OCR Text |
Show February 1 03.qxd 12/7/2021 3:33 PM Page 2 THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 2 Volume VII Issue VIII February 1, 2003 Letters to the Editor The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Staff: Shanna Francis Tel: 745-2688 Fax: 745-0062 Cell: 791-4387 E-Mail: shannafrancis@att.net Jeannie Wendell Tel: 745-2879 Fax: 745-2879 E-Mail: crwendell@att.net crwendell@msn.com Opinions expressed by advertisers, columnists or letters to the editor are not necessarily the opinions of the owners and staff of The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS. Guidelines for Letters to the Editor Letters should be 300 words or less. Letters must be signed and the address of the writer submitted. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS reserves the right to edit or decline printing of any submissions. Announcements Sought As a community service, The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS will print local birth, wedding, obituary, anniversary and missionary farewell & homecoming and Eagle Scout announcements free of charge. We invite residents to send their announcements to: The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS PO BOX 130 EDEN UT 84310 If you would like your submitted items returned, please send a stamped, selfaddressed envelope. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS, while respecting all property received, will take no responsibility for lost or misplaced items. Please remember to keep a copy for yourself. Invitation for Articles The staff of The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS welcomes the submission of articles by our readership. We invite you to submit local historical accounts or biographies, articles pertaining to contemporary issues, and/or other material that may be of interest to our readers. We also invite you to submit to the paper, or notify the staff of local events. Awards that have been earned by the reader, family members, neighbors or friends are also sought. While the staff of The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS invites the submittal of information and articles, we reserve the right to select which material will be considered for publication. All material, to be considered, must be submitted with the full name, address and telephone number of the person submitting the material. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS’ liability on account of errors in, or omissions of, advertising shall in no event exceed the amount of charges for the advertising omitted or the space occupied by the error. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS does not endorse, promote or encourage the purchase or sale of any product or service advertised in this newspaper. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS hereby disclaims all liability for any damage suffered as the result of any advertisement in this newspaper. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS is not responsible for any claims or representations made in advertisements in this newspaper. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS has the sole authority to edit and locate any classified advertisement as deemed appropriate. It also reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Note: The contents of The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS are copyrighted. To protect this publication and its contributors from unlawful copying, written permission is required before any individual or company engages in the reproduction or distribution of its contents, by any means, without first obtaining written permission from the owners of this publication. Eden, It’s Time to Incorporate I recently attended an open meeting where the idea of Eden incorporating was discussed. Being a novice, with absolutely no experience in government, I listened with great interest to all of the ideas for and against incorporation. Some people (myself included) worried about a tax increase. Some worried about growing too fast, and in undesirable ways. Others thought that it is time for better control of our community, and to have a more direct say in its future. There are many more questions about the process than there are answers, at this point. However, it is important to note the following. 1. The process for incorporation is prescribed by law, and most of the questions anyone might have about the costs, control, form of government, and timetable will be answered, before community members are asked to vote on incorporation. 2. The county will pay most of the costs associated with the process, even if we finally vote “no” to incorporation. The only costs residents of Eden will be asked to pay are some attorney fees, fees for a boundary survey and legal description, and some marketing costs to get the information out to Valley residents. The volunteers working on the process have pledged to raise this money through the collection of donations. Very soon you will be asked to sign a petition asking that the process be started. I ask you to support the process. It will cost us nothing, provide many answers, and, if when all the information is available and we don’t like what we see, we can still vote no. However, there are many possible advantages. The citizens of Eden should have a strong voice in decisions that affect their community. Currently we have no voice. Scott Jensen, Eden Valley Service District Announces Annual Schedule The Ogden Valley Recreation/ Transmission Special Service District Board has announced its meeting schedule for the 2003 year. The following meetings will be held at the Ogden Valley Library from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend. February 12 March 12 April 9 May 14 June 11 July 9 August 13 September 10 October 8 November 12 December 10 Inspirational Thought “Between stimulus and response, there is space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” — Author Unknown Deadline for material for the February 15 OVN issue is February 5. Feasibility Study Will Provide Useful Information When I first heard about the possibility that Eden would incorporate, I made up my mind about it with very little information. I listened to negative comments from friends and neighbors, but then decided to go to the meeting so I could make my own informed decision. I attended the meeting and gained a lot of knowledge. I volunteered to be on a committee, and told myself I would keep an open mind. People resist change. “It has been good enough for the last century, why change now?” Eden is growing and changing, and we need to look at what is best. If the feasibility study shows that it’s not in our best interest to do so, or too costly, we don’t have to go through with incorporation. It is the American way to adapt and move forward. We need all the information possible to make an informed, intelligent decision. A feasibility study can help us gain this information. Karen Wilbur Hansen, Eden Democratic Process Still Around and Working Fine Eden Planning Committee. I heard a number of views both for and against incorporation, but was so very impressed by the nature of the attendees. Each was willing to talk and listen to each other, and to discuss the facts and the future of Eden without raising a fuss. Self-determination . . . we the residents of Eden can control our own future. What a wonderful idea! At one point someone called for a vote and we decided, overwhelmingly, to move forward. I signed up to be a volunteer, and was called to attend another meeting to familiarize attendees with the incorporation process, and to form specific committees in order to pursue the feasibility study. The study, commissioned by the county, will give Eden residents some idea of how much tax increase, if any, there might be if we form our own city and control our own future. Committees were formed at the meeting, and I recognized other volunteers who had voted against pursuing the feasibility study. When asked why they were there, they said they felt it was important to be there to voice there opinions. Two opposite sides working together in peace and harmony—truly this place is an Eden! At one point during the evening, I looked around and felt that the spirits of America’s founding fathers were there with us in the room. I’m sure they were pleased that the ideas, and the democratic process they formulated over 225 years ago, were still around and working fine. I read Steven Clarke’s guest commentary in the January 15 issue of the OVN with great interest. Enough interest, in fact, to attend the public meeting on Eden Jim Halay, incorporation, which was hosted by the Eden UDOT Seeks Public Input on Design Alternatives for Riverdale Road WEBER COUNTY - The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) recently hosted a public open house to discuss design alternatives for the proposed widening of Riverdale Road. Project limits extend from Interstate 15 on the west, to Washington Blvd. to the east. The meeting was held January 27, at the Riverdale Community Center. Design alternatives to address existing and future transportation issues in the Riverdale Road corridor have been analyzed and screened. Potential solutions have been narrowed to the most feasible alternatives. The open house allowed the public an opportunity to review and comment on the proposals that have been advanced in the selection process. UDOT consultants were on hand to receive comments and answer questions. Public comment is still being solicited. To view plan alternatives, visit UDOT’s web site at www.udot.utah.gov/riverdale/default.htm For more information, contact Public Involvement Coordinator Andrew Neff at 801-620-1641. |