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Show Stranded Navajos receive assistance San Juan County Commission declared Navajo Mountain a Winter Storm Impact Area in support of a Navajo Tribe declaration and petitioned the governor to designate it an area qualified for Utah Emergency Management Funds. The commission emphasized that there is no mud problem at Navajo Mountain at this time. The problem is a snowfall of nine inches last week and an additional three inches over the weekend. The snowfall, low was a Conrad and Peggy Aitken, made a trip to the hospital on January false alarm. Ashley waited to arrive on Saturday, January 4, at 10:26 p.m. She checked in at 20 inches and weighed 7 pounds and 12 ounces, she will be sister Rachael. Ashley and her parents rewelcomed home by her Staff photo ceived numerous gifts donated by local merchants. 1, but it The San Juan Record HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER FOR SAN JUAN COUNTY, UTAH Vol 73 30 cents No 50 January 15, 1992 Blanding coucil looking at several building projects Blanding City Council welcomed newly elected members Lou Mueller, Wayne Palmer and incumbent Jim Slavens who took the oath of office at regular council meeting on Wednesday January 8. Expressions of appreciation for their service in the citys behalf were extended to outgoing members Steve Palmer and Glen Skinner. The group went straight to work scheduling two additional public hearings for January 22 and special work sessions for goal setting to be held quarterly. One hearing was already scheduled to gain public input regarding the zoning ordinance which pertains to bed and breakfast or boarding house operations. A second hearing pertains to a proposal to raise the citys sales tax percent, or up to 6 12 percent. After assessing the increased revenue, council plans to drop electric rates Council proportionately. sales is a tax that agreed more fair tax because tourists and visitors, as well as residents, pay this one-ha- lf tax. third hearing on January 22 will entertain public comment about the citys upcoming request for a grant of $90,000 from the Council meeting on Jan- uary 22 may also bring a decision on whether or not a facility for live theater will be built in the residential area at 200 South 500 West. Mayor Jim Shumway rec- ommended that council hear from the local acting group pursuing such plans and the lay citizens com- prising the planning and zoning commission, as well as neighborhood resi- dents both in favor and op- posed. Council has the task of interpreting the wording of the existing zoning ordand deciding inance whether or not a building permit is to be issued. Plans to remodel San Juan Hospital and the public hearing on the proposal held in December were discussed at length. Brett Hosier, city planner, provided council with a letter from Construction Control Corporation, a private consulting and research firm in Salt Lake City. The let- ter stated that, in Utah, a hospital could be built for about $3 million, which is the amount being proposed to remodel the facility in new 36-year-o- ld 24-be- d Mon-ticell- o. A Community Impact Board. The money will be used for improvements in the citys fire department. Council voted to draft a letter with this and supporting information to the San Juan County Health District Board. The letter will also include councils intent to donate land in Blanding for a new hospital should the board decide to pursue that possibility. Senator Jake Garn is sponsoring a proposal at the state government level to build a new Utah National Guard Armory in Blanding. A decision has not been made on the 17,000-square-foo- t, million $2 building but officials were in Blanding last Thursday to look at possibilities. More good news for the city is that natural gas service in Blanding may yet become a reality. Feagan Gathering of Midland, Texas is still interested in servicing the city and certain obstructive formalities have been overcome. If all goes well, construction may begin in June to allow for gas deliveries by Novem- ber. Council directed city staff to proceed immediately with the construction of a new dog pound on the reservoir road south of the water treatment plant. The facility will have eight bays and with fencing, space for larger animals when At $3,041 for materials, council considers it money well spent to improve animal control. needed. MARKETS Provided by 801-587-22- JB Gram - Monticello 43 Wheat $5.00 Beans $14.00 temperatures and winds have impaired travel in the area and put both people and livestock at risk. According to Navajo Mountain officials coal, food, and hay are all urgently needed. Peabody will provide four loads of coal free as soon as it can be delivered. More food may be available from the U. S. Air Force from Desert Storm supplies and arrangements have been made for hay. Since the tribe declared the emergency, tribal crews have plowed many roads to residences, the Navajo Police Department has participated in distributing food to the people, and the situation is coming under control. McCracken Mesa has also been hard hit by winter storms. Turning to other matters, Mark Maryboy announced that Commissioner the Navajo Tribe has set up an investigative task force composed of council delegates from Utah to look into Utah Navajo Development Council and to discover how funds channelled through UNDC by the tribe have been spent. The tribe also suggested that an interim administration be appointed to oversee UNDC until permanent action has been taken. Maryboy told commissioners that he will travel to Geneva, Switzerland, in February, to meet a United Nations working group studying indigenous popu- - lations. Congressman Bill Orton is holding public meetings throughout Utah on health care issues. He will be in Monticello on Saturday, January 18, from 10 a.m. until noon at the commission chambers in the San Juan County Courthouse. The public is invited to come to discuss their views on health care issues with Congressman Orton. re- port on the current condition of Utah Navajos. The Geneva group is watching world wide indigenous populations to be sure they are treated justly. The UN invited Maryboy and will pay all the expenses of the trip. Officials from Utah chapters met with the commission to discuss the plans for using a $200,000 allotment from the tribe designated for use in chapters and on local roads. John Guy and Francis Shorty -- represented the Oljato For Red Mesa, Chapter. Herman Farley attended, and for Aneth, Wilber Capi-tan- . Edward Tapaha, also from Aneth and the county process facilitator for Native Americans, was also present. The money, which has had trouble making it through the allocation pro- cess in Window Rock, is not yet available and must be spent before March 31, 1992. The group decided to ask for an extension on the time allowed to use the money. The agreement divides the Utah portion of the reservation into three parts: Red Mesa, including Mexican Water and Teec Nos Pos; Oljato; and tezuma CreekAneth. Mon- The money will be spent as follows: $15,000 will go to the Montezuma Creek Fire Department and $5,000 to UNDC. This leaves $180,000 to be divided between the three areas according to a formula based on the number of B road miles and the Utah population of the chapter. Even though B roads are used in determining the formula, no B roads will be improved through this pro- Residential roads and some individual roads gram. Manwill be improved. agers say that there are already more requests than there is money. Commis- sioners asked the managers to prioritize the roads for improvement. Aneth said they had chosen the most roads, bus routes, and roads that have many homes attached well-travele- Public meeting Marjboy will d to them. Chapter officials will be asking such questions as: is this a school bus or senior citizen bus route, and how many people live along this route? Other restrictions include a general decision not to improve the area around individual residences. Areas around chapters or senior citizen centers, how- (Please turn to page 12) |