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Show MOAB, UTAH Volume 1 03 Number 50 Thursday, March 15, 2001 www. mo ab t i m e s . co m 11 m WEATHER FORECAST Thursday Sunny Low 28 High 54 'fr aAt ww Friday Rain Low 30 High 54 Saturday Partly Cloudy High 50 Low 28 Sunday Partly Cloudy High 54 Low 30 tv Backcountry snow safety Get ready, pet set: seeks ed. grant Higher Half-Maratho-n to buy land, buildings Officials at the Moab Higher Education Center would like to purchase the buildings and land where the center is currently located by applying for a grant from the Utah Permanent Community Impact Board (CIBl A public hearing wall be held at 7 p.m. March 22 at the center, 125 West 200 South, to share information and take public input on the plan, which would tap CIB funds available only for higher education purposes Utah State University and the College of Eastern Utah have been jointly leasing the building, originally built to house federal agencies If the CIB grants funds to buy this building, and two others located on the same property. it would free up some $60,000 a participation explodes as race turns 3,000 away year for more classes and provide additional classroom and other programming space. In addition, it would allow CPU and USU to apply for operation and maintenance money from the state budget, money not usually available for by Kari Gibb Sports Editor Picture 21,000 cups. 15,500 paper dips, 20,000 piet.es not to mention the 250 email and voice mail of mail volunteers, 3,800 runners numbers and 365 days in the last year that something has happened every da to preand pare for the 26th Annual Cainonlands Five Mile Run. Not a day went by this last ear that we didnt have something to do to prepare for this w ars' race, said race organizer and superman Joe C res to We have tried to leased space. Continued on Page A2 Half-Maratho- n Snowmobilers learn about avalanche dangers in the mountains. B8 An eagle eye for the eagles Cloudrock receives o keep the event small enough to do the unanimous things that keep the lace personal and not a commercial event. That touch of personal attention is w hat makes several of the best runners in the world excited to participate. We have runners from all over the world 'G nod from planners by Franklin Seal racing," said Cresto. We have a limited number of regional racers we allow and then we have a set number of folks we draw from all over the world. It keeps the race interesting staff wTriter CFI's annual Eagle Float celebrates the river's transition to spnng. bi Tech teacher of the year i I 1 Is it a hotel? A destination resort? A wilderness lodge? Numerous citizens at a public hearing last week claimed that by any reasonable interpretation, the Cloudrock Desert Lodge is a hotel and that the Grand County Land Use Code prohibits hotels in the RG zone on Johnsons Up On Top Mesa. But Grand County Planning Commissioner Robbie Levin disagreed, calling that argument a debate over semantics. Despite prohibiting hotels in one section, he explained, the code also specifically allows destination resorts" and wilderness lodges under the Use On Review section. Apparently the rest of the commission agreed with him. On Wednesday, r March 7, after a public hearvoted ing, they unanimously to approve a preliminary plat recommendation for the luxury Cloudrock resort on Johnsons Up On Top mesa. Now, its the Grand County Councils turn to consider the planning commissions recommendation. Theyve scheduled a public hearing on the question for April 2, at 7 p.m. in Star Hall. Close to a mile long when complete, the Cloudrock central lodge arguably will be the largest destination resort in Grand County. But spread out over almost 2,000 acres, the luxury homes, condominiums and pueblo-styl- e resort comto blend into are the backplex designed like a said chameleon, ground developer Michael Liss. He told the planning commission, Were not asking for any favors here, in terms of this project configuring with current zoning. He said the project would have 80 percent open space due to clustering the proposed buildings, and noted, Were not asking for any increased density. Utilizing architectural design elements borrowed from ancient Native American dwellings such as Chaco Canyon and Tsiping, Liss designers have broken the sprawling lodge into a long four-hou- Grand County school teacher Michael Arehart has been named the Utah Technology the Year. Teacher of A12 Inside The T imes Business Directory: 8 5 Calendar 65 Crossword Puzzle: 67 Classifieds: 67 Dining & Lodging: 63 Editorials, Letters: A fM 2 Notices: A 7, 66 Obituaries: A4 Region Review: A9 Television Listings: 64 Real Estate Weekly inside WEATHER HISTORY Date- - Precio. High-Lo- March 9 66 40 40.03 March 10 61 March 11 Continued on Page A3 48 37 .23 mams 32 - To subscribe to The Times-Independe- nt by Franklin Seal staff writer Two Moab residents who traveled to Salt Lake City last Friday to address a board meeting of the Trust Lands Administration say they think their visit may improve future relations between Grand County and the agency. Apparently, the SITLA board agreed with what they said. Trust Lands spokesman Dave Hebertson said the tone of the meeting was very cordial. It was the consensus of the board and staff that there was agreement with the comments made by Lola McElhaney and Jeff Flanders. McElhaney is a member of Moab Citizens Alliance, a group that originally organized in opposition to a development on Johnsons Up On Top Mesa, which is owned by Trust Lands. But from its first meeting, MCA also started looking into