Show LocalMetro Six ways to prevent in your community Ogden March 13 1987 arson Protect your property Cy clearing your horre or business cf potental fuel for fires 2 Immediately report question-abi- e activities to police 1 3 Make police or firefighters aware of vacant buildings you trunk are being allowed to deteriorate 4 Organize watch teams community fire 5 Teach your children about the serious consequences cf fire and in partic'iar arson 6 If police firefighters or insurance representatives are investigating a fire in your neighborhood give them your fun cooperation Source: Ogden Area Community Action graphic f Utah Obituaries Classified Standard-Examine- r Friday By CHARLES boundary of 36th Street The fire department's data for the period shows a rapid rise in dollar losses because of the three types of fires listed Just fires of undetermined origin for example caused losses of $85960 in 1984 $155100 in 19S5 and $2668SO in 1986 That 1986 figure though includes the $220000 Master Muffler fire said Peek the real More important number of fires is rising Fires of undetermined origin the largest category went from 86 in 1984 to 134 in 1986 A lot of them Peek said are grass fires trash bin fires and fires in vacant lots the types that very likely are arson Peek said it is often hard to say for sure that a fire was arson Take the Master Muffler fire he said Agency F TRENTEIA'AN Ea"ie s'af Nearly a year after it did $220000 damage the fire that destroyed the Master Muffler Shop at 2017 Washington is still listed as of undetermined cause "with the possibility of arson" It was just one of 134 such undetermined fires last year recorded by the Ogden Fire Department on top of 40 fires started by juveniles and 93 "incendiary or suspicious" fires Those fires caused $622230 in damage according to fire department estimates And that is not counting all the time firefighters and police spent fighting the fires and handling traffic Those numbers said Allan Peek Ogden fire marshal show the city has a growing problem with fires of undetermined origin A big part of that problem he said is ar- - The study said Doretha Keeling spokesman for the agency is intended to kick off a citywide education program to fight the rising incidence of arson The agency w ill follow up in the coming months with an education campaign in the city blocks most affected she said "It is an increasing problem" she said "It is one that has an impact on a number of other concerns that our people have because when arson increases it not only impacts as a loss for the people who are involved but also on insurance rates poson In a study just completed the Ogden Ar- lice and the neighborhood" The survey map showing the location of ea Community Action Agency has put together a listing of all those types of fires all arson suspicious and unknown fires for the last three years and identified those over the last three years shows a distinct beparts of the city where they occur most of- clustering in the central Ogden area ten The study was funded with $15000 tween Wall and Pennsylvania avenues and from the Federal Emergency Management from 12th Street to the southern city 'When arson increases it not only impacts as a loss for the people who are involved but also on insurance rates police and the neighborhood' — Doretha Keeling Parkway P" fundinq )redictei Snowpack amounts See in of normal percent 160 Standard ' ' ' Examiner " In anticipation the Ogden City Council voted to take $10000 from its remaining $30000 in contingency funds to complete site plans for developing the (Jgden River Parkway between Harrison Boulevard and Lion s Club Park "This project lends itself to a great deal of outside involvement" said Ken Miller city community services director Sneddon said the city would match the $100000 state grant labor and property with Job Corps help and other donat ed labor would be put to use developing walking trails and parking along the parkway "Contact has already been made with the Job Corps" the council man said predicting the state will issue the $100000 grant for the Ogden 1 V - Blair New power tower rises behind the crumpled wreckage at Rainbow Gardens i pr Landsli threat i 'very ow By WENDY OGATA E'a'n'ner s!a'f W 1 Ol March 9th years A — — jr yr "T Bear 40 '83 Measurements as five 2C Source: '84 National "85 Weather '86 '87 Service graphic ioits crosse Weather folks cautious hopeful By SUSAN IPAKTCH1AN staff When you grasp a practical joker's hand only to get zapped by a joy buzzer it makes you a little leery about ever shaking hands'with him again That's sort of the way local weather officials feel about the relative warmth and mildness of this winter season The way they see it Mother Nature has tantalized them with glimpses of dry spells before and then — zap — came unusually wet weather that triggered heavy flooding and mudslides The temperate weather of March 1983 turned out to be such a deception when rain and snow inundated the Wasatch Front in late April causing widespread flood damage and sending tons of earth rumbling down mountainsides So it is with crossed fingers that they are predicting a low potential for flooding associated with this year's spring runoff "We're cautiously optimistic about the trends for the next month or two" said Bill Alder of the mctcorologist-in-chargNational Weather Service office in Salt Lake City "When you think back to 1983 you never want to be totally optimistic until you get past the 10th of May" The weather service is also predicting that the spring run off which should average only of normal will keep the Great Salt Lake from peakthan 421225 feet more at ing above sea level — five inches lower than forecasters had