Show TIM conclusions an mom Beefy to be galhend out of a multitude of tongues than through any kind of ai imniftnffiaa Rnlnrnrm s V ' Awriow )urM The Herald Journal Logan Utah (1V7S-1I9- Thursday March 9 2000 Page 14 Guest commentary Let’s make ice rink the best it can be By Janet Borg B ridgerland Community Ice Arena (BCIA) will be wrappingup its fundraising campaign very soon Thanks to all of you who have brought the ice arena this far With $38 million pledged for coo struedoa we have only enough funds to build a “bare bones” ice arena Today we can build the refrigeration system a structure to cover the ice 200 spectator seats two team rooms a lobby and a skate rental area Cur- rent pledges and donations guarantee that a very spartan ice arena could be built but we will be shortchanging this entire region if we don’t do it right - with 2000 spectator seats six affordable and die link is generally subsidized through property taxes1 Although this option might be successful in Cache Valley a few problems exist First municipal ownership and operation was not locally embraced in 1993 when BCIA began exploring the feasibility of the ice arena Second a municipal or publicly owned ice arena would preclude programs that could be funded through annual grants from private foundations BCIA plans to promote such pro- grams as Special Olympics educational- classes that teach die physics ofjumps and spins exploring movement on ice as a physical recreation component or hosting a senior citizens day at the arena Very few of these programs exist at private or municipal arenas Prices to skate at BCIA will be kept low because no debt service is due and there are no investors to pay team rooms a modem and complete lobby and a concession area We are trying to back break ground this May and plan a opening in Outreach programs will include youth that might not otherwise be able to skate due to lack of funds lack of transportation or lack 2001 In June 2001 of equipment BCIA plans to seek we will welcome the entire French Nationgrants that will bring those members al Skating Team to our valley fix two of our community to the rink and get them involved in exciting ice skating weeks of practice Will the public be able to skate at programs The future of this facility is now in this ice arena? Yes yes yes! - Unless there is the hands of this community More the public skating arena will not survive A minimum than 500 people have opened their of 30 hours of public skating per hearts and checkbooks to help build week is planned Many who have this ice arena right At this point I am donated to BCIA have told us that asking the other 75000 residents to public skating time is the reason they do the same Make a difference in are supporting this facility your community and help bring a d Will the arena be self-- s family activity to the area The legacy of this project will touch Yes Ice arenas ini die United States are the lives of children grandchildren usually operated in one of three parents and grandparents It might even help create a future Olympian ways: private municipal it or private The BCIA( A donation of $50 will place your board of trustees and other interested' name permanently on our “Wall of parties have carefully explored all Fame" or you can“Buy Block’’ for three optjons during hd past Cyd? $100 and have your name engraved years’ Vfery early in ourresearen it on a glasfc block Your contribution of ‘ became clear that there was only one any amount will make a difference feasible choice: nonprofit please support this community faciliA private fbrprant ice arena would ty be more costly to the general public Skating at Merlin Olsen Park has to skate because construction debt created memories for countless valley must be paid off Private rinks residents — myself included But throughout the country generally relying on outdoor ice has a high for a price: years of no ice imperfect ice charge skating session BCIA is planning to charge with bumps puddles and holes cold fingers and toes and limited approximately $3 lessons Most private rinks require a population of 250000?or more In addiLet’s bring d skating to tion private rinks must always cater Cache Valley in grand style You can to the highest paying skating groups contribute any number of ways: at which makes the facility exclusive either branch of the USU Community rather than inclusive - in other words Credit Union at any local Zion’s public skating and outreach programs Bank or by mailing your donation to would be severely limited for Scouts PO Box 93 Hyde Park UT 84318 DARE the Boys and Girls Club Thank you to all who have brought