OCR Text |
Show 2 Vernal ExprOS Wednesday Apni 17. 20C2 Opinion and Commentary JACK-STRAWS by Jack Wallis Plant a tree Spring is the pcrtesl tunc lof planting trees It's also the perfect tititc- u avert oihmeal k'adack's mm and in ihc future by taking precautions wkii doing the planting protests I'lah Power cikouiajjes people U slay vale and avoid ptohk-ms by planting the tight tree in the right plate I lah is IK4 partiiulaitv known lor il trees, hut tk'ie all lilanv villi's altJ neighborhoods that make It a fl only to plant ainl maintain trees, says kit) (itmdsjiccd. I'M" I vlcnsion kulicullurisi Ihc trees thai suriouod us and ciihame oul lives III the cities ail.' kji lonncclMMi to natuic Iticie aic nun hem-tils to glowing liars. througkiul oui 1'itirv (i-xkJ-iva) savs lii'skk's the toiling ot vaiC an J calm iIks provide. I His also liiirovc ihii quahlv ot I ilc I manually ihcy iaii ilk nasi- ilk- value ol ilk' luniks llk' sunouikl by some estimates us inikll as 20 x Kinl W ho louldu't k'lk'lil Iiimii llk'il Ixnik' k'ing worth 1 1 toll money ' Anolk'l obvious advantage is the sh.uk' and protcc lion tium Ihc eli iik-nls thai the) ollei. Ik' aikls Ik'ii sh.i,k- iaii li'iluie looting bills by as niuih as 4l vi lent dming ilk' lu'al ol llie summer Sot only iki liees ollet cooling sh.uk-. luil they also ion) ilk an as ilk') tlalispiii' water tm llk'il nun cooling system And. iimisI liees ail as a w mdbieak. icdik ing Ik'al loss to a hoiik' dining the vt uili'i months A tew olkl tcw.iuk l4 having Iii'i s alouikl a hoiik ilk link' K lli l an and watel quality, a li'iluitioii hi llolso m. Hull. .ii. slowci li'suk'lillal ll.illk a I nl a tlli'lkl lici walking ana "Itul In i s .iii.l powci Ink's don't uiiv aikl it s mil lal thai people Ik' cvlli'llk'lv lautiotls alouikl sin f n i ii li i ij ilii mi al eiuinik-tit vi hile planting, si oiling aikl pl.iMiu' ileal liees," said (iaiv IcMoinc, I I. ill I'owet's i oipoiale sak'l) direitiu Digging without 1 if si having uiidciground utility Inns Imalcd of puking a lire thai i an glow l hi ih into in-to powci hues i an icsull in iMii'iiiilv haaidous silua lions Ami liees .nut bianihes iaii conduct l.il.il amounts ol ilcilikily when in ioni.nl with owii Ink's, pulling iliihliiii who ma) ihnib liees. I lie Hun iik'ts. hoim nvineis .iii.l oui employees at risk ot niiii) ol even death." I eMoine slaleil I 'lah Powci olh'is these hps lo ensue ptopcr plaiili ng ol liees (all your knal utility knating service 48 hours prior to digging to find oul where underground ser-vkcs ser-vkcs including lutuial gas. telephone cable, sewer and ekitnciiy. an- on your pioperty A representative will come lo maik ilk- knatum of all service, ( all I'lah Power at I HSK 22 1 -707(1 to the number ol ihc tree kkale scrv ice m vikii aica Haul 1 1 lis that will not grow tall of WkJe enough to reach oiei Ik ad xwer Ink's Irees planted under power Inks slkHild ik 4 grow higher than 25 feci when mature I nes that grow into liik-s pose venous risks and are a major cause ot power outages during storms Plant tall glowing liees lover 2 I eel when mature) at k'ast 2S leel away troin oveilk'ad lines. llanl trees and shiubs al kast 10 feel wa Iioiii id iikHiiited tiansliHiik-rs ilk- green nk'lal boxes kkaied on ilk giound thai house underground power cables so that emplovees van access and repair ekx-li ekx-li k al equipiik'iil Ask a nursci) lot iccoiimk-itilatiom on apfMopn-aie apfMopn-aie liees. shiubs oi busties lo plant. Or tall I'lah I'ower at I K0O7ll HNl lo request a tree "Small lues lor Small I'lans" poster iikntilying anxoprule lues lo plant ik'ar power lines Hauling the appropn ale lues in vour space can niinuiiie safety risks and kip maintain a uliable electiKily supply while enhaikiug I lie ai'sthelii i.ilue ol Ilk' area. lake i. anion wk-n pruning liees. Never piune a lire wild wcr Ink's luniung in .il or thiXHigh it or fall limits or li us into iwi-i lines II trees or braiklies contact Hiwer lines, elei tiiiily can be conducted ihiough the liees lo you. lausing seriiHis, even lalal, in iu is Call youi Hiwir company or an aitomst liaiik-d and certihed lo woik near power lines lo trim vmir liees Keep iluldien lioin playing in Irees with power hues inniuiig thiough ihe bianihes. Also, be very catelul alkiul where t icehouses are