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Show Page A7 (The imfg-3nftfpntif- nt u Letters to the Editor Times-Independe- these rich people does amount to any thing at all, We clean industry? do some want area the good. may Not much pollution, water or sewer consumption when you arent here. I dont envy the Planing Commissions and County Council job. Pay attention to the details and ignore all the talk you can. Pete Doles Moab Traffic citation business is up 40 to 998 the monthly citation average ran at tourist season 350 per month. In the off season 1098 to 299 the monthly average was 302 per month. The average monthly number was actually higher last winter than in the peak of tourist season, including g 683 citations in the dead air of a recent can be proud of the fact Moab citizens Moab a January. that they shoulder such a significant burden of support for the court, without the help of the monthly average of approximately 100,000 to 150,000 area tourists. No figin ures being available on the volume of through-traffi- c numbers. omit I their peak season, Bimply Given the importance of local participation I encourage every citizen to continue their outpouring of support. I know we can count on the vigilance and efficiency of the court and its officers. Thank you editor for your work. The Timet is a vital forum in our community. How fortunate we are in Moab to enjoy the benefits of professional and locally rooted journalism. (All statistics provided by the Administrative Office to the Courts, State of Utah and The Utah Travel Council.) Charles C. Howard, Jr. Moab Dear Editor, I want to share some exciting Moab development news with you, and perhaps, with your readers. There is a local business celebrating an increase of 40 in revenues this year. These are increases unaffected by the usual winter slowdown and despite the well documented 10 downturn in overall area visitorship. Moab residents have every reason to be proud of the success of this business, not only because their direct support is crucial to these revenue increases, but also because that business is their own 7th District traffic court In the period 898 to 799 the court processed an average of 330 trafTic citations per month. This being consistent with previous years revenue collection. For example: 896 to 797 recorded an average of 338 citations monthly and the period 897 to 798 averaged 325 per month. This last year was a big success for the court. During the period 899 to 700 the average number of citations per month jumped to a whopping 516. Is this the clean, high-tecsustainable industry our community seeks? Could be. I know some citizens may question the sustainability aspect The statistics show, though, that the number of motor operators on the local roads has absolutely no relationship to the number of customers our officers are able to give the business to. For example: during the main record-breakin- Table Cloudrock proposal until issue is further discussed the Grand County Planning Commission, I write to you on behalf of a group of concerned citizens. Our concern is that the proposed development of "Johnsons Up On Top" is not in the best interest of the community. There are some pressing concerns that we feel must be addressed by the planning commission. The most precious commodity we have in this desert is water. According to the County General Plan (pg. 11) the quantity of water available in this valley is not a known, or even a well understood variable. The total quantity of water in the Glen Canyon aquifer in the Mill Valley area is unknown because water Creek levels are only available in the Mill Crcek-Pacarea and the thickness of the aquifer is not well known in any part of the area. Before developments the size of Cloudrock are permitted we must know this figure. The planning commission has a responsibility for the protection of the county water supply over the long term in the type and size of development it permits to occur and we e water development must be assured that any will not adversely affect the quality or quantity ofour drinking water or the health of the Matheson Wetlands. Related to this issue of water is, of course, sewer. From our understanding, the recently upgraded sewage treatment plant is already nearing capacity. In addition, w)Hi the aquifer likely fed to a degree by water and run-o- n from Johnsons Up On Tbp, septic and other treatment options that could dispose of these wastes on site are not advisable. In addition, will committing sewage or treatment at the city facility mean that a other housing proposals might not be able to be built without incurring high infrastructure costs? vice related jobs, which are generally minimum wage. An objective of toe County General Plan calls for development of a diversified year-roun- d economy that provides higher paying jobs and calls for small business development. The development proposes the building of 110 home sites to prospective buyers who will utilize them mainly as residents will spend second or third homes. These and months here of a will, therefore, not conmaybe couple tribute to the economy year round. The development is being marketed as a retreat. Once