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Show I ) 0 0 (HUE) (ID PRESS ASSOCIATION U f AM W. 2 0 0 CITY LAKE nifi Every night 1 turn ull my troubles bver to God... He'll be up all night anyway. --Jim Humphrey f SUITE' u r O00& 84101-121- 2 ah Basin 500 Water storage The planned enlargement of Sandwash Reservoir would raise the water level of the reservoir 20 vertical Tuesday February 20, 2001 Roosevelt, Utah feet and provide an 88, Number 8 www.ubstandard.com Vol, additional 12,000 acre-fee- t, ofwater storage. Thatwater would be divided up to aid area farmers and ranchers as well as for municipal and industrial use. See page 3 PUBLIC EDUCATION RANKS 2ND Survey shows utility rates Do you believe? A history of UFOsightings and livestock mutilations in the Uintah Basin over die last 40 years have been witnessed by average folks who have formed opinions concerning the possibility of extraterrestriallife. 1 By Lezlee E. Whiting e A survey sent out last month by two Duchesne County to their constituents provided needed feedback that will help Rep. and Sen. Gordon Snow one-pag- Beverly Evans DELAYED DUE TO COST Three persistent leaks in the Upper Stillwater Dam were slated to be fixed once and for all last year, however, the cost of the project has pushed back those plans until 2002, when additional funding is expected to become available. shape Repairs to Upper Stillwater Dam delayed until 2002 girl. Seepages By Therena Morrill Mat runner-up- Ses- sion. About 600 people returned their questionnaires which asked them to rank issues before the Legislature in order of importance, and then requested answers to questions on timely topics relating to everything from private fuel storage to the Centennial Highway fund, public education and tax increases. Respondents rqted utility rates as their number one concern right now, followed by public education Binding and reducing taxes, said Rep. Snow. of those who responded Eighty-si- x to the survey said they opposed Private Fuel Storages proposal to store 40,000 metric tons of high-levnuclear waste above ground at the Skull Valley Goshute Indian Reservation, about 45 miles southwest of Salt Lake. Ten percent were in support of the proposal, and 4 percent had no opinion. When it comes to extending the length of payment on highway bonds beyond lOyears as a means of increasing education Binding, 62 percent of area residents who returned their surveys said they were opposed to extending the bond repayment schedule, while 33 percent were in support. Four percent who returned their survey had no opinion. The idea of giving school vouchers ifpartofthe state tax dollars used to educate children was given to parents, allowing them to choose where their chjldren are educated, was npt a percent of the popular one. Fifty-tw- o respondents were against school vouchers, while 42 percent voiced support. Six percent had no opinion. A question dealing with raising taxes foreducationspendingmetwith about the same resistance. Fifty-fou- r percent of those who took part in the survey said they opposed raisingtaxes s Plans to repair three large cracks in the Upper Stillwater Dam have been tentatively postponed until spring 2002. The dam was scheduled for repairs last summer or early foil. The which don't threaten the cracks safety or structure of the dam are causing 10 cubic feet of water per second to be lost from the reservoir. The first crack in thedam appeared TheAltamontLonghoms placed second at the statemeet Three Attsmont High wrestlers won crowns. 1-- A The first crack in the dam appeared in 1 988, just about one year after construction was completed. At that time grouting wasused to help seal the flow, but the grout eventually deteriorated. in .1988, Just, about one. year after construction was completed. At that time grouting was used to help seal the flow, but the grout eventually deteriorated. In 1992 and 1993, grouting was done once again in an effort to GYMNASIUM RENOVATIONS top the seepage. The repairs still foiled to get the job done permanently. Since that time another crack has appeared and the amount of water escaping through the crevices has increased. Engineers from the Bureau ofReclamation visited the dam site last summer. The results of this study were sent to the Bureaus office in Denver where various plans to repair the structure were devised. By Katie Nelson Completion isn't The preferred plan to stop the leaks is to use three membrane liners, said Every five years the Duchesne until late this expected Tom Bruton, Strawberry Aqueduct School District is required by the State coordinator for the Central Utah Wa-- . School Board to review