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Show Page A- 7- (lig ltmrg-3nftrpnihf- Thursday, September 14,2000 nt Letters to the Editors Castle Valley Comments by Ron Drake Hold elected officials responsible Dear Editor, I was very pleased to read Franklin Seals front page article last week regarding the motel boom during a time of what appears to be a declining tourist market. Though the articles main point seemed to emphasize the logic of companies and developers continuing to build lodging properties, for me the real impact of the story w as the aspect of less visitors coming to the area. It pointed out that this drop in visitation may not be just a shortterm decline but possibly a five-yetrend. In my I believe was it on opinion, right target. For some time now there seems to be a very complacent attitude coming from the chambers of the city and county councils towards tourism and local businesses. Tounsm is the foundation that our local economy is built upon, like it or not. This foundation is also what allows most other businesses in town to flourish. The tax revenue generated by these businesses provides the funds for local government to provide the services and facilities that all of our local citizens benefit from. If its the responsibility of local government to generate tax revenue to pay for and provide services for the community, its hard to understand in why our local government is not more to and free The enterprise. trying encourage growth key is to manage growth, not stop it. Our local government IS responsible for the health of our economy and that issue should be on the agenda of every city and county council meeting. ar pro-acti- Currently in our area we have a chamber of commerce that receives no funding from city or county. We are at risk of losing our film commission that is responsible for bringing millions of dol- lars into our economy over the years. The lack of leadership in local government has spawned so many agencies and organizations in our community trying to fill the gap, only to render at best mediocre results. We have a Chamber of Commerce, the Grand County Travel Council, Moab Information Center, the almost defunct Film Commission,. Grand County Economic Development, Moab Lodging Association, only to name a few trying to do basically the same thing: insure the future health of our economy. With the budget process and elections just around the comer, we need to start asking our elected officials and potential candidates what role the economy is going to have to have in the next years agenda. I cant remember the last time there was a serious discussion on the state of our economy at a local level. The answers and solutions to the problems were starting to see are not going to be easy and wont be solved if left up only to the politicians. We as citizens of this community need to start asking questions of our elected officials and hold them responsible to the majority of the community. Thank you, Rex Tanner Moab The correct information Dear Editors: Having been a close friend of Gwymth Parriott-Welc- h (and family) since 1978, 1 visit your fine community on a regular basis. This is why I am compelled to write. One of the first things I do when I hit town is pick up a copy of The so as to see whats going on during my stay. Imagine my excitement this Labor Day weekend to not only find the Moab Skate Park in use but also to read the Letter to the Editors" section of your paper honoring the skate park contributors. I was so happy to see you printed Gwyniths name correctly this time because there have been various inaccurate versions used in the past My relief was short lived however, when the very next sentence represented her sons so inaccurately. Times-Indepen-de- Jason, Jeremy and Joshua Parriot are Gwyniths nephews. Their father is Dale Parriot of Elite Tours, who is Gwyniths brother. Gwyniths i i . . ' .. i . son is Kemmeth Parriot, who most certainly deserves to be named with his mother and cousins, as he was also a major contributor to the design and realization of the skate park as well. Why, I remember in 1990 when an original wooden 14 pipe skate ramp was in Kemmeth s back yard. This is also the perfect time to mention that the skate park is not yet finished. Last weekend I read a proposal for a grant which Gwynith recently prepared and submitted to the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children, Inc. She is requesting and hoping for up to $35,000 to be used in completing the skate park. Any monies received over and above the costs for additional concrete work will be used for personal protective equipment for the kids. Sincerely, Tracey Erhardt Las Vegas, Nev. 58-pag- e i. Thanks for help following accident the community, Please accept a special thanks from my heart to the many dear people who helped me as a result accident on of my being the victim of a Aug. 24, on 5th West in Moab. Names will not be To hit-and-r- mentioned, so no one will be left out. Thanks to persons involved in finding me in the ditch, to initial communication to the Moab Polic Department, trained medical people on the ambulance and at Allen Memorial Hospital, for all of your professional assistance. Im grateful to my friends who came to the hos- - pital to offer their encouragement and blessing, and especially to our three children from northern Utah. While at home recuperating, thanks to so many kind people who made personal visits, phone calls, sent cards, brought goodies, and especially for your many prayers asking for the Heavenly Fathers It was announced this week that the monthly Castle Valley Town Council meeting originally scheduled for Wednesday, Sept 20 has been rescheduled. Because most of the council will not be available and probably not have a quorum, the meeting will be held the following week. Sept. 27 instead The concrete pad is down that hold the information kiosk planned for the area around the mailboxes at the entrance to the will valley Dorr Hatch, who is working on the project in his spare time, will start building the rest of the structure and put it into place when the pad has time to cure The kiosk will be similar to the ones used by the BLM but will be a little different in that ours will be two sided. More detailed information will be forthcoming but a very important update meeting by the Castle Rock