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Show THE ZEPHYRJUNE 89 tael the same, but I tort of reverse It a bit I fML that thosa pubic land should not b sold, especially if they are going to benefit Just a few people, and that land Is locked for other people. I'm against that. But I can see the benefit If that land can be put to some financial use by selling R. But maybe thafs too short term. So, for now, no, Pm opposed to that. , Feme: I really dont know anything about this proposal, but theres something confiding in me when I here that you take some land and say the taxpayers In Grand County cant hunt there. It bothers me. On the other hand, If you bring some tax money Into the county from It, I would feel different about It In that one way. But to Just take a piece of land and keep the local people off It, I'd say no. Zephyr: These. erequesttons regarding the Special Service District and the Book CHffs road. First there has been a question whether some of these mineral lease revenues-ca- n oo to anything besides roads. The Assodaflon of Counties, the Road Board ell boHevo that for aUeast two years, all of the monies In question must oo to roads. Are vou confident now that the law Is being Interpreted properly? Merv: I Dave: Pm , not ... Feme: Pm not either. Dave: You ask me, do I feel confident, no, I dont. Pm not saying they're right or wrong. Pm Just saying I have not got an answer yet If youre not confident that the law Is being Interpreted property. Is Zephyr: H wise to commit most If not all of the future mineral lease revenues on June 1 when they go to CIB with their funding request for the Book Cliffs road? Dave: Sure. Why not? The Idea here Is that youve got a project that you want to do, and IPs not wrong to commit all your funds to It The other things are an 1 priority of a But I dont think they're the option. If theyre legal at alL road board. Its priority should be roads. If they want to commit all the money, I think that's proper. If they want to commit some money to other places, I think that might be proper too. Merv: I feel that that portion of the mineral lease money that goes through DOT Is really meant for roads. There Is an option that one can go to other special service districts, but I think the prime one was roads. I look at the other asped of It, that Is the mineral lease money. We would be wise to spend that money in areas where mineral leases are developed. Pm looking at a long-ter-m project That In the future we can keep on getting mineral leases out of those areas. I look at It as a parallel case to what might be called a slush fond. When San Juan County was earning a lot of money from all the mines down there, they were allowed legislation to develop a fond there. So when the monies died down, they could use that money. Everyone Is now looking at that money with a bit of envy, wishing we had done the same thing. This will Insure us monies In the future, and I feel It is a good source. I know It will lock up mineral lease monies for a long time, but l am looking In the future, people will say, thank goodness, we ctid that Dave: Let me add that those are questions really for the Road Board, since they will make the determination where that money goes. Zephyr: Well Ive heard one legal opinion that since the road alignment will follow a county road, that they could not build that road without the county's permission. So ultimately, vou could sav ves or no to this road. Dave: ThaPs true, but we couldnt tell them to give the money to someone else. Zephyr: But since this protect Is the malor commitment of funding, vou could have a melor role Jn deciding If the money Is used like that Dave: ThaPs true. Zephyr: Do vou believe the public has been adequately Involved In the planning of this prelect and what evidence do vou have that the citizens support that PfOPOWl? , have no evidence either way. Ive heard pro and con. As far as I dont think the public has been Involved at alL Actually, I dont Involvement, think we have been Involved. I think they're making their own decisions. Merv: I think there should be a public hearing. But Pm not sure do you have It before the engineering work has been done? They may have an Idea right now that road may cost X number of dollars. They do an engineering Job and they may find IPs going to cost a Hell of a lot more. There might be a change. So I really dont know If a meeting shouldve been held already or have one coming up. There will be on Pm quite sure. Dave: I really dont know that there needs to be public hearings or not The public hearings were held to create a road board. Everyone had an opportunity to come, and nobody came. There were two public hearings and nobody came. Now that Road Board has been set up to create roads.' That board Is functioning as IPs been set up, and nobody cared enough to come and find out how It worked. How much was the public involved In the KokopelD Trail? Hardly any. How many public hearings were held? Was there an environmental Impact statement? It was done because It was Feme: I Energy Bldg. E. Center St. Moab, Utah (801) 259-884- mwm nth VIDEO LIBRARY 7 PAGE 5 deemed proper. This Is deemed proper too and should be done In an expedient manner. Zephyr: The difference Is. Creamer and Noble Is saving oredlnq and afionlng the million dollars. ThaPs a lot of money compared to the road alone could cost 15-- 20 KokooelM TralL Dave: True. But again IPs coming from Federal lease monies. ThaPs what those monies were meant to be used for, for building roads. Zephyr. JLWM for Wfliffw.nBy ilPBfiCt?.. wet nUi? Dave: Sure. Wed, thaPs set up for a road cfistricL ThaPs the only way we were able to get those community Impacts to come down. Before, the county had to go on hands and knees to CIB. We couldnt even go before them, we had to go through the City or some special service district to beg for this money to mitigate these Impacts. And the question was asked, whaPs the number one Impact for mineral lease and that Is roads. So whaPs the best way to mitigate the Impact? A road district We met with 29 counties and the number one concern was roads from all counties. By putting that road up there, hopefully, well stimulate more mineral lease money which will also stimulate property taxes. Zephyr: Have any energy companies come out In favor of this roadLwho feel that enewv production will Increase as a result? Dave: Have you asked?. Zephyr; No. but I thought mavbe that the Royl Board. In order to gamer support for Its protect mlohPve solicited endorsements. Dave: Theres quite a bit of support if you go out and find out Especially the oil companies who have traditionally done their own work on the roads, even the county roads out there. Merv: I think IPs a Httle unfair to suggest that this Is a road that has just been thought of by the Special Service District This Is a project that people have been looking at for 20 years. Dave: Mervs right because when we went up to the DOT meeting, part of the reason they agreed to take that over Is because It Is a road that they had on their maps and will be built, eooner or later. And now's the greatest opportunity to do It, and It benefits Grand County. Some say R benefits only certain people, but R benefits the entire county. R will benefit certain people more. R wifi benefit one Knutson, Merv: because he has one Hell of a struggle working In those roads. But theres nothing you can do to keep R from affecting indMduals. Zephyr. Lwanted to oo back to one question about public Input The Road Board hesJrad several meetings that were not announced. In fact there was one on Mav 8 where Merv and Elaine met with the Board and Creamer & Noble to discuss the pretjmlnerv engineering contract Are these meetings supposed to be announced In advance? Merv: That one wasnt I questioned Jimmie on that, and he said they thought about R and since they were only discussing tills contract, I heard thaPs why tiiey didn't have R as a public meeting. ThaPrJhe last of the Book Cliffs road questions. And there's only Zephyr: one question left I got a couple of complaints about Spanish Valiev Drive. Where water tines have been run across the road, the patches seem to have sunk and produced a sort of reverse speed bump. Can these be fixed In the near future? Merv: I had a report that someone just about tore their pan out the other day, I and had difficulty finding the spot Dave: The County can do something we can resurface It No, we can patch R for now. As soon as we resurface H, somebody will want to dig R up again. R never fails. But yeah, we ought to get somebody out there. Merv: If you do have to dig a fine across, you have to patch R and you know IPs going to sink. As soon as Rs settled; then you fix R. Zephyr: ThaPs R. Thanks. al mcleod electrical contractor 259-709- 0 po box 1423 moab Open 7 Days a Week remember "THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL"? comedy is king marx bros. laurel & hardy w. c. fields Charlie chaplin all pre-- 1 abbott & costello tracey & hepburn 960 comedies: offer expires 629 "alfred borada nikto $ no other specials apply 1 .00 ea |