and evaluate year, or early next year. ter Conservancy District. These linthe repair of its facilities. Thanks to With the elinti nation of the mobile ers, installed on the upstream aide of that evaluation, students at Duchesne Hi gh can start looking forward to the classrooms, and a possible donation of the dam, would be constructed of poly construction of a new competition-siz- e land just east of the high school by vinyl chioride (PVC). They would be gymnasium. The district found Duchesne City, the district has two approximately 6 Vi feet wideand would there were several areas in need of options for the constructionof the new cover the cracks from top to bottom, much like three vertical Band-Aidrepairs in the schools gymnasium gym. was originally estiAccording to Grant, an agreement The price-gagthrough the review process. The shower rooms at Duchesne with Duchesne City about land is not mated at 2.1 million. However, the High proved tobeofthe most concern. yet set in stone, he noted that it is an actual bids to complete the project We could have renovated them, but option at this point. If the city docame in much higher, rangingin cost we decided just to rebuild, stated nated the land they would require from $3 to 88 million. Because of theunexpected increase Tony Grant Maintenance Custodial assistance relocating their ball diasupervisor for the Duchesne School mond. Option two would place the in cost, the repair of Upper Still water new gymnasium on the north end of Dam hiss been postponed until addiDistrict. In addition to their plans to conthe school where the mobile class- tional funding can be obtained. The Bureau of Reclamation will still construct a new'gym, school district offi- rooms are now. g After the district receives recomcials decided to renovate Duchesnes tribute 81 million to the project, and little gym just off the schools com- mendations from Wentworth and a the additional money needed will mons area. The little gym" will be plan is approved, they will let bids for come from the Department of the turned into classrooms, which will the prqject. Once a bid has been se- Interior. However, in order to obtain lected construction will begin. Disthis additional funding, a contract replace the schools two mobile classrooms. trict officials say a point may not be must be awarded and included in the reached until lute 2001 or the beginThe district has retained the serInterior Departments 2002 fiscal vices ofSalt Lake contractor, Naylor ning of 2002. The entire project is budget Wentworth to design the new gym and roughly estimated to cost approxiBruton said the process of receivother renovations. Wentworth will mately $2 million. ing new bids is underway. The old review the districts choices, as well as Along with the plans for construc- contract was canceled when the bids draw a master plan before actual contion at Duchesne High, plana are also came back in excess of the estimated struction will take place. The master underway to repair roofs, parkinglots 82.1 million. New bids must be replan will allow for future repairs and and heating systems at schools ceived, reviewed, and ranked for techadditions to the school, said Grant nical merit and cost. Once a bid has throughout the district. Seepage 17 b NEW Construction planned at Duchesne High s. e eonc though this process and has been accepted contractually, fundiffgfrom the Department of Interior will be earmarked for the project. Currently, the water that is being lost due to the leaks is being accommodated for by adjusting the amount offlow-through- " water that is being SEE STILLWATER on page 3 r - ' those a education system. to fund the increased needs of the states growing public education sys- tem. Forty-tw- o percent said they would support a tax increase to fund Utahs public education needs. When asked how they would like to see thestate fund the future growth in class sizes when it comes to public education, those responding said the states Brat priority should be targeted towards setting aside surplus fundsfor the future, followed bywork-ingi- n every way possible to strengthen the economy. The last method for funding that state lawmakers should consider when flnding ways to cope with the state's growingstudent population should be raising taxes, according to those who completed their sur- el Assault charges first-degr- ee TOtfipyr whotookpartinthe survey said they opposed raising taxes to fund the increased needs of the state's growing public law-make- their decisions this Legislative Five teenagers havebeen charged with felony aggravated assault and second-degre- e felony mayhem in the beating ofa :w: