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Show (The A2 Page (Thnfs-3lnhfpniftf- Thursday, July 18, 2002 ni Rattle fire grows to more than 93,760 acres i tuiist null.' iioilln.i't il 1'houip in k.iuw I'liupiix 20 sun Springs in iiiur nk w rt i n vi tin hit Mi ' a laini 20 i- - I' Mm i Some Book Cliffs roads open again lilts had 'ini i last a lar; Inc ( ,n rt (K Hi nf the Book C litis of east central Utah that were closed because of the Rattle Complex. Diamond Creek fire reopened Saturday, July 1 3. at 5 a m. The roads are: Diamond Ridge road at Moon Ridge junction Sego Canyon Tusher Canyon at its junction with Horse Canyon Td like to thank the public for their cooperation during tie restriction, said Gary Cornell, southeastern area manager for the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands We re confident that although the hie has not been fully contained theres no longer a threat to the general public Firefighters will remain in tie area for approximately another week treating hotspots and rehabilitating fire control lines. The Flattie Fire began June 21 and th9 Diamond Creek Fire began June 22. Both fires are lightning caused. Roads king tu oni on it Byl uesduv, 'i nil In I vi i 7t)U ii ri ', and v i nil' nii i ill tu la 40' inn li.ni d t in- light "nt uuii v t i d In union i mi tin Mi't ll ink nf the till nil M aui.iv lin I'liinaiv supprt .ssiun if lull m.itilll'd 20 l (Mill ill VI' With Lull I d lu u.ii tiuil a dirt it fin line llali ii ' W lit k i n p ' inn pu-- ,i d tu u lam dift I tin mm oii'lru ted nl to tin fill ' Irunt, at up oli'l ( Ul t I ' I. m mg tiuin ttu tin lint i 'ulhr lli uinl it min turn d tin- (lit mlu an addit luintl n OOU .ules, but nit vi unit about 2 id u n nn Muii t III Fnd.it wmdv dav lunlnng and in a - pun and mi in i running mntinuid I in- blae nn ti I nt Ridge, tilt ti In I' inu nut tin- pi i in v i mi l i n nn n I liiiu nn tin tin w t 'I nub M 'W nn lit contin ut un .'uulb vt t 'It v a' well Nu nip mill ant lilt- aitivitv wu- - noted nil the rt lit h itui t b .mil t .ml nidi "I tin and air lankt i pruv nlt d nup i opti i It n port In ihr gluund I In M uni lav a it d 11 ip tv a I limp w an i nu tuM aid I W i ' 1 ' ' ' ( I'ntitd fur dim lull alt ' ultr tin- ita't il r t v rum lipblmnp Strunp t liundei 'turin n tin lilf laU'til all a bunt 5 30 lull' u rations tu pm F.xtieinely dry t 'pt-i.i v tin Inaviir fuel, al lowed tliu lilt tu burn at ri" Mill1 nlnpt n and downhill an Mill a m.tkmp up nlupu limn llry fut In, nmplu dipil tiu nudity anil t r i pit- tlipit temperatures tn n oi d to Mill'd hre behavior Important habitat tin finb alui live- t 1 being dentruyed, along with endangered hpecien nf birds, nay Ainu at rink are the interests uuiiint rtul lupgern. ranchers and t ui k m nume - 1 ' m NPS to proceed with new Arches center examined of offi-ual- Natural lomineitial nulfitlers the Hill Creek Extension of lla- I'intah and Ouray Indian Reservation could alno he threatened if the fire moves luillier to the went A major oil and pan field could ulno he threatened if t fie file moves northeasterly The major lire was apparently a lightning strike on June started 20 at 0 30 a m on y 1 Monday, JUS people were assigned to the fire, including four 20 person Hot Shot crews, one Type 2 crew, six hcliiopters and five dozers The Ty pe 2. nr short" team w as joined Friday by a Type 3 Team to manage the transition of the V'uil Type 1 Team into a Type :i Team on the Hattie Fire, and a Type 2 was transitioned to a Type 3 An ot envois unei ital as&us&mea it The pre ferred alternative alternatives four uf a new visitor center construction propones w adjacent to the existing visitor center, hich hold administrative to remodeled he would offices and storage Dus alternative allows National Park, the National Park Service tNPSl has made a At Arches An decision tu proceed with proposed construction of a new visitor center and realignment of the park entry road The decision document, known as a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSD, is available for review at Arches National Park headquarters or by w riting to P O Box 907, Moab, Ilah 84532. The document is also posted on the park web site at: www nps govarch. The current visitor center facilities do not provide adequate space or an appropriate setting for NTS functions such as visitor contact, ranger ojxirations, resource management, interpretive displays and programs, and fee collection, NPS officials say. In addition, traffic safety is a critical issue at the park entrance due to limited sight distances for vehicles turning into the park from U.S. Highway 191 and inadequate space for vehicles waiting in hue at tile fee collection station i ' d National Park Service Despite high temperatures and extremely dry weather, of June units experienced increases in travel during the month who visited Arches played host to 101.051 visitors ut June, up 1 61't from the 99.452 last June. Total Arches v istUUun for the first half of 20u2 w as 372. lvi, 2 24' above last to 41,325 it year. In Canyuftlands National Park, 44.019 people visited in June, compared ith v isited Island ui the Sky, .6V959, folks year ago a jump of 6 52i The bulk of those the Needles District draw mg 14,754 Total v nutation m Camunlands for the first half of The CumonUuds isiUtUoxi figure