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Show THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 2 Volume VIII Issue XI September 15, 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. UDOT Update The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) advises motorists of the following road work: Weber/Morgan County September 11-12: East bound Interstate 84 will be restricted to one lane from the mouth of Weber Canyon to Mountain Green for roadway striping operations. Restrictions will be in effect Thursday and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. BUREAU UPDATE cont. from page 1 tested and are working properly. The purpose of de-watering wells at Pineview is to remove excess water from the foundation to allow for the downstream excavation of the shear key to begin. Other work includes the construction of the ten-foot retaining wall on the downstream side of the crest of the dam. The footers have been placed and as of last week, three of the 19 sections have been installed. This construction should be completed within three weeks, as of August 28. The purpose of this wall is to provide protection of downstream residents and resources if an earthquake causes the dam to slump. The current Safety of Dams work, which includes the spillway renovation, the reinforcing berm, and the retaining wall are all designed to prevent dam failure. Two earthquakes of approximate magnitude 3.6 have occurred at Pineview since January 2003, with the latest occurring on July 12. If necessary, the retaining wall will provide enough emergency freeboard to hold back the water to insure the dam would not be overtopped and fail. Piles will soon be driven into the area adjacent to the downstream toe of the dam for the purpose of supporting the soil such that shear key excavation can begin and not collapse in on itself. The pile driving will take between 2-3 weeks. The excavation will take another three weeks, and consist of five feet of excavating, the installation of anchors, more excavation, and more anchors, down to a depth of approximately 35 feet. WATER Currently Pine View reservoir is 36% full and 31 feet below full. Currently the reservoir is dropping at a rate of 0.4 feet per day. This is expected to continue through the first to middle of October. At that time reservoir elevation should stabilize and begin to rise slightly. Conservation efforts by water users have made it possible to keep reservoir elevations higher than originally projected this spring. 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. It’s Time to Pay Attention Traditionally I don’t write letters to the editor. In fact, I believe this is the first time I’ve been alarmed enough to write one. However, due to the aggressive activities being taken on the issue of incorporating Eden, I am compelled to write. Having spoken to various sides of this issue, I find it interesting to note the distinct divide between members of the community. On one side, selected residents have provided the perception that they are thirsty, business motivated individuals wanting to turn Eden and Ogden Valley into a “Park City” commercial driven environment for purpose of profit only. Conversely, the other side has presented an image of wanting the Valley to progress naturally, and to maintain the openness they have enjoyed over the years. As always, I’m sure the real truth lies somewhere in between the two positions. Regardless of the position an individual personally decides to take, it would be my hope that before anyone rushes into agreeing to spend austere tax money on a feasibility study on incorporation, they would seriously take into consideration the following items. First, what problem is the Planning Committee trying to solve that the existing government (in this case Weber County) cannot solve? If the community cannot distinctly identify the problem(s), then incorporation must be motivated by personal interest and not true governmental issues prohibiting growth. Second, if there are existing governmental issues prohibiting growth, would it be more cost effective to work with existing government recourses to resolve the problems? From a cost perspective, it may be more reasonable to work with existing Weber County government officials than to spend money on studies. Until this has been fully exhausted, individuals should avoid requesting to spend tax money on studies, let alone pursue incorporation. Third, is the plan being offered for a feasibility study final? If new versions continue to surface, exactly what are you signing to? Will your signature be utilized for a new version of the plan you have never seen? Fourth, is the plan you’re signing for a feasibility study a plan that really makes sense for the future of the community, or has it been molded to only meet the minimal legal requirements? Fifth, do you really want a volunteer government? If so, how will you hold your new government accountable for their actions? (The last proposal from the Eden Committee reflected an amount of $0.00 associated with administration costs. This infers that the government will be volunteers.) History has also reflected that a volunteer government breeds self interest and corruption. Sixth, does the plan presented for a study provide a convincing view of maintaining existing standards of living as well as protecting your current economic investment? Seventh, are you really willing to endure all the normal organizational behavior growth issues involved in establishing a new governmental entity? Are you really willing to repay organizational initiation costs when the existing government (good or bad) has already absorbed and moved past this growth/cost phase? Finally, if the plan presented for study is determined to meet (not exceed) existing governmental support structures, are you willing to pay an increase in taxes for the same benefit provided today? Residents of Ogden Valley, if I may, I would like to urge all of you to seriously consider the above issues. If you’re not in the geographical area being proposed for incorporation, and you reside under the Weber County tax base, you still need to take a serious look. Why? Because if Eden is incorporated, where do you think Weber County will go to offset their loss of revenue? Remember, nothing is free. On a closing note, I’ve been informed that Weber County plans to announce various open forums regarding this issue at Snowcrest Junior High. I encourage Ogden Valley residents to attend and provide their views. Steve Kingsford, Eden THINK OF THE FUTURE The Ogden Valley Land Trust a non-profit organization For more information, Call (801) 745-2048 W E B E R P A T H W A Y S’ T. G. I. FIESTA! 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. Letters to the Editor Friday, September 19, 2003 “Fast Eddy finally learns the truth about hell.” Inspirational Thought What we are is what we have thought for years. —-Buddha Deadline for material for the October 1 OVN issue is September 24. Ogden River Parkway MTC Park 1800 S. Monroe Blvd. 5:30 Hors d’oeuvres on the Parkway 6:30 Mexican Dinner, Raffle & Music Dinner Tickets $35.00 Raffle Tickets $5.00 (You need not be present to win.) For ticket information call WeberPathways at 393-2304 Raffle items include: Gourmet lunch and day hike, guided bird walk, trail ride, canoe float, guided bicycle ride, cross-country ski tour, hand-carved walking stick, overnight in the Miles Goodyear cabin at Fort Buenaventura and more! |