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Show (The (I t nu s - Page A10 3 nhifpr nit nt t a Lillies Snbepcnticnt (tutorial -- Thursday, January 31, 2002 OUR T0WW ANb JUST WHEN WE THOUGHT KffiESVOT HISTORY Do we have the political will to jump-star- t our local economy? already approved and signed a development agreement with Cloudrock at their Oct. 15 meeting giving the project the green light. So now it looks like they are trying to delay a Economic uniuators are down nationally, and unsurprisingly. they are down m Moab as well. Tourism is the lowest industry and largest employer in Grand County Touri-i- visitation has been down notueahly. two years m a row. Lower revenues and fewer jobs from lated industries have a huge negative impact on the 1m hI laves collected How are we going to replace thes lost taxes, let alone find new sources of income to fund important lota! services' We neisl these h.isic s rv ices so families will choose to rai-- e children here, sjiend their working lives here, and stav to enjoy a healthy retirerm nt In Washington l)C, Congre" is dt hating ways to stimulate the n it nmal econoim 1 hey s question-- , miiIi as are asking them-- i should we raise taxt or lower tlitm VMiat incentives should we giv e individuals and liusi ness to invest ' Drum rats, Kepuhlitans and Independents eat h have iliflcn nt v lews, hut the important thing is that t hones are lining debated and made to get our country baik on its feet after Sept 11 and the ongoing recession What is Itemgdone here in Grand County' What plans does the Grand County Council have to stimulate our haul economy? How is the county going to pay for the raise the council recently gave themselves, let alone fund our pressing netsls suth as increasing the choices and availability o( hi altheare, csiecially for our elderly imputation' The actions of the eounty council over the past few months show a disturbing trend It apMars that our count il would prefer to hasten a recession, rather than forestall one. Road construction can le an imjsirtant stimulant to the local economy, providing jobs for which we have workers available It would wera like a good idea for our county to work towards dirts ting as many state and federal dollars here for road construction as isissihle. Instead our county council has done the exact opposite, by dts lining to contribute $10,000 to help fund a $100,000 Gtah Department of Transportation study on developing a road bypass around t project they have already approved. If other credible, quality developer wants to spend $10 million building a project in our county just as we are heading into an economic downturn, shouldn't we want them to get started as soon as possible? The Cloudroc k or any tourist-re- county could certainly use the new jobs and all the income from t ic sale of related goods and services. When Cloudrock opens end joins the other hotels and lodges paying taxes here, the county w ill welcome the extra income. Statistical indicate the net new annual impact of Cloudrock Desert Lodge could be the $14 7 million Of that amount, approximately $10 milium would lie spent at Cloudrock, $4.24 million would be spent at local businesses, and $460,000 would lx1 paid in taxes. The longterm economic impact, if the resort does grow to the full 225 lodging units, is $73 million per year by 2021. With those projected revenues we may be able to afford not only pay raises for our county Council members, but we might even ge t the new medical facilities we need. Another council member proposed tabling the Cloudrock Preliminary Plat because she w ants to make sure we have the water. Grand County has already built a new water tank and delivery system that will Berve Spanish Valley and Johnson's Top. The Grand Water & Sew er Service Agency has already found the water they need to supply this new system. The GW&SSA must now transfer water rights to the new well. It is customary for water right transfer requests to have protests, and that is so in pro-jcK-tio-ns 4X-roo- Up-O- n this case. What does that mean for the GW&SSA's water system? If it can be proven, for example, that the new county well will affect an individuals well, then the agency would be responsible for supplying water to that individual in the future. It is not likely that the new public water system will be stopped; officials will just have to find ways to mitigate any effects the new well might have on others in the valley. This is our countys public water system and should have the support of county officials. Cloudrock developers have stated they can and w ill build their own private system if they have to. The question is whether that would be in the best interests of all in the long run, and whether it sends a message to future developers that they are best advised to build private systems instead of participating in systems that benefit the entire public. Another question, which smacks of discrimination on the part of some county officials, is this: Is it legitimate