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Show MOAB, UTAH WEATHER FORECAST 'L' Thursday Partly Cloudy Hi(,h 88 Low 55 Friday- - Partly Cloudy High 87 Low 57 " Saturday- -. Partly Cloudy High 87 Low 56 '7 'sy-- Sunday Of suspicious origin: Department is puzzled over string of strange fires Arches wines take medals in national competition by Carrie Mossien guest writer during past six weeks Utahs first and only commercial winery is excelling in g life just as two more wineries in the state are its following suit, and according to Saina, general manager at by Franklin Seal ' success of Arches Arches Vineyards in Moab, the is ultimately tied to the success of the others. If we can establish Utah as a good state, its good for all of us," Saina says. And the roots of the industry are just two decades old - begun as a project of the Four Comers Relong-ter- 2000 withes for grads m wine-produci- Moab businesses team up to support member of the Class of 2000 as they graduate this week. A4,5 her long hair, she donated .it to a charity for gional Economic Development Commission and the University ofArizona to test the planting of grapes in southeast- disadvantaged youth. ern Utah. B1 Arches Winery was the first to take Locks of Love After Debbie Littlefied cut Inside The Times Business Directory: 65 Crossword Puzzle: B11 Classifieds: B11 Dining & Lodging: S3 Editorials, Letters: AS, 7 Historic Photo: B1 Notices: At, B10 Obituaries: At Region Review: B1 Television Listings: 62 WEATHER HISTORY Pate High: LwPrKfr (4 .16 May 52 May 55 .02 May 92 49 May 56 103 May 103 60 May 72 101 May New record high 101. Old record was 99 set in 1994. 103 is the highest for the (north of May. The previous high was 102. Fw new records have been set this month and one record was lied. 24 25 26 27 26 29 30 100 92 86 --- Water pact An agreement is in the works regarding use of Colorado River water. see Real Estate Weekly inside Foot chase parole violator leads police on a foot chase. Authorities discover the man was holding A bomb-lik- e objects A3 Tops In technology Grand County School District has been named one of the state's top three most technologically advanced districts. A2 Moab area rancher and investor Colin Fryer shows off his award- the positive results of those tests and winning wines, establish a label in 1988. Each year since Arches has produced a larger line - up to 14 varieties now and in recent years has consistently established itself as an awardwinning winery. This year Arches took three medals in the 2000 Tasters Guild International Wine Judging. Competing with some of the best known - and oldest wineries in the ' world. Arches 1998 Desert Rose', 1998 Utah Black and 1997 Merlot were recently awarded international recognition of bronze, silver and bronze medals, respectively, Arches wines were among 1,560 wines entered in this v years contest Held in Grand Rapids, Mich. April 26 through 29, it was the 13th annual International Wine Judging. Entered in the competition were 310 wineries from 13 countries and 29 states. Only 49 gold medals were awarded; 371 bronze and 657 silver. The largest price category came from the $7.01 to $10 a bottle range with only 39 bottles priced at over $35. All three ofArches wins ranged from $8 to $13 a bottle. In the last year, Arches Winery has made leaps and bounds under the ownership of local investor Colin Fryer with a new decor, tasting room and production facility both inviting to a visiting public and functional to its purpose. a During April the winery hosted lunches for Chamber of Commerce members advantage of an served by room and fresh fare and grown upstairs dining local farmers and chefs. The dining room is only available for private parties, Saina says, however that may all change when the winery moves to Fryer b Red Cliffs Ranch along the Colorado Rivfer next year. It will complement a resort there that will include a restaurant and lodging in one of southeastern Utahs most beautiful red rock sites along the mighty Colorado River. Arches Vineyards uses locally grown grapes for most of its varieties grown by 15 different vineyard owners, and the bottling facility is still located on the edge of Moab at 420 Kane Creek Blvd. Its tasting room is open from noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Several restaurants in Moab feature Arches Wines. In addition, seven of the 14 varieties are available at Utah State Liquor Stores. While Saina keeps herself busy with the nuts and bolts of the wine industry, she also spends much ofher time educating the public about Utah wines. She feels wine is a rather than a beverage, and likens the winerys success to economic development We live where we work, and we produce what we sell right here," she says. And a lot of different people are involved in the process." -' Moa-Are- who-too- food-enhanc- er staff writer The city of Moab is likely to scale back plans to install storm water drainage infrastructure in the face of opposition from some residents and city council members to a proposed fee charged to residents to help pay for it The problem is rain water large amounts ofit roiling down the cliffs surroundTo tubrcribe to ing town and Hooding neighborhoods. In past decades development did not always follow the natural drainage channels, and homes, inriijfEndfiil . businesses and streets now have been placed in the way of the rushing water. 64jbtcribamoebft7ws.com The City Council Member Rob Sweeten lives on Hillside Drive on the far east side of Moab. This news- - TV He remembers the damage done to the area paper Is TA ' , , last summer during a series of .July rainprk'Uti storms. Ive got home video of water flowing on recycled paper down I the road off the hillside, flooding nu $ and recyclable. 