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Show The OGDEN December 1, 2002 VALLEY NEWS Your Community Newspaper By Kristen Moulton, The Salt Lake Tribune LAWSUIT cont. on page 3 Developer cites bad economy and Sept. 11 for pulling out By Toby G. Hayes, Deseret News correspondent Photo courtesy of Kris Wilkerson of Huntsville. Work on Pineview Dam Extended – Motorists warned Compiled by Shanna Francis Ogden Valley News The Bureau of Reclamation recently announced that the current renovation work on Pineview Dam, which has caused the road across the dam to be closed, will now be extended into mid-December due to delays caused by weather, and the meticulous nature of the work of reinforcing the left spillway wall of the dam. Although the extension is unavoidable, agency officials stated that they recognize the inconvenience the road closure may cause area residents. According to Reclamation officials and its contractor CM Concrete, Inc., crews are working around the clock to complete the spillway work as quickly, efficiently, and effectively as possible to mini- Valley Elementary Students Evacuated On November 20, students at Valley Elementary were evacuated from the school around 10:00 a.m. after school district maintenance workers damaged a gas main while working on the blacktop surface behind the school. According to Nate Taggart of the Weber School District, students were initially taken across the street to the Huntsville Park as a precautionary measure until arrangements could be made to contain the students at a POSTAL PATRON EDEN-LIBERTY-84310 HUNTSVILLE-84317 OGDEN CANYON- 84401 HCR 843AO Powder Mountain expansion frozen in its tracks Lawsuits Delay Sale of Nordic OGDEN — Nordic Valley Resort is the ski hill that time forgot, and it looks as though it will stay that way for a while. Ski Associates — a group of 31 Ogdenarea skier-share- holders who bought the Weber County resort so it wouldn’t close 25 years ago — has been trying since the late 1990s to get rid of it. They thought they had it sold in 2000 and again in 2001, first to an Ogden Valley resident who wanted to turn it into a Europeanstyle ski village and next to a developer who drew up sketches for a $45 million resort. All of the plans have crumbled, though, and now lawsuits and countersuits are threatening the future of Nordic Valley, a modest mountain with two ski lifts, a tubing hill, night lights and a decades-old base lodge. Nordic Valley will open this season despite the legal troubles, said Ray McNeely, president of Ski Associates. The opening date, typically just before Christmas, depends on snowfall. But resolving the court challenges and finding an owner who can pump new capital into the resort may take some time. The owners, many now retired and living in warmer climates, are patient. “Snowbasin was for sale for many years before Mr. Holding bought it,” said McNeely, who continues to advertise a $6 million price for Nordic Valley. The resort has always been the smallest of the three Ogden Valley ski areas, but even Snowbasin was considered a mom-and-pop affair before Sun Valley resort owner Earl Holding pumped in more than $70 million to expand in time for last winter’s Olympic downhill races. Now, Powder Mountain, northeast of Nordic Valley, is also poised for a major transformation. Park City developer Brent Ferrin has proposed a luxury home, retail and golf course development centered around an expanded ski resort. Only 85 of Nordic Valley’s 435 acres are now developed, and the remaining terrain, much of it fit for experts, could be opened up with three or four new ski lifts, McNeely said. A new owner also could try to lease Forest Service land on the hill above the resort, which extends to the crest of the Wasatch Range. McNeely said developers have considered Nordic Valley’s potential from two perspectives. Some see a bigger ski resort, and PRSRT STD POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 11 EDEN UT nearby Huntsville LDS church. An electronic notification system alerted parents of the incident, where students were being held, and that students would be released from school at the standard time of 1:30 p.m.— Wednesday being a regularly scheduled “early out” day. Questar Gas employees were called to the school to repair the gas leak. Valley students were able to return to normally scheduled classes at school the next day. mize the effects of the road closure on the surrounding communities. All work on Pineview Dam is estimated to be complete by March 20, 2003 at a cost of approximately 2.9 million dollars. The first phase of the work began on July 15, 2002 as part of he agency’s Safety of Dams Program. The work consists of strengthening the spillway by lining the gate structure with reinforced concrete and steel plating which necessitated the excavation of the dam embankment adjacent to the left spillway wall, and the temporary closing of U.S. Highway 162 which crosses the crest of the dam. The Bureau of Reclamation and its contractor earlier estimated that the road would be closed until October 19, 2002. Pineview Dam is part of the Ogden River PINEVIEW cont. on page 3 LOGAN — The future of Powder Mountain is uncertain. Plans to develop the ski area into a Park City-like resort have been put on hold after developers Brent Ferrin and Associates pulled the plug in Weber County. “The wording they used was they were not exercising their option to buy,” said Tonia Wilson, administrative assistant for the Weber County Commission. Plans were moving forward last month after Ferrin was granted approval by the Cache County Council to rezone the 3,500 acres on the Cache Valley side. Ferrin told the Deseret News on Oct. 8 he and Powder Mountain owner Alvin Cobabe had agreed on a selling price for the land and were set to close Nov. 1. But few have heard from Ferrin since, including Cobabe. “We have had no communication with him,” Cobabe said. “We know as much as you do.” Cobabe and his attorney have repeatedly attempted to contact Ferrin prior to and even after the agreed upon closing date. The Deseret News attempted Monday, but Ferrin didn’t return calls. “That’s about the same response we’re getting,” Cobabe said. “We’re just going to continue running our resort like we always have.” The initial plans for the 12-year expansion included construction of hotels, restaurants, shops, condominiums, homes and golf courses on the 8,000 acres that straddle the Cache and Weber County lines. Ferrin was scheduled to address the Weber County Commission on Tuesday to request rezone approval for the 4,500 acres in Weber, similar to the rezone granted in Cache County. “We’ll see what happens, but basically it’s off the table,” said Glen Burton, Weber County commissioner. Burton said developers called last week, citing economic reasons for pulling out of the deal, blaming the effects of Sept. 11. “In bad economic times, especially when ski resorts are losing money, investors want POWDER cont. on page 4 The Spirit of Giving Eden Resident in Extreme Competition Topping out a 3 day wall climbing in Zions National Park are Charles Bryon, left, and Les Vierra, right. A new five-month adventure series will culminate with the first-ever live telecast of the ascent to the summit of Mt. Everest, called “Global Extremes: Mt. Everest - 4Runners of Adventure.” Eden resident Les Vierra, 31, is one of 50 people chosen to participate. The group includes men and women, aged 22 to 61, from Alaska to Florida. Mr. Vierra is a civil engineer who loves to climb, especially “big peaks.” He is married with a three-year-old son and baby on the way. His wife is Brandi Hammon, formerly of Huntsville. After traveling and working around the country for the last five years, they decided to settle here because it offers just about everything that they want in a community. During the first Global Extremes event in Moab, Mr. Vierra spent time submerged in the Colorado River, rock climbing in the snow, mountain biking from the LaSalle Mountains to Slick Rock in snow, rain, and mud, and running EXTREME cont. on page 3 Stan Tixier of Eden and Father Charles Cummins enjoy a light-hearted moment while donating blood at St. Florence Catholic Church. Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . Page 2 Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6 Historical Article . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9 Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . 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