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Show The Ogden Valley news Your Community Newspaper July 1, 2017 USPS MARKETING MAIL POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 11 EDEN UT POSTAL PATRON EDEN-LIBERTY-84310 HUNTSVILLE-84317 OGDEN CANYON- 84401 HCR 843AO Protecting Dark Skies in Ogden Valley An important question is being put before the Weber County Commission June 27 at 10:00 a.m. in the Commission Chambers at Ogden’s Weber Center. Namely, do we want a lighting ordinance that protects our dark skies? It is important that all interested Valley residents either attend the meeting or send their thoughts to the commissioners if they cannot attend. Comments can be sent to Commissioners Jim Harvey - jHarvey@co.weber.ut.us; Kerry Gibson - kgibson@co.weber.ut.us; and/or James Ebert - jebert@co.weber.ut.us. We all wrestle with how to preserve our dark skies while also supporting future devel- DARK SKIES cont. on page 8 Public Assistance Needed In Locating Person of Interest Community members celebrate the newly completed Pelican Beach section of pathway, connecting Huntsville with Eden, with a ribbon cutting ceremony held June 21 at the east end of Pineview Reservoir. Shown above are Allan Wheelright (Pathways representative) and Weber County Commissioner James Ebert holding the scissors and Commissioner Harvey standing to his right, with Huntsville Mayor Jim Truett (far right) and members of the Weber Chamber of Commerce Spikers—Debbie Williams, Brandi Bosworth, Lynnette Hitt, Jay Garrett, Scott Sluis, Kristie Nielsen, Hyrum Rappleye, and Sonny Thompson—looking on, along with Sean Harwood, David Ashby from the U.S. Forest Service, Jeff Stuart and Mark Benigni. New Pathway Rivals Any Other On a beautiful June 21 morning, with snowcapped mountains in the background and water lapping gently against the stone lined shore, Weber Pathways dedicated the last section of pathway to connect Eden to Huntsville. Alan Wheelwright of Eden, tireless worker and promoter of pathways in Ogden Valley, presented the facts and figures behind this latest and very expensive portion of the pathway. As he said, in the past, our community was car centered, where it was not safe for a child to ride a bike or walk almost anywhere. With the pathway connecting our communities, it is now possible to stay off our too-busy, high-speed roads. Commissioner Ebert spoke to the audience, complimenting Weber Pathways on the 266 miles of natural surface trails and 33 (now 40 with the Pelican Beach section) miles of paved paths they have built in Weber County. This pathway has been a collaboration between the Forest Service, Weber County, RAMP and Weber Pathways. Ebert affirmed the commitment the county has to a vibrant trail system that promotes healthy lifestyles and improves the quality of life in Ogden Valley and for all residents of Weber County. He said, “There are few things that almost 80% of the people agree on and trail systems appear to be one. Surveys find that 65% or so of adult Americans get little or no exercise. This specific connection we are standing on right now will help to improve those numbers significantly.” Mark Benigni, Executive Director of Weber Pathways, explained how the trail was built. Connecting Pelican Beach to Spring Creek necessitated either building up near the road (much too expensive) or at the water’s edge. The bed for the trail along the water was raised using fill from the reservoir itself and then edged with large boulders to keep the water at high water level from washing away the path. As you traverse this beautiful pathway, you have water and gorgeous mountain vistas to the west and, to the east, the tall cottonwoods that have NEW PATHWAY cont. on page 11 Huntsville Town Helps Bring “Communities That Care” Model to Ogden Valley By Mayor Jim Truett, Huntsville Town I am excited to announce that Huntsville Town is partnering with the Weber Warrior Strong Coalition to bring the Communities That Care model to Ogden Valley and its residents. The Weber Warrior Strong Coalition focuses on all of the communities that have students feeding into Weber High School. The Communities That Care (CTC) system is a way for members of a community to work together to prevent youth behavior problems, including suicide, substance abuse, delinquency, teen pregnancy, dropping out of school and violence. CTC research was developed by Dr. David Hawkins and Dr. Richard Catalano, who identified risk factors that predict youth problem behaviors, and protective factors that buffer children from risk so they can lead a more successful life. The Weber Warrior Strong Coalition has come to the town council asking for financial support to hire a coordinator. CTC Coordinators help guide coalition efforts by supporting community boards and community work groups understand the CTC process and complete the milestones and bench marks outlined in the program. The coordinator also acts as the connective piece, or liaison, between all of the various boards and functions, providing backup support throughout the process. Huntsville Town has donated $720 toward hiring the Weber Warrior Strong Coordinator. We would like to extend this effort to members of the broader Ogden Valley community by asking for donations to match the town’s contribution for the hiring of a coordinator. As a community member of Ogden Valley, I hope we can join together and support the coalition. CTC’s significant effect on youth health and behavior problems can produce long-term socio-economic benefits. For every dollar invested in CTC, an average of $5.30 is returned in the form of lower criminal justice system, crime victim, and health care costs; and HUNTSVILLE cont. on page 13 “Operation Iron Horse” Planned for June 28 & 29 On June 28 and June 29, the Ogden City Fire Department will participate in a full-scale exercise to test their capabilities working