the year as 185,123, up over the 182,183 Ut include visitors to the Colorado and Green riven tut-burnin- bunk itu- than lii.'j.itt'llii iimii Park visitation inches upward Team on the Black Canyon Fire, burning about 20 miles northeast of Green River Incidents are categorized into types, based on the complexity of the incident, with the Type 1 the most complex Factors affecting incident complexity include size, resources at risk, number of people assigned and political considerations. Incident Commander Pat Murphy is a Bureau of Land Management from the Nevada Office. The management team comprises employees of the BLM, ITS. Forest Service, the Nevada Division of Forestry, and the Reno, Nevada Fire Department. Most team members are from Nevada, although some live in Wyoming and Idaho. Only one minor injury had been reported as of Monday. Estimated cost of fighting the w itiun the new visitor cencurrent and projected acconuiiodate ter to visitor numbers, as well as providing for innatural and terpretive display s on important The preferred altercultural resource topics for adequate space native aLnO promises the realignment of the inpark entry road. Dus realignment would exit and for veliicks crease safety entering ii ig tie park, and would provide for adequate queumg room for veliiclts at the fee collection booth According to Arches Superintendent Rock Smith, the work on the new entrance road may start as early as this fall. The new v isitur center is still in the planstages, but if funding becomes availning able as anticipated, construction could start sometime in 2003 A Look Back in Time Historic pictures of Moab and Grand County Have a picture you would like to share? Submit it to The fire, as of Monday, were $6,980,000. Times-lndepende- nt National team to assess threats to life and land '1 lie National Interagency Burned Area Emergency Response BAERi Ti am arrived on the Rattle Fire Complex and began their (ire assessments on Monday, July 1 5 The complex uu ludes the lihuk Canyon and Rattle Ihamoiid Crei k fires, loealed approximately 20 miles northeast of Thompson Springs, Utah. The teams primary mission is to assess potential threats to life, property. ami i ritual cultural and natural resources as a result of the w ildfile ( Inc potential tlue.it is flooding and debris flow s. The teams fire asm sniiieiitn will look at rehabilitation needs for fire suppression imp.uts and fire effects to both cultural ami natural resouries and infiastruelurc Fire sup( pression impacts iik lude firchnes. dozerlmes, and ted roads The 11 team members represent Bureau of Land Management. Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, and U S Forest Service Local BLM staff will augment the national team members The disciplines on the team nu lude. hydrologist, soil scientist, archeologist, environmental compliance, geographic information system specialist, wildlife biologist, and vegetation, operations and doi umcntation specialists Erv Gasser, Na i un-pa- Petition Continued f rom Pae A I the (letitioii Towns ml day that she has s.ud Mon ) put y County Attorney Stott Barrett ti of i lection law. clarify that a ami d'H-- not t know w bother the s-t will ted act pled or Mippirl is will have to wait at It .ist .1 year, until the next ci amt general election, to try r)s lx- If ll I.-- leycti-- again Were not ready to present this to the council. slit- said add mg that if the iet it ion is mo pled, it must (a- presented lor loom coiiseh ration at hast 60 day-prito the Noveinbei gem ral i lection At that pant the council has four options. a pt the and refer it Pi the voters, do nothing, and the clerk will plan- the initiative on the ballot, or am pt it and ri je t tin enai t it as law i )b- lively hang mg the form of county govern through a loumil vote - - or im-n- t former council member Harvey Mem II. a of propellent tht ballot initiative, said Tuesday that he was unaware that signa-tu- must meet pruritage in each district 'fbat was i r brought up.' he said This Is the first I've heard of it But if this one isn't right, we ll have to go out arid kri k on a hunch more dmers Anger over a vote last year by some council me mb rs to raise their monthly salary sparked the petition drive. Merrell said I on the council dont think bhould raise their own salaries. he said It s not a job The wages they get now are alsmt as good as some full time here That's not right He said many also support having fewer council representatives. and having them elected l the voters A lot of people were really happy about the districts Everybody should have the opportunity to vote for or against anybody whos running for office. Council members indicated Tuesday that if the initiative is accepted. they wifi back putting it on ll ballot to let Grand County voter decide whether the governmental changes should be made. n di-v- by-al- tional Park Service, Seattle, Wash., leads the team. Issues already identified by the agencies include: Wilderness Study Areas, Threatened and Endangered species (4 fish, Mexican sputted owl, Southwestern willow flycatcher), cultural sites, noxious w eeds, flooddebris flows, siltation of the rivers, suppression impacts, private and commercial property, and recreation impacts. Following the fire assessment to evaluate the overall burn severity a determination