these people reach this destination they are more likely to remain there utilizing toe diverse facilities offered rather than come into sertown. These homes will create even more vice jobs. The value of real estate in the county will gradun dollar homes, evenally rise, skewed by these tually resulting in higher taxes. Where do these service industry employees live? We urge you to consider what has happened in other towns that have been developed in a similar fashion to this proposed development, such as Aspen, Tb 11 uride, Jackson and Park City. Most ofthe workforce cannot afford to live in these towns and have to commute up to 70 miles to work in their service industry jobs. Once again this exemplifies how this development does not diversify the economy. It will add strain to the already struggling working population of the county. This proposed development' arrived very suddenly on our doorstep. Crane! County has not been faced with a development of this size and scope and its planning documents do not contain enough information to adequately inform the deciding bodies, let alone the general public, about all the issues related to this size of project. Prior to deciding the fate of the entire community, a development of this scale requires a thoughtful and complete look at all the implications and potential impacts. For all the reasons outlined above we ask the planning commission to table this proposal and request it be discussed with our county council before any approvals are gran'ed to the developer. Sincerely, Moab Citizens Alliance signed by Barbara A. Morra and 61 other individuals on-si- te Creek-Spanis- h low-payi- k multi-millio- large-scal- , low-inco- According to the Land Use Code a wilderness lodge will diversify the economy. The developers propose a 200 room lodge. The county is already saturated with bed space. Should we allow the building of new developments before we fill the beds that currently exist? Does the planning commission have accurate figures on year-roun-d occupancy before it allows the building of new hotels or "wilderness lodges? This development, in the short term, may provide jobs in construction but beyond that there are mainly ser- - Bemoaning high gas prices in Moab the word "gasoline written on the tank from one end to the other? It seems to me, this has to be the closest way to every where, from rvhere ever youre coming from, as many trucks as there are through here. If its just that we want to rob the tourist and dis- Dear Sam: Do you suppose Im the only one in this town who has trouble paying for the high priced gasoline? The only one who wonders why gas prices in Moab havent gone down along with the rest of the world? Im surely not the only one who realizes the national average for the price of a gallon of gasoline is $1.51. But since I havent heard anyone complaining or seen in your paper, it seems Im the only one that any write-up- s is bothered. When I say bothered, Fm not just talking about the high price. Im talking about the insensibility of whoever controls the gas prices in this town. There has to be a lot of places selling gasoline for $1.40 or less for the average to be $1.51. Why is our price still at $1.70? If youre going tc say it costs more to get it shipped in. Id like to know what these thousand trucks a day are hauling through here, especially the ones that have courage them from ever coming back, we ought to figure out some way to not rob the locals too. Theres still a few poor people left in town in spite of the high prices and high taxes. Give us a break. Dont make us move too. What will you do when the tourists wont come back? Mike Jones Moab Editors Note: A front page store in The Times-Independen- ts " Sept, 28, 2000 edition was titled: Dubious distinction: Moab boasts highest gas prices in state." You may refer to it in the archived editions of The T--I at web site www.moabtimes.com Take a page from Zion National Park's book Dear Editor, , m low-impa- ct high-im-pa- ct low-impa- ur -- COPY 1 our natural resources are so spoiled that only visitors will want to visit the Moab area? I strongly believe that the long-tereconomic health of Moab is dependent upon the conservation of our local, natural beauty. Until Moab City and Grand County take a heroic stand to say "NO to unrestrained, unlimited ORV use, coupled with an equally strong stand in favor of wilderness preservation, our economic future is endangered. In the Zion area, where visitation is growing as Moab visitation declines, the Springdale Mayor, Phillip Bimstein actively advocates for wilderness designation and conservation. In a recent Zephyr article he is quoted as saying, "I support wilderness because its the right stand for Utahns and for Springdale. Our quality of life depends on these lands and our economy depends on the protection of these lands. I did this with my eyes wide open. The folks who come to Springdale want to see this land preserved. It think its the right decision for the wildlife and the people and the land. It doesnt hurt that it's also the right position economically." What s wilderness? Mostly it represents carving out some areas for the exclusion of roads and vehicles. The