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Show Page A5 Year-en- d Continued from page A4 review had vehicles being worked on all of those hours. Moab Off Road Slickrock Jeep Rental was busy from 6:30 a.m. until 10:00 or later. p.m. McDonalds was open 24 hours. April 22 to news media, says county administrator Judy Bane, but employees were told that when they give interviews or speak in public they should keep it positive." Bane said that after counmembers cil came to me and General Plan update nally approved . . . expressed concern about Times-Independe- nt work, the Grand County Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted the county general plan update. By a 0 vote - council member Jerry McNeely did not attend the meeting - the council put the final touches on the document that provides guidelines for , 6-- future development in the county. The Grand County Planning and Zoning Commission, along with a series of citizen task forces, spent almost two years developing the document, which was presented to the council last fall. Since then, the council, in a series of public workshops, put its own touch on the plan. nt Council chair Judy Carmichael said she had worked with council member Joette Langianese and plan- ning administrator Mary Hofhine to develop a final draft of the plan that incorporated some changes proposed by the council during several earlier workshops, and, in some instances, restored the original language as drafted by citizen task forces and the planning commission. ... signing The Moab Area Travel Council will hire R&R Partners, Inc., the advertising firm that created the highly successful What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas campaign, as the agency of record for Grand County. The Grand County Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the Travel Council's recommendation, giving MATC the green light to negotiate a contract d with the Salt Lake Tram is for sale. 160-acr- . four-whe- company. Travel Council direc. terms of the contract, including the agencys annual fee for services April 15 Easter Week was a mixed bag in Moab ... The 38th annual Easter Jeep Safari, and the deluge of d enthusiasts and high school students on spring break that piled into town over the last week created lots of headaches for local law enforcement. But Grand County Chief Deputy Sheriff Doug Squire says in his book the event was a big success. It was a great Jeep Safari for us. We were very busy but mostly managing traffic and providing medical assists, Squire said Tuesday. Nobody was seriously hurt, so for me, thats a good event. Authorities responded to several motorcycle and ATV accidents and executed a half dozen off-roa- Water & Sewer agency wants empowerment . . . Some Grand Water Sewer Service Agency (GWSSA) board members feel that the composition of the GWSSA operating committee needs to be changed, which would likely change portions of the interlocal agreement creating GWSSA between the three districts that it manages: Spanish Valley Water Sewer Improvement District (SVWSID), Grand County Water Conservancy District (GCWCD) and Grand County Water Special Service District (GCWSSD). It is unclear to the public as to who runs what, said Gary Wilson, GWSSA president. Its clear to me and its clear to this board, but I would like to open it up for discussion. Rex Tanner, GCWCD evacuations in backcountry areas, Squire said. Weve had a lot of calls, and seen several broken legs, but nothing life threatening, he said. All in all it was really busy. At least 16 people rolled their vehicles attempting to climb Potato Salad Hill, a steep rock hill popular with enthusiasts daredevil d of all ages who want to test their skills and push their machines to the limit. off-roa- Local businesses did well . . . Jeep safari is very good for the economics of Moab. That hicles rented Thursday through Saturday. Tuff Snair of Moab 44 Outpost was open 24 hours Thursday through Saturday of safari week and el April .38 er pretty much sums up the opinion of local business owners who all seemed to be staffed and stocked in anticipation of one of Moabs busiest events. A casual survey of many types of businesses elicited the generic comment of yeah, we Farabee , were REALLY busy. vetheir all 4X4 rental had . . The Moab Rim Adventure Park and Scenic Tram - formerly Moabs Skyway Scenic Tram - is for sale again. Owner Scott McFarland said this week that he will not ree recreation open the Blvd. that on Kane Creek park includes the tram, a series of drive trails, and a mountain downhill premier bike trail. Citing personal reasons, McFarland said hes had several nibbles from interested buyers, but so far no deal to sell the tram and outdoor recreation park. McFarlands decision derailed the downhill competition for this years Tour of Canyonlands mountain bike event, and has rankled downhill racers who planned to participate in the annual competition. The popular mountain bike race kicks off the annual Mountain States