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Show B4 Wednesday, December 17, 2008 Skills, personality made Bennett 'right man for the job' When Les and Diane Bennett moved to Roosevelt in 1975 they planned on staying for three years tops. With a degree in physical therapy from Brigham Young University, Les Bennett had moved to accept a job offer at Uintah Basin Applied Technology Tech-nology College. Thirty-three years later, he is retiring from UBATC and said he has no plans to move. "He has that personality that is very unique; he was born to be a teacher," said UBATC President Paul Hacking. "He has worked with special populations for most of his career ... he has affected a lot of people's lives over those 33 years." Bennett was hired by UBATC in Roosevelt to head up Dina Enterprises, En-terprises, a sheltered workshop where developmentally disabled adults were taught skills that enabled them to become productive produc-tive members of the workforce. It was a new concept, and a new program, funded by the state and hosted by UBATC. "We organized it to provide activities ... to give them a feeling feel-ing of contributing," Bennett said. "It basically gave them an opportunity to get a job and have a career." Some of the skills taught included woodworking. The students stu-dents cut and bundled firewood to sell, and built "all kinds of wooden things" from toys for Full & Part-Time Associates Payless is looking for ambitious, talented, high-energy Associates to continue our phenomenal growth, if you have a desire for success and the ability to work with people, then step into a career with Payless ShoeSource. For consideration, please apply online at www.careersatpayless.com u: -..- -: i r fi 'I. 44 South 100 West 781-8586 mERLE noRmnrr Miflt Voniuii Cosmetic Suitiiiw h.ivt been jridcptiddctiily osvci tni npftiici since l1'!!. FREE gift with purchase J PI EVE H S BMWE iL o ' " III! II . I. v. . " ,,( . f - .- A K ! Roosevelt resident Les Bennett is retiring from his job as the Uintah Basin Applied Technology Technol-ogy College instructor with the Justice Center Building Trades program. Bennett has been employed by UBATC for 33 years. children to name plates for office workers. They had the opportunity opportu-nity to learn other work-related skills, as well, going to businesses for hands-on training. Some students were hired by area businesses and hold those jobs today, Bennett said. While heading Dina Enterprises, En-terprises, Bennett earned his master's degree from the Univer- w' cunpcniicrp ' 1 Basin Clinic LaserCare offering: LASER imiU REMOVAL: PERMANENT HASH REDUCTION VEIN THERAPY: GET RID OF SPIDER VEINS ON LESS OR YOUR FACE SHIll REJUVENATION: REDUCE FINE LINES, WRINKLES AND REDNESS Get ready for the holidays with the gift that keeps on giving! Affordable packages are available. a O OFF r m ID 379 North 500 West Suite 1 A, Vernal 789-1165 Vernal sity of San Francisco in business administration with an emphasis on rehabilitation administration. administra-tion. The students and Bennett literally helped build Dina Enterprises En-terprises from the ground up, constructing the building that housed the program. It was the first of many building projects Bennett would be involved in as part of his job with UBATC. "That's one of the things that is unique about my tenure, I had to build the buildings to work in," he said. After 13 years, however, the state bowed out of its involvement involve-ment with the workshop-modeled program. With private providers pro-viders ready to step in, UBATC determined it was time to do the same, and in 1992, Dina Enterprises Enter-prises closed. "It was hard. It was really, really hard. We had so much invested," Bennett said, recalling the news that his time working with the special needs students would come to an end. The closure didn't mean the end of Bennett's career with UBATC. He immediately went to work in the business department depart-ment and spent the next six years teaching everything from accounting to cabinetry and even hazmat classes. "He is multi-talented, " Hacking Hack-ing said. "He has a business background but is very good with hishands-teachingbuildingand drafting classes." InMayl998,Bennett'scareer with UBATC took another turn - again giving him the opportunity oppor-tunity to head a new program working with a "unique student population" - inmates at the Duchesne County Jail. Through a cooperative effort between UBATC, the Uintah Basin Association of Governments, Govern-ments, and the jail, the program is funded and administered have Bennett teach inmates building trades skills. The Justice Center Building Trades program gives low-income families in the Uintah Basin the ability to move into a well-built home they can afford. af-ford. "It has been a model program for the state," said Bennett. Bennett moved his office from Roosevelt to Duchesne and again was given the assignment of building the facility that would house his program t , "All there was.was a sagebrush sage-brush field and they said, 'You will have to build here,"' he said. "We actually used the inmates to build the compound that houses them. We had those guys dig over 500 post holes in that cobble Call Tonya at 789-3511 to place your classified ad today! A Express rock, miserable ground. It made over a mile of fence with razor wire. We also built the recreation compound for the inmates." For the past 10 years Bennett Ben-nett has been teaching inmates - many of whom had never hammered ham-mered a nail - construction skills from beginning to end. "When (inmates) help build a house, their confidence level goes way up," he said. "You have to have a special knack for this job, it takes a lot of patience. Les does very well working with the inmates," said Laurie Brummond, UBAOG director. "We have never had any complaints. Les has been excellent to work with." The homes built by inmates have been erected from Brush Creek in Uintah County to Altamont and Talmage in Duchesne Duch-esne County. The inmates have also built an apartment complex in Myton for elderly and handicapped handi-capped residents. The homes are constructed in a secure compound on the grounds of the jail and moved in two sections to the foundations where they are completed. "We have done a lot of other projects, too," Bennett said. "(We) built sheds for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and a press box for the Duchesne High football field, remodeled trailers for the jail's emergency operations center." For the past two months Bennett Ben-nett has been training his successor. succes-sor. Aaron