OCR Text |
Show State officials visit proposed prison site Local officials show county golf course to members of State Regional Prison Site Selection Committee during tour of Monticello. Pictured, left to right are: Blair Evans of the Utah Department of Corrections: San Juan Commissioner Ken Bailey; Blanding Mayor Jim Shumway; Gary Westfall of Heery Projects Managers Company; and Joe Slade, San Juan Development Council. TGn Sam Juam Record HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER Vol Carl Eisemann photo 69 No 19 FOR SAN JUAN COUNTY, UTAH June 17, 1987 25 cents Doctor's letter used inappropriately, says commissioner A letter written by a doctor who was invited and declined to practice medicine in Blanding was inappropriately used for its propaganda value, says County Commissioner Calvin Black. In declining the offer to practice in Blanding, Dr. Greg Last said his decision was influenced by the fact that there is no hospital in Blanding. Black said publication of the letter, with the addition of hand written notes on the margin, raises a number of questions. He said the notes, which were addressed to him (Black), were inappropriate as the county commission is not involved in efforts to build a hospital in Blanding. The person or persons pushing for the hospital have proposed city financing, Black said. Black said the San Juan Health Care Board, which is comprised of the county commissioners, has been working diligently to resolve inherited problems. In a letter addressed to Blanding Mayor Jim Shumway, Black wrote: A great deal of progress has been, and is being, made. We invite people or groups to meet with us in regular meetings, to call any of us individually, and we are always willing to meet with anyone at any time. It is my opinion that for the City of Blanding to engage in health care issues without directly meeting with and talking with the county commission and the hospital board would be like the county commission establishing an organization to determine how the city should handle its water, sewer, garbage and other Commission briefs responsibilities without meetofficials. Navajo Tribal Police will ing with the city Black said if a hospital were meet with county commissioner next Monday to discuss final built in Blanding, both it and terms of an agreement to cross the hospital in Monticello would have extremely difficult deputize county and tribal times and there would be a good police. The county attorney said chance that both would fail. Black, who is attending a Monday he has filed several actions for alleged National BLM Advisory Board court false statements on applica- meeting, was unavailable for tions for exemption of vehicle comment. Before he left for the meeting, he submitted to the taxes. county commission copies of three letters he wrote. One is an open letter to the public, two are copies of letters he wrote to Dr. Last, and one is a copy of the letter he wrote to Mayor Shumway. The commission released the letters for public information. In his letter to Dr. Last, Black said, Please do not consider this letter as a criticism of you, but I would think that the person or person who anonymously published your letter with their scrawled editorial notes, which were misleading, to say the least, acted with extremely poor judgement, and they should be embarrassed and should tender you an apology. In matters related to health care, Hospital Administrator John Fellmeth reported to the commission that Dr. Jim Redd, Blanding physician, had told to leave him he intends Blanding by July and would no longer accept emergency calls at the hospital. The commission gave Fellmeth permission to seek interim medical services. Fellmeth said interim services would make for a smooth transition from the time of Dr. Redds departure and the location of a permanent medical staff in Blanding. He said he is optimistic about recruitment. As of 9 a.m. on June 12, Monticello is number one on our list of prospective sites for a regional prison, Nick Morgan said last week. He then qualified his remark. Of course, over 30 sites have been proposed by 12 counties. You are our first site to visit today. Morgan, a member of the Site Selection Committee of the Utah Department of Corrections, made the remarks during a meeting in Monticello prior to a site inspection tour. Morgan was accompanied by Blair Evans of the Department of Corrections, Max Anderson of the Division of Facilities Construction and Management, and Gary Westfall of Heery Projects Managers Company. The men were welcomed to Monticello by Joe Slade, who acted as coordinator during the preparation of Monticellos bid for the prison. Slade is a member of the San Juan Development Council and the Monticello Industrial and Trade Enterprise. Among the over 60 persons on hand to lend their support to the proposal were State Representative David Adams; County Commissioner Ken Bailey; Monticello Mayor Keith Redd; Blanding Mayor Jim Shumway; Dove Creek Mayor Norman Waddoups; and Cal Rickies of the Cortez Development Committee. Mayors Redd and Shumway told the committee there is an urgent need for economic development in southeastern Utah. They said they hope state officials will take into consideration the number of proposed projects in southeastern Utah that for one reason or another have been thwarted. They said the prison project enjoys wide support in the county and in the Four Corners area. Mayor Waddoups and Rickies said southwestern Colorado is 100 percent behind Monti- cellos bid for the prison and will cooperate with the State of Utah in anyway possible. Rickies said the governors of Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona are on record in favor of a prison in the Utah portion of the Four Comers area. These states, Rickies said, are willing to work with Utah in a cooperative prisoner program. Representative Adams said it is good the state is promoting development in rural Utah. We all pay taxes, and we all deserve consideration, Adams said. He emphasized the widespread support for a Monticello prison site, noting that even the Cortez National Guard unit has offered to help. Southeastern Utah has been making a tremendous effort to revitalize its depressed economy, often with little success, Adams said. It needs a shot in the arm such as the prison project would provide. I am not making this pitch for Monticello just because I represent this area. I sincerely believe the Monticello site and proposal are the best, Adams said. Members of local development groups and area officials said they were pleased with the types of questions the committee asked and what seemed a favorable reaction to the site. Joe Slade commented, Our committees worked diligently on this project to provide data for the project writer Lynn Lee of the College of Eastern Utah. I think we have a good chance. All we can do now is continue to show our support and wait. Announcement of six preferred sites is expected by early July. Final site selection is scheduled for August. The prison will be built in three phases, which, when complete, will house 2,000 inmates. Phase I facilities will house 600 prisoners, cost $25 million and employ 350 workers. It is hoped that eighty percent of the employees can be hired locally. Phase I construction will begin in the spring or summer of 1988. Completion time is projected for two years. Phase II and Phase III are not yet scheduled for construction. Service will continue at Bluff post office After a thorough evaluation by the U.S. Postal Service, aj decision was made to continue the operation of the Bluff, Utah (84512) Post Office. There will be an announcement of an office vacancy for the position of postmaster, which will be filled through normal competi- five Postal procedures. The vacancy occured with the promotion of former Postmaster Maureen Black to postmaster at Blanding. A full array of services will continue to be offered at the Bluff Post Office. |