Cup series. Both endurance - the crosscountry race - and a downhill or gravity component are required for Mountain States events, said Tour of Canyonlands organizer Eric Jean. City-base- tor Marian DeLay said she and county administrator Judy Bane will immediately begin working to develop the fi- Praising community residents and planning and zoning officials for their hard quotes in The that were attributed to individual county employees, she issued the clarification of county policy in a meeting with department heads last week. Basically, the message is could we not bash the county, Bane said in an interview last week. I told them enough. We all work for the county. Even if we dont agree with something the council does, too bad. Last Wednesday, several department heads told the that all must now go press inquiries the administhrough county trator. But Bane characterized their statements as a misunderstanding of the policy she discussed in an earlier meeting with department heads. Instead, Bane said, she told department heads to keep her informed of any media inquiries, or requests for interviews from reporters, and to discuss what they might say in advance of the interview. Green light for R&R Times-Indepen-de- .. . board member and Grand immedi- . County councilman, ately made a motion that the agency will petition the county council to take whatever steps necessary to fully empower the agency to conduct the business of all districts. Tanner continued, Its ridiculous the way we conduct business out here. There are just a few people within the public who understand how this agency works. Town meeting set on Thursday, December 30, 2004 ffiimeg-ithgpgnfrg- ttt Main Street rebuild . . . The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) will sponsor a town meeting open house to report progress on the Moab Main Street improvement project and answer any questions from business owners and the public on Thurs- day, May 6 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Senior Center in Moab (450 E. 100 North). UDOT plans to rebuild Moab Main Street from Overlook Road at the south end, to the Maverick Store at the north. The south limit may be adjusted based on available funding. The project will replace aging pavement with new, low maintenance pavement; improve the road grade to reduce vehicle scraping and aid drainage; provide a more appealing downtown atmosphere with a new roadway; and improve some curbs, gutters and sidewalk ramps as funding allows. Sidewalks will not be affected. MayjS San Juan defies BLM . . . San Juan County Sheriff Mike Lacy, with the County Commission chairman close behind, defied the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and led a caravan of 30 d vehicles through Arch Canyon on opening day of the Jeep Jamboree USA, a three-da- y gathering of four wheel drive enthusiasts held annually near Blanding. Lacy escorted the group, which included drivers from across the country including off-roa- Colorado, Oregon, and Califor- nia, into the canyon Friday morning even though the BLM earlier this year turned down event organizers request for a permit to run the eight-mil- e trail, saying a new environmental assessment is needed to gauge the impact of motorized vehicles on canyon resources, water and wildlife. San Juan officials say the BLM lacks authority to deny anyone access to Arch Canyon because San Juan owns the road under an 1866 federal law known as RS2477 which granted rights of way across federal lands to local jurisdictions. UDOT hears from citizenry . . . Approximately 40 Moab residents gathered at city hall last Wednesday and Thursday evenings, April 28 and 29, for a Transportation Master Plan for Rural Communities (TMP) meeting organized by the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT). A team of UDOT professionals has been visiting rural communities to help residents come up with their own Transportation Master Plans, which comprises anything involving transportation that people want, from bike lanes to a by pass study to pedestrian crossings. TMPs are essential for the preservation of right of way and also enhance the eligibility for various community grants, such as those with the Quality Growth Commission, said Mike Kaczorowski, UDOT Transportation Engineer. He continued, This is not UDOTs plan; this is your plan. Well be coming back every two to three years to update this. Kaczorowski clarified in a later interview that the TMP is not necessarily up to UDOT to fund and execute. There are some projects on Moabs list that are under UDOTs jurisdiction, and some that are the responsibility of the city. And there are some that are collaborative between the two entities. For example, a bypass feasibility study would be UDOTs responsibility to execute and to fund, most traffic calming projects would be under the tit Jrs jurisdiction, and UDOT and the city woulj collaborate on pedestrian crossing projects May-1- 3 Mayor urges citizens to hoof it . . . While it may be hard to . imagine