'ey staff writer Range fire expected woman during blaze to burn itself out Dana L. Beeson of Moab was rescued by firefighters early Sunday morning, May 28, as he- home burned Moab Valley Fire Department was dispatched to the fire at 5:18 a m. The first firefighters to arrive just four minutes later reported that the entire front of the East Center Street house was fully involved in fire. Neighbors told firefighters that they had heard screams and believed that someone was in the house. The Sending columns of brown smoke into the air that were visible from parts of Moab Valley, the Fisher Mesa forest fire burned for its second consecutive day Tuesday. Firefighters said Tuesday evening it was 80 percent contained and they expected to achieve complete containment Wednesday night. The Moab Interagency Fire Center which controls fire suppression communications for public land agencies in the area, reported the blaze covered about 600 acres Tuesday evening. A2 Continued on Page A2 - Moab Valley Fire Department officials say theyre on pins and needles" about a string of odd fires that occurred recently over a period of about six weeks. Though hes not willing to say that he suspects the town has a pyrumaniac on the loose, Moab Fire Chief Corky Brewer will say his firefighters are holding their breath" and looking into every lead. Though none of the unexplained Continued on Page A2 Continued on Page 'Paddle Across America' takes Westwater trip National effort encourages river conservation by Franklin Seal staff writer The arrival in Utah Saturday of the symbolic Paddle Across America" effort gave regional public land managers, VIPs, and media reported a good excuse to enjoy a trip down one of Utahs pre- mier whitewater rivers through Westwater Canyon on the Colorado. The national river conservation awareness campaign is being organized by Rivers 2000; Saturdays trip was coordinated by Utah State Parks and Recreation staff members. The adventure began with a short ceremony on the Westwater launch ramp. Grand Junction, Colo, resident and volunteer river ranger Scott Larson handed U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon a wooden canoe paddle bearing the handwritten names of rivers and river organizations across the nation where the paddle had already been. Organizers said the plan was to hand the paddle on to organizers in Arizona by Monday. The five-botrip included particiat pants from a wide variety of organizations: Dave Dawson and Tim Smith represented Utah State Parks and Recreation; Kaaron Jorgen represented The Canyon Country Partnership. Kim Schappert was there for the Grand County Council; Russ von Koch, Alvin Halladay, Marilyn Perterson, and Chad Niehaus for the Bureau of Land Management, Sue Phillips for the US Geological Survey. Others included Pete Cavalli of the Department of Wildlife Resources; Sherri Griffith and Steve Hazlet ofUtah Guides and Outfitters; Dave Wood of the National Park Service; Dusty Simmons of Expeditions; and six of Cannons children. Three reporters from Moab and Salt Lake City also attended. Shooting the rapids of Westwater at Tag-a-Lon- g Members of the Utah Rivers 2000 expedition relax after the rapids of Westwater Canyon, and listen while representatives of several different organizations report on their river conservation efforts. Photos by Franklin Seal. Saturdays moderately high water level 15,000 cubic feet per second almost guaran- of tees plenty whitewater thrills, and sometimes some spills. Saturday, the river gods smiled and no mishaps occurred. During the float out of the canyon, all five boats were tied together so participants could hear brief presentations from each organization. Dawson, event organizer, ex- plained the campaign was a media" event. Its to remind us that (the Colorado River is a resource worth preserving." The gist of many of the presentations was that Westwater Canyon faces no immediate ecological threats. But all seemed to agree it was an appropriate place to come together to raise awareness Facing opposition, city backs off plan to fund storm drains by Ken Davey Ttnes-independe- nt Firefighters rescue Strange fires occur still-youn- Partly Cloudy High 87 Low 56 Thursday, June 1,2000 vvv.moabtimes.com Volume 107 Number 22 50 Council agrees drainage system is needed, but question is how to fund it merous homes," said Sweeten. And its not just confined to the Hillside and Walker sub- division. There are other areas throughout town that get flooded. That water comes down and has to flow through other neighborhoods." So city staff agreed Moab should construct a system of catch-basiand culverts to hold storm water and transport it to creeks and the Colorado River. Moab Public Works Director Brent Williams notes that last year's storms were characterized as an 18-- to event," meaning that experts believe a similar flood will ns 20-ye- occur, on average, every two decades. Communities, said Williams, are ex- floods. pected to prepare for If we have a event and we dont get these projects done, there are going to be some major problems," he concluded. The overall cost of the plan is estimated at close to $6 million; too much for the city to pay at once. So the staff proposal was to carry out the work in an incremental fashion, prioritizing projects and building them over a five-yeperiod. The first phase, to be built this year at cost of $1.5 million, includes two detention 100-yea- r" 100-ye- ar ar dams and a drainage line along Tusher Avenue, moving water toward Mill Creek near Rotary Park. The work was expected to cost in the neighborhood of $1.5 million. To pay for the work, the proposed city budget called for a combination of capital projects funding, state and federal money, general fund and water and sewer fund surpluses, and a $2 per month charge on all city utility bills sent to homes and businesses. The utility fee, say city officials, is called for because it would give the city access to loan packages by providing a guaranteed revenue stream to help pay back borrowing over the next 20 years. But local residents opposed the fee at a recent city hearing on the upcoming budget, noting the effect it will have on and seasonal job holders. Continued on Page A2 low-intere- st low-inco- |