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Show 84101 ,MwtnAiuQf1)iMT ASSOCIATION UTAH FR'ESS 307 W 200 S STE Serving East Juab County - A Nice Place 4006 (J. A A roo? Evp 11 005 iTT To Live! Single Copy Price Wednesday, July 7, 1999 Volume 97, No 27 FIRM Fkd zone. Fire crews were aided on Monday by Kent Brewer. It wasnt a good sign would keep the fire back if it reached It got caught in the line of fire and the weather and crews were able to sur- when we saw the fire on top of the can- that far. was totally destroyed." I loaded up my family pictures and round most of the wildfire with fire yon ridge between the towns of Eureka By Myrna lYauntvein Times-New- s Correspondent The wildfire in Juab County that burned more than 61,000 acres and threatened the towns of Mammoth and Eureka was considered tamed by fire fighters by Tuesday morning. Officials at the Railroad Fire, so called because it was started by a spark from fire a passing train, said the 61,400-acr- e was 70 percent contained and firefighters would continue on Tuesday to play the mop-u- p game traveling around cutting down hot spots to keep the spots from flaring back up into another raging fire. "The wildfire began as two fires on Friday, said Juab County Sheriff David Carter, but they burned together and became one fire. Tuesday morning the fire fighting effort continued to be a trouble for those on the line, said Carter. 1 have been contacted that a fire crew shot water on a fire and the water caused a problem in an old mine shaft. Some sort of fumes came out of the mine and have made the firefighters ill so we have contacted HazMat for help. On Friday, an 11,000 gallon Sperry Oil tanker-tracto- r with a pup was totally destroyed by fire. The burst of flame from the explosion added to the fire. The tanker was caught on the road when traffic was stopped as the fire came to the road," said Carter. He said the wind was blowing the fire so quickly that the oil tanker couldnt get turned around fast enough to go back the way it came and get out of the fire danger Luckily, he said, no one was seriously hurt by the burning tanker and the driver made it to safety. in the Carter said he had been area helping to close roads and to evacuate people from Mammoth and then warn the residents of Eureka that they had been placed on stand-b- y for evacuout there in one ation. 1 spent on-si- 38-hou- te rs chunk. the roads from Lynndyl tic Tin Junction, said Carter. through The fire forced the Little Sahara Recreation Area to close and U 36 between Eureka and Vernon, and U.S. 6 between mile markers 100 and 234 both north and south of the fire area. Millard County Sheriff's Office and the Utah Highway Patrol also helped with the road closures, said Carter. In addition, they had help from the Tooele We closed County Sheriffs Office. We evacuated all 60 of the Mammoth residents on Friday," said Carter. Then on Sunday, we told Eureka residents (all 850 of them) to consider evacuating and to be prepared to be forced out of town if the towns air sirens sounded. On Tuesday, firefighters were planning to take advantage of expected lower temperatures and higher humidity to get the rest of the fire line under control. Fueled by dry brush and trees, temperatures in the 90s and winds the fire charred more than 40,000 acres Saturday and increased to more than 60,000 by Sunday. superintendent of the rigation system in town are not during as much water as they did last year. In order to try to avoid mandatory watering restrictions and potential rate increases, Tolley asks that all water users conserve water for the balance of the summer. pro-Nep- dropped on Monday to 10 mph, and that hi City Water Department, is call- ing on residents of the community to be careful and conservative with their water use this summer. The weather has turned hot, and the springs that serve both the citys water system and the pressurized ir- - Ogden man arrested after Deputies find womans body in car trunk had really helped said Abbas. A total of 427 people from fire agencies across the state were fighting the fire, said Abbas. There were four helicopters, 35 engines, five bull dozers, and two water tenders. Crews made up of 100 persons each worked overnight on the ground to dig fire lines by hand. During the daylight, By Myrna Tranntvein three helicopters have lifted water from s Correspondent a local sewage treatment pond and flames. on it dropped The Ogden man who was arrested in In addition, 13 water tanker trucks Levan on Wednesday after Juab Councarried water to the fire line. Sheriffs Deputies found a womans ty Firefighters from the Bureau of Land body in the trunk of the mans car, has Management (BLM), Santaquin, Levan, been turned over to authorities in Mona, Nephi, Eureka, Genola and a Hot Ogden City. Shot Crew from Idaho were all on hand Martin Serratos, 34, Ogden, was takto work to put out the wildfire. en into custody in Juab County when Those fire fighting crews had a diffi- he was found underneath a hay bailer cult time fighting the wind as well as at 200 and 100 South approximately the fire. The high winds would change East. direction which created updrafts. The man spoke little English and had In one of those changes on Saturday, no drivers license, said Juab County said Carter, the wind was blowing one Sheriff David Carter. He said the car way and then turned lit traveled four was not his but when the deputies ran to five miles in just 30 minuets. Fire- a check on it, it was registered to him. fighters were afraid it would go up the A utility worker in Levan, Shawn Brycanyon and reach Eureka. an, noticed the man in different locaSo were the Eureka residents, said tions about town during the morning, Times-New- year and put into the General Administration Fund. s Correspondent Bob Shephard asked what is currentLevan Town Council held a Special ly owed from delinquent utility bills? Council Meeting on Wednesday, June Mayor Robinson replied around $28,000. Bob Shephard stated that the 30, 1999. A Public Hearing was held before the amount was down to almost nothing Special Council Meeting. Mayor Robin- being qwed and now it is to $28,000. The son told residents that the town is in town needs to start enforcing their polthe negative $80,000. The town is not icies to keep this amount down. Sheril Shephard