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Show Page 2 The Ogden Valley News Volume XXIX Issue VI February 1, 2022 The Ogden Valley News Staff: Shanna Francis Tel: 801-745-2688 Fax: 801-745-2688 Cell: 801-791-4387 E-Mail: slfrancis@digis.net Jeannie Wendell Tel: 801-745-2879 Fax: 801-745-2879 E-Mail: crwendell@digis.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 522 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. Letters to the Editor Long-range Community Impact of Proposed Nordic Village Plan Should Be Reviewed The proposed Nordic Village was presented to a limited hundred attendees Thursday night, January 20. Participants asked many questions, few of which were adequately answered. Nordic Valley has approximately 225 residences at present. Our neighborhood will be increased by 763 residential units per the plan. The majority of the proposed new housing units will not be fulltime residents who are vested in the peace and quiet that currently exists. Rather, there will be a mix of chalet, hotel/condominium, and multifamily dwellings open to investors who will buy and rent out for various “guests.” Current open spaces will disappear. We were told this is consistent with the Ogden Valley General Plan. We were also told the county requested Nordic Ski Resort provide a minimum fiveyears-out plan and thus the ski resort created the Nordic Village concept. Who, specifically, in the county is asking for this? And who will financially benefit from this development? Exactly who are the investors/ principals and where is their money coming from? What assumptions were made in the projected financial cost-benefit analysis? There are risks involved in such a massive undertaking, not the least of which is financial stability, especially over the projected 25-year life of this project. Another risk is the effect of climate change on snow levels. Jim Steenburgh, a professor at the University of Utah, studies Utah’s precipitation and weather patterns. He noted in an interview published September 10, 2021 that the Great Salt Lake reached its lowest water level ever recorded. It continued to recede in October of 2021. Why is this important and relevant? One side effect of low lake levels is a suffering snowpack. As the Great Salt Lake continues to dry, less water means less snow, which means fewer powder days for skiers and snowboarders along the Wasatch Back. Nordic Valley has consistently had the lowest snowpack of neighboring resorts and is at the lowest elevation. But less snow does not just effect winter recreation, 95 percent of Utah’s water supply comes from snowmelt, as noted in the interview. To make matters worse, Professor Steenburgh pointed out, winter precipitation is likely to come increasingly as rain as temperatures warm globally. This leads to concerns for adequate water supplies to support this proposed village into the future and how the increased water demand will impact existing aquifers, wells, streams, Pineview Reservoir, etc. There are other risks and concerns that bear mentioning. A few are listed below. • Increased risk of wildfires in the proposed MOTHER • 2017 – Cindy Allen, Mother of the Year for Weber County (Huntsville) • 2018 – Marilyn Froerer, Mother of the Year for Weber County (Huntsville) Honorable motherhood is one of the greatest gifts a woman can give to society. Kay C. James stated, “While there’s nothing wrong with singlehood or a life without children, the fact is that the family is the fundamental building block of our society. It’s where new generations are created and meant to be nurtured and taught morals, values, and personal responsibility—the things that a society needs from its citizens to flourish. “The strength of our families has a significant impact on each and every American—from cont. from page 1 “Awards are nice, but there is nothing more wonderful than the complete love of a child.” Ogden Valley has been home to a number of Mothers of the Year: • 2000 – Barbara Hale, Utah Mother of the Year (Huntsville) • 2004 – Bonnie Sorensen, Mother of the Year for Weber County (Huntsville) • 2012 – Cheryl Ferrin, Mother of the Year for Weber County (Eden) • 2013 – Kathy Jensen, Mother of the Year for Weber County (Huntsville) • 2016 – Pat Songer, Mother of the Year for Weber County (Huntsville) • • • • • South Village from errant sparks (backyard firepits, wood stoves, brush burning, etc.) Treatment of sewage While initial lighting might be dark sky compliant, what will prevent owners or renters from putting up strings of patio type lights, etc.? Loss of wildlife habitat in the proposed South Village. In 2021, backyard cameras along Viking Dr. captured moose, coyote, fox, deer, turkeys, raccoons, skunks, and cougars. In the proposed South Village area, loss of current riparian areas, springs, and streams that help retain snowmelt that can then seep into the ground rather than runoff into a captured sewer system. Potential mudslides and geologic stability in the mountain area in the proposed South Village. Longtime residents can tell you about this in great detail! Homes have been severely damaged due to mudslides in the area. Clearly, any decisions regarding this proposed rezoning and development need to be carefully and thoughtfully reviewed by the public of Ogden Valley and all interested parties. Beth Keswick, Nordic Valley the amount of taxes we pay, to the growth of our economy, to the level of crime in our neighborhoods. Years of research has shown that the children of nurturing, intact families are more likely to have higher academic performance and greater emotional maturity as well as more financial stability as adults. They are less likely to commit crimes and abuse drugs and alcohol. “From a societal standpoint, strong families led by nurturing mothers and fathers mean less poverty and dependence on the welfare system, fewer crimes, a healthier and better educated populace, and a stronger economy, among other benefits.” A shout out to mothers everywhere. Note: The Ogden Valley News aplogizes if we have overlooked any additional Mothers of the Year from Ogden Valley. 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 OgdenValley 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. The deadline for the OVN February 15 issue is February 2. Wendy, sitting between her husband Chad McKay and her mother Barbara Hale, 2000 Utah Mother of the Year. |