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Show 1 Pags A7 l'i0Tttrus-3iibfpmb- -- -- mt Thursday, September 13, 2001 Something else for all of us to think about Letters to the Editor To The Times recent presentation made to the Council on Tuesday, Sept. 4 by Jams Adkins regarding the need for an ordinance to ensure w e hav e water for the future. Janie's main point was to be proactive about water conservation. Let us not be surprised down the roacl when there isnt enough water to maintain the lush landscapes Id like to comment Doesn't want to see desert defiled Dear Editor, I want to express m concern over the recent decision of U.S. District Court Judge Bruce Jenkins to allow Intrepid Oil & Cas Company to run vibroseis buggies over a 3 section of BLM land immediately north of Canyonlands National Park. These buggies are really 50,000-poun- d s that will apparently be doing seismic research in che area. They have not been restricted to existing roads, and will crush delicate soils and vegetation and break many miles of new semi-truck- trail that ORVs wall undoubtedly use in the future. I do not want to see our beautiful, undefiled land in Southern Utah be ruined for years to come by s dev elopers and ORV-user- Additionally, these buggies would traverse State Highway 313, the Dead Horse Point road. I want to be able to bring my family and fhends from out of state here and show them the beauty of wild, untouched Utah, not of Utah, the developers paradise. Bemie Doud Orem the Editor, I am writing to express my profound disappointment at the decision of a district court judge to allow the thumper truck exploration by Intrepid Oil and Gas near Dead Horse Point Park and Canyonlands National Park. Simply, put, the court Solution to stop oil exploration: stop driving Dear Editor, I find it ironic that your protesters of oil exploration drive their oil and gas machines to, and camp in, the area they are trying to protect by using nonviolent civil disobedience (an oxymoron). If you want to stop oil exploration, stop using their products. Sincerely, David Lewis Moab was dead wrong that such exploration will not the Editor, With the decline in tourist numbers visiting Moab and environs we are faced with an opportunity to take a snapshot of where we are as a community. During the last few years there has been incredible levels of development within the tourist industry. In the last 18 months alone over 300 new rooms have been added to our total inventory of overnight accommodations available for our declining numbers of tourists. The leaders of this community I believe would be best served to protect and strengthen existing reparably harm this stunning natural environment. I travel to southeast Utah every year to camp and hike for a month or so, because it is one of the most beautiful, wondrous, moving natural places on the planet. Ive also watched over the years as Utah and federal land managers have learned hard lessons about how fragile this environment really is, and how it can quickly be devastated by use of any kind. Apparently the folks at BLM who know these truths were locked in the back while the left hand of BLM permitted Intrepid's exploration. It will be Utahns and people like me, however, losers that are left with who will be the long-terscarred, unproductive, uninviting landscapes long after outfits like Intrepid have taken from the land and gone on their way. off-roa- d Cheryl Scannell St. Petersburg, FL businesses before allowing too much new growth. code This can be done by tightening the land-us- e and having a strong plan developed and implemented for the whole community. It would seem that some of the individuals responsible for planning are more interested in taking care of the big developers instead of the little guy," doing everything they can to make this community another Aspen, Telluride or Sedona. For many, especially the owners of large chunks of real estate, this is an excellent way to grow since they will definitely profit from this type of development. However, one of the costs of developing a real estate economy is the displacement and erosion of the middle class from the core of the community, the Moab Valley. Faced with increased value of property, higher mortgages and increased property taxes, many home owners may at some point down the line be faced with taxes and mortgages they may struggle to pay. Tourism currently creates sea- sonal, jobs. The only people able to afford to buy a home in the community may well only be people who do not need to derive an income in Moab. Most of our local politicians, either in office or seeking election, know the issues: affordable housing for the workers, the need for alternative industries to tourism, care for the seniors, developing higher education, etc. My question is how they plan to make this happen for the community they represent. Many of the decisions being made currently seem to run contrary to the existing plan for the county. A plan is meaningless unless it is actually implemented. It was my understanding that the government in this country was of the people, by the people and for the people. As a member of the middle class I speak out in supporting these people who truly make this area one of the last real communities left in this great country. It would seem very sad to allow our community to follow the path demonstrated in so many other towns. It would, on the other hand, be great to stand out for preserving the values that make Moab and Grand County a place that supports a economy and home for its residents. Sincerely, Floward Trenholme Moab low-payin- g year-roun- d Thoughts on personal agency vs. control Dear Editor, As mortal beings, we are born with unalienable rights, those rights, which are inherently ours, which are not bestowed nor restrained by man. Government derives its rights from the rights of the individuals who elect them. Government has only those rights which individuals have the right to give it. Individuals do have the right to protect themselves from loss of life, limb, and property. Individuals cannot give to a governing body rights, authority, or