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Show The Ogden Valley news Your Community Newspaper April 1, 2011 PRSRT STD POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 11 EDEN UT POSTAL PATRON EDEN-LIBERTY-84310 HUNTSVILLE-84317 OGDEN CANYON- 84401 HCR 843AO Annual Canyon Clean Up Part of Earth Day Celebration Michael Beddome of Eden took this sunset photo above the North Ogden Divide from his Wolf Creek home on Friday, January 15, 2011. Board of Adjustments Denies Green Valley Academy Appeal By Shanna Francis On March 17, the Board of Adjustments listened to arguments from appellants Chris and Susan Johnson, Christina Granath, and Lonnie and Cassidy Berhaal that the proposed Green Valley Academy’s proposed facility’s use does not meet the definition of a school. The five-member board voted three to two to uphold the Ogden Valley Township Planning Commission’s decision for approval of the youth facility for construction in unincorporated Huntsville, citing that it does meet the requirements of a school. Appellants hold that the proposed facility will be a center for troubled youth with an educational element. Defendants call the facility a “private, nonpublic specialty school serving students with specific needs in the areas of learning, depres- sion, anxiety, and pervasive developmental problems,” and will serve youth ages 14 to 18 years of age. They also claim that counseling and therapy for the students are ancillary and subordinate to the educational program, as is the on-site lodging, which is necessary for customers who come from outside the region. Members of the Weber County Board of Adjustments, including two alternate members, are Celeste Canning, Phil Hancock, Deone Smith, Max Hohman, Doug Dickson, Sue Wilkins, and Robert Heffernan. County Commissioners to Consider Appeal of Planning Commission’s Decision to Deny Heliport On March 29, the Weber County Commissioners will consider an appeal by appellants Ron Rubin, owner of the Red Moose GREEN VALLEY cont. on page 8 Studies Look at Pollutants in Groundwater around Pineveiw Reservoir, and Options for Potential Sewer Systems Siberian weasel. Photo by Larry Zini. SPJ Gives Utah National “Black Hole Award” for Egregious Anti-Transparency Law INDIANAPOLIS – The Society of Professional Journalists is giving its Black Hole Award for 2011 to the Utah Legislature and Governor Gary Herbert for plunging their state into an abyss of secrecy never before seen in modern times—at least in America. In celebrating national Sunshine Week, March 13-19, SPJ also named five runners-up for the national “dis-honor” to highlight particularly heinous violations of the public’s right to know. SPJ’s Freedom of Information Committee selected Utah’s governor and legislature as the recipients because of extreme changes to its public records law rushed through in March in a mockery of the legislative process. On Tuesday, March 8, Herbert signed into law HB477, which will take effect July 1. The legislation makes major changes to the state Government Records Access and Management Act, including: • Expansive and arbitrary copy fees for search time, redaction, administrative overhead and legal review that will price citizens out of their government. • A requirement that people must prove beyond a preponderance of the evidence that a public record should be public; every other Wolf Creek Sewer Improvement District Becomes the Wolf Creek Water and Sewer Improvement District The Wolf Creek Sewer Improvement District has become the Wolf Creek Water and Sewer Improvement District and has purchased the assets of Wolf Creek Water Company and Wolf Creek Water Conservancy. Wolf Creek Sewer Improvement District is a body politic, a political subdivision of the State of Utah with an elected Board of Directors. The District is charged with the responsibility of providing sanitary sewer services within its boundaries. As the result of an order by Judge Ernie Jones of the Second District Court of Utah, the Wolf Creek Sewer Improvement District has been given authority to operate as a water district and the name of the district is changed to the Wolf Creek Water and Sewer Improvement District. With the order, the District was able to sign a purchase agreement to acquire the assets of the Wolf Creek Water Company and the Wolf Creek Water Conservancy from Wolf Creek Properties LC. The decision to purchase those assets came after a public meeting was held on May 25, 2010 for subscribers to the services of the three utilities. When the concept of the utilities all being a part of the existing sewer district was explained at the meeting, there was unanimous approval by those in attendance for the proposal. The meeting was very well attended. Financing for the purchase of the assets of the water companies was arranged through the Ogden office of Wells Fargo Bank by way of the issuance of municipal bonds. Another public hearing was required along with the WOLF CREEK cont. on page 2 Valley Residents Experience a Second Round of Flooding ing along the creek in homes