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Show The OGDEN September 1, 2003 VALLEY NEWS Your Community Newspaper PRSRT STD POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 11 EDEN UT POSTAL PATRON EDEN-LIBERTY-84310 HUNTSVILLE-84317 OGDEN CANYON- 84401 HCR 843AO Balloon Fest Carries on, Despite Rain and High Winds County Schedules Closures for North Ogden Divide Improvements Construction on the North Ogden Divide, between North Ogden and Ogden Valley, is scheduled to begin September 2. The joint effort between UDOT and Weber County to improve the 5-mile stretch of roadway traversing the North Ogden Divide will address several safety concerns. The project includes the installation of retaining walls, barriers, and guardrails where needed; and road widening, curve re-alignment, and signage. The construction schedule is as follows: Construction will begin September 2. At this time, the North Ogden Divide will be closed to all traffic. The North Ogden Divide is scheduled to reopen December 1 for “winter construction shut down.” This date may vary, depending on weather conditions. The North Ogden Divide is scheduled to close again March 1. This date may vary also, depending on weather conditions. Construction is scheduled for completion by spring of 2004, at which time the North Ogden Divide will reopen. For more information, please contact the project’s Public Relations Officer at the phone number that will be provided at the road closure signs at either end of the project. Road Over Dam to Be Closed for - A matter of respect and responsibility Two-week Period trail up to the sidewalk. In the spring and tax dollars, loss of privileges, and damage to Eden’s Ninth Annual Balloon Fest hosted Hooper T. Frog, Wonder Bread, and many other colorful balloons. An intense storm rolled through Ogden Valley on Friday afternoon, postponing a scheduled fireworks show until Sunday night. Ghost Trails By Shanna Francis Ogden Valley News You’ve all seen them, perhaps you’ve even helped create them—“ghost trails.” I’m sure you’ve seen them—even in Ogden Valley . . . worn areas between sidewalks where people are too lazy to make the effort to stay on the pavement or designated walkway. Or maybe they’re just simply unaware of the havoc they are creating. For whatever reason, they take the shortcut—off the sidewalk and through the grass. Before long, the soil becomes compacted from continual foot traffic, and the once oxygen rich soil that supported a cultivated lawn, can now no longer sustain much of any type of plant life—even weeds. Examples? Ever notice that ghost trail at the Eden Post Office. Customers park on the side of the road, instead of in the designated parking lot, and then proceed to jump out of their vehicle and run up to the front door of the post office. They don’t think twice about “cutting across” the lawn. Sometimes a parent will park on the road, and even send their child up the hill, and into the post office to “grab” the mail—an innocent enough task for the child. The grass dies, and now the community has an ugly looking, dirty rutted winter, mud is tracked into the building. But even worse, what lessons have we been teaching the next generation? At Weber State University, students cut across well-manicured lawns. Ghost trails lead diagonally from one sidewalk to another, created by students who, perhaps, thought they’d save a couple of seconds or a few footsteps on the way to their next class. Again, closer to home, have you noticed where students at Valley, Snowcrest, and Weber High have been treading? If you can’t tell now, wait until the end of the school year, when it’s especially obvious. Why? Is it because of acknowledged laziness, pure apathy, or lack of awareness? Why does any of this matter anyway? Perhaps a bit of education and training at home and in the local community could have a carryover affect. Like all other values, the understanding of concepts like respect and responsibility originate in the home, and are then carried into the community by the recipients. What’s at stake? I recently spent the day outside of Mantua near Dock Flat. On a trail that leads to Black Mountain and over to Perry Reservoir, a sign at the trailhead clearly states that motorized vehicles are not allowed. But damage to this trail, multiple other “non-motorized” trails in the area, and the creation of a chaotic web of ghost trails created by off highway vehicle (OHV) owners and users, showed that a large sector of the population has been poorly schooled when it comes to respect and responsibility. Community members and schoolchildren using the post office and school grounds isn’t a bad thing. Likewise, owners of OHV’s using our national forest lands isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. But misusing, in contrast to having respect for the land and using our forestlands responsibly, can definitely have a negative and destructive impact. It can cost the public thousands of Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . Page 2 Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6 Historical Article . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9 Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15 natural resources. The U.S. Forest Service recently completed revisions to the Wasatch-Cache National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan. One of the objectives in the plan was to update the Ogden Ranger District Travel Management Plan, which the Forest Service is currently in the process of GHOST TRAILS cont. on page 8 A reminder that the Bureau has reported in August that the next anticipated road closure would be from the middle of, to the end of September 2003. During this two-week period, the road will open on weekends, and after hours from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Thereafter, no more permanent, longterm closures will be conducted. County, State, and Federal Leaders Meet to Discuss Pineview Dam Road Improvements By Shanna Francis Ogden Valley News As part of the Bureau of Reclamation’s (BOR) Safety of Dam Act, roads are no longer being constructed across federal dams. In response, the BOR is pushing for the construction of an alternative route across Pineview. UDOT Regional Director Ahmad O. Jaber states that Highway 158 crossing the dam, “ . . . does not meet today’s engineering standards.” Weber County Commissioner Glen Burton says that this creates a real problem, especially at a time when traffic across the dam is steadily increasing to support growth, and tourism and recreation development in Ogden Valley. “Approximately 4000 to 5000 vehicles cross the spillway each day, or a total of 1.5 million vehicles each year. This will only increase, as the Valley experiences about a 4.6% annual growth rate. The current road is a real safety issue. The conPINEVIEW cont. on page 11 A delegation from Weber County, Bureau of Reclamation, UDOT; and Senator Bennett's, Senator Hatch's, and Representative Bishop's office gather at Pineview Dam to discuss planning and funding alternatives to the current roadway. |