picking up kids, gro or getting to work without a car or truck, Moabs mayor is asking residents to give it a shot - the fact cery-shoppi- , that Moabs first Car-Fre- e Day, May 23, is a Sunday should help a little. Moab Dave Mayor Sakrison says that during the recent Utah Dept of Transportation planning meeting, the numbers blew me away. I had heard informally that we have primarily local traffic in town, but these facts and fig--' ures blew me away. Sakrison was referring to UDOT statistics that show an annual average of 17,000 vehicles a day in the downtown core - that number jumps to 23,000 a day in high season. n With a average of about 8,500 vehicles a only day entering or leaving town on Hwy 191, and about 1,000 semi trucks - UDOT maintains that a good portion of the traffic in the downtown core is high-seaso- local people. Museum featuring dinosaurs . . Giant . footprints are stomped into stone, entire continents set adrift as tectonic plates collide and shove mountains into the air. A huge inland sea disappears leaving rippled remnants etched in red stone and baked sand dunes marching through the deserts blazing sun. How could this happen! Ah, its not HOW it could happen; its WHEN it could have happened - right here in Moab. Moab anchors the bottom of the Dinosaur Diamopd formed by the route of the UtahColo-rad- o prehistoric byway laid out by the Dinosaur Diamond cooperative partnership of local, state and federal agency members to enhance, promote and protect the dinosaur and archeological resources of the region. The Dan OLaurie Museum Board wants to help anchor this comer of the Dinosaur Diamond by adding to their collection of ancient1 Anasazi artifacts, early Moab history, historical photos, rotating temporary exhibits and dinosaur bones. To accomplish mural will this, a three-panbe installed in the Virginia Fossey paleontologygeology room of the museum. The concept for the mural came from geologist Jeff McCleary with input from paleontologist John Cowan and is being painted by local artist Alex Burbidge. It will focus on the Mesozoic era of 248 to 64 million years ago. May 20 el Travel Council to rework budget . . . With even the most markemembers questing-savvy tioning the numbers, the available, it might be wise to scale down the scope of work R&R would be asked to do. extra security precautions. Make sure that alarm systems Water entities to look at interlocal agreement . . . Grand County legal counsel and staff will work with officials from the Grand Water and Sewer Service Agency (GWSSA) to look for ways to improve the interlocal agreement that formed the agency in 1999. The Grand County Council approved the request from GWSSA manager Dale Pierson by a 0 vote on Tues6-- day. Council member A1 fact-findin- changing the agreement. What we want to do is just get information so we have a set of choices in front of us, McLeod said. Pierson said some provisions of the exist- ing interlocal agreement, which created GWSSA and imbued the umbrella agency with oversight powers over the countys three independent water districts, have contributed to the conflicts that exist between some board members, and have caused discord between the agency and some area residents. May 27 Apartment complex expan. . . The Moab City Council held a public hearing May 25 regarding a resolution that would allow an additional apartment expansion at the Kane Creek Apartments on Kane Creek Boulevard. Owner Gaddis Investments provided a site plan that entailed the new apartment building to be located in its current green space, which includes a large grass area and a small playground. Robert Hugie, City Planner, spoke favorably of the expansion during an earlier city council meeting, stating that since 1993 there has been an increase in need for low income housing, which the Kane Creek Apartments provides. Two Moab citizens, both of whom have residences that are adjacent to the Kane Creek Apartments, spoke out against the apartment expansion. Mark Wittkopf cited that the window heating and cooling units are unusually noisy and that he is able to hear them while inside his house and that Gaddis has done little to effectively alleviate the problem Dave Hurst said that he has the minutes from the 1993 city council meeting concerning the zone change allowing the Kane Creek Apartments. He said that the playground 12-un- it that Gaddis Investments countys travel council advisory board will ask R&R Partners, the incoming agency of record, to rework the 2004-0- 5 budget it presented. At the boards May 13 meeting, the main topic of discussion was the $7,500 monthly retainer R&R required for the next 18 months. The retainer is primarily administrative, and includes things like strategic planning, account management, media, sponsorship and agreed to is incomplete and that the equipment provided is no more than what someone might have in their backyard. He also stated that the green space was to include a fence and barrier shrubs between the Kane Creek Apartments