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Show Tmijp muiuiji SERVING MOAB UTAH f AND 1896 SOUTHEASTERN 84532 Utah Grand County, Moab, SINCE w"trtrHfifrr u. ijrn MfclMW Christmas Parade Dec. Call the Chamber office and get involved! j.n-y- g. jj- - 61 259-753- Cvvr. 1 2??5z giunea 3 Volume 98 Number 47 Thursday, November 21, 1991 5(K Second Columbia oil test is looking like a winner A second oil and gas test on the Big Flat west of Moab looks like another winner for Columbia Gas Dec elopment Corp. The Houston based oil and gas exploration and production subsidiary of The Columbia Gas System, Inc., this week announced the results ot the flow test of its second horizontal discovery well north of Dead 1 Iorse Point in Grand County. The Kane Springs Federal 19-- 1 A well axcraged rates of 1,158 barrels ot oil and 234,000 cubic feet of' natural gas per day through an 1164 inch choke with a flowing tubing pressure of 2,526 p.s.i. during a test, according to John P. Bornman, Jr., president of Columbia Gas Development. The well is located approximately 16-ho- ur for visitor center . way Making Demolition this week' on the old 26 miles and six . . Foodtown grocery building on Center Street, to make way for a began visitor center and downtown plaza which will involve the entire comer of Main and Center Street when completed by next summer. Demolition work is being done by Moab Construction Company. The work of architects on the new visitor center, to be manned by the Canyonlands Natural History Assn., National Park Service, U. S. Forest Service and Grand Travel Council, is nearing completion, accordCounty ing to members of the committee heading up the project. It is being financed by a bond issued by the State Community Impact Board. multi-agenc- y low-intere- st Support for drilling near Moab overwhelming at hearing by Vicki Barker Support from local residents was overwhelming Tuesday for a state proposal to allow oil and gas development near Arches National Park and in Cane Creek Canyon, a popular mountain biking area southwest of Moab. Of 30 people who spoke at a public hearing, 26 urged the state to lift restrictions on surface drilling in the Sevenmile and Cane Creek areas of Grand and San Juan counties. The two-hohearing, the second conducted this month by the Utah Division of State Lands and Forestry, was on a proposal to rescind legislative withdrawal of about 4,027 acres of potash lands to allow oil and gas leasing. The proposal by the state lands board would open up approximately 3,000 acres for oil and gas exploration and development in the Cane Creek area and about 700 acres in the Sevenmile area of Grand County near Arches National Park and the juncture of U.S. 191 and State Road 313, the entrance to Dead Horse Point State Park. Ed Bonner, minerals section manager for the state lands division, explained the proposal and the state's mandate to manage the school trust lands in the best interest of the trust beneficiaries-Uta- hs school children. He said the Moab area has a wealth of natural beauty but also enormous oil and gas potential. About 150 people turned out for the hearing 'at Star Hall. Forty signed up to speak but several with concerns about the proposal joined a stream of opponents who began walking out early in the meeting, declining to comment. One said outside the hall that opposing the proposal was useless as it was apparent that approval of oil leasing was a foregone conclusion. Proponents, including Grand and San Juan County commissioners and schools superintendents, the Grand Education Association president, other public officials, members of the Western Association of Land Users, oil company workers, and need parents of school children-cit- ed for a boost to local economies and the educational system. "People in this area need their stomachs Filled rather than their eyes filled with beautiful sights," said WEATHER High Low Free. Bill Redd, San Juan County Com- missioner. Bette Stanton, Grand County Economic and Community Development Director, and others maintained that with modern drilling technology, the oil industry can de- velop without significant impact to the environment and tourism. Robert Pier, a Columbia Oil Corp. employee, said horizontal drilling has significantly reduce surface disturbance. One two or three-acr- e pad per square mile will be sufficient to drain the Cane Creek area, he said. Hardy Redd of San Juan County agreed with Grand County School Super. Glen Taylor and Hal Jensen of San Juan that the state lands board is obligated to make the decision that will utilize the lands to maximize benefits to the schools. Dan Nelson, Grand County extension agent for Utah State University, said that development would not only stimulate the local economy and help the schools but also improve longterm value of