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Show Page 14 The Ogden Valley news Volume XV Issue XVI August 1, 2008 Summer Solstice Festival Follow Up Article On June 21, the longest sunshine day of the year was welcomed to Ogden Valley with the Inaugural Summer Solstice Festival held at Trapper’s Village in historic Huntsville Square. An evening of live music, delicious catered dinner by Roosters, and a beautiful outdoor setting provided all the right ingredients for a delightful event. Local musicians featuring singer/songwriter talent took turns performing for their guests, each providing their own flavor of entertainment. Stephanie Gibson drove from Salt Lake City to experience the event and said, “I was so impressed! I lost track of time while listening to the amazing talent, and the food was absolutely perfect. It was worth the drive.” Dropping out of school at age fifteen in order to explore the world and experience life as a hobo on the Southern Pacific Railroad, being a cattle skinner in Texas, a merchant seaman to such exotic places like Singapore and the West Indies, and a prizefighter across small-town America gave Louis L’Amour quite an education. This autobiography, Education of a Wandering Man, is the fastpaced life of one of America’s most gifted writers. Of his formal schooling, Mr. L’Amour said that it “was interfering with my education.” He felt that “education begins in the home” and said, “Ours was a family in which everyone was constantly reading and where literature, politics, history, and the events of the prize ring were discussed at breakfast, lunch, and dinner . . . How many books we had in our home I do not remember, and I doubt if anyone ever counted. We had collections of Longfellow, Whittier, Lowell, and Emerson, as well as the Stoddard lectures on travel. All of us had library cards, and they were always in use. Reading was as natural to us as breathing.” We can imagine the home Louis L’Amour grew up in the early 1900s in Jamestown, North Dakota. He obviously had plenty of chores and work to do on his family’s farm but, as he states, “Somewhere along the line I had fallen in love with learning, and it became a lifelong romance.” He also wrote in his autobiography, “I know that no university exists that can provide an education: what a university can provide is an outline, to give the learner a direction and guidance. The rest one has to do for oneself. If I were asked what education should give, I would say it should offer breadth of view, ease of understanding, tolerance for others, and a background from which the mind can explore in any direction.” And explore he did. After completing the tenth grade, L’Amour hitch-hiked and hopped trains to Oklahoma City and then to west Texas where he found a job skinning cattle. His boss was a 79- plan (12, exhibit I), and their own landscap- The Solstice Festival was sponsored by ing, lighting and signage plan (12; exhibit J). local businesses including Ogden Valley Again, they can change any of these plans at • Magazine.com; Advanced Paving and will. Construction; and Roosters, a local brewing • …the PERPS agree to start construction when • they say they will or zoning “could” revert company. Also sponsoring the event were (15), but section 2 says the county can’t ever • Jeff and Bonnie Hyde of Trapper’s Village. take away density . Construction is to begin in Many thanks go out to all the local “about two years or less”. concert goers. “We had a good turn out for • … the PERPS “intend” to limit skiers to a maximum per day (Page 20, paragraph 5) • …the PERPS say “there will be trails” connecting resort trails to trails on public land, but have bypassed the usual review and design process (Page 25, 2.4.3.) • …the PERPS say they will put in 18 lifts (8 in Weber County), but don’t commit to when or where or describe what should happen if they don’t • …the PERPS “suggest” an employee housing plan for 150 of the 3000 expected employees. Then they whittle it down to 78 and insist on flexibility as “Powder Mountain deems necessary.” • • • • • • the festival’s inaugural kick off. I see the festival growing each year as word gets out The Agreement legally binds the county to do its on what a fun time we had,” said Danielle part, a much longer list as you might expect: Vaughn, one of the co-organizers. “We’ll • …the county agrees to never do anything “to • restrict Powder Mountain’s vested rights to be back next year . . .” “Education of a Wandering Man”—A book review By Forrest Brown COMMENTARY cont. from page 3 year-old wrangler who had been raised by the Apaches. He taught Louis about tracking and using herbs. He moved on to Pecos Valley in New Mexico where he baled hay across the road from Billy the Kid’s grave. There he met Judge Cole and became acquainted with 30 or so gunfighters, rangers, and outlaws. Is it any wonder that most of Louis L’Amour’s novels and short stories are about the wild, wild West? From here, Louis L’Amour began traveling the world as a merchant seaman aboard ships such as the Steadfast and other large freighters. On these trips across the mighty seas he found he had lots of time for reading. On reading he said, “For one who reads, there is no limit to the number of lives that may be lived . . . I saved myself much hardship by learning from the experiences of others, learning what to expect and what to avoid . . . no doubt that my vicarious experience saved me from mistakes.” From these experiences came thoughts and ideas for some of his greatest works like The Walking Drum and The Last of the Breed. He also served in the U.S. Army as a tank destroyer commander during World War II. A unique thing about Louis L’Amour as a writer was his ability to make you feel you are experiencing the things he wrote. He said, “When in my stories I write of hunger, thirst, and cold, these things I have experienced.” A great example of this is in his renowned novel Lonesome Gods when he describes the hot and painful march that the main character, Johannes, completes across a desert in order to save his