built. Irees and bi.iiklus loiiihut I'lectiii iiy and can result in serious uiiiiv of ileaih "lii'tng cauiious while digging holes and selecting and planting liees ensuies sale and beautiful yards and ik'U'hhoihoikls," said leMoine lor i iiou- information on the right type ol dee to plant call I KMX 221 7070 or visit ww ulahpowcrrvcl lot j copv ol ihe "Small Iree lor Small Places" biMik-lil PUBLIC FORUM LETTERS TO THE EDITOR What ib your opinion? The Express welcomos lot-tors lot-tors from its roadois concerning any suboct pertinent perti-nent to the Uintah Basin Thero are no restrictions as to contents, if not liUjloukur vindictive and of reasonable lonyth (two typowntten double spaced pagos) Letters must be sutimitted exclusively to the Express and bear the writer's full name, signature, signa-ture, phone numbor and address Letters for the solo purpose of expressing thanks to individuals or groups will not be printed in the forum. Letters may be mailed, faxed at 789 6690 or through e-mail at editor O vernal com The name or names of those submitting letters must appear on all published letters let-ters All letters are subject to condensation. Letters express the opinion of the writer and are not necessarily nec-essarily the opinion of the Express Editor Assessor explanation IX'.ii I ditor, I'of anyoik' who doesn't know. I've chosen not lo run for a third term as your County Assessor I've been in public vervke for over 1 1 years an. I twice elected to he your Asses I believe lhafs enough public service, it's link- to do viiik'lhiiig else I'd like lo lake (his opportunity lo thank my l.iimlv for llieir love and sup port I d like to thank my staff you ladies aie great (Ilk' best tiaiik'd. eilui.ited. lamig si. ill in ihe stale) I'd also like to thank ilk voteis who supplied lik' lor Ihe last eight years At this point I teel compelled lo respond lo a reienl artiile penik'd by Mr Sokes, a can didate lor my position l ust, il his ciHiiiik-nts ate nieanl lo he ikrogalory lowaid ilk." (bad politics), rcnk-iiiber I'm m H running II on Ik- otk-r hand it's a slam at my slall llk ii it's tiKally irresponsible, ihese aie the peopk1 who would leaih MMik'one ik-w lo tk- ollne, all Ik complex tuiklions ol ifie Assi-svir's duties and responsibiliiies Mr Nokcs states, in Ins private leal estate praclkc he's r4kcd great inconsistencies in "market values" from tk- Assessor's office. If Mr Sokes were lo com plete an asstgiiiik-nl a week, that would be all of V) a year as a fee appraiser (woo) We have approximately 17.110 parcels of land, almost 8.000 kuncs. over ) commercial and industrial businesses. 1.200 nxibili honks and Vn.ifti .res of land on greenbell that have mm VOMAl Exp. (ISSN 0892-1091) Putwd vv a i cm yew ihcping am tX pm oul at Mhrn kmc 4 (39 pw yr oU KM imi USA by r V EitprM PjUmtw) Coripany S4 Norti Utt407S POSTMASTER hunt cfanpe to VERNAL EXPRESS CO Bo 1000. Vmar Jut $07t PJtMto Edior and CO-pubnr - f Mur wnHf PUc Notom Advyttr - Atfuotwng OaMkon t OmM AO AAwtang and Layout Phon 37 3511 FAX 436-789-6690 WatxMa mrw mai ocm nmi adorvnaloni Wna) I lai i KIMM fctaftf HacviujKjn Juka Taytor JodySwn DEADUNfcS Oapiay Advwcng . Oaaaad AOMtang . PttacNotca Monday 12 noon Monday 5pm ..Monday $ am Jaonday 3 pin lo W assessed al "lair market value" and for its production produc-tion value. We accomplish this using a five year reap-piaisal reap-piaisal plan and Ihc use of a sales ratio study mandated and outsee by the Slate Tax Commission. We're one ol a lew counties in the state that have only been ordered a factor order once in the last eight years. Mr. Sokes slates that we don't explain values put on prop-enies prop-enies and that the citiens are expected to accept any value placed on their property. This is just flat not true. We visit wnh approximately 300 people a year aktut their value and how it was arrived at, and yes, if we can't defend the values we've established from the in. nkii, we're not doing our jobs are we. We do adjust k-iwcen 70 lo 100 property values each year after an inspection and evidence brought forth by the property owner thai would support a lesser sales value. Iist, Mr Nokes Mates "I have no intention of giving baik lax revenue for Ihe sake of keeping a job." Mr. Sokes is speaking way over his k'ad. I believe Mr. Nokes might