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Show . I t. UINTAH BASIN STANDARD. September Duchesne works on damage control after critical review in angler newsletter wouldnt honor special room rates were the result of a mix-u- p by the By Lexlet E. Whiting Just two weeks before the Walleye Classic fishing tournament at Starvation Reservoir brings about 60 teams of anglers from throughout the country to Duchesne City, the city has discovered their tourist accommodations were criticised in a newsletter sent to members of Rocky Mountain Anglers (RMA). Hie Duchesne City Council says they plan to put a positive spin on the "ticklish situation by personally contacting RMA officials and telling the the group that the city definitely wants their business and will do whatever they can to remedy complaints. In a commentary in the RMA June newsletter, Ray Schelbe told members of his group to "stay away from Duchesne motels." All three motels in the city are owned by Connie Jess. Duchesne Area Chamber of Commerce which incorrectly issued a promotion of $4 off on rooms, instead ofa discount to Comer Corral, a store which she owns in Duchesne. According to Jess, complaints by her motel guests were not ignored. "If they had a problem, we'd get it fixed. The Chamber, which sponsors the annual Walleye Classic, says they had received complaints about motel accommodations in Duchesne in the past, but "nothing drastic said Alice Larsen. I n a i - M H "! 'S rv ' a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Pat Shea announced Friday, Aug. 14, the formation of a National Land Exchange Evaluation and Assistance Team to provide assistance and oversight to the agencys field offices on land exchanges involving federal BLM lands. "By strengthening our land exchange program, the BLM can continue to acquire lan da with high public values while protecting the interests of American taxpayers, Shea said. "With the formation of this Team, we will provide additional professional expertise to help ensure that procedures and regulations governing exchanges are consistently applied and followed, particularly in unusual or complicated It was suggested that RMA mem- bers stay in Roosevelt to protest their alleged mistreatment in the Duchesne motels. Schelbe did say he regretted taking such action because of the business it would take from other Duchesne merchants, but could not continue to "support abuses that have plagued us in the past When there is a choice, he reasoned, his group should support businesses who appreciate their business. John Plant, a Duchesne City business owner and member of the Dinosaur land Travel Board, said the situation concerns him. It was Plant who found out about the dissatisfied customers and went to the City Council last week to formulate a plan to try to win back their buai- - The Team was the product of a BLM work group involving headquarters and field staff, which evaluated different critical reports of the BLM land exchange activities over the last five years. Hie Inspector General of the Department of the Interior provided several reports with suggestions evaluated by the Team. The BLM, with stewardship of more than 264 million acres iff land primarily in the West more than any other federal agency completes 60 to 70 land exchanges every year. On average eachyear these exchanges involve roughly 150,000 acres of land, and values of about $50 million. Shea said the Team is being formed in response to public concerns regarding the agencys procedures on some controversial exchanges. Over the years, there has been occasional criticism that BLM has not consistently followed exchange procedures and regulations. Shea intends to address these concerns in a proactive manner and take corrective actions before BLM is irreversibly committed to exchange transactions. "While the vast majority of exchanges present no problems, improvements can be made to our program so that we can be sure every exchange involving BLM lands is in - just spent $1 million fixing up our main street and we have been given a black eye. We don't want that. The mayor and City We Council have assured me that something will be done to make sure this group knows it wasn't the city, it was a private business. .. Jess has taken a less conciliatory approach with the group. She said shes hired ad attorney to "go after them. She maintains any complaints about unclean rooms are not true and attributes the bad press to a few individuals who are so picky they wouldnt be happy no matter what she did. Some off the anglers weren't the best motel guests themselves, sMs added. Jess said accusations that she tERNAI0R ST4Rj EXCHANGE 722-358- 290 if East Located 200 with.... rates for bigger lines reduced after complaints A public hearing will be held tonight (Tuesday, Sept. 1) in the Roosevelt City Council Chambers for the purpose of gathering input on a plan to change the water rate structure so that all households with one-- i nch water meters pay the same Larsen said the Chamber will continue to promote and support all businesses in Duchesne and said they have enough faith in Jess to continue putting the Walleye Classic tournament sponsors up at her motels. The popular fishing tournament now in its 7 year provides Duchesne Citys economy with a good amount of tourist dollars, said Larsen. Anglers "pre-fis- h Starvation weeks and even months before the tournament in which the winners take home money and a new boat. costs. For at least three decades, about 30 Roosevelt residences serviced - with a one-inc- h water meter were billed at the monthly base rate of $17, the same as if they had the meter. smaller Meanwhile, about 70 other Roosevelt families were paying the correct base rate of $39.50 for their h water meters. When the water-us- e d city conducted a survey a few months ago, they ran across the