the land. "As a taxpayer, I feel it is the responsibility of (the board) as managers of the land to open them for development," Nelson said. People concerned about the proposal urged moderation in oil leasing and cited worries about visual impacts and effects on habitat of bighorn sheep and other wildlife, and a prime riparian system, near Hurrah Pass. "It's arrogant to assume oil activities don't affect wildlife," said Dan McRobcrts of Moab. he was also critical about lighting on oil rigs on the mesa top near Dead Horse Point, which he said is visible at night from the Maze District of Canyon-land- s National Park. Arches National Park Manager Noel Poe said oil rigs along the entire Sevenmile Corridor will create a significant visual impact on visitors entering the national park and Dead Horse Point State Park to the west. He urged the slate to review and strengthen environmental controls and procedures to protect against contaminants entering the national park through the Sevenmile drainage. Chcrie Gilmore, a Moab school patron, said the "outpouring of concern for students was rhetoric of hypocrits who are really after oil money. She values a clean environment and preservation of the natural heritage for her son and expressed doubt that any but a "disgustingly small percentage" of royalties from oil development will make its way to the schools." "If you have to tear up my son's heritage for my son's education, at least clean up after yourselves this time," she said. st miles of Moab, southeast o f Columbia's original discovery well The well reached a (Federal 27-1- ). measured depth of 9,825 feet and is producing from the Cane Creek formation. Total vertical depth is 7,420 actively engaged in domestjc oil aed gas exploration, production an. marketing along the Gulf coast (both onshore and offshore), in California, and in the and Rocky Mountain regions. Other Columbia Gas System subsidiaries located in nt feet. Columbia Gas Development is operator and owns a 50 percent working interest in the well. Other Charleston, W.Va., and Calgary, Alberta, carry out the system's oil and gas exploration and production participants in the discovery include Exxon Company, U.S. A. (50 percent) and EP Operating Company L.P. which retains a 35 percent reversionary working interest after payout. A third exploratory well 28-1is currently being ) (Federal dnllcd. The 49,000 acre block controlled by Columbia and its partners is primarily federal acreage located in Grand County. Columbia's working interest throughout the block is 32.5 percent. Columbia Gas Development is efforts in Appalachia and Canada. The Columbia Gas System, Inc. is one of the nation's largest natural gas systems. Subsidiary companies are engaged in the exploration, pro- duction, purchase, storage, transmission and distribution of natural gas and other energy operations such as cogeneration. Columbia's transmission, storage and distribution facilities serve, directly or indirectly, over eight million customers in 15 states and the District of Columbia. City in good financial shape according to official audit by Ken Davey The City of Moab is in good financial shape. That was the conclusion of independent auditor Lane Peterson, who gave a preliminary report on the financial situation to the Moab City Council at their meeting Tuesday. Peterson reported that a full study of the city's books showed that the administration kept to within its budgeted allocations, while at the same time revenues have gone up. "The city appears to be in good, sound financial conditions at this time," he added. Along with the audit, Peterson also made separate recommendations on three potential problem areas. The fust is a special bond fund for the repayment of water and se er indebtedness, which for two years has been kept in the tltah Treasurers Pool because interest payment to the city are higher than in a ban! . Peterson noted that local ordinance requires such accounts be kept in covered by Federal Deposit Insurance, and the treasurers pool is not. He suggested talking with bonding specialists, or amending the applicable ordinances. The second problem is that the city is not monitoring its own water use, as he believes is required by law. He suggested the city put meters on all water hookups on city fa- cilities. The third area raised is the determination of fixed assets, where the city inventories all its properties and equipment. Peterson added that in recent years the city has made progress in those areas, but has not completed that project. Peterson also said that his audit Community Development of Block Grant and other federal programs "found no material, or immaterial, non compliance. We believe the city is complying with laws enacted for die protection of federal funds." Sidewalk Participation other business, the