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Show The San Juan Record HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER FOR SAN JUAN COUNTY, UTAH Vol 81 No 9 50 cents SINCE 1915 November 27, 1996 Bond election in May. 1997 Agreement reached on Navajo Mountain High School It appears as if a temporary school program for high school students will open at Navajo Mountain as soon as school year, afthe 1997-9- make use of existing cafeteria and gymnasium facilities at the BIA school. In a previous ruling, Jenkins stated that the 8 ter an agreement was school district, BIA, Navajo Nation, and State of Utah share responsibility in providing education for the students at Navajo Mountain. Attorneys and there affected parties have spent several months trying to iron out an agreement, however it wasnt until Jenkins called all reached between affected parties in a lawsuit against the San Juan School District. Federal Judge Bruce S. Jenkins brokered the agreement, which states that a temporary high school facility will be established at Navajo Mountain on land near the present Bureau of Indian Affairs elementary school facility. The San Juan School District will bring in temporary classrooms and dormitories for the short-terand a bond long-standin- g interested parties together last week that the agreement was hammered out. After the temporary facility is open, the district agrees to establish and operate on a continuing basis a secondary permanent education facility at Navajo Mountain. The May, 1997 bond election will commit such funds as are necessary to construct the permanent m 2 election, scheduled for May, 1997, will help determine long-terplans. Eric Swenson, attorney for the plaintiffs, said he was pleased with the agreement. This is a good thing for the San Juan School District, m facility. If voters approve a $5 million bond obligation, the the residents of Navajo Mountain, and San Juan Utah State legislature has agreed to provide $2 million for the construction of a The permanent facility. bond issue will include capi- County as a whole. School Board President Pete Black said he is relieved the district can move forward with their plans, The only thing we have hunt will begin in 1 997. Photo by Bates Littlehales, National Geographic Society Nearly 100 attend BLM Comb Wash meeting Nearly 100 local residents attended a November 21 meeting hosted by the Bureau of Land Management on a proposed Comb Wash Management Plan. The majority of local residents were concerned about BLM proposals to limit access to a number of areas in the Comb Wash watershed. The watershed, which includes Comb Ridge and five major side canyons leading from Cedar Mesa is an outdoor museum, according to BLM Area Manager Kent Walters. Up to 10,000 visitors visit the area each year, so the BLM put together an interdisciplinary team to take an integrated approach looking at all issues involved for the entire Comb Wash watershed. The two-yeproject resulted in a series of recommendations for management of the area. Walters stressed were not in the decision making process ar now, were in the scoping stage. The meeting is to seek input. A previous court decision closed Arch, Mule, Fish, Owl and Road canyons to grazing and issued an order to create a long term plan to deal with grazing issues. Grazing rights in the five canyons will be permanently withdrawn if the current The proposal is accepted. grazing rights are owned by the White Mesa Utes. A majority of those attending the meeting were concerned with the BLM recommendations on recreation. One of the objectives of the recreation plan is to eliminate motorized vehicle use off designated roads and trails within the Comb Wash drainage by 1998. The plan also includes revision of the off highway vehicle designations, and expands existing road closures in the Comb Wash drainage. Comments on the proposal were varied, primarily against restrictions on OHV and horse use. Evan Lowry stated that the chicken way out is to simply close the canyons. You need to solve a problem instead of just closing the canyons down. Steve Olsen stated that the areas should be managed for use, not for preservation. Another local resident said, We dont have the money to go to Disneyland so take our children to the canyons. Now you want to close the areas off. Walters said he was very pleased with the turnout. I think that it is very positive that so many local residents were involved. They know the land better than anyone else and will really be able to help us out. we Walters states that the BLM is anxious to receive further input and comment on the management plan. needed all along is the cooperation of the parties. In a lawsuit, neither side gets everything they want, said Black. I am anxious to move forward with the outstanding negotiations. A series of outstanding issues remain to be resolved, however it is clear that there will be a high school at Navajo Mountain and that the construction of a permanent facility will be placed before San Juan County voters. Issues such as water, sewer, power, student transportation are still to be resolved. Also yet to be resolved is a negotiated agreement concerning the costs and attorneys fees. The temporary school will tal improvement projects throughout the San Juan School District. As one official stated, unless we throw in goodies for schools in the north part of the county, this bond election will probably never pass. The agreement states that the district has an obligation to use good faith efforts to see that the bond obligation is approved by voters, the for consideration primary the presentation of the bond shall be for the construction of a permanent facility. The agreement was signed by Eric Swenson for the plaintiffs, Herbert Yazzie for the Navajo Nation, Lawrence Bacca for the e United States, Brenton for the San Juan School District and William T. Evans for the State of Bur-bridg- Utah. The San Juan Record will be closed November 28 Open on Wednesday & Friday! Have a Happy Thanksgiving |