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Show Alton Coal Looks Dead, As Companies Announce Delays Vol. 57, No. 36 - Thursday, July 7, 1988 - Kanab, Utah 84741 - Single Copy 30c Mobile Home Ordinance Dies For Lack of Second KANAB The Kanab City Council did not approve an amendment to the mobile home ordinance at Tuesdays, June 28, meeting, despite four months of work by the Planning Commission and-lo- cal residents. The amendment would have allowed mobile homes having 720 square feetor more within city limits. Current requirements state no mobile home under 1 ,000 square feet is allowed in the city limits. The debate began when the Kanab Creek Ranchos were annexed. Many trailers there did not meet the requirements. Current homeowners will not be required to move or replace their home if it does not match city requirements. But, all new mobile homes will be required to meet these regulations. This will mean any future mobiles homes located in the Ranchos will have to be Many residents expressed support of the current ordinances and asked that the city leave the regulations as they are. Vocal disagreement rose from those residents w'ho feel that this ordinance would limit young families and those on a limited income from being able to move into the city limits. Councilman Bemie Ripper, the citys bason with the Planning and Zoning Commission, made a motion to adopt the amendment to the ordinance, but it died for a lack of a second. The council renewed the health plan with the Utah Local Governments Trust. Mayor Paul Jenkins said that the cost for this employee health plan was the same as it was last year, $3,000. The council was unanimous in its support of a utility license tax ordinance which would provide for a utility tax of three percent to the city from such utilities as cable TV, tele phone, and electrical power suppliers such as Garkane and Kanab municipal system. Councilmen Dan Bartlett and Bemie Ripper were appointed to the Employee Appeals Board as members with Bruce Judd as alternate. The council approved merit pay increases for city treasurer RaeLene Johnson, city Justice of the Peace Patricia Chavez, and city librarian Marolyn Watson. This is an approximate fiver percent salary increase. The council will check to see if there are any funds available in the budget to help sponsor the Kanab City Golf Tournament. The golf course requested $500. The council awarded the contract for the Kanab Creek Ranchos special improvement district gravel contract to Interstate Rock of Hurricane. Their bid was for $576,000, which was lower than the engineers estimate of $639,625. Other companies bids were Hall DR. NILS BAYLES explains to interested Kanab residents the School District's dilemma with the current budget The meeting was held at Kanab High School Auditorium Wednesday, June 29. About 30 people were in attendance. Stance Should Be .. No Coal ... No Water!! . doesnt ordinarily use the front page of the newspaper for editorial-typ-e ( The Southern Utah News material. However, we feel that the following article, submitted by the Johnson Canyon Association, contains very important information for local residents:) The recent Utah International decision to assign its interest in Alton coal leases and water rights to Nevada Electric Investment Company is a tactical move on the part of UII to allow it and its parent company. Broken Hills Proprietary of coal Australia, to bid on other leases. A Federal law passed in 1976 required UII to have begun coal production at Alton by January 1988. Their failure to perform in that time frame brought the automatic penalty of not being allowed to bid on other leases. If the current leases are not producing by 1992, they will be revoked by the BLM. Since it is a practical impossibility for Nevada Electric Investment to produce coal by 1992, as the Harry Allen plant isnt even in the current plan, it is reasonable to say that a coal mine at Alton is not going to happen in the forseeable future. So why, you ask, is the Johnson Canyon Association still writing long letters to the Southern Utah News? While coal may be a dead issue, the water issue is still very much alive. As of this past week, UII had not assigned its water interests to Nevada Electric Investment. And the State Engineer, Robert Morgan, has reiterated his intent to proceed with the protest hearing on UIIs water right application. Since coal mining is not about to happen, there can be no justification for proceeding with UIIs application to pump water for a coal slurry line. By follow ing such a course of action, UII, the State Engineer and Nevada Electric Investment are dropping any pretense of good intentions with regard to the local economy, and are openly stating their interest in water for waters sake. Without the rationale of coal mining, Nevada Electric Investments interest in Utah water can only be for the growth of Las Vegas at the expense of Kane County. We urge the Kane County Commission and the Kanab City Council to protest the continued BLM-controll- 10-ye- ar pursuit of water rights by UII or their assignees under these circumstances. The Johnson Canyon Association (Now that Utah International has dropped out g stakes, andNevadaPower ofthe Alton no announced has plans to build the Harry Allen power plant within the next several years, and since the BLM coal leases will expire in 1992 if production hasn t begun by then ( which looks very unlikely), the local controversy over whether or not to let UII (or NEICO ) have its way with our water should be put to rest. In the extremes, the controversy consisted of those in favor of exporting local water for the sake of the potential benefits to the local economy through the use of local coal (creating local jobs, etc.) versus those opposed to exporting local water under any circumstances. In the middle were the . undecideds and the the coal from equation changes the Removing the Without potential economic benefits of picture. the a coal mine, argument in favor of granting UIIs water right application vanishes, and along with it so should the local controversy. It is very simple: no