this project from ground zero to senior citizens and other groups More than 36 percent of die ice today's $38 million mark - this is facilities in the United States are truly a community effort operated by municipalities or coun- Janet Borg is executive director of the ties They serve the population as a Ice Arena high-altitu-de year-roun- " for-pro- fit non-prof- -- $5-$- 12 two-ho- ur lean-to-ska- te year-roun- ‘ whole prices are kept low and Bridgerland Community Gross By Mathew :Ti will face as global wanning begins to Writers whining sound you hear is the sound of American consumers (formerly known as American citizens) fretting over die rising cost of gasoline The current national average price of gas — $141 per gallon — is a full 25 cents higher than it was on the Range Resident Carter imposed an embargo on Iranian oil following the fall of theShah All of this whining about the price of gas is much ado about nothing really President Clinton has already released $125 million in federal heating assistance to help lower-incofour merely families make it through the winter months ago And while increased fuel prices will and analysts contribute to a rise in the cost of such predict that the as lettuce (which as things could iceberg price top any nutritionist will tell you is 99 out at $170 per gallon before supplies catch up percent waterand 1 percent diesel i fhel) the increase unexpected to be with demand sometime later 'L: !l temporary qijiad mc-i- iu It’s that brevity I think that is the enough SUV to make Tnars any owner sweat A person who bought real cause for complaint Whenever the price of gas goes up one of those behemoth Ford Expedieven — tions just a little bit I start to feel ignoring the outcry of environmentalists and anyone else with downright hopeful about the world even a lick of sense — may soon m admit that this may be due to my have to take out a second mortgage living in Moab Utah a little tourist on his or her starter castle just to fill town of about 6000 people that is besieged by over a million visitors up the tank each year Experts are predicting that Or maybe Texaco will make payment easier by accepting in addition the temporary rise in gas prices may to cash and credit the transfer of one cause a downturn in summer travel this yearIt’s a prediction that spawns share of Yahoo! stock for each fill-a pleasant dreaming among residents The truth is that while the price of of Western tourists towns like Moab gasoline is rising it is still far from — dreams of say running into a grocery store this summer without get-expensive In March of 1998 gasoline hit a historic low of $107 per ting stuck in line behind strangers n from exotic places like Paris or Ible-d- o gallon — cheaper than it since 1920 when adjusted for inflaOne doesn’t need to be a resident tion But even the highest projection of $170 per gallon w hich we may be of a tourist Mecca to find hope in risprices however After all if paying this summer pales to the ing gas inflation-adjustprices at the pump price of $120 that the short-terwe were paying back in 1980 after look high we can all rest assured that costs we they pale to the long-terthis"-sdmiiriei1'- t-t-r i ! ! P- had-bee- m ed m impact our economy If higher gasoline prices lead to reduced consumption which in turn mitigates the effects of climate change then we can view each extra nickel at the pump as an investment with the potential to yield exponential returns We’ve seen the pattern before Fol- lowing the energy crunch of the 1970’s the demand for more fuel-efficie- nt Unfortucars nately the current spike in gasoline d for us prices may be too to see a repeat of that trend And there is an important caveat with sky-rocket- ed short-live- which we must come to terms: Recent studies have shown that cli- mate change is happening much more quickly than previously expected jbemarket will never catch up to the problem because the effects of global wanning are hitting long before we suffer a shortage of oil Which means above all that it is time we stopped whining as consumers and started debating as citizens what we plan to do about climate change For the jury has come in and even General Motors now agrees that global warming is real and that the burning of fossil fuels is at least partially responsible (As citizens we could start by making it a federal offense to remark upon a heavy snowfall or a cold snap by saying stupidly “So much for global warming”) The market is not die solution but it can be cause for hope Which is why m raise my glass to $170 a gallon gas: here’s hoping it’s only the beginning Mathew Gross is ters a