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Show Page A2 '9II t tUtmeg-fSttftgpcttfrg- Thursday, April 8, 2004 nt County employees can talk to the media, misunderstandings claimed Continued from page 1 them and their boss." Tanner said he would like to see all media inquiries filtered through Bane. I just think its a good way to do business, he said. I have a problem with the news- paper interviewing county employees. In the workshop meeting, Tanner cited three separate instances where county department heads had made statements to the press that reflected badly on the county council. He specifically took issue with employee com- ments related to economic de- velopment issues and the county general plan. Having Bane field all media inquiries would solve that problem, he said. What were talking about is when an employee makes some comment about how the county council doesnt know what theyre talking about, Tanner said. We should be speaking from one mind here. All this is doing is adding problems. Its not solving problems. Im just asking that Judy Bane do her job. Councilman Nate Knight agreed, saying that in business, an employee who made negative public statements about the boss would face serious consequences. It would be the last time County general plan Continued from page 1 No specific date was given for when the final revised plan will be made available to the public, but Langianese and Carmichael said they want citizens to have a chance to review the final changes before the April 20 meeting. The Grand County Planning and Zoning Commission began the process for revising the general plan in 2002, hold- - ing a series of public meetings and workshops to take com- munity input for the ment. The board presented the draft general plan update to the county council last August. Since then, council members have reviewed and revised the document. The county has not updated its general plan since Time for war on weeds Continued from page 1 ing. People are also encouraged to help with weed control by reporting remote noxious weed sightings while out hiking, biking or recreating. If there are a lot of plants, bring one in to the office. If there are only a few plants, to protect against mistaken identification of any rare or endangered species, please take a photo and either bring it to the office or it to gcweedfrontiernet.net along with an accurate description of the location. Include GPS coordinates if possible. The weed board is comprised of from three to five members who are appointed docu- ... by the county council. They meet on the first Monday of each month at the USU extension office behind the city offices on 200 South. Members would like to publicly thank the forestry, fire and state lands division of the Department of Natural Resources for their help with the tamarisk removal at Lions Park along the river. the the were Grand project Also of great help to County jail inmate volunteers who hauled all the debris from the area in return for a halfday off their sentence for each day they worked. Everyone agreed, its nice to see the river. Langianese said she believes the council should trust department heads to speak knowledgably about issues related to their specific administrative areas. These people are competent enough to make decisions about what they say to the media, Langianese said. Were asking a lot to expect Judy to be able to answer every question about every departmental issue. Judys job is already so diverse. Tanner said he has faith that Bane can handle all media inquiries. Bane said if an employee Jeep Safari week Continued from page . . . 1996. they did it, Knight said. Council member A1 McLeod suggested that improper statements by county employees should be handled as a personnel matter rather than a policy issue. If we have a department head that bad mouths the county or one of us, thats an issue with that department head and should be handled as a personnel issue, McLeod said. Issuing a blanket policy like this is not the way to handle it. The perception in the public is going to be that we have something to hide. Council member Joette 1 jamboree. Grand County Sheriff Jim Nyland said most official participants in the Jeep Safari respect the law and the land, but in the past several years, hundreds, perhaps thousands of renegade have also descended on Moab during the event. They do not register for Jeep Safari trail runs, and often they do not heed signs and warnings from local land agencies and law enforcement. In recent years, local law four-wheele- rs enforcement, aided by the Utah Highway Patrol, San Juan County Sheriffs depu- ties, and officers brought in from other counties, have stepped up patrols, and used helicopters to monitor difficult areas. They also take a hard line against illegal or disorderly conduct, issuing cita- tions and making arrests . . . to do. Judge rules that Moab couple cant block trail cifically requested to use it. by Lisa Church The court decision was contributing writer A Moab couple asked the Red Rock to volunabandon plans to use a tarily section of trail that crosses their land southeast of Moab after a judge denied a request to block public access to Those were closed prematurely and they were closed by people who shouldnt have had anything to do with it, Nyland said. Once we found out about it, we took care of it trail. But Doug McElhaney, d president of the problem behavior. At the groups safety meetlocal law enforcement with ing on Monday, Nyland drew cheers from the crowd when he announced that the county had reopened two spur trails off Hells Revenge TVail the Some people still sneak in after we lock the gates. And theres not much we can do about it, he said. You get some jerks every once in a - criticizing county officials Recreation Area. the time. - and policies. We all have personal feelings about certain issues, but we dont need to be bashing the county, Bane said. Bashing the county in the newspaper is not an appropriate thing for a temporary injunction that would have allowed them whenever necessary to curb Escalator and Hells Gate makes negative public statements about the county, they would not necessarily face disciplinary action. I would talk to them, she said. But she hopes employees will think twice before that had been closed recently by workers at the Sand Flats this morning. Up at the Dump Bump on Saturday, Howard Young smiled as he collected the $1 entrance fee at the gate. Its a lot of fun, he said, watching drivers line up to test their skill and nerve. These people spend all this money on their vehicles, and they will not give up. They either get on top or break something. The Dump Bump owner fenced in the area and began charging a fee last year to help curtail the party atmosphere at the site. Young said the approach has worked, most of while, but are good people. You just kinda have to let them have fun here for a while. the the Red Rock The groups 38th good news for annual Jeep Safari kicked off Saturday, and more than 60 drivers have registered for a Tuesday guided trail ride on Strike Ravine. The group does not run guided trips through Helldorado. Anderson ruled Friday that Kiley Miller and her part-Continu- on Pg A3 off-roa- group, said Sunday that he discussed the issue with the clubs officers and the will go for- ward with plans to run the Strike Ravine trail. He said it is too late to alter the event schedule. Were planning trail on running the starting Tuesday, McElhaney said. Well get together after the Jeep Safari and talk about next year. We just dont have enough time to do anything and notify the people involved. In his ruling, 7th nt . . . District Judge Lyle Kiley Miller wants to keep out of this dry wash known as Helldorado. and another popular backcountry trail are located on her property about 13 miles southeast of Moab. San Juan County authorities have repeatedly ripped out the fences and private property signs she and John Rzeczycki have installed to block the use. This is a The wash Anderson did leave open the prospect that another quarter-mil-e trail on the property, known as Helldorado, could be closed later, if an intotally rogue, dividual or group spe said. illegally-create- d trail, Miller Photo by Lisa Church LAND FOIR SALE AT PUBLIC AUCTION Three acres of premier residential property located at the end of Chapman Lane in Spanish Valley. parcels in the Pole Canyon area offering great scenic and recreational opportunities. Two Other properties in eastern and southern Utah will also be offered. Financing is available, no pre-qualifyin- Sofa Tables Coffee Tables reg. $299 Now $99 Now $89 TV Armoire reg. Now $499 Chest of Drawers reg. $S99. Now $299 Now $149 Night Stands reg. $299 $999 g. 3 finders fee provided to qualified brokers. to request a free information packet, or visit us on the web. Call State of Utah Trust Lands Administration Toll Free (877) 526-372- 5 www.trustlands.com y rrocTnnTTTTMTTOT( ici from ratm ; |