power which they do not possess themselves. Thus, governing bodies have only those rights and powers which the individuals who established them have as individuals. Any exercise of control, restriction, or denial of my neighbors rights that I do not have as an individual, I cannot give to a governing body. The town council, county, state, or federal government officials cannot morally exercise any governmental control over individuals that they as individuals did not have the right to exercise outside of government. If my neighbors light disturbs me, I have every right to use persuasion, invitation, and whatever I want to offer, to encourage him to make a correction. I do not have the right as an individual to threaten his property, peace, liberty, or voting capacity in order to force him to comply with my wishes. If I do not have the right as an individual to threaten his property, peace, liberty, or voting capacity in order to force him to comply, then I, even in concert with others, cannot give that authority to the city council members or anyone else, to do so. Men often respond more quickly, more easily, and more gladly to proper persuasion and enticing, thaa to threats, control and force. If my neighbor has a barking dog that is annoying and disturbing, what are my moral rights as a neighbor to employ? Do I have the right to destroy his property, (kill or take his dog), take his money (fine him), take his liberty (imprison him), or restrict his voting capacity? Can I then, in good conscience, unite with others in doing so, or can we suppose to authorize our representatives to do so for us? The same principles should be applied in regard to smoke wafting from neighboring garbage cans, as well as all other circumstances regarding the exercise of personal agency versus control. "We do have high expectations of one another and all can improve. But the way we are to encourage that ... is by persuasion, by by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned long-sufferin- Hunter The keys for dealing wisely with others choices remains: respect for individual agency, loving persuasion, and merciful forgiveness. Howard W. Mynoa Williams Moab Community effort helped approve CIB application Dear T-- I, Moab citizens, I am As I visit with frequently told how much Moab needs an expanded college and university program, and this past week, we, as a community, have taken a giant stride toward that dream. Our first goal is to purchase our leased facility, so that expensive lease payments can be used for program development. This is the first step. Twelve people, including Kyle Bailey, Ron Ferguson, Robert Hugie, Harvey Merrill, Pat Rippee, Adrien and Sam Taylor, Mary Von Koch, Marjorie Wagner, Saina and Max Young from Moab traveled with me and other representatives from COPY e Dear Sam: ir- Take a snapshot of where we are as a community To planted by develop rs and homeowners in Moab. 1 agrc-- that something must be done now. We dont want the time to come where water may be rationed or fines may be levied for over use. This has happened in other communities. Here in the desert we should know better. While most of us dont lik the thought of a new ordinance, it would be prudent for Grand County to launch an educational campaign on how to con serve water, i e ty ps of plants, flowers, shrubs and trees to use, types of irrigation, best watering times, the use of compost and mulches, etc Thus could be done through posters, Channel 6 coverage, radio announcements, flyers distributed to homeowners and businesses Community recycling of downed trees, Christmas trees made into compost and supplied to the public is another small but effective way of helping the public maintain a low water use or drought-toleran- t landscape. While local nurseries can do their part to educate their customers, the word needs to get out on a larger scale at county or city level Something else for all of us to think about Thank you Gary Sherman M Ota b Activities galore at Senior Citizens Center Profoundly disappointed in judge's decision To on a the College of Eastern Utah and Utah State University to Cedar City to lend their support and voices to an application for a loan from the Community Impact Board. These people took time from busy lives to offer their support to this project, and they deserve our thanks for their help. Because of their presence and words of support, the Community Impact Board understood that Moab came with a petition from a united community, and the CIB put our application on the priority list for a 0 interest loan. Sharon Ziegler Director, Moab Center for Higher Education low-intere- st This is Senior Citizens Week Here and many other places. Im hoping all persons of retirement age will soon be taking advantage of all the wonderful activities available to them through the efforts of Grand County, Moab City, and the staff at the Senior Citizens Center. My husband passed away in 1998 and in 1999 friends took my life in their hands and insisted I look at the center for my needs. It wasnt hard for me, once I decided I really was a senior citizen, to find myself almost daily at the center for such activities as limrhes four times weekly, Bingo Mondays and Fridays after lunch; Canasta games Saturday and Tuesday nights, as well as Wednesday afternoons; ceramics, quilting, art lessons, and other expressive Kitchen Band," entertains functions; a before lunch each Wednesday; and, of course, special events such as are being offered this week as the seniors are treated to a Mediterranean Cruise." Volunteers from the hospital and home health organizations spend one day each month providing blood counts, high blood pressure checks, and cholesterol levels. Outdoor breakfasts on the patio each summer, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, and crafts fairs round out other planning functions throughout the year. Several times each month a van travels to Grand Junction for entertainment, workshops, and well-traine- d shopping not available in Moah One t ar about 25 members were bussed to Mesquite, Nev , to try their luck with the slot machines and other gambling