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Show Aw ! ,. .' r r"r- - '", .:?- - EXP: 0 PRESS ASSOCIATION V'ICRRTs CR19 UTAH 307 SALT W. 200 LAKE S. CITY. UT P 84101 the. residents of Duchesne and Western Uintah Counties rr:r--r:ri)- ij Mischievous act causes big stink Uintah Basin Uintah Basin Honor Band Something special to note page s m (1) see page 3 Gn 11 Cougar basketball teams have Tuesday November 18, 1997 Roosevelt, Utah 84th Year Na 46 18 Pages try-ou- ts see page 50 14-1- 5 CALL EARLY FOR POWER CONNECTION New construction needs create backlog for Moon Lake Electric wyh r? have us to could expected ftqplc traditionally have power available in about two weeks, but With our workload its been running about four or five weeks,? stated Moon Late, Member-Vf.' Relations Manager Russell Cowan--. v, V; ; ). ; 53 . wAK'vi s'isms-W- m By Lcziee E. Whiting Leo Farnsworth said he couldnt believe it when he found out it would take about three months before ho could have electricity connected to a new wood shop he had built near hie home in Talmage. He had everything ready in the new buildingwhich would houaehia wood carving business, but the furnace and equipment were use-he had Christ- mas orders to filL 1 emfifgfcJs . Luckily officials at Moon Lake Eleo-triwere able to speed up hie application, but with a backlog of applica- e tions for service that isn't always the It used to be that if you needed electricity hooked up to a new home, business, or you could makeacall to Moon Lake Electric and within a few days the lights would be on. But, new construction and nated oil fields within the Moon lake Electric service territory have created such e backlog that unless you plan ahead and requeetapower connection well ahead of time, you could be looking at a delqy of several weeks. "People traditionally could have expected us to have power available in about two weeks, but with our workload its been running about four or five weeks," stated Moon Lake Member Relatione Manager Russell Cowan. We have had 60 to 70 applications for new service at any given time over the last 90 days and its not leveling off. Most of the construction activity continues to occur in western Duchesne County, but at the same time escalating production in oil and gas fields throughout Moon Lake Electric's vaat service territory is alao taxing manpower to the limit. Cowan points out that service refor new construction must be quests Vf .&. IwlsiMwd with maintaining and reSUPREME COURT REVIEWS BRIEFS pairing existing lines that stretch throughout most of eastern Utah and into three counties in western Colorado. The large geographic area coven plenty of rough terrain as well aa difficult ami conditions. "People just need to give us more lead time and anticipate that in their building plans Moon Lake would ap--. predate new service requests at an , earlier date, Cowan urged. Were Uintah Valley Reservation. The Ute utilising eome new technology and By Lexica E. Whiting HEAT IT ola Elementary custodian Ervin Zager shovels a load of coal into the school's old furnace. Ncola Tribe contends the Appeals Court cor- theres a learning curve, it takes ua a coal-fire- d furnace is creating potential health hazards and have asked the school board to install the say parents we little would bit than Court confirmed the Indian Tribe like, Ute forthe longer Supreme rectly Attorneys a new off mein but were smoothing the rough tain removed heating system. have submitted a brief to the US. deciaon which they Supreme Court in response to a peti- only homestead land from within the edges. We're working hard to streamline our syatems to reduce the waiting tion filed in September by Duchesne reservation. and Uintah counties which asked the "Every court which has heard the time the members are experiencing. BEEN A PROBLEM FOR YEARS PARENTS SAY MnnnI,ahaEUrti-i- Km tafcan stops the high court to revisit their 1994 reser- petitioners argumenta-indudin- g vation boundary decision in thefugen federal district court for the District to boost manpower. Since the first of ofUtah.theU.8. Court ofAppeals for the year they have hired three new In their brieC tribal attorneys Rob- the 10th Circuit, the Utah Supreme linemen and two new support staff in erts. Thompson and Sandra Hansen Court and the Supreme Court of the the engineering department They, criticized the two counties for seeking United States nee rejected thoee have also authorized overtime forfine ! redress a second time from the high arguments and has found,inetead, crews and engineers to fay to keep old dispute. The that the Uintah Valley Reservation pace with the workload and are concourt in the briefalao outlines the reasons