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Show CDu Page A2 iEhnrs-3nbrpfnbr- Thursday, March 15, 2001 nt Light ordinance gets gloomy reviews from county planning commission by iit Franklin Seal ataff writer This selling very well It's gut to lie re worked Those rumnicnU by Grand County Planning ('oirunis-suChair Judy Charmichael seemed to sum up the status of Grand County's ongoing efforts to update the t xisling outdoor lighting ordinance After working through most of the past year on devel oping supiairt for change to the ordinance dark sky advocates appear to have run into stiff resistance from (ounty planning commissioner and business interests in Moah That fact became evident during a special commission work session last Wednesday afternoon. March 7 at the Grand County Council Chandlers The meeting was called for the- purpose of discussing and fine tuning the promised lighting ordinance in light of feedb.a k from a public hearing on I eh 7 During that hearing, a dear majority of the .'it) citizens who sike said they were in favor of the new rules, primarily in order Pi stem a grow mg trend toward iricreasc-light pollution, w fuch blot out the stars But seven ssike against the new rules during the hearing Several were business ow ners who complained that the ordinance w ould the overall amount of light on their forte them to said their lights help attract customers and They proerty ward off potential criminals During the work session last week, several commishearing from their constituents, sioners said they'd and despite the prenderance of positive feedback during the public hearing, they were getting a lot of flack Charmichael said, "I think jieople are just tired of being told what they can do." Commissioner Ned Dalton added, I really wonder why were even looking at an ordinance like this We're supposed to deal with tilings that have to do with health and safety" Commissioner Susie Harrington pointed out that the - ts-e- A Look Back in Time Historic pictures of Moab and Grand County Have a picture you would like to share? Submit it to The majority of comments she'd received w ere positive, as were the majority of comments at the hearing But Commissioner D 1. Taylor seemed disuu lined toward the proposed changes "liu a card carrying redinsk I travel in different circles than Susie and 1 have et to (.ear one fuvnrat ie comment Later he added that fie opposed the ordinance fiecau.se it was aesthetics not health and safety The ordinance, s fie said, was a fee g'Ssi, look thing Commissioner Bobbie la v in said h believed that at least one part of the ordinance seemed to have good prosjiects for consensus within the community full cut-of- f shielding of outdoor lights within residential areas He suggested possibly putting the abatement issue, w hu h was the focus of many complaints, on the ballot He added that for many ieople, the dark sky was considered an amenity Bui in added that he was against abatement, unless it was clearly sup-rto- d by a referendum Abatement would force all residents and businesses to conform to the- new rules wit Inn seven years Grand County resident Kevin Walker pointed out that fie felt the light issue was related to projierty rights, that people have as much right to protection from light pollution as they do from noise sdlution, which is enforced by police as a public nuisance. I think it's a princ iple that it's not okay to have noise above certain decifiels," he said. Toward the end of the discussion, (Manning Consultant Richard Grice asked the commission for some guidance, but if he was looking for pointers on how to the proosal. he didnt get it. Charmichael said the commission would take the think subject up again at a future April workshop. she weve got a lot more work to do education-wise,- " said I attne-dark-skie- k plan, w hich has taken 18 months to complete. City planning commissioners and council memliers were on hand to hear public commenU. City Planner Robert Hugie said the commenU received will be categorized and then presented to the planning commission for discussion. The commission will then decide which concerns will lie integrated into the next draft of the General Plan. Once the planning commission approves a final draft, the plan will la- - sent to the city council for another public hearing. Were at least a couple of drafts away," llugie said, noting that the council will likely ask for another draft once public comments are heard. This is an important docu-mefor the community and we pian to get it right." City Planning and Community Development Director David Olson said that while the new draft plan is similar to the current plan, which was adopted in 1992, it does incorporate some important new elements "A housing plan, including strategies for affordable housing, is now iniluded," Olsen said. And the new plan also has more language afsiut protecting wildlife