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Show Tlrrwa-lndepende- Thursday, November 11, 1993 nt, Community Comments By Sam Taylor Emery County Commissioner Dixie Thompson will officially announce this week that she will seek the Republican nomination to oppose Congressman Bill Orton for his chair in Washington. Dixie and her supporters are hosting a dinner Friday night m Castle Dale to officially make the announcement, and she is anxious to get on with the race. I've known and worked with Dixie for a number of years on projects in Emery County, and have a lot of respect for the job she has done as a member of our neighboring county's governing board. I wish her the best. There is little question that if elected, Dixie would really do a job representing the interests of Southeastern Utah in the U. S. Congress. It's going to be a tough haul, though. Utah's 3rd Congressional District may spread all over Utah, but its population center is Utah County. The ProvoOrem bunch are going to be hard to buck by anyone who isn't anointed by their Dixie cites her original home (West Valley City) as a plus in getting some of that population base to support her. Parts of West Valley City and southern Salt Lake County, for some reason, are part of the 3rd king-maker- s. s. Whats going on here ? . . . The building that housed Poison Spider Bicycles at 497 N. Main has been demolished this week to make room for a new building, according to the bike shop owner. Chuck Nichols. Work on the new structure will begin immediately and will be finished in time for the new season next spring. Chamber Awards Banquet set Nov. 19; get reservations now District. As for a face-of- f with the incumbent, that race might be a lot of fun. Mr. Orton has done little during his first two terms to win friends in the nation's capitol. We may at times admire some of the stands he has taken, but his inability to build any kind of coalition on behalf of rural Utah has led to the belief by many including me that we have never been so poorly represented in Congress. Dixie is determined. I hope she really has the support out there she will need to win. I asked Dixie about that support in a phone conversation earlier this week, and she said her planned candidacy was getting a lot of positive feedback. You never know, though. I remember a statement made by former Congressman K. Gunn McKay a few years ago when he was considering a bid to win back his old seat. A lot of people out there, he said, were urging him to run. "But you know how that is," he said. "When you really want to go, a trio sounds like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir." Good luck, Dixie. It's a long way from Castle Dale to the Eastern seaboard. But Shawn Bradley made it! sjt Uintah County commissioners and the Uintah Special Service District board voted last week to retain attorney Kenneth Anderton to pursue legal action against Grand County for the contractual costs of its involvement in the Book Cliffs road. They said they would have been inclined to drop the suit if the Grand y County Council had agreed to maintain its application for a for the road between the two counties. Have at it, fellows. I don't think any threat of litigation is d to Grand County Council. The winners, sway the going if there are any in this litigation, will probably be the lawyers. And the losers will be the taxpayers of both counties. The Uintah County Commission is giving a whole new meaning to the word "Dinosaurland." sjt We had planned' last weekend to use the opening of pheasant season to take a young bird dog down to the Moab Sloughs for a walk through the bushes. Yard work, however, prevailed. It now occurs to me that I really don't have to hunt birds to enjoy the walk through my old childhood haunts west of Moab. We'll still get in that walk, but probably without the old Browning We've never much cared for duck; pheasant season is over; and didn't purchase a duck stamp this year. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has already me to death with I all and came with etc., was one permits, stamps, up scrawny trout at Warner Lake. right-of-wa- battle-scarre- long-sufferi- The Moab Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Awards Banquet on Friday, Nov. 19, 1993 at the Civic Center. Those planning to attend should call immediately to make reservations, Awards for Citizen of the Year, Business of the Year, and Volunteer of the Y ear will be announced during the evening. Other activities will include a hospitality hour, dinner, dancing, auction and drawing for door 259-753- 1. aft E(ents Calendar weekly Events Calendar is provided by The and the Grand County Travel Council as a service to the community and area visitors. Events listed will be those of a civic nature, and will not include private , g activities To add your event to an upcoming calendar, or update your listing, contact the Travel County at nt non-prof- it profit-makin- 259-882- 5. Hours for the Moab Information Center are from 8 a m. - 7 p.m., seven (7) days a week. Remember the MIC is a great place to take friends and relatives who are visiting our area. November 11 - Veteran's Day - November 13 - Youth Carnival Church -- November 13 Arena - - St. Pius Catholic Moab All Breed florse Show November 14 - CFI Gear Swap - Call 259-775- - The Times-Independe- nt 6309-200- (UPS Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at Moab, Utah under the act of March 3, 1 897. Second class postage paid at Moab, Utah 84532. 