why the was merely diminished by the exclusidering hiring another employee in court should deny the counties re- sionof unallotted, opened lands of the the engineering department "We are trying to be responsible reservation that were restored to the quest for a hearing in the case. and be good stewards over the sysThe two counties say the 10th Cir- public domain," the brief declared. On Oct 27, me teacher reported that Fuel completed a survey last summer, By Dixie Brown The Supreme Court could an- tem, Cowan stated. "The key ia havcuit Court ofAppeals end last spring the temperature in her classroom was however, according to administrators, will when they by ruling the three year old Supreme nounce late this year if they will re- ing people antidpate Before a crowd at the recent 50 degrees at 9 a.m. and had reached they would not be willing to run a Court decision inffogen did not erase hear the jurisdiction case or deny tho need power and requesting it before Duchesne natural gas line into the school withCounty School Board Meet- only 60 degrees by 1:30 p.m. do. the exterior boundaries ofthe original counties petition. they actually One tearful parenturged adminisout the majority of the Neola resiing, Neola Elementary School PTA President LeAnn Haslam had one trators to do something soon so that dents converting their home furnaces. CAN GRASSR00T SUPPORT MAKE HAPPEN? 1 think the only realistic her young daughter wouldnt have to question, - "Who dropped the ball? option at For several years, Neola educators, go to school wearing thermal under- this point as propane," said board students and parents have requested wear any longer. 1 would appreciate member Lynn Snow. Thie board has an that the school board do something it if we werent told that we dont estimate of $75,000 for the installawith the old coal-fe- d furnace at the knowwhat we are talkingabout, she tion ofa new heating system, however told the school board. "We want to the bid is from Dec. 1994. The school elementary. The furnace, which has caused cerknow what you are doing about it board stated that in order to install a tain areas of the school building to be Neola reaidentMelodyArrowchis took propane furnace they would have to covered with a layer of black, sooty it one step further. I think for every build a separate building to house the furnace and would need to install a dust, has parents concerned that their daymygrandkidshavetogotoachool children are being exposed toapoten-faalin thermals, you (speaking of the monitor system on the vents to insure If we turn this over to city governschool board members) should have to that the system was safe. hazardous situation. f ; -- V ment and aay we want a swimming Talesofsmoke rolling through the go to work there. a Those Although the school board appreciconstruction new a of promoting pod and we want this and we want school and flames in thefomace room The school board told those in at- ated the groups comments and underthat its not going to get done, its got were told by the janitors wife Sandy tendance that they had looked at eev-er- el stood their concerns, they offered little V purpose recreationcenter realize thcirsuccess "v to come from the community, Peck Zsger. "When ny husband dies ofblack options including a ground heat hinges on community volunteerism SEE NEOLA SCHOOL on page 3 told supporters. lung disease, I will sue the school source, propane and natural gas. Mtn. A study conducted a few years ago district, said Zager. "Youve known determined it wasnt feasible to en- about this problem for ldyears. I will UD0T REVIEWS I0KA STUDY By Lczlee E. Whiting proponents could go for money, and close the citys outdoor swimming be a rich widow. lotsofit. pool or cover it with a removable "Wo have had three parents file The concept is an ambitious one: Those who would like to see a new bubble, therefore a new recreation complaints with the Board of Health Plan and build a multi-millidollar multi-us- e recreation center built in center will have to be built from the this past week, said Haalam. In just community recreation center that the Roosevelt srva were told it wont groundup. addition to beingexposed tothe smoke would include a lap pool, courts for happen soon, but if the proposal is Ideafiy the recreation center would and fumes, parents are also concerned researched thoroughly and if the raoquetball, hweltrthell, and volleySEE PUBLIC SUPPORT on page 3 about the temperature in damrooma. ball, an indoor track and more, then groundwork is properly laid, funding find the means to finance the prqject sources could be approached in about TT and continue to operate it without one to two yean. It would coat an