predicted earlier this year However that prediction sun exceeds last year's record peak by nearly five inches and would be the lake's highest level in history Alder and Gerald Williams e of the Colorado River Basin Forecasting Center appear to have good reason for optimism at this point The latest readings show the snowpack in Northern Utah is only half to its average size Drainages on the Bear River are among the lowest in the state with the snowpack averaging 53 percent of normal The OgdenWeber drainages arc close behind at 61 percent Alder said the Statewide snowpack is averaging 64 percent of normal Smaller snowpacks mean less water trickling down through the rivers and emptying into Great Salt the Lake Alder and Williams said given the reduced snowpack the potential for spring flooding is low "Our reservoirs are in really good shape right now and so is the ground water so I would say it's not likely we would have a drought" he said Skinned muskrat carcasses not part of 'sacrificial' rituals Sianda'd The state's hazard geologist says the future threat is "very low" from a landslide that took out a steel power tower this week at the mouth of Ogden Canyon Bruce Kaliscr also moved In a memorandum to calm the fears of residents living along the top of the slide area is very low "My judgment is that the hazard with the likelihood of additional large masses failing and flowing being also very low" Kaliscr wrote He said the houses above the slide area just south of Rainbow Gardens "appear to be in no danger at this time" Addressing a possible cause of the slide which occurred Monday afternoon Kaliscr said rainfall before the land movement was far short of what would normally be required to trifger such a landslide He said he believes that a significant amount of ice and compacted snow in the area "contributed very significant melt water to the slide mass over a period of six dass" landTemperatures in the six days before the slide were well above freezing reaching us high as 52 and (9 during the day he said Kaliscr today said he hasn't been to the site in a couple of das "But I have observers up there and they report nothing new" project The parkway is proposed to eventually be 18 miles long varying in width between 100 feet and 2000 feet from the mouth of Ogden Canyon to Washington Boulevard The carkwav plan has come un der criticism from residents living along the river near the Monroe Boulevard area who worry about depark security and a possible crease in property values tmmpHiate nlans for the section to be developed this year include parking hiking trans sneucrca picnic areas ana possioiy a Daiiym Wddon said the choice to devel op the area near Harrison Boule vard was good because it would oe e visible from the road and a to encourage further river rwkwav dcveloDmcnt "It is an outstanding park that will be used said Mayor uoocrx A Madscn Is 100 start The Ocden River Parkway may begin to take shape this year if a city councilman's prediction of a $100000 grant comes true Councilman bcott Sneddon said the Utah River Enhancement Funds Committee placed Ogden second on its priority list of projects to fund The state Parks Department nor recmally accepts the committee's ommendations Sneddon said and the department's meeting is sched uled for later this montn — wnn funds becoming available Apnl last l 140 By MARK PETERSON for on ARSON 7 UP&L employees (from left) Greg Payne Dick Hunt and Dean Ellis raise a crossarm into position for a power tower Utah Power & Light Co spokesman John Ward said work crews arc replacing the steel tower which was knocked off its foundation by wooden structure the slide with a "To put in a steel pole you've got to get it fabricated There's a lone wait time" Ward said ex plaining why the wooden poles were used to replace the damaged tower "They should be finishing up that work today and probably be cnergiing those lines again lo- he said I he pole had hosted two circuits carrying 46000 volts of power Ward said During the repair work "We shut doAn both circuits com pletely and rerouted the power up from the south through the Kimdalc area" One Somerset parent said she is concerned about Davis Bureau Eammor her children's safety and has refused to let them go FARMINGTON — The latest rumor of satanic walking in the foothills But Jacobson said there is apparently nothing to activity here has been dashed be concerned about Police say reports that Satan worshipers sacrificed a large number of cats and dogs in the foothills "At this point we have no evidence that there arc above Farmington are not true animals being sacrificed through satanic worship or Instead Farmington Detective Jeff Jacobson said anything" Jacobson said more than The detective said as for the illegal dumping vioThursday someone illegally dumped lators are subject to a $299 fine He said however 100 muskrat carcasses on a bench road last week He said some residents mistook the carcasses for there arc no suspects in the case mutilated cats and dogs "It's illegal dumping but there are no laws in this area against trapping as far as I know" he said He said police observed the "skinned" muskrat On Wednesday a trip to the fire break road refire road when break the checked carcasses they vealed that the animal bodies had been removed Tuesday Residents earlier reported seeing satanic drawings The dead animals have prompted residents of the in the same area nearby Somerset Farms subdivision to express conCarol Giatras a resident who often hikes through cern the urea said a large underground water storage Some reported that Satanists were holding rituals in the bench area between Steed and See SATAN on 2C Rudd canvons By BARRY KAWA Standard |