0) Moab Official City and County Newspaper Published Each Thursday at 35 East Center Street, Moab, Grand County, Utah 84532. Postmaster: Send change of address to: The P.O. Box 129, Moab, Utah 84532 1 5 or FAX (801) (801) Old Spanish Trail 0 259-753- Times-Independe- 259-774- 259-752- Samuel J. and Adrien F. Taylor Publishers and Editors Assistant to Publishers Sales, Production Circulation Cindy Winters Ron Drake Dorothy Anderson Paul Barks Backshop Read All About your home town in The Times-Independe- nt $16.50 Green River, Grand San $24 per year outside area & news-fille- d Juan issues in your mail once a week local news TV guide special features lots of ads Subscribe Now! lMail to: The Times-Independe- P.O. Box 129, Moab UT 84532 Name Address. political debate. I feel that this recall election the importance of controlling mosquitoes in the sloughs using predators. These include several species of fish, dragonflies, diving beetles, water skimmers, water boatmen and birds especially swifts, swallows, and nighthawks. All of enclose $1 6.50 or $24 for one year or $32 and $47 for two years Check Nothing have said they will immediately launch another recall drive" is true, that's fine. I support the concept of recall and I support vigorous political debate. Just don't take it out of my hide. Everyone who signs a recall petition should put up a few dollars to pay for the cost of the election. It would be fair in that only those who want the election and feel that they will benefit from it will pay for it. Sincerely, Jeff McCleary these predators have been observed m abundance in the preserve, including the introduced mosquito fish (Gambusia Affinis). In some areas mosquito fish are so dense that over 30 have been counted in one cup of water. This summer The Nature Conservancy hired a consultant to assess the mosquito situation in Grand county. These observations led Dr. Kingsley to state in his report "the majority of the standing water of the preserve is clearly un- Dear Friends, We did it again. The Allen Memorial Hospital Auxiliary has had another successful craft bazaar. The quilt was won by Donna Ruhter. We, as a group, are very disappointed at the of those who failed to support our hospital at the voting booth. This hospital is a very important part of short-sightedne- ss this community whether youve lived here for 60 years or 60 hours. We feel that any idea of building a new hospital is a bit, or maybe a whole lot premature and things should stabilize for a few years first. And please, let's not be led down the primrose path again by a management company. We've been that route twice to our sorrow next time might not be a "third times a charm" but the "straw that broke the camel's Sincerely, Susan Bellagamba Matheson Preserve Manager H my money. changed, everyone was retained by significant margins. Now if what you state, "opponents of the council Dear Sam, In a front page article on November 4, the TI stated that the County Council would like public input before addressing possible changes to the recall provisions of the county government plan. My perspective is that recall is a legitimate voter right, a powerful and constructive tool for the concerned voting public. However, I don't think I should have my taxes pay for back." What ever happens, the Pink Ladies will still be there doing what we can to enhance living for those residents of the E.C.F. We are going to keep the faith. We'll see you around, and be seen around as we start working on next year's projects. Right now we are going to be able to install a shampoo sink and chair that will create a it. Phone. IQ Cash enforcement. I want excellent fire protection and I want my garbage disposed of. I don't want to pay for suitable for mosquito survival because it is swarming with predators." We agree with Mr. Pogue that by conserving predator habitat and thus enhancing predator populations in the sloughs, we can help suppress mosquitoes to a point where there is far less of a problem. $5 discount for persons 62 and older upon request for 52 Opinions from our readers: wasted As a taxpayer I want services for my hard earned dollars. I want a good library to use. I want the roads repaired and the schools properly staffed, and the benefits of good law i off-camp- us USU November 19 - Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Banquet. For 1 more information call Dear Sam and Adrien, I read with interest last week's letter from Tim Pogue. As current manager of the Matheson Preserve I especially enjoyed his histoncal accounts of fishing and hunting in the Moab sloughs. Mr. Pogue addresses have been involved with the committee which is studying education higher options for Grand County the past several months. It's about time. A decision by the state Board of Regents to split the program responsibilities here between USU and CEU has forced, or allowed if you will, this process to begin. To date, the work has been both exciting and frustrating. It would appear there may be those who would just as soon put up roadblocks to building a successful joint program here, and the respective turf problems are still a problem, but a solvable one. USU has been a presence for many years in Moab with its Southeastern Utah Center for Continuing Education (SUCCE: the motto, and appropriately, "Success begins with SUCCE"). I, an alumnus of the University of Utah, and with all the baggage that usually entails, took the last of my college course work through SUCCE. I was thankful to be able to do so, even though it took coursework (all of about 23 political pressure to get the credit hours, as I recall) transferred and applied to my degree at the U. of U. In the case of this current effort, it will involve presentations to both the Board of Regents and die Legislature about program plans and budgetary needs in the near coming months. Commitments for support over from two to five years have been received from both I The November 12 13 - Utah District Lions Convention ). a deal! pnzes. Times-Independe- last-yea- rs 259-5309- 1 nickle-and-dim- It's often surprising what comments the readers will react to, and the business on the nut trees last week brought forth quite a lot and some examples. As always, I benefited from the lessons. Mimi Levitt brought in a bag of stuff which I correctly identified as pecans still in the hulls. She and I hulled them here at the office, using rubber gloves against the stain which I discussed last week. Dorothy Anderson commented that