to hold up the approval of the Cloudrock Preliminary Plat while waiting for the water rights transfers to be finalized, when other preliminary plats have been approved with similar contingencies and conditions? For those who are not familiar with the planning and zoning process, the preliminary plat is just that - preliminary. Every individual and developer must meet all the conditions placed on their preliminary plat before they submit their final plat to the planning & zoning commission and then to the county council for approval. The county council will have many opportunities over the next 1 5 years, as the Cloudroc k project progresses, to review and approve for the public the final plat of each phase of the project, just as it has done for other county projects in the past. Do w e have the political will to jump-staour local economy? The urges our county council to look into the future and see how their decisions may adversely or positively impact the economic health of our community Moab IDOT has many priorities around the conducting state, and while they have some local studies on their own, our local leaders have sent a lear message to Salt Lake City that we dont want their money. We will continue to get the heavy truck traffic through town, and crossing Main Street will become increasingly unsafe. But we wont see any imla-e- n c provements, or any revenues from road projects state funds any time soon. Road construction companie s wont be buying supplies, lunch, gas or any other services they will need in our county And road crews wont be making salaries and wont Is- paying taxes. In mln r the Grand County Council wa asked by the National Forest Service to provide $10.(xw) to conduct a study on improving the La Sal Lxp Road, a construction project valued at $20 million The council voted it down e dont trust the Federal Government," said one council member. What dont we trust alsmt them' If the Government wants to sjend $20 million in our county to improve a road why should we oppose it? Die county wins with new jobs, additional tax revenues, and the resulting sale of mint goods and services in the county On top of that, we would have a better, safe r road We may not all think that the road need- - to improved, but that is nc th Is fit we would have rerml only clearly ceived In the Great Impression of the 1930s, the Federal Government created the Works Progress Administration to mate jobs If we Road as a modern day think of the la Sal WPA project the rationale and good se nse becomes quite apparent At that samemlier meet mg the county council voted to table the preliminary plat of the Moab Mea Land Compare s Gloudrock project on Johnsons 'p On Top The council or Ih-c- c Y- - lxp Ih-c- multi-phase- d rt Times-lndepende- c 1 nt r VLljr Limrs-3Iubrpntbc- 6309-2000- ) Postmaster Send changes d adless to The Times Independent po -- Member 259-752- or FAX 5 3. 1 Tom Taylor Tayka Ron Flanders Franklin Seal Lisa Church Sade Wame' Dorothy Box 1 29, Moab, UT 84532 435-259-77- NATIONAL NEWSPAPER Circulation Manager, T- Maps Press Production Manager -) .. 0ice week. Only thirty news media people win be allowed at Delicate Arch itself for ceremonies there. Local National Park Service people, bless their hearts, had to fight to get a slot up there for local press media. Franklin Seal win represent us in the Delicate Arch media pool. Then, with daughter Sena Flanders carrying the torch in one of the segments from Delicate Arch to Wolfe Cabin, the whole dan win be there to watch. Im not an that keen about getting up next Monday to catch a shuttle at 5 a.m., but I wouldn't miss ft, nor the other festivities planned during the flame's trp through the community. Saina, who heads up the Moab 2002 Committee, deserves a lot of credit for the big week here. She has fived and breathed the 2002 Olympics for the past year, and has had a lot of support from a bunch of locals who have found her enthusiasm to be contagious. sjt One of the problems with being around a lot of years, is that you keep losing friends youve worked with and played with for decades, ft Just seems to me that things should go on forever. Getting old was something that happened to others, but never to me. If I used this space to pay tribute to a lot cf my departed colleagues, I wouldn't have room for anything else. I have to comment this week, though, on the passing of George Fisher, at the age of 91. George was a fixture at the old Moab airport, and when the operation moved to Canyonlands Field, George moved there too. To those of us who have had a lifelong love affair with aviation, it seemed that George was always there, with his calming, friendly demeanor that was hard to resist. In the late 1950s, I decided wanted to learn how to fly an airplane. I was single at toe time, and had a lot of time on my hands. I made the run out to toe Spanish Valley airstrip several times a week to take lessons from operator Glen Herron. George was always around, keeping things running and offering bits