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Show MOAB, UTAH www.moabtimes.com Volume 107 Number 23 50 WEATHER FORECAST nmnanMMn Architects advice threatens librarys plans for old school :q; VJ' Thursday Thursday, June 8, 2000 Mostly Sunny High 95 Low 69 Friday Partly Cloudy High 84 Low 57 by Ken Davey staff writer Saturday.. For months the Grand County Library Board has spearheaded an effort to get the library, Moab City and Grand County to renovate the old Middle School building on Center Street. But following 8) report from a prestigious architect advising the library, the Partly Cloudy High 86 Low 56 Sunday Partly Cloudy High 87 Low 57 Professional rodeo announcer Chad Nicholson will library board now believes moving into the historic structure may not be the best alternative. Library Board Chairperson Janet Lowe says David Hart, a leading Utah designer of libraries and public facilities, advised the board that the most alternative may be to construct a stand-alonbuilding rather than try cost-effectiv- e e be the Hot diasetv dog Its Butch Computer improvements allow weather center to operate more efficiently. B1 Inside The Times Business Directory: 85 Calendar: B4 Crossword Puzzle: 87 Classifieds: 87 Dining & Lodging: B3 Editorials, Letters: AS, 9 Notices: A2; 86 Obituaries: A3, A 7 Region Review: Bf Television Listings: 62 Re Estitt Woekly UJpplemtni WEATHER HISTORY Precip. ----- Jail break Inmate escapes Grand County Jail and leads authorities on three-hohunt, crashes stolen car and breaks leg. Questions remain about weaknesses ur in building. C4 ("Ribbon 1 Cutting Members of the Moab Area Chamber of Commerce participated in a g for the new ceremony informational kiosk located at the Moab Information Center. The kiosk allows visitors to view selected web pages to check hotel room ribbon-cuttin- see restaurant menus and other availability, information for local businesses. A - Group P y lighted sign Cassidy Days You know its summer in Moab when the cowboys come to town. Each year in June, the Professional Rodoo Cowboys Association brings the pro rodeo circuit to Moab for a three-daevent thats come to be known as Butch Cassidy Days. The name, reflecting Moabs cowboy past, is in honor of the celebrated bank robber. Butch is said to have frequented the town in its early days and reportedly enjoyed a good deal of local celebrity. And that tradition of cowboy celebrity continues: this years rodeo will feature announcer Chad Nicholson. Every event, from bareback riding to steer wrestling, calf of the best talent the roping to bull riding will draw-somoffer. to has sport The action gets underway Thursday night at 8 p.m. at the Old Spanish Trail Arena, then continues Friday and Saturday nights from p.m. Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m., in Butch the participants Cassidy Days Parade begin lining then at Park, up Swanny City proceed through the center of town as crowds gather on the sidewalks to watch. The Rodeo Committee, with the assistance of the Moab Area Chamber of Commerce also will sponsor the Old West Town at the corner of Main and 300 East. Residents and visitors are cautioned to wear western clothing this week or run the risk of getting thrown into the pokey. Judge 'shocked' by conduct of city by Adrien Taylor y e 8-1- 0 71 June 1 87 64 88 53 June 2 100 53 June 3 101 57 June 4 103 63 June 5 101 68 June 6 The temperature either eat or tied previous records. 113 it the high for the month of June, set in 1936 S8 May 31 two-stor- Wang wins lawsuit over voice of Butch Cassidy Days Storm warning ing to fit a library into a portion of the old school. A big part of the problem, says Lowe, is that preliminary plans to locate the east wing of the library in the old school would mean higher construction costs and more staffing at a time the library, responding to increasing use, Continued on Page A2 Moab stop is along 70,000-mil- e route for rodeo announcer The announcer for the Canyonlands Rodeo this year is Chad Nicholson, who has spent over half of his life in the rodeo business. Nicholson was born and raised in Carrollton, Texas where he still resides today with his wife Donna Sue who also runs their sound and music company. While in college at Tarleton State University in Stephenvillc, Texas, he left his bareback bronc riding career behind for a much safer and secure job with the microphone. Since beginning his announcing career in 1990, he has become one of the most recognized voices in pro rodeo. His extensive knowledge of the 6port and ability to create an incredible amount of excitement has catapulted him to the top of his game. This year he was selected to announce his third PRCA Circuit Finals Rodeo and was also selected as the alternate announcer at the prestigious Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Pocatello, Idaho. When he is not announcing, Chad works closely with his wife Donna Sue on their other business as independent distributors for a nutritional supplement company. If any other time is available in between rodeos, chances are you can find him on the closest golf course. Chad travels more than 70,000 miles each year land and air to PRCA Rodeos across the country. by To date he has announced in 31 states. The Federal Court has ruled in favor of J. J. Wang, and against the City of the matter of Wang Organization's lighted sign at the Moab, in Greenwell Inn in Moab. Belly Up e This 1941 Culver, fully restored only five days before, lies in a twisted heap at Canyonlands Field after it stalled on take-of- f Friday afternoon. The Pueblo, Colo, pilot was bringing the plane home from Seattle where it was restored. Canyonlands Field lineman Darin Hawks who witnessed the accident, said the left wing dipped and and landed upside down. The pilot caught the ground. Then the plane walked away from the accident. single-engin- cart-wheel- Plane burns at Mineral Bottom and ignites grass fire after aborting take-of- f As the plane was lifting