opportunity to experience desert solitude is what most people come to Moab to do. OR Vs everywhere and roads everywhere are incompatible with this. Why are we not protecting this increasingly rare and valuable resource before it is lost? There need to be sensible and enforced limits on inappropriate ORV use. Perhaps its time to learn from the Zion area how to help our landscape support us as we learn to support it. Smcerely, Tom Johnson Moab high-impa- We watch from month to month as visitation numbers continue to decline. Why is this happening while the Zion Fork area visitation continues to climb? I have a theory. I cannot recount how many times Ive talked to people who have discontinued visiting the Moab area because of their unfortunate encounters with ofT road vehicles and the consequence of unrestrained ORV abuses. The great majority of Moab visitors are recreationists who value and seek solitude, quiet, and unspoiled beauty. A minority of Moab visitors are (motorized) recreationists who are relentlessly spoilvisitors. Think about it ing the experiences of Its hard to get out and not hear the roar of ORV motors or see the crushed vegetation and scars of ORV passages in what was, until recently, pristine desert. A friend of mine put it like this, "Going for a hike in toe Moab area is like getting kicked in the gut, step after step. Who needs it? Fm going somewhere else where ORV use is not such a dominant and encouraged activity." I am not saying that all ORV use is destructive, but there is plenty of it that is. Fm not saying that there is no time or place for ORV use, but that it shouldnt be all the time and everywhere. An ORV with a typical tire width of 10 can cut two parallel paths of vegetative destruction at the rate of 1.6 square feet in every foot of ORV travel. In the course of a mile, thats 8800 square feet or .2 acres. TVavelling at only 10 miles per hour a single ORV can cut out a path of crushed wilderness two acres in size in just one hour. Over the course of an day this amounts to 18 acres of destruction from a single CSV. This not only can happen, it dus happen. 1 cully. Day after day. Week after week. Year after year. How long will it be before A rising tide lifts all boats where in between. Let us do what we do so well1 As good citizens, let us welcome all to pin us here, but also as rational economic players, let us set a fair market-valuprice on the right Dear Editor: Throughout Moab, a widely distributed flyer tells us that a prime piece of real estate, Johnson's Mesa, is about to be negotiated away by the State Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA), the Utah agency which controls the disposition of school-trus- t lands (SITLA s manthe date, by way, is to make a profit from those lands so it's not necessarily the bad guy in this issue ) In tandem, The Zephyr, in its current issue, with quotais carrying a short lead-itions from the developers proposal; The Advertiser has carried the same e d newcomto live in their antisep-ticall- y to share sterile environment with us this great part of the world! In all of this, let us not forget that we, the people, are the ultimate decision- of n piece The mesa top up tor sale is for a project known as Cloudrock." The Zephyr's lead states that Cloudrock ultimately calls for the construction of three luxury lodges with a total of 198 rooms, 50 condos and 70 homesites." The price of the lots, both the flyer and The Zephyr tell us, will begin at about $600,000. While The Zephyr styles the " project as elitist, it makes that case mainly through excerpts taken directly from the developers proposal to SITLA. The inflamed populist language of the flyer, however, includes referthinly veiled, rabble-rousinences to the New York developer," the ultra wealthy," and the marketing of this land for second and third homes to rich investors from big cities." Needless to say, Cloudrock is - and will continue to be - the subject of heated debate. The level of the rhetoric is measurably high. A drumbeat of confrontation is being tapped out; dire scenarios - guesses, really - are being laid out. The stridency of the rhetoric suggests, at times, that a charge on the local version of the Winter Palace is in the making! Overall, the predominant theme one hears is of unadulterated opposition to those rich people" who would dare to move into our midst. First, let me ask the debaters of this question to substitute in their rhetoric, at least introspectively, the words - ct "Africa- Native American," or for wealthy" or "rich or their Hispanic" synonyms. The result, I hope would n-American," be a simple assertion that we are above such bigotry and prejudice -period! Before it really gets goirg, its time to put aside this juvenile populist rhetoric gone crazy and do some hard strategizing and clear thinking. In order to be for" the little guy, one need not hate the big guy. If we cut to the heart of the matter, we may be able to see this currently perceived tnreat as a real opportunity, and its intrusion Into our lives and local decision-makin- g processes as a challenge to our ingenuity and bargaining skills! After all, many of life's situations are not and many situations