travel time for agency personnel to visit four times a year. In the 2004 budget, totaling $144,000 over eight months, another $35,000 was estimated for consumer research, $44,000 was allotted for creative development and 2004 printing, and $5,000 was budgeted for travel and miscellaneous expenses. The 2005 budget was $330,000, including the re- Moab City Police are advertising planning and tainer, the travelmiscella-neou- s fee, $25,000 for travel guide printing, $70,000 for ad production and $140,000 for media placement. Marketing committee chair Michael Liss, who brought in R&R, pointed out that for an agency of their size, the retainer is not that expensive: their mean hourly rate of $125 is not out of line for large firms. However, Liss allowed that for the budget and adjacent residences, which has not been provided other than a few shrubs that look nice but are hardly a barrier. Downtown burglaries being investigated . . . ac- tively investigating a rash of commercial burglaries in the downtown area. The Times was able to confirm that ZAX Pizza, Pasta Jays, Restoration Creamery 'and Blackbeards Tobacco were all broken into within the last two months. Anyone with information should call Detective Craig Shumway at In a related story, 259-893- 8. Kaleidoscoops Ice Cream shop reported a theft in the same timeframe. Approximately a month and a half ago, two young ladies asked to use the restroom, stealing a bank deposit bag off the managers desk on their way out. The police were called and the thieves caught on a shopping spree at Marc II aka Rubys. Police Chief Mike Navarre urges business owners to take l Debate over library architect ... The Salt Lake City architectural firm that is designing the new Grand County Senior Center will also design the new Grand County Public Library. On Tuesday, the Grand County Council, in a split vote, approved hiring Gould Evans as the architect of record for the new $2.5 million facility that will be located adjacent to the old Grand County Middle School building. But Gould Evans was not the library boards first choice for the job. The board recommended Cooper Roberts Simonsen (CRS), also of Salt Lake City and the same firm tapped by Moab City to transform the old middle school into a new City Center office complex. Library Board president Russ von Koch said the board selected CRS because the company has extensive experience in building libraries. But he said the library board and staff will be happy to work with Gould Evans. state-of-the-a- McLeod said the measure merely opens the door for GWSSA officials to conduct g on the legalities of sion raises questions are armed, doors and windows locked, and that cash deposits are made each night. June 3 rt Farmers Market here again . . . Summer is upon us and it is once again time for the Moab Farmers Market. The market is held every Saturday, from a.m. at Swanny City Park, beginning June 5 and running through Last year, the market was held at Swanny City Park for the first time, and the event drew fresh food lovers out in record numbers. Locals and tourists alike enjoyed the comfortable park atmosphere, visited with friends, listened to music, and got the chance to chat with local growers and craftspeople. This year, prominent local mid-Octob- organic growers will be return- ing, including ' Mapzana Springs, Karuna Farms, Fourth East Organic, Youth Garden Project, and Castle Valley growers. Several smaller gardeners will also be joining throughout the season, some participating in the market for the first time. The first few weeks will feature spring crops such as chard, kale, rad- ishes, peas, spinach, and mixed greens. Garden starts for summer crops, flowers, and fresh eggs will also be available. Look forward to juicy to- matoes, peppers, squash, melons and fruit as the season progresses. June 10 Forest plan revision could have broad results . . . The public notices, public meetings and website bulletins may have gone largely unnoticed, but a local alert about the USDA Forest Services consideration of swaths of the La Sal Mountains as wilderness has awakened mountain bikers to a potential threat to their trails and their businesses. As part of a national Forest Plan that the USFS must at least every 15 years, four roadless parcels in the La Sals - three on the ranges western flank and one following Roc Creek down into Colorado - are being examined for wilderness potential. ' While it may seem strange that land not deemed wilderness in the past could be considered now, David Grey, Resource Information Specialist for the Manti-LaSNational Forest and part of the planning team, pointed out that al the human footprint can shrink, too. group closes doors for planning . . . Representatives from the Multi-agenc- y county and city councils, law enforcement and federal and state land agencies met May 26 to discuss ways to reduce environmental and safety problems related to Grand Countys growing visitor population. The meeting, suggested Continued on page A7 |