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Show r Classic cars Pageant winner classic car parade and show will be among the events at the CEU Anniversary Grand Finale this weekend. Page 3A Local girl wins Utah A Pageant, will now be involved in national competition. Page 5B v a T uesday Octobers 97th Year 1988 Pre-tee- n 0 Price, Utah No. 79 35 cents Everyone to get the mammoth skeleton By STEVE CHRISTENSEN Managing editor The skeleton of a mammoth found at Huntington Reservoir will probably never be mounted. However, museums around the state will probably be able to display a replica of the ancient elephant. State officials who have been instrumental in preserving the skeleton, last week recommended that the actual skeleton never be mounted. State Paleontologist David Gillette and State Archaeologist David Madsen said the bones are too fragile and too valuable to be mounted. They recommended the bones be retained at a facility with adequate facilities to care for it and allow scientific study to continue indefinitely. Gillette said technology is such that replicas can be made from the original bones that will fool even an expert. This method might satisfy everyones desire to display the mammoth, yet leave the skeleton itself uncompromised. Madsen and Gillette have had custody of the skeleton since it was uncovered by a construction crew Aug. 8. The U.S. Forest Service has paid the state $6,000 to offset the expenses of preserving the bones. In order to more fully un derstand the feelings of people about the mammoth, the Forest Service sponsored meetings last week in Castle Dale, Price and Manti. The purpose of the meetings, said District Ranger Ira Hatch, was to explain to people what the professionals have found during the two months since the mammoth was discovered, to receive input as to what people want to see done with the mammoth and to allow the experts to make their recommendations. Hatch said no decisions have been made what will happen to the skeleton but did say that it appears at this time it would not be wise to mount the bones. CEU wants the mammoth By STEVE CHRISTENSEN Managing editor The College of Eastern Utah wants to keep the mammoth found at Huntington Reservoir forever. College President Michael Petersen said last week it would be, A tragedy for this find to be taken from this area for lack of a facility to step forward. Petersen said CEU is taking that step now. Petersen made his statements during a public meeting in Price last week, called by the Forest Service for the purpose of discussing the future of the mammoth skeleton. State Archaelogist David Madsen said his main concern is that the skeleton be put in a facility that can adequately care for the skeleton on a permanent, ongoing basis. He said that is usually an accredited museum. It is the recommendation of Madsen and State Paleontologist David Gillette that the skeleton not be mounted, but be used for casting replicas and for continued scientific evaluation. (See related story this page.) With that in mind, Petersen said the CEU Prehistoric Museum is the only logical place to become the permanent home of the skeleton. It is a perfect time for the CEU Museum to make whatever improvements are necessary to become accredited. He promised that in conjunction with the museum expansion, now underway, the museum will meet any and all requirements of the Forest Service and the state. The Forest Service has (Continued on Page 2A) UP&L terminates contract with Valley Camp of Utah Light Co. has terminated its contract for coal with Valley Camp of Utah Inc., citing exorbitant costs as the reason for the cancellation. Utah Power & The termination will become effective six months from Sept. 19, 1988, said UP&L spokesman Dave Mead. Mead said UP&L filed a civil lawsuit Sept. 21 over the issue. He said UP&L officials believe the price of coal from Valley Camp is way beyond current coal production costs. Mead said the price charged by Valley Camp is, way out of line with reality. Valley Camp spokesman Benton H. Faulkner denies the UP&L allegations. He said Valley Camp is abiding by the contract between the two companies. He also said Valley Camp, will seek all available remedies to preserve its rights under the Coal Sales Faulkner said last year Valley Camp agreed to reduce the annual amounts take-or-pa- y take-or-pa- y Agreement. tonnage shipped under this contract by 25 percent, to 450,000 tons per year. In return, Faulkner said, UP&L agreed that all subsequent shipments would be on contract basis. a Faulker also said Valley Camp has previously filed suit to seek declaratory judgment of its rights and recovery of money owed under the existing agreement. The Forest Service has jurisdiction over the skeleton, since it was found on land administered by the Forest Service. At the present time, Gillette' explained, the first concern is preservation of the bones. They were found in a bog that in effect kept them in a refrigerator-conditio- n for 10,000 years. The bones were miraculously preserved, he said, and are in almost the same condition they were when the animal died. That is an extremely rare find and poses problems of how to preserve the bones now that they have been taken out of the refrigerator. Not even paleontologists are familiar with this type of situation, Gillette said, since nearly everything that has been found is already in a dry condition. After asking every ex- pert he could find, Gillette determined the best route to take is to simply allow the bones to dry at a very slow rate. At first the bones were kept soaked constantly. In that state they were wrapped in plastic. Pinholes were punched in the (Continued on Page 2A) CEU anniversary to conclude The College of Eastern Utah will officially end the eighteen-mont- h observance of its 50th anniversary on Oct. 8. The full weekend of activities, which includes a parade, car show, campus open-hou- and a se building dedication, culminates in the Golden