will be made as to the necessity of any emergency stabilization or rehabilitation treatments. The primary objectives are to protect life and safety, property, and reduce further resource damage that may be caused by flooding as a direct result of the fire. The BAER Teams focus is the potential for accelerated erosion and runoff from loss of vegetation and charred soils. Fire crews have already begun rehabilitating the handlines and dozerlines. Following field assessments, the BAER Team will prepare an Emergency Stabilization & Rehabilitation Plan. The plan will cover the area within and down drainage from the fire. Its anticipated that the fire assessments will be completed by early next week and the plan delivered to the agencies the There she blows ... The Shafer No. oil well, dolled in the 1920s on Kane Creek Dome, down the Colorado River from the present Potash boat dock. Mew fo and caught fre while the crew was eating dinner in the mess hall when this photo was taken. The wel wasnf saved, but the discovery sparked many more drilling efforts at the location over e period. Photo from the Mitch Williams collection. 40-ye- ar following week. Skyway has new owner; tram sells for $230,000 Life hangs in limbo due to fire Church staff writer by Lisa nic Continued from Page A 1 in when the fire becomes and is burning in several locations Type I management teams were used at the World Trade Center after the Sept 11 disaster Firefighters and other witnesses have observed extreme fire behavior with flames exceeding 2(KJ feet Die fire is being fueled by tmdi-r-drgambel oak, piride-ros- a pine, jumper and ptiion pine It is what the forest service terms heavy fuel loading" exacerbated relative humidity, erratic winds from passing dry thunderstorm cells and the long term drought in the area According to the forest service, all of these factors are containment efforts in the I ui Sals Approximately 30 primary homes arid 25 outbuildings are threatened by this fire. While no evacuations have been ordered, homes along Highway 46 are ori alert for pissible evacuation Fire teams say the re is tremendous potential for the fire to hook around to the south and threaten even more homes The town of Paradox is also at risk Moabs Skyway, the first scetram built in Grand County, has a new owner. On Thursday, July 11, the scenic chair lift and about 150 acres of land surrounding it was sold at auction for $230,000 to local business owner Scott McFarland. McFarland, who operated a Hummer tour business, did not return phone calls seeking an interview for this story. The 6ale marked the end of a r dream for former owner Emmett Mays, who, along with a group of investors, had spent more than $1 million Karl Wernick, the Small Business Administration (SBA) loan specialist handling the auction, said Monday that he had hoped for a higher selling price, but added that businesses sold at auction often sell for a fraction of their value. Were taking a substantia loss on it, he said. But its an tion, and the Tapia Revocable Living Trust, also based outside Utah. Its my understanding that they intend to reopen the tram , he said In its time, the tram was one of the most controversial development projects in Moab. Mays had worked since 1976 to establish Portal Vistas L LC and get the chair lift off the ground When he took the idea to the Grand 9. on the project The tram dosed on June income-typ- e property, which means the value of the property is tied to income. And if the income is way down, the value drops horribly. Wernick said that according to auction sale records, ownership of the tram will he vested equally between Mohna Foundation Inc., an Arizona-base- d organiza County Council in the early 1990s, he ignited a firestorm of opposition from local residents who believed the attraction would mar the vista along the scenic Portal. Then, in 1995. Moab City annexed the property because the development would be located within a half mile of city limits. non-prof- it The Moab City Council required Mays to camouflage the trams lightsupport poles, U6e ing, and a meet a variety of other restrictions before it approved the plan. He also posted a $17,000 letter of credit as a reclamation bond in case the tram permanently shut duwn. On Tuesday, Moab City Manager Donna Metzk-- said the reclamation bond will still be a requirement if the new owners intend to reopen tlve scenic chair lift because it is part ( the developaMnt agreement low-lev- passed by tlie city coundL "The agree- ment. and the attached covenants transfer with the property Metzler said. The new owners will be required to oompiy" by-lo- g Roads info the area are closed including the road between Buckeye Reservoir and Highway 46 Upper and Lower roads are also closed To ensure the safety of visitors to the mountain and allow teams to focus on fire fighting, the Interagency Fire Team asks that people recreating in the La Sals avoid going over the Gey ser Pass Road Die re are plenty of places still open on the w est side of the mountain where people can hike and camp Wed really Lke them not bo cross over Geyser Pass into the back side of the mountain. It puts them at nsk and our firefighting efforts and personnel at risk when we have visitors coming into marginally safe areas, said Don Carpenter, fire information officer