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Show V wVV,VWP'aRVPVVipP It - . . ' I ,. h ' ' - . Serving Moab and Southeastern Utah Since 1896 Number 14 Volume 104 Thursday, April 3, 1997 Architect for newA hospital facilities to be selected Hospital officials will select an architect Monday for two new construction projects that are expected to improve the quality of health care in Grand County. The administrative con- Moabs Easter Jeep Safari grew once again, aided by some fine early spring weather. (A glance out the window this week reminds us that March and April weather can be most anywhere between winter and summer.) The preceding week was even warmer, and the weekend of March 22 and 23 brought high water into Kane Creek, requiring replacement trails for the three routes that cross the creek. The water level dropped later in the week, and Easter weekend crowds were able to use all of the trails. Event organizers, Red Rock Inc., report that registrations increased by about 5 percent over 1996. After they have accounted for cancellations and they expect to find that more than 1,700 vehicles trol board of the Grand County Hospital Service District scheduled a special meeting for Monday, April 7, to choose A real heavenly show Those who have not kept in touch with the movement of the heavenly as just another bodies may think of this years comet, event. In fact, it is a major event to have had two large comets pass by Earth in less than a year. Last years comet Hyakutake, was a bright spot in the night skies, easily visible to the human eye, but not as splashy on the other hand, has turned as astronomers had predicted. out to be more showy than had been thought, and is caught here by Moab astronomy photographer Bill Butcher. It is still visible in the evening skies, looking to the north from Moab Valley. For more information, call Butcher at Hale-Bop- ho-hu- m p, an architect and engi- neer to design a medical office building and clinic, and an addition to Allen Memorial Hosv pital that will accommodate the rapidly growing Home Health AgencyHospice pro- - . . . The special meeting will immediately follow a public hearing on the medical care facilities, set for 7 p.m. Monday in the council chambers at' City Hall, 115 W. 200 South. The public hearing is to discuss environmental aspects of the projects, which would be located in a flood plain. Hale-Bop- 259-783- 8. 100-ye- Easter Safari grew again, as weekend weather beckoned thousands to Canyonlands s, participated during the event. About 1,200 of these were ar part of the big-ban- departure g from downtown Moab last Saturday. Based on the average occu- environmental study that addresses alternatives to the projects, and possible measures to minimize impacts, is required as part of a governmental funding proAn pancy of vehicles, about 5,000 Jeep Safari people joined the many others near Moab during the week. Reports so far indicate that Easter Jeep it was an injury-fre- e Safari. There were a few dents of vehicles tipping onto their" side? and many mechanical breakages and failures on the regular trails. Some of the trails, however, were driven by others and at other times, and reports were heard of some true rollveovers of hicles. Those reports did not in- - cess. The district plans to finance the new development with $991,044 in a float loan from the Utah Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program, which administers federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. low-intere- st four-wheel-dri- BLM gives okay to copper mine project in Lisbon Valley . The Burea af Land Management, Moab District Office, has approved an application from Summo USA Corp., a Denver-basecompany, to operate a copin Lisbon Valley, south mine per of Moab. The completion and availability of the Record of Decision for the open-pi- t copper mining and recovery operation, gives the company the right to operate in a manner consistent with their proposed Plan of Operations, as modified by mitigation and alternatives identified in the Final d seems that one heavenly show calls for another, and the moon obliged with a full eclipse the night of March 23. This one was also recorded by Bill Butcher, who is developing a business with his photographs of the objects in the night sky. It Environmental Impact Statement. The Notice of Availability of the decision was published in the Federal Register on April 1. The mine will be located in San Juan County, approximately 18 miles southeast of La Sal. The operation is planned to occur in an area of historic copper mining activities, first mined in the 1880s, and last mined in 1958. April Fool an. . . Steve Risenhoover, employee of Nelsons Heating and Refrigeration, was on the roof of The building servicing the air conditioners Tuesday morning, April 1st. Maybe it was a cruel April Fool's joke that he was sent up there during a driving snowstorm. Really, folks, it was 80 degrees last Friday when we called Nelson's and ordered the annual service call. Times-lndepende- Summos proposal, originally submitted in August 1995, will involved 1,103 acres of public, state and private lands. The operation is designed to mine an average of 12,500 tons of ore per day, and to produce 34 million pounds of 99.99 pure copper cathodes per year. Summo plans to employ up to 143 people during peak operation. According to the BLM, the mining operation will have to comply with