said. There are new able to make the Gas Bond payment; therefore something needs to be done. houses that should be bringing in more The Gas Bond increases $5,000.00 each revenue and the town should look at Shephard year for the last 10 years and we still raising rates on hook-uphave 4 years until the bond will be paid told council members that he had read off. Once the system is paid off the town in the paper where Questar is raising utility rates should be comparable to their rates and wanted to know how will Utah Power & Light and many other that affect the town rates. Mayor Robinson said that everything should work companies. Sheril Shephard and Steven Brough out so that there should be no need for 's are concerned about the rates being another raise in utilities, unless Power are because Utah and prices outrageous. comparable Mt. Fuel have considerable lower rates During the council meeting. Counthan Levan Tbwn does at the present cil member Craig Worwood was in time. charge of looking at the water rates. Worwood Jason stated that the differ- Worwood stated that he had looked at ence between Levan Tbwn and Mt Fuel the Franklin Noble study. According to is that Mt Fuel is investor owned and the study, Worwood proposed that we we are town owned. raise the water rates from $16.00 to Marion Wankier asked Mayor Robin- $23.00 a month. In 2005, pipe will need son, if the utilities are raised what to be replaced and fire hydrants need promise can you make that they will to be replaced at the present time. The come down? Mayor Robinson respondtown will need to have 10 saved and ed for him to run for mayor, that there will need to borrow the remaining 90 can be no promises made. and therefore the rates will need to be Council member Alden Shurtx said, raised. We have things that will need to be Council member Bryce Christensen replaced that are in high maintenance was in charge of looking at the electric at this time. rates. Christensen stated that the elecSheril Shephard suggested for the tric fund subsides the gas fund to pay town to cut costa. Mayor Robinson re- the bond every year. Equipment and plied we have cut costa $12,000420,000. trucks are needed and maintenance is We have saved $2,500 on a bookkeeper, high. The electric department has been 0 $1,50042,000 on a treasurer, borrowing Nephi City's pole truck for on mayors wages, $3,000-$- 4 many years now and there is only so ,000 on cutting down on conferences, long you can borrow from other towns. $13,000 on computer software. Now Council Member Craig Worwood statutilities are Y2K compliant and the ed. Council member Christensen protown wasnt before now. The town has posed raising electric rates from 6.1 received $3,000 in late fees from last kilowatt to 6.8 kilowatt Christensen By Sheri Partridge Times-New- Que-star- $8,000-$10,00- Roy rU)73 city looter matter, eheekt the gauge Uiat records water flow each day. Tolley toys that the flows from the city's spring in Salt Creek Canyon is down from last year and the use is up because of recent hot weather. The city and irrigation company asks that residents conserve water voluntary note so hat mandatory water restrictions are not required. COTTTf POOR COPY TbUey, ii said Carter. Bryan called the Sheriff's Office to report a suspicious person and Deputies Justin Kimball and LuWayne Walker responded. They found the vehicle and began looking for the owner," said Carter. They located him under a hay bailer. Serratos was taken into custody for not having a drivers license and for trespassing and began to check his vehicle, which was broken down, prior to having it towed. Serratos had thrown his keys and deputies had just located them and were attempting to open the trunk of the car using the keys. Finally, Deputy Kimball unlocked the trunk by using the button inside the car, said Carter. Deputy Walker was located at the back of the car and was See Body on page 3 rates to cover budget shortfall s. TTAT'w-- 2 our videotapes, our guns, our TV and some special mementos and sent them to my son and daughters houses, said Marsha Tilby. She has been a resident of Eureka for 20 years. Levan Town raises utility City wants water users to conserve water Roy Tolley, breaks, said TViria Abbas, interagency and Mammoth. information officer for the Railroad Fire. Its about one mile between Eureka made and a weather Mammoth, as the crow flies. The big difference, Brewer got out his backhoe on Saturshe said, we were able to get in there and do the job. day and cleaned up weeds and dry High winds with gust at 50 mph had grasses on his property in hopes it I stated that Levan rates are second to the lowest in Utah that are comparable to our town size. Council member Ralph Wilson was in charge of looking at gas rates. Wilson stated that Levan Tbwn, last year, had $168,000 in expenditures and $127,000 was brought in. Raising rates to the proposed rates will only bring in or around $20,000 of what is needed. Wilson proposed to raise the rates from .61 a cubic foot to .68 a cubic foot Bob Shephard told council members he would rather see them leave the gas rates and raise the electric rates more. He said that the town could cut their own throat by raising the gas rates because people would use alternative methods for heat and he would like to see more people make the conversion over to gas. Council member Alden Shurtx was in charge of looking at garbage rates. He proposed that the rates should not increase at this time. Mayor Robinson proposed raising the rates to reserve the park from $25.00 to $100.00 a day for weekend reunions. Council members approved all the rate changes. The rate changes are in effect July 1, 1999, and will reflect on the August bill Mayor Robinson figured that the average utility bill would raise $18421.00 a month. The town council will also be looking at increasing property taxes, connection fees (on new homes), and impact fees to raise more revenue for the town. Sharia Williams was sworn in as Justice Of The Feece for Levan Town. Jooel Dudley met with council member to make arrangements on her utility bill. Her family was having financial difficulty and could not meet what the town required of her to keep the utilities on. The ceuncil members worked out an agreement with her. The regular town council meeting will be Wednesday, July 21,1999. |