OCR Text |
Show County balks at projects wont upgrade WEATHER FORECAST TfT" Parity Ooudy High 37 Low 18 H twin. Snow Showers High 30 Low 16 6j Saturday. Scattered Showeis High 31 Low 12 SundDL YL ?;r Partly Cloudy High 32 Low 10 by Lisa Church by Lisa Church staff writer staff writer Developers of the proposed Cloudrock lodge and resort housing community proposed for Johnsons Up On Top mesa did not receive approval tor the developments preliminary plan on Monday night. Instead, the Grand to table the issue until the County Council voted word from state water engineer that receives the county a new county well will Continued on Page A 2 Forest Service proposal to improve and realign the La Sal Mountain Loop Road will not receive support from Grand County, At Mondays meeting, the Grand County Council voted against sending the Forest Service a letter of support for the project Council Member Jerry McNeeiy argued for sending the letter of support Continued on Page A8 4-- A U.S. j 3 5-- Slip sliding Castles in the Fog overs on Gasoline prices drop Moab's gasoline prices have decreased 17f since November, but are among the state's highest, an agency reports. B9 Watch a widow Santa and a couple of friends have their picture taken. St Pierre" is the monthly film flick to be shown Dec. 27 at Star Halt. Also, the Film Society has a new board member. Jolly elf says Moab kids have been ' mostly nice ' WEATHER HISTORY :Wi:Lpw:frKb. 38 26.01 13 38 28 14 41 19 15 37 27 0.3 16 Dec.17 37 13 38 15 Dec. 18 43 18 ----- - Holiday countdown Look inside for The nt Extra! Youll find holiday events, horoscope, crossword, calendar, real estate listings, classifieds and more. Inside The T imes Business Directory: B7 Dining & Lodging: B3 Editorials, Letters: A6-- 7 Historic Photo: A2 Notices: B( Obituaries: A4 Region Review. B5 Sports: B1-- 3 To subscribe to The Tlmes-indepeode- nt calt subscribernoab6mexom CThe by Lisa Church staff writer By The jolly old man of magic known as Santa Claus has again marked the Moab area as a key stop in his Monday night itinerary. Santa and several of his key helpers have been making visits around town the past few weeks, g their naughty" and nice lists. Those in the latter category will most likely receive a visit from a mysterious visitor in the early hours of next Tuesday morning, Santa told The e this week. The he of his derives Christmost trespasser added that of Eve mas energy from the countless plates cookies and glasses of milk that he consumes while making his rounds. One recent appearance Santa made locally was aboard the lighted fire truck during the Electric Light Christina? Parade down Moabs Main Street on Dec. 8. The Christmas lights on the fire truck were so bright, I could hardly see. My helpers had to tell me when there were people waving," Santa recalled with a chuckle. Some of the children wondered where my reindeer were, and I told them that there isnt enough snow here for my sleigh, so all my reindeer stay at the North Pole until were all ready to go on Christmas Eve." Santa has all kinds of magical powers and uses all forms of transportation to get his work done," added Santa, age unknown, of the North Pole. Some kids will tell me, I dont want anything, Santa noted. So I ask them what I can help them do that will make someone else happy. And then their eyes will just light up. Thats more important than anything else making other people happy." Remember, Santa always tries to bring people the things they need, which is not always the same as what they ask for," he added. The holidays can be a hectic time of year, but Santa said he is looking forward to making all his deliveries so that on the morning of the Dec. 25 he can sit down and relax for another year. When pressed for further comment, Santa brought the telephone interview to an end by oblig- nt This newspaper is printed on recycled paper and is recyclable. OR COPY te PAGE A2 McLeod, Kim- berly Schappert, Joette Langianese and Susanne Maybeiry voted in favor. The council also approved a 10 percent pay raise for all other elected county officials. always-welcom- ingly providing one of his most famous sound bites: Ho, ho, ho, and Merry Christmas to all!" the slimmest possible margin, the Grand County Council on Monday approved a 42 percent pay raise for council members. Jim Lewis, Jerry McNeeiy and Bart Leavitt op- BOARO vised the measure, while ai Appointments, double-checkin- Times-lndepende- BIO 12 members up their pay by Jeff Richards guest writer The movie "Widow of Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Co. Council