Collaboration is planned for Thursday evening, Sept. 28 at the Castle Valley LDS Church. The planner hired by the CRC, the Town of Castle Valley and the government agencies involved with the state trust lands around the valley, will be here that evening to receive input from area residents Twenty years ago this week, Dick Horstmann, county building inspector, spoke at the Sept. 1 1 property owners association meeting He said his pb was to protect homeowners and neighbors. He indicated his willingness to work w'th people in getting their projects completed. Jim Adamson, environmental health specialist with the Southeast Utah Health District was also on hand to discuss problems with a proposed landfill in the area. He talked about the tremendous expense and difficulty finding a suitable location for such a facility. Nineteen years ago chatted with Bill Buchanan qf Moab who recalled his early school days in Castle Valley. Bill, who is the grandson of John Pace, owner of the ranch which is now the River Ranchos, attended the old Castle Valley School for the first three grades of school. One teacher taught the first through eighth I It wasnt a particularly productive garden this year on the Drake farm but it was a happy one as can be seen on this tomato with a wide smile. adobe walls exposed to the elements. All that stands of the old school now are two partial walls, grades, which totaled an average of 10 or 1 1 students. The teacher usually lived at the Pace Ranch. The old school house measured approximately 20 by 40 feet and had only one room except for a cloakroom in the corner. The building was constructed of adobe with sort of a tin veneer," according to Bill Heat for the room was furnished by a potbelly stove. The old school was also used for meeting and social activities. Buchanan recalls dances at the school. Families from all around the aiea would gather. Someone played the banjo, another played a fiddle, the children were put to bed in the cloakroom and the parents danced the night away. At dawn they would wake the kids and return to their homes. There was a small creek behind the school, but with numerous flash floods the creek has gotten quite deep and wide, leaving the foundation of the old building exposed to the wall of the creek. The school was discontinued while Bill was in the fourth grade, about 1 932. The tin veneer and roof has since been removed leaving the various pieces of old desk and the faint sound of the banjo and fiddle playing the popular songs of the day Letters to the editor polh Times-lndepende- help. I want to express a sincere thanks to my sweet wife for her patience and tender care. Ill be eternally grateful to each of you. Elmer Duncan Moab Our heros Clarification Dear Editors: Dear Editor: thank Grand County AttorHonorable Bill the Judge Anderson and Benge, ney the police officers who supported us. You are our heros. I would like to clarify the statement I made in my recent letter to the editor. When I said, there are many plans for the sleepy town of Moab," I meant that I would provide factual information by strict legal means. I write this so that no one will misunderstand my intentions. Sandy G. Hayes Via email We would like to Sincerely, Rebecca Goodmundson Deanna Goodmunson Philip Colvin Former Moab residents Landscaping at MIC is 'crying out for help' Dear Editor, and I have been in Moab for a week to attend the Moab Music Festival. As gardeners, we enjoy going to visitors centers to check out the landscapes, which are usually designed by the best landscapers in the area. The Moab visitors center is crying out for help! There is a confused mix of plant styles, dead perennials, weeds and dying shrubs. The landscape appeared to be unwatered and untended. My wife Russian olives trees (weeds) are banned in every state, and here they are used as specimen plantings. I am surprised that Moab would allow their visitors center to present such a bad image. I believe many visitors just walk by and dont go in because the grounds are so uninviting. Sincerely, John Sears Dallas, Texas RANCH HOUSE RESTAURANT Welcomes the Moab Music Festival! Open nightly, serving regional ranch cuisine enjoy these fresh seafood specials: Be careful what you wish for To the editor: ' Confucius or someone equally wise warned, Be careful what you wish for because you might get it." In these days, politicians are seducing us by promising all kinds of free" services. Universal free health care, paid prescriptions, freedom from poverty, etc. Yes, it would be nice to have government pay for prescription drugs - who is The Government"? !!D)8?OfL i.LVMc&ipjM 'eKvj! Coconut Battered What we are saying is, Lets have the government take money from others to pay for our drugs" (most likely from our grandchildren). I have a problem with third party payment for drugs. I was in practice when Blue Cross was first formed. At that very instant doctors increased their fees across the board. For delivering a baby, as an example, fees when from about $150 to $1,500 per case. It is much easier to bill an insurance company for an outrageous fee than to send the same bill to the patient and the insurance companies do not mind. They just pass the cost along by raising premiums. I am quite suspicious of the incestuous relationship between the politicians, the FDA and the drug companies. The drug companies are quietly licking their chops at the prospect of and the government paying for prescriptions chance for profiteering. Its the American way. De Lamar Gibbons, M.D. Blanding Shrimp SERVED WITH RASPBERRY HORSERADISH SAUCE Fresh Ahi Tuna TOPPED WITH A PEACH MANGO SALSA Fresh Baked Halibut LEMON, CAPERS MUSHROOMS A v 'JuL'fic CLUB UTAH 0mmrjtrnmrnm ks t n a jp ' VTT.t",, v welcomes from its readers concerning opinions any subject pertinent to Southeastern Utah Letters should be to the point and must include the writers name, address and telephone number Letters may not be used to replace advertisements, or to list and thank sponsors or participants to a particular event Letters to the editor will be not be accepted from any candidate who has filed for political office or from anyone writing in support of a filed candidate Anything unsigned, of a libelous nature or containing defamatory statements will not be considered for publication. 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