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Show April 15 03.qxd 12/7/2021 3:53 PM Page 2 THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 2 Volume VIII Issue I April 15, 2003 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. Letters to the Editor Educational Adventures in Ogden Valley The Valley just keeps getting better and better. I grew up in California and we married and started raising our family there. But as the children started growing and entering the schools there, we got the bug to live in a place where we could raise them ourselves, with the values and education that we wanted them to have. The Valley has been a wonderful place to homeschool, garden, recreate and enjoy community. Many other families have joined us over the last 17 years homeschooling their children, and we have had great times together. We have also had tons of support from the excellent public schools here, and I thank them. Last year, as some wonderful Valley families started putting together a Kimber Academy in Huntsville, I applauded them, but declined their offers to get involved. I have known Dr. Glen Kimber for many years, as he has also been involved in homeschooling in Utah. I have incorporated his ideas of teaching moral values, patriotism, and a love of learning in my own homeschool for many years, but didn’t feel the need to send my children to one of his schools as our own school was going quite well. However, this year we did get involved a little in some of their extra-curricular activities, and as my children associated more and more with the great kids who were attending Kimber Academy, I saw some things that I wanted my kids to have. I had been thinking about all this a lot, when, one day, Rod Clark called me. (I didn’t know he had been hired as the Administrator and senior teacher at Kimber Academy.) I have known and respected Rod Clark for many years from our association at church, but when he said he had a job offer for me—was I interested, I said no. Then he told me he was looking for a teacher for the junior class at Kimber Academy! I was flattered and realized right away that this was just the thing our family needed. I could be there with my children, we would be learning together (like we’ve always done), and we would be associated with some of the best people and curriculum around! I dove right in and have been loving it ever since. I knew most of the students in my class already from associations with their parents, and my years as Stake Primary president. We do lots of Primary-like learning, incorporating the scriptures in every topic. I love the feeling in the school. Everyone is glad to be there, and are learning because they want to. The students are respectful and considerate. We sing, read, do research, and play together. We are done by noon every day, so I can go home and take care of things there. My kids are happy and are learning new things every day. I am grateful we have so many educational options for our children in the Valley. We have the right to decide what is best for our children—it says so in the Constitution! Thanks to all who work so hard to make this a great community. Editor’s View Clichés Not to Live By I’m convinced that people who rely on clichés when it comes to making a case for an argument, are either uneducated on the subject, or do not know how to reason or formulate an original, intelligent perspective. This type of debater sticks out like a sore thumb when they open their mouth, revealing their ignorance. Or perhaps they really aren’t so blind after all—maybe they’re just trying to sooth their own conscience. Either way, how much patience must a genuinely concerned body endure? My prayer, “Please dear Lord, give me an acre of “open space” for every time I have to listen to a worn and faulty cliché spewed out against those who are striving to foster and implement common sense planning in an effort to promote an economically, environmentally, socially, and physically healthy and desirable community. Here are just a few examples of the most common. Have you heard any of them before? Unfortunately, if not, it’s just a matter of time. When—not if—you do, recognize them for what they are. “Now that you’ve moved here, you just want to close the gate behind you!” What’s so sad—the person reciting this accusing, worn cliché seems to actually believe that they have just shared something with their audience that is clever and profound! Who said anything about closing the gate? What about directing the herd, and preventing an all out, chaotic stampede, and the resulting damage left in its wake? There are variations on this cliché, but they all carry the same underlying theme. What about this one . . . “Growth and change are inevitable.” Of course they are—so what’s your point? Shouldn’t we really be discussing what type of growth and development will benefit the Valley and its residents long term. “You’re just trying to stop progress.” Would you please define your idea of progress? Is unfettered development really progress? Please, can we first have a discussion on responsibility and stewardship? What about a discussion on economics— who is going to shoulder the long-term costs and consequences of irresponsible and unbridled development? What about the cost of restoring a threatened or impaired watershed? What about the cost of developing infrastructure to support uncontrolled growth? Has anyone noticed how much more hazardous the road around Pineview Dam becomes when the traffic load doubles during the hours when the spillway is closed? How many more years until this scenario is the norm every day? How many more accidents and deaths are we willing to accept along a highway that was built decades ago to accommodate a truly rural population? How many more accidents and deaths are we willing to accept before we insist that rusty, ineffective, ungrounded and dangerous guardrails are replaced; wider shoulders are developed; and passing lanes created to safely accommodate the increased traffic loads being nurtured by developers marketing their real-estate ventures, and local political leaders and businesses who are strategically marketing and capitalizing on the Valley and its pristine amenities? In and of itself, there may be nothing wrong with these actions—after all, it’s the American way, right? Yes, but this system only works as long as there is oversight by an educated populace that can see past the smokescreens, accusations, and clichés, and create balance by demanding accountability and responsibility by those who have oversight over such matters. Why hasn’t the county adopted impact fees to help defray costs for future capital improvements—the need for which is being rapidly accelerated by current planning decisions? The county has, of yet, to adopt a Valley wide capital improvement plan (CIP). Why? The Weber County planning department is still critically understaffed. Why? What about safety in Ogden Canyon? How many more tragic accidents and deaths must be endured on this dangerous stretch of highway? Why hasn’t there been any serious discussion on the table about the costs that will be involved in improving this scenic byway to support the amount of development that is being cultivated and shepherded through by county leaders and private investors interested in developing Ogden Valley? Do we really want a four-lane highway through Ogden Canyon anyway? If there aren’t dramatic changes to the status quo, the writing is on the wall. Do you really understand that you do have a choice in EDITOR’S VIEW cont. on page 13 JoAnn Christensen, Liberty Inspirational Thought “Consider your origin: you were not formed to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge.” — Dante Deadline for material for the May 1 OVN issue is April 23. Copy that . . . I think it’s him . . . Tell me again . . . How long has he been missing?. . . |