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Show H'$ w-w- K jt &; A . W. r i1 rv . ; s !? ' ,. iLA. & ( f o Having a ball at the 2001 Test Fest Page 11 V t Miss Kane County royalty Pag&7 VOLUME 70 NUMBER 17 WEDNESDAY JUNE 20, 2001 COLOR COUNTRY'S HOME TOWN NEWSPAPER 60C Part permit process-hoop- s to jump through ll-B- LM This is the second part of a series on getting the process of getting a getting a permit from the BLM By Dixie Brunner Local vendors are frustrated work and environmental assessments must be shared with the Monument. Permits must be issued by October of this year, said Smart. What the permit process en- over the public land use permit tails Due to the number of appliprocess. While many have received use permits for operating cants, and concern about overon the Grand Staircase lapping uses and resource imEscalante National Monument, pacts, permit applicants are no Bureau of Land Management evaluated first by looking at existing use, both commercial and permits have been issued. noncommercial.-ThBLM next step is Rick Smart, acting Kanab Field Officer said the long identifying the activities being delays are due to a number of conducted and mappping the opfactors; among them being the erating areas for those activi- lack of manpower and threat of ties. Finally, each of the applilawsuits. He explained that his cants are analyzed using the agency is trying to streamline same resource criteria. Walter and Suzanne Thomson, the entire permitting process, k but that also must be reviewed. owners of Canyon Country Smart denies that the BLM is Tours, believe the process too long. The couple on the has taken its feet issuing dragging permits. He said that people has had to make applications to have always been required to two National Forest Service ofhave a permit to operate busi- fices, one National Park Service nesses on public land. We have office, and two BLM offices, into analyze impacts on tiny cluding the Grand Staircase-Escalant- e National Monument. plants, animals, birds, archeolAll of these agencies have comogy and paleontology sites, as well as many other things. plied with the mandates governanaNEPA has caused us to ing the SRP process and have lyze impacts before we release a issued permits within 3 permit. The constant threat of months, said Walter Thomson. lawsuits has required exhausWhy cant the Kanab BLM office tive documentation of impacts. complete this process within Smart said that lawsuits, be- the 9 months they have been sides costing his agency a lot of in receipt of these applications? The Thomsons have sent nine money, ties up experts who could different letters to the 'BLM as otherwise be working. What do you need a permit well as elected officials, detail- e Out-Bac- Judge Kirk Heaton offers a blessing for the Levi Stewart Memorial at the dedication ceremonies held last Saturday. Several hundred attended the dedication of the beautiful park. Kane County gets health report By Carol Sullivan Gary Edwards from the Health Department reported on services in Kane County at the regular Kane County Commission meeting on June 11, 2001. Hepatitis C is increasing statewide and in the Five County area. Community health services include: WIC, baby your baby, immunization, communicable diseases, tobacco prevention and control, cancer screening, septic systems, school and restaurant inspec- tions, and public drinking water system inspections. With revenues at $168,000 and expenditures at $295,000, the Commissioners expressed there is a good return on the county invest- ment. County AuditorClerk Karla Johnson had the court and bailiff contracts totaling $103,206 for fiscal year 2001 - 2002 which the Commission approved. Johnson indicated that as a secondary site, Kane County has an excellent rating and recommended some minor changes to ' reflect budgetary changes. There were no protests this year at the May Tax Sale. It was the smallest tax sale in recent history with only 10 parcels. The minutes of the tax sale were approved. The scheduled public hearing to adopt the proposed Kane County Zoning Map was postponed until July 23, 2001. County Attorney Eric Lind had some questions for clarification tax relief regarding retro-activ- e and his specific role. Lind will meet with the assessor. Another issue dealt with the land donated at Swains Creek. The homeowners association told the county they now owe dues. In the attorneys opinion, Kane County, as a sovereign, should not be bound by conditions, covenants and restrictions. A motion to dispose of the property carried unanimously. Clarence Wright requested a quit claim deed right of way back to him for land no longer used. He donated the land used for the new entrance to North Fork and is asking for the deed for the property op the old startingpoint of North Fork. Aqua Terra Engineers Tim Bodell and Berat Kuhlmann presented several plans to develop Section 32 east near Page. So far two and half years of research has gone into the project which is a partnership with a hotel in Singapore. The Amangani Hotel in J ackson Hole is one their hotels. The plan is for a plush hotel resort in eastern Kane County. There are four different pieces of property involved in the location which is one half mile from Lake Powell. Commission Chairman Joe Judd asked them to return with a concrete proposal, rather than a variety of options before the Commission takes a stand. Com- 2-- 8-- for? People need permits for doing a variety of activities on public lands. Smart explains that use permits are issued for many commercial and recreational activities including mining, guiding, plant collection, grazing, filming- See PERMIT, Page 24 KANAB WEATHER June -even having large family reunions. We are under some priority missioner Crosby added the concerning grazing permits for Commission has seen many pro- rangeland health assessment, posals for sections 31 & 32 over said Smart, adding that they the years. The Commission in- are required to go through the dicated they would like to be NEPA process. Smart said that another probsupportive of the. venture. lem is that some BLM specialSee COMMISSION, Page 10 ists who would be doing the field Tr . Courtesy: Frank Swapp Family |