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Show The Sams Juan Record HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER Vol FOR SAN JUAN COUNTY, UTAH 25 cents 69 No 48 January 6, 1988 Congressman will visit San Juan United States Representative Howard Nielson will visit San Juan County Friday, January 8. He comes to the county in response to a request from the commissioners that he look into the problems of county residents in the Navajo Mountain area. Mountain Navajo countys most is the remote com200 is miles from the munity. It county seat in Monticello by road, a 400 mile round trip for Kathryn Lorene Gaglione, San Juan Baby New Year, waves at the world from the protection of her mothers arms. Born January 2 at 10:02 p.m. at the San Juan Hospital, Kathryn weighed 6 pounds 3 ounces and measured 18.5 inches. The proud parents are Lisa ' and David Gaglione of Dove Creek.' Grandparents are Joe and Pearline Gaglione of Dove Creek and Kathy and Chuck DeLair of Marana, Arizona. Attending physician was Dr. Steven Warren. Frank Morrell photo Management of BLM land in county Proposed guidlines for management of the multiple uses and natural resources of the public lands in San Juan County, Utah for at least the next 10 years have just been published, according to Bureau of Land Management Moab District Manager Gene Nodine. The proposed resource management plan and environmental impact statement (RMPEIS) for the San Juan Resource Area, Moab District, is available and will be implemented if no protest are received from adversely affected parties by February 1, 1988. The BLM San Juan Resource Area consists of approximately 1.8 million acres of public land located in San Juan County. The final EIS presents a thorough analysis of five land alternatives ranging from production on one end of the spectrum to environmental protection at the other extreme. The preferred alternative presents a mix and provides for protection of specific resource values in certain places; opportunities for primitive recreation; scenic values; cultural resources beyond the requirements of law; wildlife habitat; and watershed. It also provides for the continuation of livestock grazing at current use levels in other areas, and otherwise makes public lands available for the production of mineral resources. Based on public input received during the comment period on the Draft RMP, the Final RMP would designate 10 Acres of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs), totalling approximately 501,000 acres. Each ACEC provides for special management of specific values present, such as archaeological, scenic, relict plant, or wildlife resources. A protest period on the RMP commenced December 18. Normally protest periods are scheduled for 30 days, however, due to public interest this protest period has been extended until Protests must February with the made accordance in be provisions of law and regulation. They are accepted from (Please turn to page 2) 1, 1988. anyone wishing to purchase vehicle license or take advantage of other county services. The town is serviced by the post office at Tonalea, Arizona, which gives Utah residents an Arizona address and prevents their purchase of resident hunting licenses. Other problems in the area include the extended school bus routes and inaccessibility of medical care. After an" early breakfast in Blanding, Nielson will fly directly to Navajo Mountain where he will tour the area and meet with chapter leaders and citizens and with the Tonalea postmaster. The representative will have lunch at the Monument Valley High School Cafeteria and then meet with local residents in town meetings at the Mexican Hat Elementary School at 1:30 p.m. and at the Bluff Elementary School at 3:00. After a 5:00 supper in Monticello, he will finish his visit with a town meeting in LaSal at 7:15. In addition to the Navajo Mountain problems, commissioners hope to give Representative Nielson an overview of other local problems, such as roads, interagency coordination, federal land use, and Lake Powell land trade. In reviewing the final draft of the BLM Management Plan for the San Juan Resource Area, commissioners found areas of strong disagreement. The plan, as drafted, would remove much BLM land from multiple-us- e by broad categories of prohibiting use, such as, mineral use and leasing, surface occupancy, firewood, grazing, and water development. Commissioners particularly objected to the widely used designation ACEC (Areas of Critical Environmental The comment period on the plan continues through the end of January. Although the plan varies substantially from previous drafts, it was Commissioner Blacks understanding that there will be no further public hearings on the plan and written comments will be accepted only from those who commented on the earlier draft. will meet Commissioners with district BLM personnel on Monday, January 11, to discuss the plan. In preparation for the hearing on employee raises, commissioners reviewed a comparison study between San Juan County salaries and salaries of employees of thirteen other rural Utah counties. County employees fell behind as much as 34 percent. Only one county employee came in above the average and that was a longtime employee with a double assignment, listed as receiving 2.5 percent above the average salaries of employees with similar job titles in the other counties surveyed. The hearing on the raises will be held at 2:00 p.m. during the regular commission meeting January 11. The commissioners held a public hearing prior to the disposition of some $60,000 to 90,000 in Community Development Block Grant money. The hearing was for the purpose of gathering input from citizens about how to spend the money which must go to projects that specifically impact community development. No citizens showed up, but commissioners came with several proposals, fire trucks, subsidizing a bussing operation, and promoting tourism were suggested. Commissioners finally decided to establish an economic development district and put the entire block grant into a revolving loan fund to aid businesses that contribute to the economic development of the county without competing with already existing businesses. Another hearing on the block grant funding will be scheduled before February 15. At that time, citizens can review the loan fund proposal. Commissioners adopted a policy prohibiting solicitation and distribution on county premises for private purposes. The policy extends to county employees who are involved in private business but will permit a limited number of public fund drives if such drives have prior approval by the commissioners. In response to severe local RN nursing shortage, John hospital administrator, and Bonnie Conway, director of nursing, briefed the commissioners on a proposal they plan to make in conjunction with the school district, CEU, and other local entities to the Impact Board. The proposal will ask for $75,000 to fiind local registered nurses training through a Weber State College outreach program. In other business, commisFell-met- h, sioners hired John Baker parttime to oversee, in connection with the sheriffs office and Emergency Services, the fire fighting in the county, including inspecting, inventory and coordination; and voted to file an amicus (friend of the court) brief in behalf of Garfield Countys position on the Burr Trail suit, set for review in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Public comment period on electronic site fees The public comment period on proposed changes in rental fees for electronic communication sites on National Forest lands is being extended 60 days according to Forest Service Regional Forester Stan Tixier. The comment period, originally set to end December 14, will be extended until February 14, 1988. Concerns voiced by remote community residents, amateur radio operators, television broadcasters and others who use mountain sites on Forest Service land have prompted us to do more study, and more talking with the people impacted, Tixier explained. Mountain peaks often serve as sites for electronic equipment used to relay television, cable television, microwave mobile telephone and dispatch, two-wa- y radio, and other turn to page 2) sys-(Plea- se |