habitat in the flixxl channel " And Olsen said the new draft also lists goals and policies for health and safety, fire protection, water and sewer, and education that were not present in the old plan Strategies for dealing with the citys parking problems, and for making Moah a friendlier place for foot traffic by developing pedestrian and bicycle trail systems are also built in The 2000 draft General Plan also sets guidelines for encouraging economic development, including compromoting diverse year-rounmunity activities," working to attract businesses that will provide d employment, and protecting the scenic asseU" of the community. The new plan also calls for adopting ordinances that will protect the ridgelines, hillsides and mountains in the city from unsightly development, as well as setting new standards for lighting requirements in commercial and residential areas. The plan sets guidelines for protecting water quality by carefully evaluating the impact of new developments both inside and outside the city limits. And it recommends the city adopt a series of ordinances for maintaining air quality, including year-roun- d banning wood burning during an inversion, phasing out wood stoves that do 1 not carry Environmental Protection Agency approval, restricting coal burning, and controlling trash, garbage and weed burning. Planning Commission Member Dave Wood said the comments he received from residents at the open house were generally supportive. Theyre concerned about our economic health, about future growth, and they seem to mostly approve of the direction were headed with this plan," Wood said. Wood was encouraged by the number of people who attended the three-hou- r open house. This has been a much better turn-ou- t than we expected," he said. Area resident Suzette Weisheit said she was pleased with the plan overall. I really think these guys did a great job," Weisheit said. This plan puts more emphasis on a friendlier town in terms of vegetation and making it more walkable. And I was glad to see reference to affordable housing in here. Thats one of the major issues we face in the community today." But Weisheit suggested the plan could do more in some areas. I believe developers in the service industry should be required to build af fordable housing," she said. And I'd like to see more attention paid to conserving water and energy." W'eisheit said water conservation could he improved if the city would offer incentives for those who use drought-toleran- t plants in their landscaping. And she encouraged the city to adopt regulations requiring newly constructed homes and commercial buildings to use energy-efficie- materials. And Weisheit said she believed the city could do more to decrease truck traffic through town. We need e in cutting back to be more pro-activ- truck traffic. But I dont believe a bypass is the solution," she said. 9 Bill Stevens said he, too, sup- ported the draft plan, but said he worried that some of the suggested regulations would be difficult to imThere are some good ordipose nances proposed here, but some- times there's a problem with enforcement," Stevens said. And he hoped the city would move quickly to adopt stricter rules regarding lighting in the community. Lighting is an important issue. As far as I'm concerned, if there w asn't a single light in the whole tow n, I'd be happy." Planning Commission Chair Sam Taylor said the commission had put a great deal of work into developing the draft Master Plan, and he was pleased that it was finally making its way through the public process. Taylor said the city is required by law to develop a new plan every I always wondered why 10 years. the last plan, which was supposed to be ready in 1990, wasn't adopted until 1992," he said. Now 1 know. This is a long, sometimes difficult process." But Taylor said he believed the 2000 plan still had a good chance to be approved before year's end. I think by fall we ought to be ready to send it to the council for a vote," he said. Host: toxic spraying damaged her health Continued from Page AI feet would more likely be caused by the synergy of the two herbicides It's more the mixture of the 2.4-and 2,4,5-T,-" he said last summer after the reports came back from the EPA. Prudent originally filed a formal harassment complaint with the Director of the Utah BLM, Sally Wise, on May 8. 