local entity matching funds, previously previ-ously obtained through drug proceed pro-ceed forfeitures. Drug proceed for-feitures for-feitures now go to the State School Trust Fund rather than back to drug, enforcement efforts as a result of the passing of Initiative B this- year. Due to the nature of this operation, opera-tion, the strike force received additional addi-tional manpower assistance from local law enforcement agencies. '- V WOSOGT SCQ counties, such as Weber, Moab and Duchesne, which do house an economic, eco-nomic, developer within the Chamber. . Burt Clark said it is essential to have an economic development person per-son and that person must be closely associated with the Chamber. He added that if the Economic Developer is part of a County department that would add a hiring incentive to applicants since there would be greater security than either a one or three year contract would offer. He added that Uintah County is more diversified than some of the other counties in the state. City Councilman Mashbum asked how long before the legalities are decided and Harrison said probably within a week or two.. Mayor Kremin said he wants a decision by the next City Council meeting on August 24 so at least the city can make its decisions. Heaton said if it's legal, he recommends recom-mends the Developer position be left within the Chamber so the position posi-tion is somewhat insulated from the bureaucracy of both the City and County governments to avoid a sense of ownership by either government gov-ernment entity. Ken B as sett commented that purchasing pur-chasing statutes for counties and municipalities differ, and it is essential essen-tial that the Attorney General understands under-stands the involvement of the City of Vernal as well as Uintah county. The discussion was then tabled untH the legal questions have been answered. SB company sees ffiryDtoi tiwkme By Steven R. Wallls Express Editor Dominion Exploration and Production Inc. plans to continue its present pace of drilling operations for the next five years in the Uintah Basin. Speaking to the Vernal Chamber of Commerce Tuesday, Richard M. Miller, general manager for Rocky Mountain and Joint Venture Operations for Dominion Exploration and Production Inc., said that Dominion is a long-time oil and gas operator in the Uintah Basin. The started operating in the area in 1976. The company has 240 producing wells in Uintah County. Last year alone. Dominion drilled 30 wells at a total cost of $40 mil By Steven R. Wallis Express Editor School starts today for most students stu-dents in the Uintah School District, and teachers and administrators are optimistic about the new year. Part of the optimism stems from an earlier-than-last-year settlement of salary contracts for teachers and classified employees. The school board has not ratified the contracts yet but the board made an offer which was accepted by the Uintah County Education Association and the. classified employees. The School Board will ratify the agreement agree-ment next Tuesday. ' "We are thrilled that they worked well together," said Superintendent Wayne Gurney. "They wanted a change and they made good progress based on good research," Gumey said, about this year's negotiating nego-tiating team. "This year there was an open, data driven, give-and-take working relationship during negotiations, said Lynne Romney, UCEA Negotiations Team. "All parties have come to recognize mat this District's finances verses needs pose many future challenges, including lifting the teachers from the bottom of the-statc ranking in 1 3 J X Rockcrawier spectators jockey for week.. See page 17. lion. In January last year the company com-pany merged with CNG to become one of the largest independent oil and natural gas exploration and production pro-duction companies in North America For the next five years, the com-, pany plans on drilling 15-20 wells per year and 3-5 wells to develop exiting holdings. The driving force behind the continued con-tinued drilling program for natural gas is a projection by the National Energy Policy Development that U.S. Natural Gas consumption will out-pace production through the year 2020. Over the next 20 years, U.S. natural gas consumption will grow by over 50 percent At the same time, U.S. natural gas production produc-tion will grow by only 14 percent, if starting salary." Schools are 100 percent staffed, but it took some creative staffing , Gurney said Tuesday Gurney said there was a increase in the number of new students who registered. "If they all show up there could be a slight increase, but we are projecting a slight decrease from last year. At the Vernal Junior High School, the most congested school in the district, 800 to 900 students are expected to show op the first day. Flow lines have been painted down the school's narrow hallways to assist with the flow of students. Vernal mother robs clothing store A Vernal single-mother of three robbed the Christensen's Clothing Store getting away with $3600 cash and $550 in cloth before she was apprehended shortly after she left the store. . Vernal City Police were dispatch to the store at about 6: 13" p.m. Tuesday last week. A customer approached the clerk with some clothes as if she was going to purchase pur-chase them, but instead said she had a gun in her purse and demanded the money from the cash register. She was given the 0 'm( ft ' .. ' w i .-..,.:., -. Vja the best viewpoint in last week's it grows at the rate of the last 10 years. Dominion Exploration has reached an agreement with the Ute Tribe to begin exploration in the Oil Shale Naval Reserve on the Ute Reservation. The area has been a hands-off area for the past 80-90 years, which is a great opportunity just south of our existing fields, said Miller. He projected that drilling in the Naval Reserve would begin next year after testing and exploring the area. Miller views the present limit on the transportation natural ' gas through pipelines out of the Uintah Basin as only a temporary problem. Because of some expansions, Miller said, he didn't ce this as a factor in the future. A study committee is being formed to make recommendations to the School Board concerning buildings and facility and the junior high. With school in session, the Transportation and Safety Committee of the Vernal Chamber of Commerce has requested help with crosswalks. The Transportation Board members mem-bers are concerned that there are no crosswalks indicated or painted at the following schools: Maeser, Discovery, Ashley, Vernal Junior High, Vernal Middle, Naples and Davis elementary schools and money and she lett the store through the front door with the money and clothing. A . store employee followed her, watched her get into her car and was able to obtain a description of the vehicle before she drove to the rear of the store. Another clerk went out the back door of the store where she was able, to take down the suspect's sus-pect's vehicle license plate number num-ber ' . Officers determined the location of the home of suspect from the vehicle's license number and Photo by Steven R. Waht Utah Rockcrawlers competition last Richard Miller, Exploration and speaks to Chamber. Dominion Production Ashley Valley High School. "Of extreme importance to us is Uintah High School due to the new road construction on the Maeser Highway," said lnny Kay, chairman chair-man of the Transportation and Safety Committee in a letter to Uintah County Commissioners, UDOT and Vernal City. "There should be crosswalks at all schools listed. These crosswalks should be located on the roads and highways on both sides of the schools and should be designed with help from the State UDOT personnel. description and arrested her at her home, minutes after robbery occurred. They recovered the money and clothing. Much of the clothing was for her children. The home was about three block from the Christensen's store. Arrested on charges of armed robbery was Rebecca Lynn Barber of Vernal. Det Dylon Rooks said the lady said she . had no money when she went into the store. )R COPY |