Fifty-fourpercen- tof 13 Seepage concern 1 veys. . If taxes were raised to meet public education needs, respondents were asked to rank the most preferred tax increase method. Seventy-tw- o percent of the respondents said they favored an increase in sales tax. Fourteen percent said an increase in prop erty taxes would be the best way to go to fund education, and 14 percent said they would prefer income taxes be raised. Written comments mndu by some of those who returned their surveys addressed the need for state lawmakers to guard against the ability of the federal government to confiscate public lands particularly in rural areas to a plea to sock pay raises for Utah Highway Patrol troopers, a reminder about teacher accountability, and a request that lawmakers take a hard look at problems associated with pov- erty and domestic abuse. POTENTIAL INVESTORS MOVING FORWARD Study: Ethanol production plant looks like a winner By Lezlee E. Whiting "We believe that a plant in A recently released feasibility study says that an ethanol refinery in Roosevelt is in an excellent location to serve the growing Western market for fuel grade ethanol." This comes at a time when the ethanol industry is eryoying record high profits due to high demand, coupled with high gasoline prices and low corn prices. At the same time, new government regulations are increasingly requiring the useofethanol as an additive in motor fuel because it provides oxygen needed to make Biel burn cleaner. The study, conducted by KHI Engineering out of Salt Lake, said that while theres no question the location is desirable the western US. is practically devoid of ethanol plans pc Roosevelt can produce fuel grade ethanol and compete with a Midwest plant despite the penalty on imported com. even the costs associated with the transportation of the raw materials needed for use as feed stock for the plant can be mitigated to achieve a very profitable venture. It will cost an estimated 818 million to turn the old Roosevelt refinery into a modern ethanol plant. Some of the tanks and other fixtures at the refinery could be utilized, however new equipment would have to be pur chased as well. The refinery, which has been stripped of most of its equipment, has sat idle since March 1995. It was purchased last February by the Salt Lake- - based Silver Eagle Refining from Inland Refining, Inc. Once it is operational, research indicates that an ethanol refinery in Roosevelt could expect to see a pre-ta- x profit of 89.5 million a year, based on today's figures. The plant would employ an estimated 47 workers. We believe that a plant in Roosevelt can produce fuel grade ethanol and compete with a Midwest plant despite the penaltyon imported corn, the study reported. Agroupof potential investors, rail ingthemsulves Uintah Basin Ethanol SEE ETHANOL on page 3 ws.vjp ' r.K- - j " DOWN THE RIVER; UP THE CREEK Leaders day in court proves valuable lesson for all involved (This is the conclusion ofa three-paseries that fbilouted an LDS summer girU camp as it turns and twists rt area, couldnt travel back to contest to he done with the matter. We discussed the matter more than inarwerrunandendsupwithleaders being cited by park rangers, a court .once, but always came back to the appearance and everyone getting an same issue: We didn't fed we were educatiouj guilty of violating the regulations we had been given, with exception perBy Dave Holmes haps of the fire ban. We still couldnt understand why, ifthefire danger was We got the distinct impi ession that as extreme as we were told it was, if all rangers were as uncertain and nothing had been said when the ranginept as ours seemed to be and were ers were first aware of it. A List of Charges issuing tickets as ambiguous as liaise We were charged with failing to given us, they only survived because the ticketees were from dutside the update the passenger list. While the OR COPY multi-da- y .i m ermit regulations quirad notification of changes in the passenger list, there was no such re- quirement for one- day permits stated in the handout we had received from the river office. T he littering citation waa simply ludicrous. Wehad picked upeveiypieceof manmade litter out of the campsite before we left, indudingbroken glass and cigarette butts left behind by other groups. I had taken pictures to prove it. not that we were getting suspicious he- SEE GIRLS CAMP on page 3 f, j.-- j I i - I,. , - rlKb,i. V A, ' ... -- . . DRIP DRIED After two daxsrunning the Colorado River at girl s camp, the members of tins L DS Ward were reads' to head home. At the same time. thcr leader were finding out tluit they were headed towards court. |