off the dirt by Franklin Seal and grass runway, Chew 6aw smoke staff writer A private plane experiencing an engine fire skidded to a halt next to the swollen waters of the Green River Tuesday morning after aborting a takeoff from the Mineral Bottom landing strip. The pilot and his two passengers escaped uninjured, but the Cessna 185 was burned to the ground. Only the engine and the tail section remained after the flames were extinguished. The burning plane ignited a grass fire that eventually scorched approxiof an acre of grass mately and brush. The backcountry landing strip, located on Bureau of Land Management property near the Mineral Bottom boat ramp, is a popular launching point for river trips entering nearby Canyonlands National Park. one-quart- The plane was owned and piloted by Dr. Scott Chew, 34, of Estes Park, Colo. He and his two passengers had been on a camping trip, flying into backcountry areas the previous several day3 when they dropped into Mineral Bottom for a quick stop to take pictures through the window. They took off again a few minutes later. from the engine and experienced a decrease in power. He quickly set the plane back down and successfully brought the plane to a stop a few hundred feet past the end of the runway in the tall veeds. The plane came to rest about six feet from the edge of an eight-foo- t drop into the river. Flames leapt from the engine cowland within seconds, both passengers ing exited the plane, followed immediately by Chew who had grabbed an extinguisher. I tried to put the engine out, but it was getting bigger and 1 had to move away from it," Chew said. He estimated that within 30 seconds the entire plane was engulfed, leaving the three no time to grab any of their gear. We thought we were going to have to hike out," he said. A BLM campground caretaker nearby heard the noise and used his radio to call for help as the fire began to spread. U. S. District Judge Dale A. Kimball set forth 21 findings of fact and 11 conclusions of law in his decision supporting Wang. Judge Kimball wrote, in part, The City of Moabs conduct toward Mr. Wang was arbitrary and capricious, and it shocks the conscience of the court." He granted Wang nominal damages in the amount of $10, and damages for emotional distress, public humiliation, frustration, and loss of trust in local government in the amount of $2,500." Specifically, the judge wrote, the City permitted Mr. Wang to operate his sign for longer than nine months before notifying him that his sign allegedly violated the Sign Code. In addition, because cf the ambiguity in the Sign Code, the City should not have prosecuted Mr. Wang for violating the Sign Code. At the very least, it should have investigated the legislative history of the Sign Code which the Mayor testified would have taken less than an hour and consulted industry experts regarding the meaning of the language contained in the Sign Code before prosecuting Mr. Wang. Most egregiously, the City of Moab completely disregarded the ruling of (Grand County Justice Court) Judge (Paul) Cox, whose rulings are binding on the City of Moab. Kimball wrote further, The fact that the City of Moab threatened Mr. Wang with the loss of his business license if he continued to operate the sign in conformity with Judge Coxs ruling is shocking. Cox had ruled on Feb. 11, 1999 that a sign is not considered to be flashing if its message remained constant for a period of three seconds. On that same date, the sign in question was programmed to change messages at Both BLM and National Park Service fire crews responded to the remote scene, along with rangers from Dead intervals, clearly complying with Judge Coxs ruling. Nonetheless, on March 18. 1999, the Moab City Attorney wrote a letter to Mr. Continued on Page A2 Continued on Page A2 four-secon- d Rancher pays pretty penny for land near river to keep it from developers by Franklin Seal To subscribe to The staff writer Tlroes-Indeaende- nt call -- fttJbscribemosbtimet.coai The This Tmes-tndepende- nt news-pap- er is printed on recycled paper and is recyclable. During the May 5 auction of state trust land properties, several Grand County par- cels brought unexpectedly high prices, including 40 acres in Professor Valley across the road from Hittle Bottom which went for $178,000. Peter Lawson, owner of a large ranch in Professor Valley, says he purchased the parcel near Hittle Bottom in order to keep it from being developed. In the short term, he may put a fence around ii, to keep out the cattle, as POOR COPY an experiment, but if he does, he says he will still allow hikers to cross it. In the long term, he wants to donate the property to the Bureau of Land Management. But hes not sure if that will work out because he wants to put a conservation easement on the parcel first to ensure its never developed. The problem is the BLM historically does not accept donated land that has encumbrances, he says. W hy would someone spend $178,000 just to keep land from being developed? First off. Lawson says, the bid he initially placed during the silent auction process was significantly lower than that. But in the last phase of the auction, top bidders and any permit-holder- s face off in a verbal auction at the state capitol. On the Hittle Bottom parcel, Lawson had stiff competition from a developer. The bidding started at $120,000 and jumped by $5,000 increments, then by $2,000. But Lawson was determined to win. I didnt want to see it developed by a private developer. I t kind of like it the way it is. I like it open." He also admits it will serve as a significant tax write-of- f after he donates the land. If the BLM isnt interested, hes got others in mind, possibly including Utah Open Lands, the Castle Rock Collaboration or The Nature Conservancy, for which his wife. Ann Wilson, works. Wilson said she has tried to stay out of (the deal)" because of that possibility. But she thinks voluntary conservation of land, Continued on Page A2 L I |