coal - no water. Kane County (this whole area) needs to be united in this. Our city and county leaders need to act decisively to let the State Engineer know that we do not want our water appropriated to foreign or operations for no apparent reason and with nothing in return. The current candidates for office should make their positions clear on this issue, and we should support those who intend to protect our water. Officers and shareholders of coal-minin- wait-an-se- es our-of-sta- te clear to the State Engineer in protest of any idea of giving UII or Nevada Power water rights. Ranchers and farmers should do likewise. County and City officials can and should, through the Safe Drinking Water Act, designate the Navajo Sandstone aquifers as sole or primary water source and make zoning that will protect our recharge areas. Other areas in southern Utah have done this to protect this valuable commodity. We cant afford to be complacent on such a vital issue. WATER IS LIFE. And that goes double here in the desert of Utah.) Brothers for $683,485, Bud Mahas for $739,370, and Progressive Contracting for $698,290.00. This contract is for the furnishing and stockpiling gravelfor the special improvement district The council approved the purchase of a 580K backhoe from Century Equipment of Cedar City for $31,080 plus trade-in- . Zone changes were approved for Brent Judd and Mark Cony. They own adjacent lots and were requestto ing a change from R-Loral Linton also requested a zone change for his property and was approved. In final business, the council approved the professional services contract with the Ranchos SID engineers Eckoff, Watson, and Prather. ll 0. Kanab Man Arrested In Burglary KANAB Kanab City Police arrested a suspect in the burglary of Zion Pharmacy on June 28. Brad McDonald, 32, has been charged with one count of burglary of a nondwelling by Kanab City police. The charge is a third degree felony and bail was set at $20,000.00. According to Chief Bill Blasdell, numerous items from the burglary and theft were recovered. Kanab City REALLY appreciates the 6 confidential informants who called in with information in reference to this burglary, said Blasdell. Blasdell also expressed special thanks to all the officers who helped: Keith Judd, AZ. D.P.S. officer, Kanab City police officers Scott Jackson, Doug Crosby , and Tom Cram, UHP trooper Harmon Robertson and special thanks to Kane County Attorney J im Scarth and Justice of the Peace Dennis Mosdell. A preliminary hearing date for McDonald, who remains incarcerated, has not been seL Big Water Man To Stand Trial KANAB A Big Water man was bound over for trial June 30 on charges of attemped homicide, aggravated assault, and assault on a r, peace officer. Leonard D. Jr., 40, will be arraigned on July 8lh before 6th Circuit Court Judge David L. Mower in regards to an incident that took place J une 30 at the Big Water home of Hueppelshe users parents. According to Kane County Sheriffs deputy Jeff Banfill, Coconino County Sheriffs dept, officers and National Park Service Rangers responded to a call along with Kane County officers to the Hueppclsheuser residence. The suspect has been charged with the atr, temped homicide of Leonard assault Sr., aggravated on Leonard, Sr., aggravated assault on Eula Lee Hueppelsheuser, assault on a peace officer, Paul Huep-pelsheuse- Campbell, Coconino County sheriffs department, and assault on a peace officer, Keith Leber, Na- tional Park Service Ranger. The assault charges are 3rd degree felonies, the assault on peace officer are class A misdemeanors and the attempted homicide is a 2nd degree felony. Bail was set at $50,000.00 and Hueppelsheuser, Jr. has requested a public defender. Kanab Woman Arrested on Drug Charge KANAB A Kanab woman was arrested June 28 and charged with class B misdemeanor drug charges by Kanab City police. Maria Elena Gehrig, 24, has been charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, marijuana, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. She was released on $200.00 bail on June 29 and a preliminary hearing date has not been set. Plans for the proposed Alton Coal Project in northern Kane County have been delayed approximately three years, and some feel that it may be "dead. Nevada Electric Investment Co. (NEICO, a subsidiary of Nevada Power Company) and BHP-Uta- h International last week announced a delay in the Alton Coal Project and a restructuring of the business arrangement for development of the Alton coal field in Kane County. New electrical projections indicate the Harry Allen power plant near Las Vegas in which the Alton coal would be burned wont be needed until the mid- - to late 1990s said John W. Arlidge, vice president of NEICO. This would postpone the beginning of mine construction until at least 1995. A news release from the two companies (NEICO and BHP-UIsaid that Effective June 1, BHP-Uta- h will be involved in the project as only a contractor to assist NEICO in obtaining permits, and will have no future equity position in the proposed Alton Mine. It says their only interest will be a royalty interest The change in ownership frees BHP-Uta- h from sanctions imposed by federal mineral leasing regulations for failure to develop a coal lease within 10 years. This time limit was placed in the law to discourage companies from acquiring federal coal leases for speculative purposes. The sanctions imposed by the Leasing Act deny the company the opportunity to bid on any new federal mineral leases - oil, gas or coal. BHP-Utah- s associate company, BHP Petroleum, is actively expanding its oil and gas interests in the U. S.andwantstobeina position to bid competitively for new leases. Because of the Leasing Act requirements and the imposed sanctions, BHP-Uta- h has transferred its leases and relinquished equity participa I) tion in the Alton Coal Project. BHP-Uta- h will also assign its water right applications to NEICO. According to the news release from the companies, A mine permit application for the Alton Mine consisting of 17 volumes was submitted in July, 1987, to the Oil, Gas and Mining Division of the Utah State