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Show April 15 03.qxd 12/7/2021 Volume VIII Issue I 3:53 PM Page 3 THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 3 April 15, 2003 WeGuest Salute! Commentary Several Mr. Smiths Went to Washington . . . “Here lies G e o r g e J o h n s o n , hanged by mistake, 1882. He was right, we was wrong, but we strung him up, and now he’s gone.” I smiled when I read these words on a tombstone at Boot Hill in the historical town of Tombstone, Arizona. The unfortunate cowboy met his demise around the time of the infamous “OK Corral” saga with Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp. Last week I thought of this unusual grave as I walked to my car after a meeting in Eden, and I did not smile. I was one of the many volunteers who had signed up a couple of months ago to help determine if Eden should become a city. The committee I joined, 20/20, had the task of, with help from the community, developing a vision for Eden that represented this beautiful little piece of paradise nestled between the Wasatch Mountains. Since coming to America, I’ve always been impressed with the volunteer spirit of Americans. I was amazed at how much time they spent helping other people in all walks of life, volunteering their time, money, and effort to make someone’s life better—and not only in America, but even for others who live overseas. So I wanted to do the same. Whenever an opportunity arose where I thought that I could make a difference, I volunteered. I thought that this was the least one could do after being accepted into this great country. When I learned about how people in Eden wanted to take hold of their own future, after the first public meeting about this, both my husband Johan and I decided to volunteer. So here we were, part of the 20/20 group. Starry eyed, our little group ventured forth. We met every week, spending hours away from family—attending meetings that sometimes lasted until 11:00 at night, and we did a lot of research. We discussed how a sewer system could be catastrophic for the Valley. At previous general meetings, this subject did come up. Everyone there agreed that the lack of a sewer system would help the Valley maintain its rural atmosphere, as it tended to limit the population. Septic tanks are keeping land developers from jumping into our Valley headlong, cutting it up into little pieces, and lining homes up like little boxes. And the cost! Mountain Green paid $5,000 per household for a sewer system! Who would want all of this? So, after gathering info and talking to “Edenites” at general meetings, from our neighborhoods, and from surveys—we created a vision for Eden. Lisa, our previous committee spokesperson, went to Snowcrest Jr. High, working with teachers, and asking students to write essays explaining their vision for Eden. Everyone’s opinion was needed— from the young, old, long-time residents, and newcomers—all to help visualize Eden, 15 and 20 years into the future. Through all of this, we did have a guideline. At the first incorporation meeting we learned about a plan that already existed for, not only Eden, but for the whole Valley. The good people of Liberty, Eden, and Huntsville had come together seven years ago, working through the public process, and spending $20,000 for a Master Plan that outlines the community’s vision. It is a wonderful plan! Among other things, it includes a night sky ordinance, and verbiage about the importance of clean water and air, keeping the Valley rural, protecting the agricultural community, avoiding high-density development, and preserving wild life. It is a great plan, and everyone who attended the many public meetings to contribute to its development were in cahoots on this—or so it seemed. I do want to interrupt myself here. You’ve noticed that I refer to “everyone at the meeting” a lot. I wonder about people who do not know that “you have to be there” when decisions are made. If you are not “there,” your opinion does not count. I mention this specifically because I, for one, was, apparently, totally oblivious to the feelings of a section of Eden’s population when our committee worked on the vision for Eden, based on what we thought the majority of people wanted for the community. That is why it came as such a shock when I realized that there were people who did not accept the 20/20 committee’s effort and hard work. After all, we had spoken to people at general meetings who represented (what we thought) the whole of Eden. The steering committee gave us the impression that the Master Plan was the goal for our “noble” quest. They told us that those bad people across the mountain do not care about “our” Valley—or its master plan. “They” do not understand the ecosystem, the logistics of the Valley when they make decisions for Eden. Listening to them, a large group of residents decided to take hold of their own future, voting to investigate the option of incorporation. It all sounded so easy! Who would not want clean water and starry nights, moose and elk grazing in the wetlands, seeing an occasional brown bear and mountain lion on scenic mountain trails? Who would not like to look up into the blue Utah sky and observe eagles and hawks soaring in clean, clear skies above snow capped mountain peaks? Apparently, a lot of people! I learned this at the so-called “volunteer’s appreciation meeting” where the individual committees came together to present progress reports. Here we learned that the boundary committee had finally made a determination on where the new city limits would be. How exciting! Then Paul, our speaker, shared 20/20’s findings, and gave the attendees a preliminary “vision” for Eden that we had put together after using, as a guideline, the Master Plan and feedback from Eden residents. Keeping in mind that Eden will grow, we investigated other successful small, quaint ski communities like Telluride to see how they managed to grow without spoiling their uniqueness. Further studies determined that we should have a city center at the “junction,” where we already have a lot of businesses. Paul also shared how we thought that “city center” should be user friendly, with sidewalks. There should be a ”theme” for the buildings—perhaps a mountain theme? He explained that we had looked at small towns who took their unplanned city centers, and created lovely city center with trees, and parking areas in the back of buildings, as found in Jackson Hole. Based on their research and feedback from residents, the 20/20 committee envisioned a place that all could be proud of. A place they could comfortably shop and relax, and visit with neighbors; a place where visitors could come and stay a while, shop and eat at quaint shops, and—so to speak—leave their money, but gain a desire to come back again another time. We agreed that businesses are needed to ensure income for Eden. Usually visitors drive through our Valley, ski and recreate, then quickly leave because there isn’t much MR. SMITHS cont. on page 13 EDEN PARK’S 4th ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT Saturday, April 19, 2003 11:00 A.M. EDEN PARK For ALL children of the Valley, ages up to 11. If anyone would like to donate, please send contributions to Eden Park, P O Box 34, EDEN UT 84310 We are not able to have this wonderful event if we don’t collect enough donations. In the past, it has been totally funded by individuals and businesses of the Valley. |