disparity and fixed it by making sure all homes with the h meters were charged the base rate of $39.50. The jump in water rates resulted in numerous complaints from those who had been getting a break on their water bills since the 1950s and 1960s, explained Roosevelt City h Administrator Brad Hancock. A line provides a water flow of 40 gallons a minute, while a line produces a flow of 25 gallons a minute. In certain parts of the city it's preferable to have the larger meter because of water pressure problems; however, one-inc- forms teams to give oversight in land exchanges bers have spent a lot of time and money in Duchense over the years and while "every place in town has bent over backwards to accommodate anglers and make them fed welcome during the annual Walleye Classic, the motels haven't. Some of the complaints he listed indude botched reservations, dirty rooms, plumbing and electrical problems, and failure to honor special rates. To make matters worse, Schelbe says when problems were reported to the management they were handled with belligerence. : the best interest of our country, ty . he said. Shea said exchanges are an important management tool because they allow the BLM to acquire the kind of land that is suited to public ownership: land with high conservation values as habitat for wildlife includingthreatened or endangered species; land that offers recreational opportunities for the public; or land containing sensitive riparian areas that are critical to the health of streams, rivers and entire watersheds. In turn, states, counties or private developers can obtain land that is better suited for local management or that will serve the development or expansion needs of growing communities, he said. .. one-inc- . , - "4 V : '.V-- one-inc- .... V ... .( PREPARE TO DETOUR-Wo- rk has begun on the repairof a major culvert on South State Street just south of the Meadow Brook Subdivision, the road is dosed in front of the Tom Jenkins residence as work crews prepare to install the new culvert and make road repairs. The project is expected to take a few weeks to complete. throughout the community. "It created a controversy, it was quite a jump, but we looked at our ordinance and we determined that all meters should pay for h rate. the When the complaints came pouring in, the city decided a compromise was in order and readjusted the fee schedule one more time by lowering the base rate for a one-inc- h linq to $22. The fee would still bring in the revenue to cover costs which are built into the rate structure, said Hancock. At the same time the adjustment would provide h meter households about 70 with a break in their water bills and make the new increase for the other 30 a bit more palatable. one-inc- h The Team, consisti ng of staff from both the agency's headquarters office in Washington, D.C. and field office positions, will include a Team RANGELY COLORADO Meeker's Annie Merriom appears to be recovering from her bout with the dreaded hantavirus. According to Claude Wood, state Division of Wildlife manager who oversaw the youth conservation program in Rio Blanco County this summer, the teen has been removed from the special blood filtering system, which is similur to a dialysis machine, at the University of New Mexico Hospital. Merriam participated in the DOW program this summer. Wood said the epidemiologists told him they may never be able to pinpoint how the girl contracted the virus. - Rangely Times MOAB Moab businesses are bullish on the community. According to a survey of local business owners by Utah State University, most local companies are planning to expand over the next five years. But costs, limited transportation, and a lack of educational opportunities make that expansion difficult. The survey was conducted in June, asking company owners to list both problems and opportunities they see in the future. It showed what many already knew: retail business, often catering to the tourist trade, is the dominating sector of the local economy. The - VERNAL-T- he meters are scattered one-inc- h nt Uintah School District is recalling its 1998-9- 9 Parent Policy Guide because it was never approved by the School in some instances it is unclear and poorly worded. Student" Board, and The guide, issued to all secondary students during this years registration, outlines student behavior, dress and responsibilities. It was updated thisyear. The Uintah School Board gave first readingapprovalofthe changes last June, but never gave final approval of the changes. Vernal 58-pa- - leader and two Benior land specialists. The Team will also be able to draw on the expertise of other field office specialists, such as appraisers, land law examiners, and natural resource specialists as needed. The BLM will also evaluate options to consider other means of increasing objective input in the review of land exchanges. These options could include participation by the BLM Resource Advisory Councils or other federal agency representation on land exchange evaluation teams. one-inc- one-inc- IT'S A FACTI If You Know Someone Who Has Diabetes Many Americans know increases their risk of heart disease, but few know that diabetes can lead to other complications as well. For example, the American Diabetes Association says that eight percent of diabetics have peripheral arterial disease, commonly known as PAD, with 45 percent developing PAD within 20 years. Simply put, peripheral arterial disease is a condition in which (NAPS) that having dialieies patients experience a disruption in blood supply to their extremities, most often their legs and feet. This disruption can cause pain, discomfort, and damage, depending on the duration and degree of blood flow impairment. If you experience any of these symptoms, its important that you see your doctor. 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