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Show Page The Ogden Valley news Volume XVI Issue VII April 1, 2009 How Has the Economic Downturn Save the Dates! June 5, 6, & 7, 2009 Ogden Friends of Acoustic Music is pre- the interstate, Fort Buenaventura is a great senting a three-day music festival at Ogden’s outdoor setting to enjoy fine acoustic music. Impacted Ogden Valley? beautiful Fort Buenaventura the first week- On-site camping and food vendors will be By Logan Smith Weber High Student Reporter Today, all the radio talks about is the rollercoaster of the U.S. economy, and President Obama’s ear-ringing campaign slogan was “Change!” These two facts seem to go hand in hand. One follows the other’s footsteps. Everybody is feeling at least a drop of the economy’s pain, in one way or another. One radio station warns us, saying “Hang on to your wallet!” while another news station reports the bleak outlooks of the trampoline of our stock market. “In our little restaurant, we’ve felt the change.” says Tanya McFarland, manager of Eats of Eden. “Some of our regular customers don’t come in as often, and business is a little slower. There may be several factors. There are several new restaurants opening up nearby, the weather isn’t the same as last year, and people hear too much about the bad economy.” The real estate market is also one of the hardest hit by the economic storm. Foreclosures are more common than ever. “The market has gone from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market,” says realtor Deone Smith, who owns Team Excell real estate company. “These current conditions easily last for 6 to 8 months or longer. Foreclosures are the biggest problem right now.” Our Valley wasn’t always like this. Some residents remember the good old days, before chaos struck like a lightning bolt and this land was a fat cat’s paradise. “The Valley has changed drastically. Back when I bought my home 34 years ago (approximately in 1975), you could only see one light on in the entire Valley at night,” says Marva Pike, long-time resident of Eden. “Back then, you could sit out on your porch and name everybody who drove by.” As you can see, over the years our Valley has sprouted and grown faster than an insidious weed, such as the infamous Dyer’s Woad. It’s not hard to find yourself driving past vacant lots or construction sites. A new business suite has opened near Eats of Eden, a new elementary school is being built along the highway going to Huntsville, the Carlos and Harley’s restaurant/ski shop complex opened up near Maverik, and there are numerous houses and condos under construction. “When me and my wife bought our home in 1997, we bought the house before the road was even built,” says Norman Skanchy, Nordic Valley resident and husband of Elma Skanchy. The two have been married for 61 years now. “We bought our home because we needed some good land for our horses.” But as you have seen on the news channel, the economy is leaning over the edge of the drain. Unemployment and home foreclosures are on the rise, and small business owners are hanging up the “Sorry, we’re closed for good” sign much more often. The North Pointe and the Point theaters recently went out of business due to the juggernaut competitor Megaplex 13 Theater. Fortunately, both North Pointe and the Point theaters have opened as discount theaters, showing older, pre-released movies at very low ticket price ($3 a ticket). It makes you wonder how well an Ogden Valley theater would do . . . . The Valley is not untouched by the nation’s economic crisis. Taxes are becoming less lenient, so hang on to your wallet. We can finally breathe easier with lower gas prices from their all-time high, but that doesn’t mean food prices and real estate will do the same. “Money is going to spoil the Valley if we are not careful.” adds Pike. Wolf Creek won’t stop hitting the hammer to the nail any time soon, with all the new condos being built. There is much controversy over turning up and down Powder Mountain Road, and around that area that might eventually be called “Powderville.” It seems like building and expansion in the Valley is pretty much unimpeded by the weary economy. You’d think that building would slow with the frailer economy and slower market. But many people say that the Valley will become the new Park City within the next decade. But what are we as homeowners and loyal Valley residents to do? We seem like pawns in a chess game when stood next to the “fat cats” who “…think our Valley is one big money playground,” as Pike puts it. “We need to support what’s here,” advises Skanchy. “There aren’t a lot of commercial goods here in the Valley, and there are more restaurants than fast food. But we should stick with helping our small businesses, and shopping more at the Valley Market rather than the grocery giants like Smith’s.” “We need new county commissioners who know how to deal with this kind of situation,” concludes Pike. end in June. We are excited to bring back the Kruger Brothers! Regional and local bands will include Sawmill Road, Cold Creek, The Band of Annuals, Red Desert Ramblers, Mike Iverson Bluegrass Band, Stormy Mountain Boys, Ridin’ The Faultline, Bill Vernieu & Joanna Joseph, and Roby Kap Acoustic Trio. Conveniently located near downtown Ogden and close to the Frontrunner and available at the Fort, and nearby Ogden offers a wide variety of restaurants and hotels. There will even be a full moon! Educational booths with children’s activities will be set up to provide hands-on musical experiences. More information to follow! If you are interested in being a volunteer or sponsor for this exciting event, please reply to Michelle Tanner at <michelle.foam@gmail.com> Pictured from left to right are guests and GEM committee members Kent Lyons, General Manager of Snowbasin; Jennifer Graham, Director, County Parks and Recreation; Julie Mertlich; Ross Mertlich; Tim Maycock, County Parks and Recreation; Kimbal Wheatley; Steve Clarke; Cindy Beger; Shanna Francis; and Art Roscoe who attended a GEM committee meeting held in March at which time GEM chair Steve Clarke (pictured with plaque) was honored for his years of dedicated service to the committee and to the community. PARKS cont. from page 1 charge of the decision as to “how much Parks and Recreation would cost.” There are other recommendations that address the principle of use of the parks by people who don’t live in the District. Current statistics indicate about one half of users of our local parks today come from the Wasatch Front or other places. We expect this ratio of use to continue or increase. We believe District residents will want to have financial support from those who come to use the parks. We can’t imagine that a mother who is a resident of the District would pay to park at a local park to watch her children play soccer, but it may not be unreasonable to ask someone coming from out of the District to pay a small fee. We also suggest maintenance costs at the parks could be shared by County residents as a whole. The idea of user fees is not new. Consider current use of regional facilities. We pay to use the boat docks and parking at the reservoir. We pay to use the campgrounds at North Fork or Memorial parks. We pay to use the snowmobile parking lot. We pay to use Forest Service campgrounds. This principle needs to be addressed with kindness since Ogden City doesn’t charge me anything to sit under a tree in one of their parks while I eat my lunch. As the Valley population grows, use of the parks will increase and new facilities will be needed. State law permits the County to collect an impact fee for new building. The fee is specifically for Parks and Recreation. We have recommended such a fee be implemented. As you can see, the complete answer to the question of “what will it cost” is one that will unfold over time and one that we will, in large measure, determine ourselves. Questions or comments can be directed to Steve Clarke at <sdclarke@oValley.net> TV TURNOFF cont. from page 1 Association, and Reading is Fundamental. For more information, please contact Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness at (202) 333-9220, or visit them on the web at <www.screentime.org> During the week of April 20-26, Valley Elementary students who participate in turning off their screens will be able to visit the Ogden Nature center for free with a paying adult; and visit Fat-Cats in Ogden where they can bowl for $2, do the bumper cars for $1.99, “glo” golf for $2.99, and receive 100 tokens for $20. More information will be coming soon to Valley Elementary students, so mark your calendars and be ready for a fun screen-free week! |