contributor to Wri- on the Range a service of High Country News (wwwhcnorg) in Moab Utah He Hvee Your view Having children not to be taken likely To theediton I love children and have three of my own I believe not only in public education but also in publicly funded healthcare for anyone under the age of eighteen But let’s get real: the decision to have children is not a private decision if by this we mean one which has negligible effect on anyone other than die deciding parties One’s offspring may or may not be a net financial burden to society but they will certainly be a burden to an ecosystem already greatly degraded from its condition just a few generations ago They will consume finite resources and pollute the planet for current and future generations And each child adds one more body to an already overcrowded planet Even if earth can sustain the current population (and it probably could if we Americans would quit raping and pillaging the planet and content our- selves with our fair share of the earth’s resources) future generations could have a more pleasant existence with a smaller population Above all it is our offspring who are affected by our decision to have children We inflict upon them the hardships and suffering of lifenot for their benefit but to satisfy our own selfish desires to have children or to fulfill societal expectations And then we happily go on destroying and polluting the planet upon which they will have to live Suffering is a fact of life A list of its causes would be nearly endless Unfortunately one extremely common source of emotional and some times even physical pain is one’s own parents Most people make lousy parents Fortunately there are lots of other exciting rewarding and worthwhile things to do in life If you truly believe that both you and your partner are among the small minority of good (potential) parents: ADOPT! This way you can reduce the amount of suffering in the world rattier than addingtoit I love my children more than any- thing but given how much they and I have been made to suffer I regret bringing them into this world All those who are mature enough and selfless enough to refrain from hav-in- g children deserve our appreciation and support John Peace Helm Providence Attend commiinjty religion conference: To the editor I would like to thank all those who have helped with the Governor’s Community and Religious Leaders Conferences in the past There have been three conferences covering the following topics: 1997 — “Working Together in a Community” chaired by Boyd and Carma Israelsen 1998 — “Creating a Safe Community” chaired by PaulSharon Daines and Suzanne Byington 1999 — The Gift pf Literacy” chaired by Myrna Redd and the Cache Valley Literacy Coalition On March 11 2000 at 11 am all community and religious leaders in Cache and Rich Counties are invited to attend the fourth annual conference entitled “Utah’s Promise: A Healthy Start” The meeting will be held in the Logan High School Auditorium 162 W 100 S After a one hour featuring Governor Leavitt First Lady Jacalyn Leavitt and nationally renowned Rob Reiner a community meeting will be held to discuss information on health issues in Cache Valley Materials will be presented by the Bear River Health Department Logan Regional Hospital and the Family Resource Center If you would like more informatele-broadc- 0 tion please call Please plan on attending this informative 716-531- meeting Thank you Susan Redd Logan Mallard Fillmore ftTN jCOOP tss LAs Ik SURL -- utfc rtfc of gst--ta out 2noVeMrsxy Hffts fbuJPrtr zatexies sanerMS-Mie- g SoreotulSf I I Letters policy Herald Journal 3 The Opinion pegs Is Mandad to acquaint madam with a variety of viewpoints on matins of puMc importance and prams member of toaoommunlty with a forum tor Mrvfows Personal column csrtooneand letters horn nodMsiollscl flu opinion of toe writers and cm EdNortats under toe hearing )ur- lA WWt OV IkA VMr 1 mill wm fit nOWO eJOUmfl UanAaiM Of H9 fCnOfMI DQflfu OMfu NMfflMfV NICOLE FARRELLWty adNor CINDY YURTHMum adNor BRUCE SMffHpuMUMr CHARLES McCtXUJMAnanaglng edtor Th HanM Journal woicom Mars to toa adNor Potantiaty ttwlous or offensive Min wU not ba ntoRahod howauar and Sic adNor reserves toe right to adR 1 Mar to conform to tie length and atyia requirement of toe Letters should be: a Typewritten and double spared No mors Iran 450 anrda in lengto Addressed and Include daytime phone number tor purposes of uerilicaiion Signed by too autoor Indviduala are Mtod to one puMshad M- tor wlhln any SOdey period Address letters to hjMterOInsws£omGuoal commentaries an alio wsloomo and am nm at w tenon cptorvoon |