located directly above Patio Springs. Homes along Juniper For the second time this year, Eden residents received flooding along with three homes at experienced flooding from heavy rains falling the end of the cul-de-sac on Willow Brook on frozen, snow-packed ground. On January 17, Lane in Patio Springs. In the worst case, one and again on March 16, neighbors in the Patio home received about 22 inches of water in their basement, as they Springs Subdivision did in January. below Wolf Creek, Neighbors, Weber and neighbors in County personthe Eden Acres nel, firemen Subdivision below from the Weber the Mountain View Fire District, and Cemetery in Eden, inmates from the received water damWeber County jail age due to sheet arrived to help fill flooding and satusandbags and try rated soils. to divert the sponIn Patio Springs, taneous river that a river that jumped was shooting water its banks and sheet into the Smith flooding contributed home at the end to a virtual river that began flowing A fast moving torrent of water pushed through a Wolf of Willow Brook. off of the mountain- Creek bench neighborhood on March 16 flooding KSL news arrived and covered the side near the base streets and homes. of Powder Mountain on the east side of the flood event live, showing footage on the 10:00 road, crossed Highway 158, then pushed down news as the hum of sump pumps droned on, through Juniper Lane, also causing some floodFLOODING cont. on page 10 By Shanna Francis By Shanna Francis On March 17, Utah State University Research Professor Dr. Darwin L. Sorensen and one of his PhD students, Thomas N. Reuben, attended Huntsville Town’s Council Meeting to present findings from a water collection study they had recently completed. The purpose of the study is related to concerns by the State of Utah Division of Environmental Quality regarding the water quality of Pineview Reservoir and the South Fork of the Ogden River. Both are listed as impaired and protected bodies of water. Because of this, steps are being taken to improve the water flowing into the South Fork and Pineview Reservoir. The first step was to undertake a comprehensive PINEVIEW cont. on page 10 Earth Day is Friday, April 22. To help celebrate, the Ogden Canyon Club is holding its bi-annual spring Canyon Cleanup on Saturday, April 23. The Canyon Club hosts this event twice a year—once in the spring and once in the fall. This will be their 15th consecutive year of service. “Each time we hold a cleanup, spring and fall, we fill a whole dump truck full of trash, and that’s just from the garbage that is found on the sides of the road in Ogden Canyon. That’s a lot of trash,” states Keith Rounkles of the Ogden Canyon Club. Those who would like to participate in this year’s spring cleanup should meet at the Alaskan Inn at 9:00 a.m. where they will receive mapped instructions and assignments for the cleanup. Everyone’s help is needed. At noon, after the completion of the cleanup effort, there will be an outside BBQ lunch provided at The Oaks restaurant. There will also be a raffle with a chance to win many great prizes. The Canyon Club is asking everyone to come out and help with this cleanup effort. “How often do we do something that jeopardizes our environment? Everyday. We can at least come together as a community and spend three hours of our time to give something back,” states Rounkles. “If you’re not going to come out and help with the Canyon Cleanup, at least do something to participate in Earth Day. Combine efforts within your neighborhood, support the local Sierra Club, or involve your church groups in an environmental friendly project.” If you can not attend the Canyon Cleanup and would still like to contribute in some way, donations to help cover the cost of lunch, or prize donations for the raffle would be greatly appreciated. For additional information, or to contribute, contact Keith Rounkles at 801-668-8844. state requires the government to prove it should be secret. • Exemptions keeping a wide swath of electronic records secret, including text messages and other correspondence of officials, allowing government to communicate in secret. SPJ Freedom of Information Committee Chairman David Cuillier was in Salt Lake City on March 16 to present the Black Hole Award. He presented a black wreath on the front steps of the state Capitol building where lawmakers were invited to show up to accept the award. Freedom of information experts from around the country said the results of the legislation will make the state the most secretive in the nation, positioning Utah as more closed than most nations, including Mexico and Albania, and lead to increased corruption and government malfeasance at the expense of taxpayers. “This is by far the most anti-democratic secrecy legislation we have ever seen in recent history,” SPJ Freedom of Information Committee Chairman David Cuillier said. “This isn’t about BLACK HOLE cont. on page 3 A river developed above Patio Springs Subdivision, eventually running down through the neighborhood causing flooding to three homes. |