2900. Formal claims seeking a settlement of $195,000 from both the BLM and Grand County were filed last month. The claim against Grand County was filed because the county weed control department was allegedly involved in the spraying. A letter from Prudent's attorney was addressed to the Grand County Clerk Clerk Fran Townsend said the county had no comment. After reviewing copies of the EPA investigation last August, BLM's Moab Field Office Director Maggie Wyatt said, They were unable to determine who did the spraying. There's nothing criminal to go with." Contacted early this week she said the BLMs position had not changed. The claims detail a chain of events that began in March, 1999, shortly after Prudent started working as a volunteer host at the Goose Island Campground on the Colorado River, a few miles upstream from Moab She recounts several confrontations with a BLM employee over weed spraying practices at the campground. She did not want them to spray near her camp trailer. But she alleges that it was done anyway, perhaps while she was out of town. After returning from a trip out of the area in April, her cat suddenly gave premature birth to three stillborn kittens Two days later she noticed that all the vegetation in several large patches next to her trailer was suddenly dying. It was obviously sprayed," she said. There was live vegetation all around, and there in a dearly defined circle surrounding my trailer there w as dead vegetation." She reported the problem to her BLM supervisor Bill Stringer, the head of the Moab BLM's Division of Resources According to her written complaint, Stringer made a phone call and found out that Grand County Weed Control, which roufor tinely conducts the BLM. had been in the area on April 19 hut they denied that they had sprayed inside the campground. According to the claims, soil samples were taken the next day The weed-sprayin- nt tut First big shipment . . . Housing, highway bypass, internet access are among topics at city open house Continued from Page A 1 Times-lndepende- tests showed traces of the herbicides 2.4.5-is a and 2.4-D- . 2,4-herbicide available 2.4.5-was pulled from the market 15 or more years ago. according to O'Donnell He says they checked their records and it appears the Moab BLM has not had the chemical around for years, if ever. Following Prudent's report of the incident, she was given a new BLM trailer, which was located in a different spot, and the Utah State BLM office called the EPA to investigate. Mitch Melich, president, and Roy Hollis, generalVianager of Uranium Reduction Company watch the first drum of yellow cake being loaded after being produced at the new uranium mill in Moab in 1956. The company, built by the company in which Charlie Steen was a big player, was later sold to Atlas Corporation. Times file photo Rescuers escape injury when rock falls by Franklin Seal staff writer see them a, the base of nearly every cliff in mammoth boulders fallen from the Canyonlands heights above. Despite the plentiful evidence of what are clearly violent rock falls, it is rare that humans witness them. It is even rarer w hen the large trundlers fall close enough to someone that, they cause injury. But such was the case last Wednesday, March 14 when two people were injured in Arches National behemoth fell nearly 300 feet Park after a one-toand exploded on the ground mere yards behind a groups lunch spot, according to a park news release. The group of six was part of a joint National Park e ServiceGrand County Search and Rescue rock rescue training session taking place on the clifTs above the Arches National Park visitors center. Estimated at 30 to 40 feet in length and weighing over one ton, the rock dislodged from the top of a clifTdirectly above the group. Warned by a loud crack as the rock shattered on a protruding flake above them, the group was able to scramble out of the w ay You neck-htrainin- g n high-angl- Continued from Page A 1 director for both CEU and USU at the center, emphasized that this application for funding would not compete with Dr. Sharon Ziegler, other applications pending or planned for CIB funds from local government, as higher education has a separate stream of funds from mineral lease money. The public hearing is part of a process required by CIB, to assure that there is general support for grant applications. The Higher Ed. Council w ill tie soliciting letters of support to be included in the grant application folder. Higher education has had a presence in Moab since the late 1960s, when a delegation from Moab lobbied at the state legislature and obtained a line item in the USU the northern hemisphere marks that moment when the Sun passes northward through the celestial equalor The celestial equator is an imaginary line in space above the Earth's equator. The next such event, known as the autumnal or September equinox, will occur when the Sun passes southward through the celestial equator next September 22, markmg the start of fall in the northern hemisphere. budget. From approximately business, and conferencearts center $60,000 in the early years, the line item has grown to about $1 million today, with money supporting USU program in Carbon, Emery, Grand and San Juan counties. In 1993 the state Board of Regents gave responsibility for lower division classes to CEU, which also offers training, certification and custom-fi- t classes for business and industry which are not