mitigation and long- term monitoring stipulations identified in the FEIS and the Record of Decision, developed to reduce the potential for environ- - t t niirt iriinHiii mental impacts, l consultation with the State of Utah and BLM, Summo will be required to post an initial reclamation bond of $8.6 million. Additionally, the company required to evaluate and possibly establish a long-terreclamation bond at the end of the 5th year, which would be based on monitoring data and clude injuries, either. Dan Mick, a trail leader and member of Search and Rescue, assisted in the stabilization and evacuation of a seriously injured ATV operator who had an accident in the vicinity of the Jeep Safaris Golden Spike trail group on Saturday. Observers noted an increase this year in casual users of the trails. Nearby trails such as the Moab Rim had an almost steady flow of traffic. A few of these users create problems during the Jeep Safari, even to the extent of harassing the organized groups. There seemed to be fewer such incidents this additional geohydrologic characterization. The need for this bond may run for a period of 25 years after mining operations are completed. Release of this long-terbond would be contingent on the results of long-termonitoring indicating no adverse impacts to the environment. The FEIS was made available for a 30 day review period, which started on February 14, 1997, and ended March 17, 1997. Over 100 copies of the FEIS were mailed to agencies, individuals and organizations who participated in the scoping process and the DEIS public comment process. With final approval of this decision by the Utah State Director of BLM, Summo is authorized to begin operations. A 30 day appeal period is provided by regulation, starting on the date of publication of the Notice of Availability of the decision in theFed-era- l Register. Copies are available at the trails on their own. Veterans of past Jeep Safa- ris observe a continuing reduction of unsafe and. illegal behavior both within the organized groups and among the unorganized users. The improvement is undoubtedly related to the splendid organization of law enforcement agencies. People on the trails know that the Jeep Safari groups have telephone and radio contact with dispatchers and helicopters, and the considerable presence of numerous peace officers deters improper activities. Air Force BandSinging Sergeants coming to Moab for May 1 concert States Air Force The United Band and Singing Sergeants will appear for a free concert in Moab on Thursday, May 1, at the Old Spanish Trail Arena, sponsored by the Grand County Council and The The United States Air Force Band is a musical organization with an outstanding record of achievement for over 50 years. As Times-Independen- t. Americans International MusicdT Ambassadors, they have won the hearts of millions of music lovers throughout the world. The Band's official military life began on September 24, 1941 with the formation of the Bolling Army Air Corps Band under the sponsorship of Lieutenant L.P. Holcomb, commanding officer of the Air Base Group at Bolling Field. Since that time, The Band has struggled from relative obscurity to stardom under the leadership of nine diverse and talented conductors: Lieutenant Colonel Alf Heiberg, Colonel George S. HowaiJ, Captain Harry H. Meuser, Colonel Amald D. Gabriel, Lieutenant Colonel James M. Bankhead, Captain Amy R. Mills, Lieutenant Colonel Alan L. Bonner, Major Mark R. Peterson and the current will be m year, however, even though more people were seen driving the Colonel Lowell E. For example, immediately following The Band's first U.S. tour in the 1940s, they were congratulated and recognized by music critics across the nation. The Chicago Herald American stated that they were the nations finest band, and of the same tour the San Antonio Express said It is the best band we have ever heard. The United States Air Force Band conceived and pioneered the concept that a musical organization can be a nations most effective goodwill ambassador. This concept has been consistently proven through 16 international concert tours covering 50 countries and 42 world capitals. The United States Air Force Band and its components, Concert Band, Singing Sergeants, Strolling Strings, Airmen of Note, Ceremonial Brass, High Flight Silver Wings and Chamber Players, have played in per- - Continued on page 3 W EATHER STATISTICS Lieutenant Graham. Only by maintaining the highest standards of quality and professionalism has The Band won acclaim around the world. m Moab District Office at 82 East Dogwood Avenue, Moab. Copies can also be obtained by contact- ing the Moab District Office, Lynn Jackson, Project Coordinator, at (801 ) 259-215- the transfer . . . Making Sanitation Bobs has opened their new transfer station at 2295 S. Hwy 191. Bob Hawks of Bobs Sanitation, pictured here with a new transfer trailer truck, is set to take waste out of town to the new Grand County Klondike Flats Landfill. Because the Klondike Flats Landfill is not open to the public the transfer station will now be the site for Grand County residents to bring their household garbage. This is also the location for taking all furniture, appliances, construction and demolition waste. Only secured or covered loads are accepted at the transfer station. Hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. For information call Bobs Sanitation 259-631- 4. |