of advice. I did learn how to fly the little Piper Cub I trained in. About toe time, however, when I was ready to get licensed, the feds came up with new rules for gaining a pilot's license. They included a lot of things like radio procedure, instrument flying, etc. Since toe old Piper didnt even have a radio, that meant my continued lessons would have to be done to Grand Junction. I didnt have the time, or toe money to continue my air studies, but I did know how to fly that old Cub. What I teamed then may be one of the reasons I am here today Another reason was George Fisher. When I was traveling back and forth to Salt Lake City a tot, I welcomed every opportunity I could get to avoid driving toe 235 miles. On one occasion, returning from a trip to attend one of the many hearings I used to attend, I flew home with a young, inexperienced, brand-nepilot. When attempting to land at Canyonlands Field, we found we couldnt see the airstrip because of dust. s at Canyonlands were nearly 25 miles and my pilot had never made a cross-win- d per hour, He turned the Cessna over to me, landing. much to my chagrin. I got on the radio and catted Canyonlands Field. George answered toe cal. He assured me that , bert told me there was indeed a heavy that some planes had been making 1 to and out withoiA any protfem. George caMy told me to take a tong final approach and come to easy. "Keep one wing tucked into toe wind," he said. My final approach was from The verify cf Dead Horse Pont Sure enough, we were finally approaching the runway, which had appeared out cf toe dust and toe plane finally touched down to a fending. But we were down to one piece. Thanks, George II never forget toat day. I fixed-bas- e w Cross-wind- cross-wind- 897. ASSOCIATION Many Trails by Adrien F. Taylor My mental list is prepared for eariy next Mony day morning, when we arise very ea-t- to watch the Olympic Torch Relay as comes from Delicate Arch to Woffe Cabin. Thai pattiolar pariton is of greatest interest to us, cf course, because on fie final our daughter wit be the torch-bearer Bobbie Domenwk, section there. Thermals to layers, along with something hot to drink, a muncfwe, and a sit upon are on the list, along with cameras. Its gonna be a great day Monday, as Moabites and visitors cetebrete the torch's entry into Utah, on its way to the 2X2 Games in Saft Lake City and environs. Tm hoping to get back ntc town from toe pad in time to sing at Swamy Pad wto toe Valley Voces, but wel "play toat by ear," as toe old rag says. -- Jed Taylor .Backshop Systems Manager Da in Hawk .Sates Production .News Writer News Writer Betty Bailey Ron Drake Green Rrver Correspondent ...Castle Valley columnist Ron, George Manager Sates Design Oiver Hams Mai; Room Supervisor Distribution Jose Chjrampi Ryan McDowell.... fcfj t and UTAH PRESS ASSOCIATION Samuel J. and Adrien F. Taylor, Publishers Sena T. Flanders, Editor 2an know the world is coming in a week or two, I have no great desire to visit Salt Lake City during the upcoming 2002 Winter Olympics. My trips there the past couple of years were bad enough, learning how to dodge light rail trains and having trouble getting hotel reservations. Its impossible, though, for me not to be excited about the Olympics. I have been a supporter of the event for years since before and after the scandal made the news. It is a chance to showcase the variety of experiences available in this great state. It is also a chance to show people f mm outside the state that their perceptions about visiting Utah were really misconceptions. I am sure that Salt Lakers will be gracious hosts, along with the residents of other cities near Olympic venues. Having the whole TrvUtah event starting at Delicate Arch and Moab is frosting on the cake. You can bet media people from all over win cover the torch entry into Utah, and that the red rock country win get a lot of publicity out of it. Proof that media attention is heavy was proven to us last I but 1538-183- 8 address: editors moabtimes.com 435 by Sam Taylor nt ITS. ISSN Entered as Second class Matter at the Post Office at Moab, Utah under the Add March Second class postage paid art Moab. Utah 84532. Official City and County Newspaper. Published each Thursday at 35 East Center Street, Moab. Grand County, Utah 84532 ail Community Comments Columnist ... ..Sports And, as tor getting up at. toat eay, we used to do t regutariy for weekend ski trips, but not since we htmg up the stats. eft Monday nights snowstorm fumed Tuesday morning to a read winter wonderland, and I was tying hard to find a rea'y good excuse to stay home and build a snowman. Findng no parinere for toat activity, 1 toe a few pictures instead. We don't get many appodjnftes to see snow so thick to toe trees k looks I8re spring bkssoms. and toe sir so stil that toe snow on toe cfotoes-kne- s stands over an rjh fair And I doesnt test It was gone by 1 C a. preserved erdy to memcry few and those photographs, one of which graces toe front page of toe newspaper this week. i |