Murray, a contractor who also works as a corrections deputy at the jail is ideally qualified quali-fied to take over the job, Bennett said. When it comes to his retirement, retire-ment, Bennett has plenty of plans. Not surprisingly his to-do to-do list includes more building, but this time it is something for himself. "I have a lot of things I like to do - fish, hunt, build and restore guns, work on the house and build my own shop to work in," he said. His plans also include spending spend-ing more time with his family of six children and eight grandchildren. grandchil-dren. An open house will be held to honor Bennett on Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. at the UBATC campus in Roosevelt. Those who have worked with Bennett or taken classes from him over the years are invited to attend. Light refreshments will be served. Power company urges preparations for winter safety and outages Delivering safe, reliable electric elec-tric service is Rocky Mountain Power's top priority. However, conditions outside of the utility's control, such as severe weather, accidents and other unpredictable situations, can cause power outages despite its best preparations. Rocky Mountain Power encourages customers to take precautions before the next storm arrives and provides important reminders of how to stay safe during a power outage. "We work hard to avoid power outages, but when bad weather strikes and outages occur, we work even harder to restore power safely and quickly," said Mike Felice, Rocky Mountain Power safety director. "Just as our crews are prepared to respond to outages, we ask our customers to be prepared as well to help ensure the safety and well-being of their families." Assemble a preparedness kit to help in the event of any kind of emergency, including the following fol-lowing items: A flashlight; non-perishable foods; 60 East t u O f- j '" , L 1, " ; ft 5 ' '" : t V I. A i i . ' ' j ' l 1 ; I U I , i Li iiia.ii.iriiiiii.ii -' Utah's communities read... "The Ultimate Gift," a novel written by Jim Stovall, has been chosen by the Utah Arts Council and Utah State University Uni-versity - Uintah Basin as the communitywide book to read in 2009. The UAC is purchasing pur-chasing 1,000 copies of the book for read-ers.everywhere. read-ers.everywhere. Sam Passey, Uintah County Library director, promises more information as the kickoff time in February nears but for ' now, says "This will be a great beginning to the 1 01 birthday year of the library. It will be Basin-wide involving the Uintah and Duchesne county libraries and Roosevelt City library, too." The Ultimate Gift tells the fictional tale of Jason who expects to receive a vast inheritance, but instead receives 12 separate assignments that must be completed within a year before the gift is his. Each assignment, however, has its own gift to give, to learn and to retain. Keep reading the Vernal Express for more information on this reading appreciation event. UHS students observe American Enterprise Day American Enterprise Day, observed annually on Nov. 15, gives U.S. residents an opportunity opportu-nity to recognize free enterprise and how it contributes to our economy. On Nov. 14, Uintah High School Future Business Leaders of America members helped Uintah Uin-tah High School observe American Ameri-can Enterprise Day. Earlier in the week, FBLA members hung fliers throughout the school, listing the four freedoms of the American Enterprise System a manual can opener;' bottled water; blankets; a battery-operated radio and clock; and extra batteries. If someone in your home is on life support equipment, be sure to have a back-up system and a plan of action for an outage. During a power outage: First check fuses and circuit breakers. If the power failure is not caused inside the home or business, customers should report the outage to Rocky Mountain Power by calling toll free at 1-877-LITES OUT (1-877-548-3768). As much as possible, do not open refrigerators and freezers - they will keep food and perishables per-ishables inside cold for a longer period of time if not opened. Preservebodyheatbywearing multiple layers of clothing. Add a hat and blanket to stay warm. Blankets and towels around windows and doors help keep the heat in. Never use kerosene or propane pro-pane heaters inside without proper ventilation. They create dangerous fumes. Also, don't Sometim to tali alouL, Express 100 North Vernal, Utah 84078 435-789-3511 www.vernal.com i- ,iift iprw J i . hf Willi"!); !mli li ' I I i. i inwlcr unnlx-nt j; .VijfJ! .1 i. ,m Hilton A -II its? wi i'jW .Ijmw Sh-xi Mn ' amiu! lol'injoiil..," ;--V -I -Hr- 7- , .J ;V Jim Stovall (freedom to compete, freedom to make money, freedom to own your own business, freedom to take risks). FBLA members also put up a display in the business department de-partment about the American Enterprise System. In December and January, FBLA students will be visiting Vernal Middle School to help teach seventh-grade students about the American Enterprise System. ever burn char coal in your house or garage. Make sure generators are properly wired for your home or business, and don't connect a generator directly to your home's main fuse box or circuit panel. This can create a dangerous backfeed hazard for line crews. Don't operate a portable generator inside your home or garage. Always properly ventilate a portable generator. Gasoline-powered generators produce carbon monoxide and the fumes can be deadly. As an added protection, ensure that carbon monoxide and smoke detectors de-tectors are installed and working properly. Protect your pipes during freezing weather by wrapping them with insulation. Also, leave faucets dripping so water won't freeze and crack the pipes. Turn on your porch light when power is back in service. After crews complete repairs, they patrol the area of the power failure to see if lights are on. Power lines carry high voltage electricity that can cause serious injury or death if you get too close. Winter storms, high winds and accidents occasionally cause downed power lines, presenting a potentially dangerous situation for anyone in the area. "Staying away from downed power lines, acting quickly to keep others out of the area, and immediately notifying Rocky Mountain Power or emergency responders can prevent serious seri-ous injury and save lives," said Felice. If you see a downed power line: Stay far away from all downed SEE RMP safety on B5 789 - 7290 319 West 100 South Vernal (Behind Showaltcr Ford Showroom) Dr. Bryan I). Smuin Chiropractic Physician BASIN CLINIC B" 1111 1 D |