be talking akiut State assessed properly lax rclunds. If this is the case, these properties, by State Code are lo k." assessed by the Stale Property Tax Division: thus the appeals are at the Slate level. Refunds are overpaid luxes. In other words, if a corporation cor-poration pays its taxes in November and in March the following year il is established that tk corporation paid more than they should have, it's called a refund of overpaid taxes. All counties and municipalities face this problem If Mr Sokes wanls to continue this path with his political agenda. I II be glad lo debate any facet of my mandated responsibilities and decisions I've made over Ik- last eight years, kl S WOI IIKMASS I iniah Couniy Assessor Like dog like cat Dear Mitor. In response to tk" letters to the editor "Nshal's going on T" in last week's paper If cats are allowed lo roam, why can't dogs? As a dog owner ihis letter really upset me. II spayed and neutered cats are able to run the streets wiilioul king picked up why can't my fcpayed and neutered dogs? Cats carry more diseases than dogs and are just as likely lo cause harm (bite and scratch causing infection). In regards to the kiundsmen. they do more good than harm, and their training techniques keep tk- stray cat population down. If it wasn't for tk'm hunting there would probably he more bear and mountain lion attacks. So to you cat owners out there that are so concerned. I advise that you keep your cats in a kennel, on a k'ash. chained up or inside, like I have lo do with my dogs (wkiarea part of my family). Ill ATHKR STI KI.ISG Vernal Just the facts Dear Editor. My name is Braden Oaks. I am one of the persons bo witnessed the dog being run over on March 15. There has been so much publicity on this and so many rumors I feel compelled to speak hopefully the final words of this incident. In doing this I speak only the fails. First there have been several bits of information (hat have come lo me that I need to clarify. Apparently it has been said by a gentleman that was involved in this that I had some trouble with the law and my reason for reporting the incident of March 15 was lo clear myself. I am in no trouble with the law and have no need lo clear myself. It has also been said that I nude the statement state-ment to law officials that I was being pushed by Animal Rights Activists. I spoke to a representative of Animal Rights. I was not pushed into anything. It has also been said that I was treated rudely by law officers. I talked with two officers and was treated with the tmost 0" j ff Lj'A 1 tt a a Jk WELL . IT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN A DROP. . IN THE BUCKET Why should U.S. Army be used as valuable trophy? Submitted by the Veterans of Foreign War Pott 5560 Ihe helicopter received its baptism bap-tism of fire in 1950 in Korea. It was employed by the U.S. Air f orce. Marines, Coast Guard and S'avy Along a 175 mile front line, this indispensable work horse would (ly supplies into positions that a jackass could not get to. On its return trip, it would bring back dead and wounded American soldier sol-dier and Marines Many times, it was used as a spotter for American ground force artillery. Not a very tun job. Occasionally aerial photography w as requested of enemy airfields in North Korea. The aircraft pilot would show up to be briefed on his mission, from a huge situation map, we should see that he was heading through the middle of Mig alley not a fun place to be. He could anticipate heavy anti-aircraft fire. In the event his aircraft became damaged and he knew he could not make the trip back to base, he was instructed lo try to make it to the coast. Cruising around in the waters of enemy North Korea were U.S. Coast guard and U.S. Navy ships. One of their many missions was to rescue downed American, Australian and British pilots. This exercise was accomplished with speed kials or helicopters. When a downed pilot was set down on the deck of a ship, he became a survivor, sur-vivor, not a statistic. W hat's wrong with that? Many, many pilots lived lo fly again, even come home to raise a family, thanks to Mr. Helicopter. The helicopter has played a major role it) every military mili-tary engagement since 1950. Does a helicopter relate to Vernal? You better believe it. When we learned