Several times each year the center sponsors a 55 Alive special driving training which reduces the automobile insurance of those who finish the course. Recently, 15 members completed a Certified Emergency Response Team (CERT) training designed to assist the medical and emergency technician crews during disasters There is no need for the more than 1,000 popu old and over to feel lonely and out lation of touch with people. One could spend nearly all day long each week participating m the fun and care offered by the staff Verleen Stnhlen, Debbie Rappe, and Kate Thompson direct the good things at the center. Great cook, Brooke Nunley, van driver, Sue Dalton; Jamie Biersthied and Jeremy Mallory complete the energetic staff, and Alberta Knight schedules medical trips Many of the seniors are involved in community projects and planning; their knowledge is invaluSeniors participate in voable and lunteer work through the RSVP (Retired Seniors Volunteer Program), AARP, and Council on Aging Seniors who need help getting to doctors appointments and hospitals in other communities are served by other seniors. Dixie Barksdale Moab six-wee- k 65-yea- rs well-accepte- d Care-A-Va- Castle Valley Comments by Ron Drake The five sixth grade classes of Helen M. Knight Intermediate School received inspiring council and invaluable instruction during their visit to the Castle Valley studio of famed nature writer Terry Tempest Williams last week. The sixth grade teachers whose classes were in- volved in the special project were Ann McLanahan, Sharon Leavitt, Rebecca Scheu, Kristi Nichols arid Cheryl Jenkmson Terry told the group that she and her husband, Brook, who is also a writer, moved to Castle Valley to be in the desert where they could be closer to the area that they are so passionate about. She told of her most memorable teacher, Mrs. Silver, when she was also a sixth grade student in Salt Lake City and how the instructor was the one who inspired Terry to write and keep a journal. A naturalist writer has discerning eyes, she told her audience, which was obvious as she pointed out a golden eagle floating overhead and thunderclouds forming over the La Sal Mountains during the lesson. Magical things happen around her," someone observed. She crammed a lot into the sessions, reading passages from her first books, relating the eight years of work that went into the book Leap" and sharing experiences relating to her latest work Red; Passion and Patience in the Desert." The students were asked to paint with words" and orally compose a sentence to create an image, and they later spent a few minutes to write down their thoughts of what impressed them during their time there. Many shared their excellent responses. The questions that were asked by the sixth graders during the course of the classes were profound and brought tears to Terrys eyes as she thought of an appropriate answer. Ann McLanahan took half of the busloads to her house and read from the book "Celebrations by Byrd Baylor as part of their experience in Castle Valley The classes traded locations after an hour of instruction at each place. This is the second year of a three-yegrant that was applied for and obtained by Mrs. Williams to bring artists into the schools and conduct workshops Last year they went to the Colorado River to bring the natural world into their writing. Poet Prius St. John also did work hour-lon- g ar Terry Tempest Williams is shown teaching the sixth grade class of Rebecca Scheu during a field trip to Williams' Castle Valley studio last week. Photo by Ron Drake. shops with the kids. They targeted the sixth graders but also con- ducted an assembly for the whole school. Ann said Terry doesnt take any money for herself but uses the funds to pay for visiting artists, buses, writing guides and journals. What an absolutely amazing thing this is, it's a great treat," said Ann about the program Terry will visit with them a couple more times in their classroom during the school year and instill in them her passion for writing A passion, which think, is only exceeded by her desire to teach and inspire children. I I must have misunderstood when wrote about the Town of Castle Valley choosing an architect to design their proposed new town hall and community center and reported the firm had an office in Moab. Actually, the firm from Salt Lake City, (if have my story correct) Charles R Child Associates, has a Moab representative, Frederick Stastny The town received six responses from their requests for proposals and narrowed them down to three, Jim Dresslar of Moab, Charles R. Child Associates of Salt Lake City and Chamberlin Architects of Grand Junction, the town's eventual selection. Mayor Keeler said their selection was based on Chamberlins list of successful commercial and municipal projects including the Moab Information Center and the Dan I I OLaurie Museum in Moab He said the council felt the selection was the best use of taxpayer funds." Counal Member Karen Nelson who was actrvety involved m the whole selection process said, Dresslar was right up there" m their consideration and expressed praise and appreciation for his help in putting together the request for proposals Twenty years ago this week, this column featured Bill Buchanan of Moab, the grandson of John Pace, owner of the ranch, which is now the Town of Castle Valley He recalled attending the old Castle Valley School for the first three grades of his schooling One teacher taught the first through eighth grades, which averaged about 10 or 11 students The old school house measured about 20 by 40 feet and had only one room except for a cloakroom in one corner. It was constructed of adobe with sort of a tin veneer" A portion of a couple of the walls of the old school house might still be standing on Conn Fryers ranch on the Loop Road Construction began on the new building of the Castle Valley Branch o? the Churah of Jesus Chnst of Saints during the same week 20 years ago. The first of a building had possible 2,797 square feet and the tow bid by the Sandy company was $179,800 Dennis Godwin was the superintendent on the project. Latter-Da- y three-phas- e |