can e confrontations be turned from n into opportunities. Moab and Grand County have alothers" ways welcomed to come to live with us. We cannot morally nor legally deny that opportunity to any, be they rich, poor, or some win-wi- win-los- e, win-los- win-wi- these ers g To guest editorial nt " Pay attention to the details and ignore the talk all of Dear Sam: What makes the opponents of Cloudrock so sure that it will ruin Moab? How will it raise property values and rents in Moab valley? It may make a few more minimum wage jobs but so what? Anywhere you go there are more minimum wage jobs than not. These customers of Cloudrock are not going to steal what good jobs there are. If this real estate promotion 2000 pecemberj, Thursday, wealth-challenge- - who wish - -makers in this community, and that we have considerable control over the future of Cloudrock with its exclusive, elitist, or whatever - but wealthinfusing - environment. An eventual 1 98 luxury hotel rooms, 50 condominiums, and 70 prime homesites - with the and spending-powe- r potential all of this implies - is nothing to reject out of hand! These newcomers need the care and feeding to which they have become accustomed1 What cards do we hold in this contest? Many' To build Cloudrock, water, sewer lines, and other governmental provided services are a sine qua non; favorable zoning may figure in; a receptive city and county government is important, community good will - or, at least, lack of overt hostility - is also significant. There is more, much more; my point is simply that we have bargaining tools! Let's use them effectively We must be the ones in the drivers seat, and the ones who control the manner in which Cloudrock plays out! Let me place the above in practical terms by presenting a hypothetical letter to the developer; Dear Mr, Developer: Welcome to our community! We look forward to the infusion of cash dollars that your clients of such high means will provide, and we know that they will continue our proud Utahn tradition of rich contribution of their time, talents, and resources to the local community! We know that you, Mr. Developer, share these values! Again, welcome! "However, Mr. Developer, this is not a free ride, nor are we country bumpkins. We remind you, sir, that our willingness to share our resources is the preconditions by which Cloudrock can become a reality. In exchange for what we might be willing to give to you via our local political, governmental, and economic processes, we expect that you will return to our community a proportionate share of your resources. Accordingly, we ask that you commit yourself - by contract, through ordinance, or by other legally binding mechanisms - to making contributions in the following areas. All of these things, Mr. Developer, are on the table as subjects of negotiation between our community, through its established official processes, and you. Here are the general areas in which we want your commitments to us: Contracting opportunities (pledging a set percentage and dollar value of all Cloudrock expenditures to utilizing local contractors, businesses, suppli capital-generatio- n ers. and professional talent to build, maintain, manage, and sustain the fine resort that you wish to build); Employment opportunities (hinng a given percentage of all Cloudrock managerial personnel from the local labor market, pledging a set percentage and dollar value of purchase-of-service- s contracts to local professionals tor Cloudrock support, and committing to hiring the overwhelming majority of all other Cloudrock personnel - service employees and others -from the local labor market); Opportunities for our youth (establishing things such as scholarship endowments for local students, management internships with your resort with potential, work-stud- y will that help our youth programs needed experience in gain fields with career potential, financial and technical support for all present institutions of and future Moab-base- d higher education, etc ); Environmental preservation (legally committing yourself to maintaining the highest standards of environmental maintenance), Local infrastructure improvements (committing from developer funds all moneys necessary to provide the infrastructure costs of sustaining your fine resort); of all Citizen project-relate- d activities (assuring that local residents have real decisionmaking roles in all project-relate- d Cloudrock decisions through their inclusion in every aspect of Cloudrock planning and on its governing boards, oversight committees, and the like); career-developme- nt job-relat- and that all of the above be done in perpetuity - so long as Cloudrock shares this wonderful land with those of us who are here already, it will do these things for us! Mr. Developer and prosperous clients, welcome to Moab and Grand County! Sincerely, The Locals" My letter ends, but the list of potential deliverables could go on. Perhaps in this debate, which will go on for some time, it is in the interest of all of us to lower our rhetoric and drop the inflammatory language, while elevating our strategizing and sharpening our bargaining skills! Let us not fail to recognize and seize upon d