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Show i ; ' ! Vr 1 1 ' ' v lic MOAB, UTAH 500 Volume 107 WEATHER FORECAST Scattered Showere C High 60 Low 39 V 4 Partly Cloudy High 60 Low 39 t f Saturday Hospital pursues consolidation debt loan to alleviate short-ter- iff Thursday. EridsjL f , !, in- y i S , i - 73m,; w. 4 f r 4 A a , jj j. ' a.1 Allen Memorial Hospital wants to do what consumers often do when faced with :'& u-:- ' V Partly Cloudy fx High 65 Low 39 Ride 2000 by Ken Davey staff writer ' Sunday, m k i,.k5' - fw Partly Cloudy High 64 Low 38 Thursday, October 12, 2000 www.moabtimes.com Number 41 -- JateMt'ii v w v heavy debt at high interest rates. The hospital wants to take out a debt consolidation loan, lowering payments and saving money. Were strapped with some short-terdebt that has to be paid right away," stated hospital CEO Chuck Davis. m C, "4t .rirt The problem, say hospital officials, goes back to the 1997 Balanced Budget Act passed by Congress that cut federal payments for Medicare procedures Medicare is the federal program that subsidizes health care for senior citizens Officials here say the new payment schedule required the hospital to return to the federal government about $300,000 And the federal government charges an interest rate exceeding percent per year. 13 that same Hospital officials also sa federal payment schedule severely tul into revenues of the hospitals home health care program, where nurses v isit patients at home rather than have them admitted to the hospital Home health was losing $650 000 Continued on Page A I Statistics compiled by the National Park Service indicate that fewer visitors have gazed out at the Colorado River as it travels through Canyonlands National Park (and other regional parks, too) this season. Riders of all sorts hit the trail at Sorrell River Ranch for an American Quarter Horse Association program held recently B1 Film Festival September sees continued decline in visitor numbers Arches statistics reflect 12.5 drop; Canyonlands is down 10 The Canyonlands Film Society will hold its 7th Annual Film Festival on new dates: Nov. 4. B1 September visitation at local national park units continued a decline during the month of September. A total of 104,706 people visited Arches National Park during the month, a decline of 12.5 from the same month last year. So far this year, 689,025 people have visited Arches compared to 759,107 last year. Canyonlands National Park hosted 53,165 people during September, down 10.1 from last year. Total visitation at Canyonlands is 342,101 this year compared to 380,347 last year, a drop of 10.1. All other park units in Southeastern Utah were also down, except for the Maze section of Canyonlands, with 1,360 people in September compared to 1,186 last year. Maze visitation for the year, though, is down slightly. Its not just southeastern Utah showing drops in visitation. According to a Tbm Wharton article in Tuesdays Salt Lake Tribune, all national parks and monuments in Utah are showing declines this year, except for Bryce Canyon National Park which is holding steady. Wharton attributes the drop to the high price of gasoline, the strength of the dollar overseas, and negative national publicity about the devastating forest fires in the west this summer. Take a stroll downtown this Saturday evening and enjoy the October Artwalk. B3 Inside The T imes Business Directory: B4 Calendar B8 Crossword Puzzle: B7 Classifieds: B7 Dining & Lodging: B3 Editorials, Letters: A Notices: B6 Obituaries: A Region Review: B1 Television Listings: B2 V V v JJ The by Ken Davey staff writer Moab City will pursue a policy it hopes will protect the citys culinary water resources in the face of development challenges throughout the Moab Valley. That was some of the discussion at Tuesdays city council meeting, where the council discussed obtaining Sole Source Aquifer Designation." The city asserts that potable water from wells and springs on the east side of the valley, are the only water sources available to the community, stated Tbdd Jarvis of the citys water and sewer engineering firm of Montgomery by Franklin Seal Cloudrock Desert Lodge, the mega-resoproposed for 1,935 acres of state trust lands on Johnsons Up On Top, was the big item on the agenda at last weeks Grand County Planning Commission meeting Oct. 4. A crowd turned out to witness what Commission Chairperson Judy Carmichael termed, a courtesy visit by resort developer Michael Lies of Moab Mesa Land Company and State Institutional Trust Lands Administration developer RicMcBrier. Some of the citizens attending the meeting at the Grand County Council Chambers had to listen from the hallway. standing-room-onl- cad subscribe.grrt03Kimes.c0fn The nt This news- paper Is rry fjs printed OV on recycled paper and is recyclable. 