million to local estimated million to 85 on $7 & governdepending entirely v I ment. buildacommunity recreation center. . Request to lower speed limit results in studies I) Sharik Peck, a physical therapist Anything goodie possible and reBasin Medical Uintah at Center show it should really be raised, but Ioka Lane the are that ally good projects possible, tt Duchesne County Commissioner who is heading the quest for the recreresidents may still be successful in their bid. Larry Roes, told about 60 people as- ation center, laid that after talking to sembled for the first public meeting hundreds of his patients and to discuss the proposed recreation community ita very apparBy Cheryl Mecham 'an increase in the speed limit, she center. Rosa should know, he sits on ent that the facility is needed. And, he the Community Impact Board, the aid, community support ia crucial if A proposal by the Utah Departr.Velra Lee Sherman to circulate a very agency where recreation center the concept is to succeed. ment of Transportation to increase petition opposing the possible inthe speed limit on Ioka Lana (State crease. Hm two women collected 1 1 4 MW iPROPERTY.TAX BURDEN IS AVERAGE Highway 87) probably wont happen. signatures from other residents, emUDOT officials now aay the ployees ofloka businesses on the road peed limit along the king, straight and one schooL They were also supstretch of road wul probably stay the ported by County Commiasionera, the same or even drop in one congested local Utah Highway Patrol and area. The decision not to raise the Duchesne County Sheriff! Depart- Ute Tribe responds to counties petition UP-Ne- ITS r Is faulty furnace putting Neola Elementary students at risk? 22-ye- ar IT Public support manifested for community recreation center sr hr multi' Move to lower speed limit makes impact on f 3 mem-bereoft- 4 55-mi- le Utahs tax burden 14th highest in nation Utahsstate and local tax burden ia increasing as a percent of personal income, aooording to a new study by the Utah Taxpayers Association. Ua-in-g the latest data from the U J5. Deportment of Commerce, the Association calculated Utaha total tax burden and tax burden of the property, income, and sales taxes. Utahs stats and local tax burden ranked 16th heaviest ia the nation with Utahns paying 11.56 of their personal income in taxes fiscal year 1994. The national average in 1994 was 11.17. Over thepastthreeyeare,Uie state and local tax burden has gradual! increased. In 1992, Utah ranked 18th in tbs nation with nearly 11.39 of personal income going to state and local taxes. In 1993, Utah increased to 17th or 11.42 and by 1994 Utah has reached 16th or 1156. This information is from fiscal year 1994, the latest year for which comparative figures art available, and is prior to the property and sales tax cuts that occurred between 1995 and 1997. Taxpayers inNew York state bora the heaviest tax burden at 15. Alaska, Hawaii, Wisconsin, and Wyoming rounded out the top five. Although Alaska and Wyoming are ranked among the highest in tax bur, si well as Nevada, den, Jiese st-SEE TAX BURDEN on page 8 k . . VV'j I . JUST THE RIGHT TOUCH-Tbree-y- eer old Shelby Roberts finishes dressing up her snowman with s carrot nose. two Ioka women who made their voices heard, says Doug Bassett. Ioka residents attending a medal traffic and high way safety open house hosted by the UDOT in Roosevelt last year askki UDOT officials to conduct a speed-lim- it survey in an effort to lower the speed limit UDOT complied and ran two radar speed checks and found that the majority of vehicles on Ioka lane were traveling 65 to 70 miles per hour. The speed limit is set at 55. On a road like that straight and flat it invites people to drive faster, Bassett said. The mead limit study, ooupled with a road analysis, actually pointed to raising the speed limit to 60 milea Mr hour. Baflutt Mid. When Ioka resident Janet RuaaaQ learned that UDOT was considering T ment The petition end a letter outlining "reasons that the speed limit shouldnt be raised, were sent to UDOT officials jyst over a week ago. Ioka residents were aim encouraged to call UDOT and tell them of their concerns. They did. Bassett sots that he has carefully considered afi the information supplied him, and has madeapropoaal to lower the speed limit and implement a 50 mph bone from the State Highway 40junction for one halfa mile or possibly a mile westerly along Highway 87. After that point he haa recommended that the speed limit on Ioka lane remain at 55 to Upaloo. We havent made a decision, B stt said, and while UDOT does have the authority to raise the speed limit to 60 if they red it ia feasible, ho aid, "we arent in a hurry to do that. |