Department of Natural Resources. The application includes comprehensive mine plan and reports on more than three years of environmental baseline studies. Additional studies of archaeological resources, paleontological resources, and the estimated effects of the project on night-sk- y viewing at Bryce Canyon National Park arc complete and will be incorporated into die ap plication. The release also indicated that Nevada Power has announced that its most recent electrical planning study calls for die delay of the first unit of the proposed Harry Alien generating station beyond 1995. This schedule for the power plant (the intended market for A1 ton m ine coal ) will result in a of perfield work in mit application-relate- d the proposed mine area. This project has been in the planning stage for many years, and auliis point the project for the sake of generating power looks rather dim, yet the water applications are stall in place and apparently the Utah State Engineer plans to go ahead with protest hearings on the appropriations of water, even though die intended use of the water now seems dead, or at best, ailing. If the water is still sought after by NEICO there is likely to be much said about that by Kane County interests, pardcularly the Johnson Canyon Association and others, who are fearful that the loss of the water, w ith no local benefit, would be power-generation Dennis Webb Guilty of Double Homicide SAN LUIS OBISPO Co., Calif. A San Luis Obispo SuperiorCourt jury found Dennis Duane Webb, 36, guilty of murder, robbery, and burglary in regards to a February 1987 incident involving John and Lori Rainwater of Atascadero, Calif., Monday, June 20, according to an article in The Daily Press, a Paso Robles, Calif., newspaper. Webb was on parole from the Utah State Prison where he was serving a sentence for aggravated kidnapping in regards to an 1981 incident at Tods Junction store, 40 miles north of Kanab on Highway 89. Webb was sentenced in a plea bargain arrangement for the kidnap ping of Carol Orrand the shooungof her husband, Rocky. He also robbed the Orrs business. Tods Grocery. Webb had originally been charged with two counts of aggravated kidnapping, one count of aggravated burglary, and one count of attemped homicide. Webb was found guilty on all counts for the February 1987 mur ders of the Rainwaters at their Atas-cerd- o home after the month long trial. The jury w'ill return July 5 to begin the sentencing phase of the trial. Webbs former girlfriend, Sharon Whitebear offered testimony which linked Webb with the murders. The Rainwaters are survived by two small children. Board Approves Big Water School KANAB The Kane County School Board voted unanimously to establish a kindergarten through 12th grade school at Big Water for the com ing school year. This school will be set up in 4 temporary buildings on property adjacent to the Big Water Town Hall and is contingent upon state approval for the plan, which is expected. This plan, according to Dr. Nils Bayles, is the best solution to the problem of educating the students in the least expensive and most feasible manner. The board also adopted an increase in the school lunch fees. Board member Fred Allen was the only opposing vote, as he has always voted against lunch price increases. The board voted to amend the Reduction In ForceOrderly Termination policy. Bayles said that the amendment will bring the policy in line with new laws. The RIF would allow for programs and staff to be cut due to budget cutbacks or consolidation and other problems. The board will present the amendment to the KEA for their input. The board approved the bid for $3650 by Jeannie Hunt for the Chevrolet station w'agon and they will recontact the bidder on the Ford LTD. A lease agreement between the district and Gordon Holt for 2 lots next to the Big Water Town Hall was approved. The agreement states that the lease cost is $ 1 .(X) a year and that the district would have the right of first refusal if the property w as to ever be sold Randy Reidheadsbid of $3250.00 for transporting the two temporary buildings from the elementary school to Big Water was accepted. Bayles Explains Budget Woes at Special Meeting KANAB A small, but interested group listened as School District Superintendent Dr. Nils Bayles ex plained the problems that the Kane County School District is facing this coming budget year at a special meeting held Wednesday June 29. The meeting opened with a video regarding the proposed tax limitation initiatives and the effect that the initiatives would have on education in Utah if passed. The district also held special meetings in Orderville and Big Water. Bayles explained the districtsplan for the school out to Big Water. The school will be funded by state funds and would not require large financial support from the district He discussed the current cutbacks which would require that the school libraries be closed and no aides hired for the classrooms. A voted leeway for 2 mils would generate approximately $80,000.00 district wide for funding that would go for the financing of libraries and aides. But the district is unsure whether the voters would support the tax increase on property taxes. If the tax initiatives pass, it w ould mean a cut in the current budget of Bayles said that a 20 up to cut would be the equivalent of closing the Valley and Big Water schools and busing the students to Kanab schools. The tax initiatives would mean severe cutbacks for the district that would be difficult for the leaders to accept. The tax initiatives would hurt rural schools much more than urban schools. Programs that could be cut are shop, music, and home economics as well as many other areas. Bayles told those gathered that if the libraries close, the high school could lose its accreditation and students could be forced to take special tests and have certain restrictions placed on them by colleges. Bayles told the audience that a grass roots movement must take the lead and let the board know exactly how they feel on a voted leeway. The board will not call a special election unless they are confident that it will pass. 20. |