council decided to take another look at how In they respond to requests for sidewalk participation with various property owners in Moab. The council had set aside money to pay for half the cost of putting in sidewalks, curbs and gutters, with the second half paid for the owners. Rick Hirschfeld of Riverside Plumbing and Heating made such a request for the city's right of way in front of his business on Fifth West. But council members decided a better approach is to work with property owners along the entire area, and target areas for the work rather than wait for individual requests. "We all agree that this shotgun approach isn't working very well," said Council member Dave Bier-schic- d. "You don't necessarily get the priorities done," agreed council member Biii McDougaiii. The council voted to direct the mayor, public works director and city engineer to approach property owners along Fifth West to see if a wider participation in the project can be organized. Hirschfeld stated that the area is widely used by pedestrians, including walkers, joggers and many students going to school from the Holiday Haven mobile home park. "It's overdue, he added. New Decorations The council also agreed to a request from Chamber of Commerce President Robbie Swasey to allocate about $2,000 from the special events budget category for the purchase of new Christmas decorations for downtown Moab. Currently the fund has $5,000 in it, with about $2,500 informally allocated for the next July 4 celebration. By agreeing to the request, the council left about $500 for other celebrations, including the traditional Easter Egg hunt in New City Park. Approved Requests In further business, the council voted to approve a request from Max Irish to extend the commercial zone to this entire property along Fourth North near Main Street. Previously, half of the property was commercial, with the remainder zoned residential. "I've had two chances to sell my property," said Irish, "but they won't take it because it's not commercial." According to City Attorney Bill Benge, the council has the power to extend a commercial zone within a particular parcel up to 100 feet without the need for public hearings The council also approved transient merchant licenses for Electrolux Company of Provo to sell vacuum cleaners, supplies, and serin Moab, and for vice House of Hearing of Salt Lake City door-to-do- or to sell and repair hearing aids. They also approved a home on Page A-3- occu-(Con- t. ) Commission swapped funding around in regular meeting Monday by Ken Davey To meet expenditures for the remainder of the year, the Grand County Commission voted Monday to $30,400 within county departments. The commission decided to decrease the courthouse budget by $20,400, the senior citizens budget by $7,000, parks and recreation by $2,000, and animal control by $1,000. The vote adds money to the budgets for the commission itself ($6,800), the clerkauditor office ($6,000), the treasurer ($3,000), the county attorney ($2,500), the assessor ($2,000) and the justice court ($2,000). In addition, money was transferred to help pay expenses at the county's disposal pits ($3,000), the Dan O'Laurie Museum and Canyonlands Airport ($2,000 each), the road department ($1,000), and the planning t(nd zoning department ($100). County officials said that some of those tram firs were needed to meet unanticipated increases in the cost of employee benefits within county de- partments. And additional money was allocated to the commission for increased travel expenses. Will Plow Geyser The commission also agreed to reinstitute plowing of the Geyser Pass Road this winter, provided that questions of liability arc settled. For three years the county has been plowing the road to the parking area along the road to provide access to the La Sal Mountains under an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service. In exchange, the service has operated a snow and weather conditions service and an avalanche forecast bureau. Following a Forest Service decision to ban motorcycles from the Transmountain Trail through the forest, the commissioners said they would no longer plow the road. But commissioners 'announced they had met with Forest Super. (Cont. on Page A-3- ) Another landmark falls . with . . excitement Monday witnessed the demise of the old Grand County Hospital buildNostalgia mixed on Street. The property, along with other real estate on the block including the Canyonwest Center ing lands Motel, will be the new home for the Best Western Canyonlands hotel, being built by former Moabite, Mike Bynum and associates. Mr. Bynum, current owner of the Canyonlands Motel, is a practicing attorney' in Boulder, Colo. His plans call for a new facility boasting over 70 rooms. Demolition work is also being done by Moab Construction Co. |