350 cyclists ready to ride the trail around the clock cyclists are assembling in Moab this week for the 6th Annual 24 Hours of Moab Mountain Bike Team Relay Oct. The grueling race, held 12 miles south of Moab at Behind the Rocks, is staged by the West Virginia company Granny Gear Productions. This year, The has teamed up with Granny Gear to produce the program guide tucked inside this newspaper. "The 24 Hours of Moab is getting bigger every year," said Laird Knight, race director. We booked the event two weeks earlier this year than last year. The weather is looking great and our Three-hundred-fif- ty 14-1- 5. Times-lndepende- Watson in a memo to the council. Under Sole Source Aquifer Designation, development in areas that could impact the citys water source would be required to undergo additional environmental review if those projects utilize federal funds. That would mean development projects on Johnsons Up On Tbp Mesa east of and above the Moab Golf Course, housing developments west of Highway 191 at the south end of Spanish Valley, and the Highway 191 corridor north of Moab between city limits and Arches National Park (all areas Grand Water and Sewer Service Agency have targeted for potential com Cloudrock developers face county planners, capacity crowd rt Thfr.TImes- - e preparations are moving along nicely." Knight had words of praise for doing business in Moab, complimenting the various vendors involved with the race. "They take ownership ofthe race them- - SEEOnTWO selves, and pitch WHEELS, Page A9 in and help. That's one of the neat things about this the support we get from our vendors. We couldn't do this without the support of the businesses that are here. This is such a race great community." Event organizers are still looking for volunteers to help staffthe race. The event starts on Friday, Oct. 13 and continues through Sunday, Oct. 15, although the race actually runs from noon to noon Saturday and Sunday. "With a field limit of 350 teams, plus 40 solo riders, were definitely going to need your help," said Knight. Registrars must lx familiar with the race rules, and shifts arc six hours long. Knight recommends bringing a friend and working together Tb show appreciation to all volunteer staff who commit to one full shift, Grannv Gear will give participants a commemorate coffee mug and a meal Patagonia to sign ticket. Call Suzanne at (435)259-558up or stop by Chile Pepper Bike Shop Vol unteer staff must be at least 16 years old, and no dogs are allowed on course. rt, 3 City takes steps to protect water resources staff writer To subscribe to start of the epoch relay competition. This is the sixth noufs of Mobd face line up for the LeMans-styiparticipants of last yeai s year of the event in Moab. See special section inside for more coverage of the race. Photo courtesy Granny Gears Productions pOOR COPY y j Though it was not the first local development issue to generate such a large crowd at a Planning Commission meeting, the throng was unusually large for a developments first formal presentation. Carmichael dealt with the crowd firmly, laying out the rules for the meeting. She admonished citizens not to make speeches and to keep their questions focused on planning and Zoning issues. We dont really want the questions about the philosophy about whether we want this or not. Thats for the public hearing." McBrier began the presentation by warning the commission and the public that Continued on Page A2 mercial or residential projects) could be subject to examination, according to Montgomery Watson. Insoection could be conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency to insure that the projects are conducted in a manner which will not negatively impact the drinking water supplies. Grand Water and Sewer Service Agency is proposing doubling its culinary water delivery capacity, to remedy water system inadequacies to existing households in Spanish Valley and to accommodate new growth. The agency is pursuing federal funds to provide water from the expanded system to Arches National Park, and that would place the project within the scojm of EPA review. The council also discussed with State Rep Keele Johnson the Cloudrock Resort on Johnsons Up On Top Mesa, where Utah's Schools and Institutional Trust Linds Administration is proposing a joint agreement with pn vate investors to build wilderness lodges, coil dominiums and home sites (six' related story). Johnson said he did not support the pmjxisal Johnsons opponent in Novembers election, Democrat Max Young, said late Tuesday evening that he was not inv ited to participate in the discussion North Corridor meetings will revive stalled planning process by Franklin Seal staff writer Like many 6mall towns situated dose to a famous national park, Moab has become a gateway city" for Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. And as the number of tourists flocking to Arches has increased through the years, so has the number of commercial establishments sprouting along the "gateway into Moab Highway 191 north of town. Often called the "north corridor, the stretch of highway between the Moab city limits near 500 West and the entrance to Arches has seen an increase in commercial construction in recent years. That new development has been occurring in Grand County's jurisdiction. But the water and sewer lines in the area belong to the City of Moab. So far, with a few exceptions, north corridor property owners and the city have not been able to reach an agreement that would allow the city to provide water, sewer and other services. On Oct. 25 and 26 city and county leaders hope to get things moving in that direction by holding a two-da- y joint planning session to focus on the north corridor. The daylong workshops at the Grand County Council Chambers aim to bring together a complex web of players representing interests Continued on Page A2 |