of its availability, availabili-ty, retired U.S. Army Major Earl WikJey said, "Call them and tell them to get that hummer fueled up and I'll fly it home." Two other men who were horn and raised in Vernal currently on active duty with the U.S. Army are helicopter pilots. Both are among the best in the business and both hold the rank of major Did Uintah County Commissioners react appropriately. The commissioners based their approsal of VFW Post 5560 pro- - t W I j Ml Li Ptwto by VFW Superimposed pictures show how a Cobra Attack Helicopter might look in front of the Uintah County Building. posal (to locale the helicopter in front of the Uintah County Building) based on accurate, up front information. To date, all conditions and requirements set forth by the U.S. Army have been satisfied. One requirement is that the helicopter must be in full view of the public. What will it do for Vernal? Probably within one week, every sckiol kid in Ashley Valley will have been to the county building to view this vicious monster. Maybe even bring his Mom and Dad. People from across the nation, as they travel through Vernal will stop and say "How could such a small town acquire such a priceless trophy." tro-phy." Almost certainly an article and photograph will appear in a magazine. This magazine has two million subscribers and is circulated circulat-ed world wide. A conspiracy in Vernal? It appears so. An energy company has volunteered to furnish the material and build the display structure. An engineer firm furnished the blue print to satisfy safety requirement!. A new car dealership owner pledged finances. An organization of the oil industry has donated $500. An individual asked what the total cost for the project would be. When he was told several thousands thou-sands of dollars, he just shrugged and said, "Don't worry about the money." Five different trucking companies have volunteered transportation trans-portation from the present site to Vernal. An individual has pledged $500. Another pledged $1,000. All of the mentioned as well as others when asked the cost of their services ser-vices responded: "For what this project is and what it will do for our town, make our bill paid in full." Sounds like a bunch of red blooded, patriotic Americans. Just think, if and when this trophy is put in place, no one will need to hire a licensed guide to find it. ' respect by both. In my statement to the police, I gave a very detailed accurate description of what I and my friend had seen and heard that day. I did not state that Mr. Bell deliberately deliber-ately ran over the dog. My statement to officials was that Mr. Bell was pursuing the dog on 100 North heading head-ing east. Towards the center of the block Mr. Bell made a quick swerve towards the dog and the dog was ran over. When my friend whom I was riding with approached Mr. Bell and said, "You sure ran over that little guy." Mr. Bell s reply was, -Yeah, sure did." My friend and I both were very upset by what we had seea and made a call to file a report of concern. My friend was never contacted for a statement. According to what we've all beea told it was an accident. acci-dent. As I loid officials, it would not be fair for me to say what was in Mr. Bell's mind as be is the only one who know s. There has beea much publicity to what a good person Mr. Bell is. I have not once said Mr. Bell w as a bad person I doa'l know him, I only know what I saw. I'm sure his job is very difficult and trying at times and my respect goes out to him for all the support he has given the community. I also told officials that my intent was for policies of animal pursuit lo be looked into so the possibility of this happening again could be prevented, b did not matter to me mat the dog might be a stray or the owner (if mere was one) was not being re sponsible, it only mattered that I had concern about me manner of how mis dog was pursued as the outcome was not a good sight Officials have done their jnvrsrigation and k is dosed. As I have stated my only intent was to have something I had concera about looked into. This ordeal has truly beea aa experience tor me as I honestly felt I was doing me right thing by having mis looked into, however, I now wonder if I might just on my bead me next time. BRADEN OAKS ' Venal ' " - - - POOR i |