Santa gears up for big night last-minu- 2 The giving season: Slick roads cause roll- A10 see Loop Road Water study delays Cloudrock Beginning next year, council members will receive $1,000 per month - up from the monthly rate of $700 that each council member cur- rently receives. Fog shrouds the canyons below these cliffs a mile north of Grandview Point in the Islands in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park earlier this month. Photo by David Ingalls. McLeod said better pay for council members could make public service more appealing for more people. If we keep the pay too low, only people who are retired or indepen- dently wealthy can afford to serve, Continued on Page A3 UDOT pushes ahead on Moab Canyon project by Franklin Seal staff writer creasing the capacity of the Colorado River bridge, a possible around downtown Moab and widening the highway to four lanes from Monticello to Highway 191 serves as a main transportation link between commercial and population centers in central New Mexico and the Wasatch F ront. UDOT held an open house at the Grand County Courthouse last fall to gather public input on four alternate plans for Moab Canyon improvements. The UDOT alternatives ranged from simply widening the highway shoulders (Alternative 1 ) to a divided four-lansuperhighway by-pa- Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) announced last week it had chosen Alternative No. 4 as its preferred plan for improvements to Moab Canyon a busy section of Highway 191 north of Moab beginning at the intersection of S R. 279 (Potash Road) and extending past the Arches National Park entrance to S.R. 313. In the past, UDOT representatives have said they view the Moab Canyon Project in light of their larger, long-terplan to improve other asm pects of Highway 191, including in e ss (Alternative 4). Alternative 2 in- boasted cluded uphill passing lanes; an undivided four-lan- e highway Following the open house, the City of Moab wrote in support of Alternative 2. Grand County weighed in with support ofsome combination of the four," according to their letter to UDOT dated Oct. 24. That letter asked UDOT to keep rock removal to a minimum, widen the shoulders for bike traffic and to slow traffic down as it approaches Moab. The letter 3 suggested that any improvements should be done with an eye toward increased pedestrian and bike traf-Continued on Page A2 Historic Shafer Home will be saved from ravages of time to sign a den Project, a by Lisa Church staff writer 20-ye- ar The original pioneer farmhouse built by the Father of Grand County Education will be saved, thanks to an agreement reached between two area organizations and the Grand County School District. Plans to restore the crumbling adobe home built by John M. Shafer were put on hold earlier this fall while the Grand County Historical Preservation Association sought assurances from the school district, which owns the property, that the building would be preserved for at least 20 years once restoration work is completed. The school district, which has generally supported the idea of saving the home, was reluctant to make the guarantee, citing concerns that the land may be needed to expand the Grand County High SchooL School Board members also worried that maintenance and upkeep of the restored building would become a financial burden for the district. But last month, the school board agreed non-prof- it 116-year-o- ld lease with the Youth Gar- educational Moab-base-d or- ganization that conducts outdoor education programs with Grand County students. When restoration on the home, which currently sits on school property adjacent to the Grand County High School, is completed, the Youth Garden will relocate its offices in the Shafer Home, and will pay monthly utilities costs and perform routine maintenance on the building. Under the agreement, the school district agreed not to demolish the building for at least 20 years without the mutual consent of the district, the Historical Preservation Association, and the Youth Garden. Should all three groups decide to move the building to another location, the district will contribute towards the move an amount of money equal to the cost of demolishing the structure. The district also agreed to set aside a perimeter surrounding the building for use with the home. School Board Member David Olsen said Continued on fage A3 15-fo- ot Utah State Historical Society architect Don Hartley examines the attic of the Shafer Home, a 1 1 fannhouse that will be restored. Photo by Lisa Church i |