opportunities that could infuse capital into our local economy, enhance the tax base, serve as employment generators, and help in the building of our local infrastructure. Lastly, benefiting from the very real potential opportunities of a tiickle-dow- n project in no way precludes the future development of even better percolate-uendeavors! When all is said and done, perhaps, just perhaps, it is true that a rising tide does, in fact, lift all boats - even if only by a little! Sincerely, much-neede- p Irvin H. Bromall Castle Valley Growing dichotomy of opinions regarding Cloudrock Dear editors, Id like to comment on The re- cent editorial endorsement of the proposed Cloudrock project and the growing dichotomy of opinion that exists in this community with regard to the development. First, in Sena Flanders- recent signed editorial she suggests that people step off- the sidelines and stick your neck out. Well about 80 people stuck their necks out last week to support and be a part of a new group in Moab, the Moab Citizens Alliance. The MCA opposes the Cloudrock development and at least deserves some coverage by a newspaper that claims to encourage open and honest debate. You didnt miss Cloudrocks presentation by Michael Liss at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon, which produced a smaller crowd actually. How about a little balance? While I strongly oppose Cloudrock, an invitation was extended to its developer, Michael Liss, to give his side of the story in The Zephyr, via an unedited interview, but he refused. Thats always been my policy going back to the County Commission interviews with David Knutson in the early 90s. (And if I can give a plug for or email MCA, if youre interested call mollygateshotmail.com. ) Again, with regard to Senas editorial on Nov. 30, she obviously had a bone to pick with both Jose Knighton and me we've both been vocal in our criticism of the position, but she never mentions us by name. Sena weaves and dodges and makes allusions and even pulls some quotes from a recent Zephyr editorial, but without attribution. Come on Sena! You dont have to be obscure. If you really want honest debate, you at least need to look your opponents in the eye, and not from behind a thin veil of sarcasm. WE CAN TAKE IT. As for Sams response to Jose Knightons letter to the I of a couple weeks back, it sounds to me like the T--I is already waffling on its support for Cloudrock. The endorsement said Cloudrock was a natural happening" 259-171- 1 s T-- for our community and praised its potential. A week later, Sam said he just wanted to let the guy have his say and go through the planning process." Well I havent been writing them nearly as long as Sam, but I know a little something about editorials when we write editorials for or against a project, we hope that our opinions prevail. Lets be honest. The T--I wants Cloudrock to go through the process and then wants a Cloudrock groundbreaking ceremony within a year. Finally, we have disagreed on many subjects over the years, Sam, but Cloudrock is one where I thought we might have found some common ground. Weve all worried about growth in Moab; it's been a concern for decades. I remembered an interview you gave with our old friend Ed Abbey in 1971 for his book Slickrock. While Ed showed a lot of contempt for many southern Utah promoters, he held you and others in high regard. It might be better if I just quote Ed: They are not stupid or greedy or malevolent; on the contrary most of those I know are decent men, kindly, generous, full of good will." Then Ed spoke of you. He wanted your thoughts on growth. Again here's how the story read: They know the meaning of the idea of an optimum point in economic development. Sam Taylor, for example, editor and publisher of the Moab speaks of 10,000 as the fright population for his community enough, he thinks, to create a stable economy; not so many as to generate the social evils of a city." You and I have discussed that article a few times over the years, and while you took issue with some of Abbeys beliefs, I can never recall you refuting the comments attributed to you. Which is all good news because. ..were just about t, there. A recent T--I article announced that Grand County our community has reached 9,000. Almost the optimum population. For once, I agree completely with the Taylors. Now what do we do to slow down this runaway external growth so we can maintain and stabilize our community's current population and do whats best for the citizens that are already here? Im behind you all the way on this one. Sincerely Jim Stiles Moab Editors note: This weeks details the MCAs Nov. 27 meeting. However, it does not cover the Moab Rotary Club's meeting the same day in which Cloudrock developer Michael Liss touted his project. Several members of the club expressed their support of the project at that meeting. The T-- I has never addressed its Times-Independe- support for when Cloudrock. Those detads should ground-breakin- g nt should occur at be worked out by Grand County officials who determine tf.e effects upon the area 't water quality, supply and other natural resources. Letters, to the Louor continued on toiiowing pages |