pecans, left in the hulls, will be bitter. Those I have tried of the batch are, indeed bitter. So I don't have any further advice for the Levitt pecan tree if they don't fall to the ground hull-lesI took the hulls home in a separate bag and boiled them up for the dye, as aforementioned. Put in a hank of the good wool from our sheep in and let it steep, and it turned out an odd light ochre color, which I'll use somewhere on a project. I'm not much into dying things, so this was a cold dye process. Obviously with heat or something to set the color (vinegar?) it might have been stronger. It was just an experiment. Then later, making a delivery of programs to Disch Funeral Home, I noticed that Roy Turner's old black walnut tree has a bumper crop this year. I took a handful with me and cracked a couple. They're small black walnuts, but wonderful flavor. Roy once told me he wouldn't let anyone use those walnuts, since he treated the tree with a systemic insecticide. That, of course, has worn off years ago. These nuts are fine, if strong. A few black walnuts in fudge or chocolate cake is a marvelous indulgence. But watch out for shell fragments. The easy way to solve the nut situation is to call one of the ladies with Alpha Rho (Gladys Gary is They sell bags of and the profits go each before the season, holiday large pecans year to the good philanthropic works of Epsilon Sigma Alpha. You get huge, really fresh pecans, and do good works at the same time. What and CEU. A mission statement has been adopted, as follows: "Our mission is to combine the resources of Grand County School District, College of Eastern Utah, Utah State University, and any other agencyinstitution interested in the improvement of educational opportunities within Grand County to provide the instructional services needed to empower each student resident to function as a competent, productive, and responsible citizen." And so the work goes forward. work space that will make things easier for the local barbers and hairdressers who go the hospital to work their magic on people who have in the past been able to go to them. This is a project weve waited a long time to complete. This will all be done with money earned by the auxiliary and from donations from good friends. As leader of the pack, I want to thank everyone who contributed items to our bazaar, those who shopped with us, and especially the members of the pack, all super busy ladies, for their time and hard work. Thank you, Thank you. Irene Harding A.M.H.A. Dear Sam, I'd like to take a few minutes to discuss Solid Waste. .This subject interests few but affects us all. Grand County and Moab have a history of responsible solid waste management. This is commendable for such a small community. Moab City landfill is one of the cleanest in Utah. The county is also responsible for 2 "silt trench" landfills. One is in Cisco and the other in Thompson. In the past, operation and maintenance of these sites has been loosely regulated. Couties and Cities were allowed to manage as best as they could. Here in Moab the City and County have been wrestling with the funding and operation of the landfill for years. No one seems to have a good handle of actual landfilling costs at this site. The best I've been able to determine is that the cost per year is probably between $120,000.00 to $140,000.00 This is only an estimate and actual costs are probably higher. There are new State and Federal regulations governing landfill operations. Actually these regulations are not all that new. They were published by the Federal Government on October 9, 1991, with an effective date of October 9, 1993. Many large communities in the U. S. geared up in 1991 in anticipation of the deadline. Many rural communities did not. When you have small staff with small funding, it's not as easy to get things moving. The former County Commission realized that these issues had to be addressed and started the ball rolling on a Special Service District to han dle solid waste matters. On June 8, 1993 the County Council appointed 7 people to the Grand County Solid Waste Management Special Service 1. District The "Utah Solid Waste Permitting and Management Rules" are very complicated, and if we don't act to comply now, it will be very EXPENSIVE later. The new regualtions will force Grand county to have a mroe costly solid waste management program. Its the job of the District to keep the cost as low as possible. One of the first thigns we did was to rent scales to weigh and identify all the waste entering the Moab Landfill. The first months data was astonishing. We received over 45 tons PER DAY. This amount is more than 9 times the amount of waste estimated by the "Grand County Solid Waste Management Plan" published in June of 1993. It also means that our current landfill, if we continue to operate it, must be permitted as a "Class I landfill. It would need to be lined and ground water would have to be monitored to 30 years. This would be extremely costly. Even if we later decided to close it we would be stuck with the cost of 30 years of ground water monitoring. That's why it's important to make the most cost effective and far sighted decisions up front. Beside the issues I've mentioned and some I'll address another time, the District is being encouraged by the City of Moab to take over operation of the landfill as soon as possible. I wish we could accommodate them today, butr unfortunately we can't. We are now trying hard to be ready to take over the landfill by years end. Originally we though October was a good target date but soon realized that it wasn't realistic. The City has been very supportive of the District and we appreciate the help of Bill McDougald, Tom Brent Stocks, Terry Warner, Williams and Lori Buntjer. The District meets the 1st and 3rd Thursdays fo the month at 7:00 p.m. in the Utex building at 50 E. Center St. The Public is encouraged to attend and volunteers are welcome. Thanks for the soapbox Sam. Sincerely, Leo Dutilly Chairman |