a wider range of development issues, including long-terplane quasi-statwith a SITLA, governning ment agency that owns large tracts of land throughout Grand County. McElhaney, accompanied by Flanders, asked to speak to the SITLA board in order to boost the level of cooperation and understanding between SITLA managers and the Moab community. According to Hebertson, the two asked by Lisa Church staff writer subscribemoabtimes.com The nt This news-pap- is printed on er T A 3S recycled paper and is recyclable. Affordable housing, high speed Internet access, a Main Street bypass, a destination college campus and water conservation topped the list of citizen concerns at last weeks open house for the citys draft General Plan. About 50 residents turned out Thursday night, March 8 to discuss Moabs future, and to express their views about the proposed Continued on Page A2 COPY and competitive. Some of this years more visible racers are world renowned. Olga Appell, originally from Mexico, was a U.S. Na- I Residents to SITLA: Bring us in at the beginning Housing, bypass among topics at city open house call v.4- j . Members of the Grand County Planning Commission examine plans for the proposed Cloudrock resort during a public hearing at Star Hall last week. Photo by Franklin Seal. March 12 57 32 .02 March 13 61 hands-o- n tional Cross Country and 10,000 meters Champion, and a 92Team Mexico and 96 Team USA Olympic Run. Mark competitor. She will be racing in the Plaatjes is originally from South Africa and now races out of the USA and is the former 93 Marathon World Champion. Out of Casa Blanca, Morocco, comes Souad Miftah who is the Moroccan Women's' Wheelchair Marathon Champion. Last years w inners - Jay Valentine from Grand Junct and Lance tion (Five-MilDenning of Boulder. Colo Half Marathon), will be on hand to defend thiar title- We have 3,800 runners this year." said Cresto. We had to turn away 3,000 this year We just can't keep up with the numbers if we get that big. And there are the transportation and safety issues involved with the racers. We are about as big as we can get right now." There wiil be 70 buses transporting the nearly 4,000 racers to the start line up the Colorado River on Saturday race begins at 9 30 a m. and the morning. The Half Marathon kicks off at 10 a m. with the wheelchair ath! etes gettirg a head start on each group Each racer will be wearing a computer chip thi- - year that starts the racers time as they cross the start line and clocks the final time at the finish line. The finish line will be at the Moab City Park. This is our 26th year." said C resto. We took over the event from the Chamber back in 83 and each year has been very good to us. We couldnt do this without the constant efforts of so many volunteers." The key players in putting this show on are Cresto. Gary Gurtler of Montana. Ranna Bieschke and Jerry Shaw. The kids from the high school who are in track and field as well as soccer really help out," said Cresto. So many people help with so many s that couldn't possibly thank everyone." Transportation for racers will leave Helen M. Knight Elementary School at 7:45 on race day. Five-Mil- e the board to include Grand County citizens in their planning pneess on any future developments on Trust Lands in Grand County. McElhaney said she wanted SITLA to bring local citizens into the proct s at the beginning of a development; she wanted local citizens to be seen and respected by the agency. She also suggested that with the help of local citizens, perhaps additional options to development of Trust Lands could lie worked out, including putting some of those lands into -- e conservation agreements. Flanders told the board, in the future he wanted Trust Lands to give notification to the Grand County Coun- Five-Mil- up-fro- cil and local media. He also suggested SITLA participate in Grand County master planning. Another suggestion: with- e five-minut- out encouraging incremental development, to try to package smaller parcels of development land to allow citizens a chance to purchase land. Heberston said the discussion also covered two additional ideas: helping to bring a college to the community and encouraging affordable housing. We had their absolute attention," reported McElhaney.. Theres no doubt that they were listening. They are understanding that its a challenge for them; that it's a critical time ing with rural Utah. ; e 1 ta.-k- for SITLA in work- Host: toxic spraying damaged her health by Franklin Seal type of act to get back at her for staff writer A Bureau of Land Management volunteer campground host filed claims last month against Grand County and the BLM for an alleged spraying of herbicides near her trailer last year. The claims ask each agency to agent-orange-li- pay $195,000. The BLM volunteer, Karla Prudent, says the spraying was done as a revenge ques- practioning previous tices. But the BLM says it doesnt have enough information to determine who did the spraying. Last August, The Environmental weed-sprayin- g Protection Agencys criminal investigation unit concluded that a spraying of potentially toxic herbicides occurred at the Goose Island Campground near Moab sometime last spring. Trace L amounts of the chemicals 2. 4. and 2.4-were found around Prudent's trailer. Prudent, who is a USU Veterinary Tech graduate with a minor in Environmental Studies, alleges that 2,4, is similar to an agent orange" type of chemical with nasty side effects on humans. BLM Manager of Support Services. Mike ODonnell says hes heard that any agent orange" type of side on Page A2 5-- T 5-- T |