Anniversary Ball at 7 p.m., Saturday in the CEU Library. The ball will feature fine dining and entertainment by the reunited Jimmy Dart Orchestra, a big band that was popular in eastern Utah and western Colorado in the late 30s and throughout the 40s. Jimmy (Dart) started the band in 1938, the same year the college opened its doors. They were very popular, and rarely had State Paleontologist David Gillette holds two bones to show people how real a cast can be. One bone is real and the other is a cast. He defied people to tell the difference. a weekend when they werent busy playing in dance halls like the Silver Moon Ballroom and virtually every school in the area, said CEU President Michael A. Petersen. The band also recorded an album, Its a Blue World, which was released for limited distribution in the Carbon-Emer- y successful as professional musicians after they left the band, said the band leader. President Petersen said the area. combination of the colleges We thought that since the golden anniversary and the band got started when the bands reunion will make this college did, and since Jimmy is one of the most enjoyable social a CEU alumnus, that it was events in the state this year. We certainly want to let appropriate to have them reunite for our grand finale, people know how proud we are the president added. of the College of Eastern Utah Many former members of the and the things weve acband answered Darts request complished over the past 50 to reunite, and some are years. It was appropriate that traveling from as far away as we let the residents of Seattle, Wash, and Lancaster, Southeastern Utah and all the Calif, for the event. Theyll people who were influential in spend a day rehearsing a floor CEUs development know how show, and several much we appreciate them in a dance favorites before their formal way. The ball helps us performance. express that appreciation, he Ive been having a great explained. time repairing and painting the affair is The black old bandstands and updating open to the public, and reserthe music library. The best part, vations are being accepted at however, was talking to all of the CEU Development Office, my old friends who became very Ext. 318. The cost is $15 big-ba- nd al 637-212- 0, Carbon County Recreation Services comes under attack By LYNNDA JOHNSON Staff writer A group of concerned citizens expressed dissatisfaction with Carbon County Recreation and Leisure Time Services in a public meeting of the Price City Council Sept. 28 and criticized the agencys disorganized, recreational poorly planned programs. Barry Atwood, citing a specific incident, informed the council, When I took my child to a wrestling practice one evening at Mont Harmon Junior High School, I found a group of waiting outside the building in the cold. The practice had been canceled, without notification." There was, he continued, four-year-ol- ds a school basketball game that night. Parents, unaware wrestling had been canceled, saw all the cars in the parking lot, thought practice was being held and just automatically dropped the kids off. I blame Carbon Rec for not notifying people the practice had been canceled. Nelson reminded council members of the number of local softball teams that have moved from Price to play in Emery County and blamed Leisure Services in addition to the dismal conditions at the North Park Ball Complex for the mass exit. All programs that are not Chris under the direction of Carbon Rec, he claimed, are being slighted by the city. But, the programs are actually better. Councilwoman Theressa Frandsen countered, There has been a total lack of communication. We have scheduled meetings with county recreation, in an effort to iron out problems, but few representatives from the teams or leagues bothered to attend. According to Frandsen, the city spent $1,400 in 1987 to replace lights at the sports complex and has attempted, in the past, to repair structures, but vandalism at the park has consistently undermined efforts to upgrade the facility. The council approved the formation of a committee to meet with Carbon County Recreation and Leisure Services representatives to resolve the issue. Marcia AhMu, director of Carbon County Recreation and Leisure Services, did not attend the council meeting but, upon being informed of the complaints, reponded to the allegations Sept. 29. The wrestling incident, AhMu insisted, was a one-tim- e situation. Mont Harmon bumped our program for the schools basketball game. Because of the number of children involved, it was impossible to notify every parent, but we posted a note on the door and positioned an adult near the entrance to direct participants to Westridge Middle School for the practice. I do not agree, she con stands as an tinued, we were disorganized. What more could we have done? Parental responsibility was also involved in the situation. concession According to AhMu, Carbon County Recreation and Leisure Time Services is in no way responsible for the conditions at the North Park Ball Complex. The agency has no voice in determining which complexes are maintained, nor does it allocate city funds. Carbon Recreation merely programs and schedules the use of available facilities. AhMu expressed a willingness to support Price City Councils proposed meeting with teams The director addressed the softball issue and, citing op- position to regulations restricting alcohol or tobacco use on the field during games and prohibiting alcohol sales in example, suggested underlying reasons for the transfer to Emery County. leagues to resolve problems, but expressed doubts and concerning the outcome. We are not dictators, she said, and we dont mandate the programs. They are developed and adjusted by participants who attend coordination meetings, similar to the one being suggested. However, Ive discovered most complaints come from people who fail to attend. Is there any indication this time will be different? If its not, will anything be resolved? |