for the Interagency Fire Team. I New payroll system for county by Lisa Cburcb staff writer Beginning in January, Grand County will institute a new payroll system and employees will receive paychecks every other Friday. The new system, unanimously approved by the Grand County Council on Monday night, will resolve problems with the countys current pay schedule and should save time and reduce payroll errors, 6aid County Administrator Judy Bane Currently, county employees are required to submit their time cards three days before the end of each pay period so that the payroll clerk will have sufficient time to process time cards and issue paychecks. But workers must estimate the number of hours they will work during those remaining three days, and before the next pay period, supervisors must verify that employees did, in fact, work the estimated number of hours g The ongoing process of and adjusting time cards costs the county valuable work time, and sometimes leads to errors in individual paychecks. Its just easier to keep track of pay periods lunder the new system said Council Member Susanne Mayberry, who proposed the new pay schedule. Mayberry acknowledged that the transition may be difficult for some employees because switching to the new system wifi require a lag period in January before the first checks are issued. The council voted unanimously to authorize small payroll advances to employees for whom the January delay w ifi create a hardship. The loans must be repaid within the calendar year, council members said. long-standin- g double-checkin- Hospital district examines property purchase by Usa Cburcb staff writer The Grand County Hospital Special Service District is looking at purchasing property along 500 West for a proposed complex that could include a new hospital, a privately owned assisted-bvinfacility, independent housing units, and a new senior center In a presentation to the Grand County Council on Monday, board member Bill Stevens said the district is negotiating with property owner Colin Fryer, and hopes to have details of the agreement ironed out soon Until then, the district will not release specifics of the deal. If agreement is reached, the district, working with the Moab Area Partnership for Seniors MAPS) wifi sign a six month purchase option for the property The six month option wifi give the district time to come up with funding for the purchase Stevens said the district is prepared to spend most its budget - which comes from mineral lease funds allocated by the county - to secure the purchase. But, for the next years, that could leave little money available for other projects, including helping pay the ambulance lease on the county's emergency medical services agency So far this year, he said the district has only received 21 percent of the mineral lease funds - money paid by the state from oil and gas proceeds - promised by Utah The district could recoup some of the purchase cost by selling property it owns along 400 e North, and by selling parcels within the complex to private developers who want to build end manage complementary facilities including the planned assisted living facility, and independent housing for seniors. But that could be several years down the road, Stevens said Monday. The issue we face is financial, Stevens said. We do Lave funds available providing the mineral lease funding remains the same as this year. It wifi take every penny of mineral lease money budgeted to us." g e 2-- 5 I While the county cannot dictate how special service districts spend their money, some council members balked at the suggestion of taking money away from EMS to move the project forward Jt's a hard tiling to say we should be buying land when it looks Like our EMS services are going to suffer , said Kimberly Schappert. Stevens said the district is willing to continue paying the 20 percent it now contributes to EMS operations, but wifi not have money to do so unless the county increases its percentage of mineral lease funding. We have not ruled out funding the rest of the ambulance needs, but we cant do it without more mineral lease money coming our way, he said That could mean reducing mineral lease funding to the Grand County Recreation Special Service District, and the countys Solid Waste District. But Council Member Joette Langianese, who is also a member of the MAPS committee, said Tuesday that she believes any reduction in funds wifi be small - perhaps five percent and wifi have little affect on those districts. She pointed out that the recreation district has about $500,000 in its coffers without this years funding allocation, and the solid waste district has indicated that it can get by with slightly less - funding, she said. My hope is that people on those boards wifi be totally supportive. You have to look at what's important to the community at this time. And I believe most wifi agree that health care is a top priority. The deal wifi not affect a previous offer by Fryer to donate to the county two acres of land at the same location for a new senior citizen center. But it wifi enable all senior services, to be located in one easily accessed area, said Langianese. The MAPS committee has spearheaded this project and moved it forward to this point, she said. The county has set this as a number one priority. (POOR |