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Show THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 2 Volume VIII Issue X September 1, 2003 The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Staff: Shanna Francis Tel: 745-2688 Fax: 745-0062 Cell: 791-4387 E-Mail: slfrancis@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 O GDEN 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 O GDEN VALLEY NEWS reserves the right to edit or decline printing of any submissions. Announcements Sought As a community service, The O GDEN 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 O GDEN VALLEY N EWS 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 O GDEN VALLEY N EWS 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 N EWS 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. UDOT Hosts Groundbreaking Ceremony for Northern Weber County Road Work On August 25, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), in coordination with contractor Staker and Parson Companies who was awarded the $10 million construction contract, held an official ground-breaking ceremony for its 2700 N. project. The project will provide a key freeway connector for the cities of North Ogden and Pleasant View, and make needed capacity improvements through Farr West, as well as improve mobility for the entire surrounding area. Project scope includes reconstruction and widening of 2700 N. between Interstate 15 in Farr West and U.S. 89 in Pleasant View to two lanes in each direction with a center turn median. Additionally, a new alignment will be constructed between U.S. 89 and Washington Blvd. in North Ogden. The project traverses four municipalities—North Ogden, Pleasant View, Harrisville, and Farr West—and will provide a continuous route between the freeway and Washington Boulevard. Speakers at the ground-breaking ceremony included UDOT Executive Director John Njord, Staker and Parson CEO John Parson, Transportation Commissioner Ken Warnick, Utah Speaker of the House Marty Stephens, State Senator David Gladwell, North Ogden Mayor Lynn Muirbrook, and Pleasant View Mayor James Fisher. Construction is anticipated to begin in late August, with project completion scheduled for fall 2004. Weber League of Women Voters to Host Fall Picnic at Nature Center The Weber League of Women Voters is hosting a Potluck Lunch on September 6, at 11:00 a.m. at the Nature Center’s Picnic Grove located at the northwest corner of the facility. Anyone interested in joining or learning more about the League is invited to attend. Bring your favorite dish of food to share. Soft drinks, plates, cups, and utensils will be provided. A panel discussion will be held with invited guests Dr. Mouldiong, with the Utah State Office of Education; Ed Jensen, Principal of Ogden High; and Kim Dohrer, Principal of Washington High. They will be sharing their insights. The discussion will be moderated by Representative LaWanna Shirtliff. Mary McKinley, newly appointed Nature Center Director and LWV member will provide a welcome to the Nature Center. For more information, contact Marilyn O’Dell at 393-7225. Letters to the Editor Why Incorporate Eden Now? I love Eden just the way it is now! Why should I be interested in incorporation— even just finding out what the budget for the proposed new city would be? There are two reasons I find compelling. First, real estate trends and current data have convinced me the rate of change is now high and increasing. Realtors tell me they have never been so busy. One reported that over the last two years, five of every six transactions were to out of state people, most buying a second home. Young families are being priced out of the market with an average sale price of about $250,000. Families are improvising apartments in their homes to accommodate their children and grandchildren. This increasing rate of change drives me to believe that now is the time to plan for growth, and to establish the “look and feel” of the place we will be living in. Otherwise growth and “look and feel” will happen in an uncoordinated way. I recommend we focus on making Eden accessible to pedestrians, bikers, and equestrian use, and managing automobile traffic for the safety of all. Planning for commercial development, school traffic, recreational traffic, and movement of heavy trucks and farm equipment can’t begin too soon. Entrances and exits to the city help establish the way we feel about it. Architecting and developing these areas could be one of the first things we do. I feel strongly about promoting tree lined streets in residential areas. A well thought-out plan for signs and directions would help. Commercial development in Eden is now proceeding in a way that severely handicaps new businesses and does not serve residents well. The Valley Junction/4-way stop area has been zoned for commercial development. Yet it can have only one building per acre, forcing the use of cars to go from business to business. The Valley Junction is out of the main traffic flow, yet only four-foot signs on the property may be used to advertise the business. Is it any wonder the now defunct Valley Junction Inn struggled? I’m confident we could do better as a city. I would like to see this area develop with a more rustic, interesting architecture, with well planned pedestrian traffic, something that would work well in winter as well as summer. I do not want to see Eden develop as a recreational paradise for the rich. I much prefer to live where young families and old folks can live comfortably alongside long time families and new-comers. This means careful attention must be given to apartments and senior living facilities. Planning of this type needs to start soon. If we were to become a city in 2004 it would take time for elected officials to establish priorities and budgets to support the planning. If we delay incorporation then there will be more inhibitors to coherent planning. It will take longer and be less effective. Second, there are two urgent items, procuring land for development of trails and nature preserves, and development of pressurized secondary water. Both of these projects are likely to take several years and would be more easily accomplished within an incorporated area as grants and shared funding could be pursued that are not available now. Please sign the petition requesting a Feasibility of Incorporation Study, which will provide financial facts we all desire to see. Stephen D. Clarke, Chair, Eden Planning Committee Chair, Incorporation Committee Eden THINK OF THE FUTURE The Ogden Valley Land Trust a non-profit organization For more information, Call (801) 745-2048 Inspirational Thought Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation and freedom in all just pursuits. —Thomas Jefferson Deadline for material for the September 15 OVN issue is September 3. Dick Manley Real Estate Done Right dickmanley@att.net DickManley.com 801-391-1800 7 4 5 -6 0 0 0 $299,000 EDEN $210,000 3181 E. 3350 N. MLS# 376313 3410 N. River Drive MLS# 348466 LIBERTY Valley Lake Estates Sunridge Lots 10, 11,13 - 950 S. 6800 E. Price Reduced $99,900 MLS# 369564 7488 N. Middlefork Road Only $23,900 MLS# 351576 |