life. Louis L’Amour actually walked across the Mojave Desert for two days. He also knew what it was like to be alone for months having worked in mines and lumber yards entirely by himself. At the end of this great autobiography, Louis L’Amour lists the 731 books he read from 1930 to 1937, illustrating what a studious mind this celebrated writer had. Of his existence he writes, “My life may not be great to others, but to me it has been one of steady progression, never dull, often exciting, often hungry, tired, and lonely, but always learning.” • • • • • • • • • • • • • develop the Project…” (2) and the county agrees it will never revoke the zoning/density granted (7) …the commissioners agree that the Powderville incorporation petition meets “all legal requirements;” they also agree to put town incorporation on their next meeting agenda and automatically pass it if the PERPS decide so (3). …the commissioners find the Concept Development Plan (CDP) to their liking and approve it in total. (5) …the county agrees that a single Destination Resort Zone overlay will be applied to all 6351 acres, that the Resort Zone overlay (which does not currently exist) will be crafted specifically to enable the PERPS to carry out their scheme, and that it will be in place by August 1. (6B). …the county agrees to grant the density increase even if the Resort Zone does not materialize for some reason. The county also agrees to subordinate all county planning, zoning and development ordinances to the PERP’s Concept Development Plan. (6C). …the county agrees the project should be exempt from Valley impact fees. (9). … the county agrees to any mix of housing units the PERPS may eventually decide to build (10A). …the county agrees to grant commercial development without limitation, including “drinking establishments.” (10B) …the county agrees to recreation construction without limitation. (10D) …the county agrees to form a Local Taxing District by August 1 to allow the PERPS to tax properties to finance development. The county also agrees to figure out a way to include the Cache county portion in the District. …the county agrees to allow the resort to grow to 9,800 acres (CDP 1.3…vision) …the county agrees that the James Peak Village development adjacent to Snowflake subdivision at the bottom of the mountain is a legitimate part of the resort overlay, rather than a residential subdivision. By doing so, it agrees that it is ok to develop extremely high density next to an existing low-density subdivision. …the county allows building up to 150 ft in height (CDP page 20, paragraph 1) …the county exempts the project from county road standards (CDP page 20, paragraph 4), but does agree to assume responsibility for road maintenance (CDP page 20, 2.4.1). The county agrees to accept road standards created by the PERPS, but not detailed in the agreement (2.4.6.1). The county agrees to allow minor streets (2.4.6.1). The county agrees to allow • • • an unlimited number of lots on cul-de-sacs (2.4.6.3). The county agrees that “major road standards” will not be required anywhere in the resort, even major arteries (2.4.6.3). …the county allows a long list of permitted uses in the development area (CDP page 22) …the county accepts a 45 ft height for 5000+ square foot houses (CDP page 23) …the county accepts lots as small as 2500 ft2 and setbacks as small as 10 ft from property lines for single family detached units (CDP page 23). …the county accepts responsibility for a second, seasonal, emergency road (CDP 2.4.4) …the county agrees that there is no need for a second all-season road to the resort unless the PERPS ask for more density. Even then, the county agrees to accept responsibility to get it done. (CDP 2.4.5.) ..the county exempts development from Weber County Block regulations (CDP 2.5) …the county exempts development from Weber County lot regulations (CDP 2.6) …the county accepts a phasing plan the PERPS can change at will. (CDP 4) …the county exempts the development from the county’s normal site plan design/design approval process, conditional use approval and PUD approval. (CDP 6) …the county exempts the development from county ordinances regarding “Cluster Subdivisions, Conditional Uses, Parking and Loading Space, Signs, Ogden Valley Signs, Design Review, Hillside Development Review Procedures and Standards, and Ogden Valley Lighting.” (6.4) …the county accepts, as adequate, employee housing for 78 of its 3,000 employees. (Exhibit F) …the county accepts the validity of the 2007 Traffic Impact Analysis and agrees that adding 41% more units does not change expected traffic (Exhibit G). The county agrees that failure of UDOT to improve the roads will not interfere with resort development. …the county agrees that the traffic reduction measures are adequate and practical and will keep traffic congestion and safety within acceptable boundaries. In short, the PERPS say they will drop their petition to incorporate Powderville, impose a 1% property transfer fee on sales of resort property (except when they are selling), and commit $2.2 million toward traffic lights at all major intersections. In return they want a completely protected three-to-four-fold increase in density and to be exempt from all normal planning and development ordinances and processes, instead, allowing the PERPS to make up the rules as they go. The PERPS are asking the county commissioners to “just trust us; we can only have a general idea of what will happen with the resort so we can’t commit to anything specific.” This seems a lot to ask from a group who have so far done nothing but threaten the county and valley residents with their greedy intentions and legal maneuvers. This is simply too bitter a pill to swallow. If the Commissioners accept the Development Agreement proposed by the PERPS, they are simultaneously abdicating county responsibility to look out for the health, safety and welfare of its citizens and destroying any chance of carrying out the will of the people as expressed in the Ogden Valley General Plan. Kimbal Wheatley, Huntsville |