offered by USU. USU has responsibility for upper division and graduate level needs in Grand County. Solid support was shown both for higher education and economic development, including a business incubation program and a Advisory Council was established by the Board of Regents in 1994. Its members serve by joint appointment by the presidents of USU and CEU. A study was conducted in 1998 would like to eventually develop the land. The Higher Ed. Council has decided to move ahead with the downtown land acquisition plan and defer development on the 20 acres until a more appropriate time. instruction. The Moab Higher Education to ascertain higher education, conference center. Land has been donated from the Ray Holyoak estate for a higher education campus south of Moab. This includes 20 acres, held in trust by the USU Foundation. This land is adjacent to a parcel of about 200 acres owned by the State Institutional and Trust Lands Administration (SITLA), which UHP responds to seven separate wrecks According to Utah Highway Patrol reports, troopers investigated seven crashes during the week in Grand County; four involved injuries, only two were serious. On Friday, March 9, at 2.15 a.m., three residents of Craig, Colo, were injured when the driver of a 1988 Buick sedan fell asleep at the wheel and ran off the road. The car rolled several times. One person had bruises and abrasions; the other T Hansen Planetarium in Salt Lake City is alerting everyone to the official return of spring to the northern hemisphere on Tuesday, March 20 at 6 31 a m. MST. Known as the vernal or March equinox, the arrival of spring in 100-foo- Higher ed. seeks grant to buy land, buildings T Spring Equinox only seconds before the impact. According to park officials, Andrew Fitzgerald was knocked to the ground by flying debris when the rock exploded a few yards behind the spot where the group had sat just seconds before. Another man, Lee Kaiser, received a slight injury to the leg while trying to get away. Luckily for Fitzgerald, the assembled group of 17 was well prepared to deal with the emergency. The class is held each year prior to the beginning of the season to hone rescue skills for park personnel and GCSR members. In fact, later that week the group had planned to carry out precisely the kind of emergency evacuation that unfolded following the rock fall. Fitzgerald had received a head injury and multiple lacerations. He was given first aid and strapped to a litter," t cliff to a second then lowered over the side of a rescue team who carried him cross country to an awaiting ambulance. He was treated at Allen Memorial Hospital and released. Park authorities baid an examination of the cliff revealed that a large flake of sandstone had simply let go of the surrounding rock. Rain falling on and off for several days prior to the incident was though to be partially to blame for the natural occurrence. two occupants of the vehicle sustained broken bones and lacerations. All were transported to Allen Memorial Hospi- tal. That afternoon, at 2:20 p.m. Nicholas F. Bauman, 59, Grand Junction, Colo, ran off the road into a bar ditch near the East Cisco exit over corrected and rolled several times down the freeway. He received head and chest injuries and his 1998 Nissan pickup was totaled. He was transported to St. Marys Hospital in Grand Junction by Careflight helicopter. City tables ordinance governing towers by Lisa Church staff writer members voted unanimously to re- a appoint Dave Sakrison to represent Moab City on the Grand County Solid Waste District Board. And the The council will accept written comments from the community on the proposed ordinance throughout the next two weeks. Council members voted unanimously to table the until a later date. Also on Tuesday night, council council approved donations of a surplus vehicle - a 1995 Crown Victoria valued at approximately $5,000 - to Seekhaven Family Resource Center, and two surplus computers valued at about $400 to the Grand County Public Library. A scheduled discussion with representatives from the Utah Department of Transportation was postponed after UDOT failed to show up at Tuesday's council meeting. The The Mcab City Council tabled proposed ordinance governing permits for wireless communications towers within city limits. A public hearing on the ordinance drew only one person Tuesday night, March 13. ue council had requested a meeting with UDOT to discuss ways the state could improve the timing of traffic lights on Main Street. During Tuesdays meeting. Council Member Rob Sweeten asked his cohorts to consider other options to help control traffic problems on Main Street. Those options include requiring trucks to drive in the left lane only, and reducing the speed limit through town to 25 m.p.h. Sweeten said a Moab resident had made the suggestions during the city's open house to discuss the draft Master Plan. |