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Show SINCE 1915 HOMETOWN, NEWSPAPER FOR SAN JUAN COUNTY, UTAH -- March 1,2000 i T l V City of Monticeilo will propose purchase of electrical system by Anna Adair The City of Monticeilo and Empire Electric are scheduled to i articipate in two public meetings to discuss the future ownership of the electrical system in Monticeilo. The meetings will take place at the San Juan County Commission Chambers at the courthouse in Monticeilo, on March 7 p.m. 1 and 2 at The City, will present information to support their wish to purchase the electric system from Empire Electric. Empire officials will present reasons why they should continue to own and operate the Recent winter snow storms have increased the mountain snow pack. Courtesy photo Favorable ruling for White Mesa The White Mesa Uranium Mill near Blanding received a favorable judgment recently with a Nuclear Regulatory Commission ruling that the mill can continue to accept alternate feed materials and other waste from sites off of the Colorado Plateau. The White Mesa Mill was originally licensed to process uranium ores from the Colorado Plateau. However, in an attempt to extend the life of the mill, International Uranium Corporation began to accept and process mill tailings from sites from as far away as New York and Missouri. International stresses that the Uranium mill will con- tinue to process the tailings in order to extract valuable trace minerals. They add that processing the alternate feeds allows the mill to stay open at times when the value of uranium ore is low. State officials, however, stress that the tailings do not have enough value for profitable extraction of the trace minerals. They state that processing the tailings is just a means to dispose of the tailings at disposal cells on the mill site. The state officials claim that the mill should be regulated as a radioactive waste facility instead of a milling operation. A state protest of the mill site licensure was what was re- cently considered by the NRC because the millsite receives its licensing from the federal NRC agency and not from the State of Utah. Murder sentence is five years to life Terrill and Jordan Calliham were sentenced to serve between five years and the rest of their lives in the Utah prison after a hearing in the Seventh District Court. In January, the brothers were found guilty by a jury of San Juan County residents for the murder of James Eaton. Eaton was shot 19 times near the Ucolo turnoff on the Utah Colorado border in April, 1999. He was apparently killed for stealing drugs valued at less than $300. However, law enforcement officials state that the evidence shows that Eaton didnt steal the drugs. During the sentencing hearing, Seventh District Judge Lyle Anderson read several letters that the brothers had allegedly written to each other since their convictions. The letters contained threats against both witnesses and law enforcement system, which provides power within Monticeilo city limits. The system has been deemed one of the most attractive" systems that has ever been seen by an independent consultant who studied the system for the City. Anton Tone, of Inter- mountain Consumer Professional EngiAeers, has studied and evaluated over 30 electrical ' systems for municipalities. Tone recommends that the City purchase the system, a recommendation he has given only seven other times in all of his studies. Tone states that of all the systems he has studied, he has recommended purchase for only 25 percent of those systems. In each case where cities have taken the recommendation of Tone to purchase, the municipalities have been very profitable in operating their systems. After appraisal of the system, a fair market value has been set at $2,780,000. This includes approximately $1.3 million for the existing infrastructure, plus the construction of a new substation and other assets. If the City Council proceeds with the purchase, they will finance the purchase through revenue bonds. The feasibility study done by the Citys consultant shows that based on average use figures, net income to the City from the system would be in excess of $217,460 a year, after loan repayments, operational costs and capital improvements are paid. City officials argue that with income exceeding $200,000 a year, improvements to streets, sewer, water, and various other would be a endeavors tremendous benefit to residents of Monticeilo, allowing them to get a major return on their investment in the system. s- ' - HlSUVEEKS Electrical sys- tem letters - See page 6 Broncos finish third at state basketball tour- nament - See page 10 World champion expected at triathlon - See page 12 apple for An teachers - See Life in a Nutshell page 14 Things that drive me crazy - See My View My Cave, page 20 The system was sold to Empire Eleytric in 1979. The City had a single window in 1999 to buy back the system after 20 years. If the city does not purchase the system, the mm i Tanner Denise & Eric Johnson February 2 years. City officials state that they have an obligation to the residents of Monticeilo to consider purchasing the system. A number of residents are skeptical about the buyback because of the electrical service prior to 1979 when the City ran the system. City oflicials state that because of technological advances in the electrical industry, it is unfair to compare I boy contract will automatically renew itself for another 20 Ramon Oldman Lucinda Slim & Otis Oldman February 5 boy boy Deryl Katie & Sheldon Shumway February 7 the system today to the system of 20 years ago. Monticeilo Feb Hi Lo 21 50 33 22 49 30 23 42 19 24 41 27 17-year-- 1 j Blanding Pr Hi Lo Pr tr. 58 38 .04 tr. 49 48 .02 46 40 45 59 29 28 tr. 26 .02 20 18 28 Monticeilo had a trace of snow February 22. Blan- ding had a trace February 24. INDEX The San Juan Broncos claimed third place at the 2A state basketball tournament. Team members are, front row Nielson, Cody Mark Webb, Cole Pilling, Tyler Ivins, Thornton; middle row, Jesse Bud Brett Burtenshaw, Eric Whitehorse, Jared Tate, Holden, Frazier, Jared SpottedElk; back row, Travis Shumway, Ryan Palmer, Jon Tate, Zeb Crofts, Farley Crofts, and Bryce Pedersen. Courtesy photo NEWS ROUNDUP LETTERS OPINIONEDITORIAL SOCIETY. SPORTS COMMUNITY NEWS LLGAI5 REAL ESTATE CIASSIFIEDS 2 6 7 8 10 12 16 17 18 |