cooperatively with local, state and federal partners. The June 28 exercise, sponsored by UTA, will simulate a terrorist suicide bombing on the northbound frontrunner train as it approaches the platform at 9:30 a.m. This response drill, “Operation Iron Horse,” will result in multiple simulated fatalities and casualties. Partners will include EMS, Fire, Law, UTA, Bomb Squad, CSI, FBI, a SWAT Team, Medical Examiner’s Office, Weber Morgan Health Dept., The Salvation Army, Mckay Dee Hospital, Ogden Regional Medical Center, Job Corp, Life Flight, Aircare, and the area’s Homicide Task Force. The exercise will be held at the Intermodal Hub located at 2393 S. Wall Ave. June 28, and Newbridge Elementary, located at 2150 S. Jefferson Ave. June 29. Traffic disruptions will be minimal, as no major roadways will be impacted. The event on June 28 will focus on operational coordination and response, whereas the event on June 29 will involve establishing a family assistance center aimed at connecting The Weber County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help from the community in their search for Gerald Michael Bullinger, a person of interest in a triple homicide investigation that occurred in Canyon County Idaho. According to Lt. Nate Hutchinson, Bullinger is a sixtyyear-old white male. He is 6’1” tall and weighs approximately 240 lbs. He has gray hair and brown eyes. Bullinger has ties to Weber County. He owns a home in Ogden City PERSON OF INTEREST cont. on page 8 Firework & Open Flame Restrictions Announced for June 20 thru August 15, or Until Conditions Improve Late spring 2017 with its wet weather caused a fast growth of grasses and other light fuels along the Wasatch front and its river corridors. In addition, data provided from the U.S. Forest Service suggest that fuels in areas along Ogden’s east bench have already reached “extreme” levels. The long-range forecast for the Ogden area indicates temperatures averaging in the upper 90’s for the remainder of June and most of July with no to very little scattered rain from thunderstorms. Based upon this data, the Utah State Division of Forestry and State Lands, in cooperation with Weber Fire District, enacted fire restrictions that were implemented June 23, 2017. The restrictions affect all unincorporated Weber County east of Highway 89, Harrison Boulevard, and Mountain Road, excluding Huntsville Town and the upper Ogden Valley area. These restrictions will remain in effect until September 1, 2017 or until conditions improve. RESTRICTIONS cont. on page 11 Pineview Reservoir Beach Cleanup Night Planned for July 12 munity pride, keep our surround- Forest Service introduces Adopt-A-Beach Program The Ogden Ranger District and Detours of Huntsville invites the public to participate in a Pineview Reservoir Beach Cleanup night. The cleanup event offers fun, exercise, a chance to meet new people, participate in a great outdoor activity, help the environment, and keep our waters beautiful! This event is designed to reduce litter along Pineview Reservoir’s shorelines, increase com- ing environment clean, increase public awareness, and demonstrate positive action about the issue of littering. Garbage bags and latex gloves will be available onsite the evening of the cleanup, July 12 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Volunteers are encouraged to bring water and wear appropriate clothing, shoes, hats and sunscreen while participating. CLEANUP cont. on page 12 Forest Service Explores “Pack It In, Pack It Out” Leave No Trace Option at County Reservoirs to Control & Minimize Garbage Wilbanks noted efforts already adopted by the county. In 2016, Weber County impleAccording to Weber County Public Affairs mented the overnight anchor permit, creating Director Holin Wilbanks, the county is work- a revenue stream to provide law enforcement overnight on the reservoir. ing closely with the Forest They also created a commuService to offer an overall, nity working group to closely better recreational experistudy various options and find ence at Pineview and Casey solutions for the raising safeReservoirs, including tryty concerns derived from the ing to stem out-of-control growing volume of users. The amounts of garbage and trash county also enforced “no parkleft behind at area reservoirs. ing” areas along the roadway Wilbanks stated, “As part of this, we are looking at ways to create a safer experience FOREST SERVICE and protect the environment cont. on page 10 around the reservoirs.” Trash at Pelican Beach. Compiled by Shanna Francis families of the deceased with services for their loved ones. A joint information system (JIS) will be activated and exercised to ensure interoperable communications amongst agencies. The premise of the drill is that on the morning of June 28, at approximately 9:30 a.m., a northbound Front Runner train is rocked by two explosions. The train, while stopped at the Ogden Platform, is attacked by what witnesses report as four men carrying backpacks. Two of the backpacks explode in two cars while the other two backpacks do not. The two men whose backpacks do not detonate are thought to have been injured and witnesses lose sight of them in the confusion of the aftermath. It appears that over 200 people are injured and over 50 are dead from preliminary estimates. Players will operate in and around live trains, and will need to exercise caution during the exercise. The exercise area will be marked off and closed to the public to prevent interference with normal train service, interruption of the exercise, and to provide for the safety of the public. Access to the immediate area of the drill will be limited to exercise players, evaluators, control- Shown above is a picture of a new sign installed at Windsurfer Beach alerting users, that in the future, parking fees will be collected. Photo by Davey Scadden of Eden. lers and safety personnel. |
