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Show The Ogden Valley News March 1, 2023 USPS MARKETING MAIL POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 11 EDEN UT POSTAL PATRON EDEN-LIBERTY-84310 HUNTSVILLE-84317 OGDEN CANYON- 84401 HCR 843AO Your Community Newspaper Photo by Doug Wewer Community Meeting on Incorporation Slated for February 28 at OV Library It’s been twenty years since Ogden Valley residents made the initial effort to incorporate this high mountain valley—to switch from a county-wide governing body to one locally governed by elected local officials who understand local issues and represent local constituents. While residents since then had hoped for greater representation and decisions made that better reflect the needs and desires of the community, many gaps remain in the current political administrative process. This is why an incorporation feasibility request was recently submitted by the residents of Ogden Valley to the State of Utah’s Lieutenant Governor’s office in accordance with Utah Code Section 10-2a, Incorporation of a Municipality. This effort has been made, once again, as a means of building an inclusive community dedicated to the unique quality of life that separates Ogden Valley from the remainder of the county—its historic core values and the community’s rural character and traditional communal cohesiveness. Through incorporation of Ogden Valley, community challenges will be addressed through active collaboration and public OV INCORPORATION cont. on page 3 Sunrise from Radford Hills. Photo courtesy of Dax Kelson of Radford Hills. Ogden River Watershed Project Planning Meeting Draws Interested Ogden Valley Residents On February 13, the Weber River Partnership (WRP), in cooperation with the Utah Dept. of Water Quality (DEQ) and the Utah Dept. of Agriculture (UDAF), hosted a meeting to discuss nonpoint source pollution in the Ogden River Watershed. The WRP is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization formed in 2022 to promote conservation efforts that protect watershed health, water supplies, fisheries and the recreational resources of the Weber River and its tributaries. The WRP also focuses on improving communication and collaboration between the various water-users in the watershed to achieve these goals. The meeting was advertised in the February 15 edition of The Ogden Valley News and occurred at the Ogden Valley library in Huntsville from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the community room and was open to the public. Approximately 35 to 40 people attended and the discussion was lively, with attendees voicing a variety of concerns about sources of nonpoint pollution in Ogden Valley. The types of pollution noted fell into several broad categories: sediment from uncontrolled erosion coming off some the dirt roads and parking lots, and/or poorly vegetated hillsides, that sends sediment into the river and/or irrigation ditches; trash of many varieties, including used diapers and all manner of plastic bags and food remains from picnickers at Pineview Reservoir, and another attendee identified trash coming from the landfill transfer station near 21st Street into both the Weber and Ogden River; septic leakage from older septic systems in the Valley and in Ogden Canyon that have not been updated to filter wastewater; weed killer applied to lawns and golf courses that ends up in streams, the river and irrigation ditches. Several attendees also cited unenforced storm water management requirements in several of the high density developments that have recently been approved in the Valley, resulting in dirty/polluted runoff entering rivers and streams and, eventually, Pineview. Monday’s meeting was part of the initial stage of information-gathering for the Ogden Watershed Plan that the WRP is sponsoring through a nonpoint-source grant it received last summer from the Department of Water Quality. The contractor writing the plan, Redfish Environmental LLC, through data analysis aims to locate principal sources of nonpoint pollution. From this information, with the collaboration of an advisory committee that includes both local residents and a technical advisory review, Redfish’s principal investigator, Ernesto de la Hoz, will write a plan that identifies specific management practices and guidelines to reduce nonpoint pollution significantly and effectively. Subsequent stages of the watershed planning process will characterize the watershed to identify problems, set goals, and identify solutions and, lastly, develop an implementation program of best management practices aimed at reducing specific pollutant loads. --Applicants Needed for Ogden Valley Dark Skies Committee-The Weber County Commissioners are taking applications for the Ogden Valley Dark Skies Committee. The Dark Skies Committee will be looking at ways to help inform and educate the public about the importance of having dark skies. We need two (2) people from the Ogden Valley and two (2) representatives from the Ogden Valley Businesses. This committee will not be doing any type of enforcement. Applications can be found at www. co.weber.ut.us/mediawiki/images/7/75/ Weber_County_Board_Application.pdf Please drop off your completed application at the Weber County Planning Division office, 2380 Washington Blvd., Suite 240, Ogden, UT 84401. You may also forward applications to: jnelson@webercountyutah.gov Call June at 801-399-8374 for further information. Applications will be accepted until March 10, 2023. Why a Feasibility Study? By Brandi Hammon The rumors are flying with the news of the Ogden Valley Incorporation effort that is underway. This a brief overview of the intent, process, sponsors and where more information is available. Hopefully this will quell any misinformation and open the door to your participation with the future of Ogden Valley. The intent of incorporation is quite simply: to bring local control to the upper valley and implementation of the Ogden Valley General Plan. Presently, the valley is under the management of Weber County along with other unincorporated areas of the county spanning west. Commissioners and the planning department are often not residents of the upper valley, although we do presently have one commissioner but have not had local representation for several years. We feel the upper valley is unique and is in vast difference to the pressures, attributes, and opportunities found elsewhere in the county. The process of incorporation began with a request for a Feasibility Study Petition Submission to the Lieutenant Governor’s office, including the property that is being proposed to incorporate. Within the parameters of the Utah Code, the attached map is the current proposed incorporation area. Presently, Snowbasin and Powder Mountain are not included but Nordic Valley is. The map may still change as the recent letter sent to property owners by the Lieutenant Governor’s (LG) office would allow boundary property FEASIBILITY cont. on page 2 CFOV Thanks Two Outstanding Leaders Melissa Lewis and Kim Melissa and Kim realized not only the Best have completed a long and remarkable term of service to Community Foundation of Ogden Valley (CFOV). They have served as co-chairs of the CFOV for three years and were true innovators who personified CFOV’s slogan of “Live Here, Play Here, Give Here.” Their efforts as Board members, Melissa for eight years, and Kim for five, have benefited so many in the Valley, and through their thughtful guidance and mentorship, have ensured that the CFOV will thrive in the years to come. importance of fundraising to support the wide variety of nonprofits throughout the Valley, but they also worked to provide events to unify and celebrate our unique valley community. Most recently, they had the vision to create the first annual Farm Festival at Sunnyfield Farm last September. The festival was an incredible success. It brought together residents of all ages who enjoyed an evening of food, music, activities, and community all while providing a CFOV cont. on page 11 Sheriff’s Office Reports Shooting Incident in Huntsville On February 18, 2023 at 3:57 a.m., deputies responded to the area of 6800 E. 100 S. in Huntsville on a report of shots fired at the windshield of another vehicle. The complainant reported that, as she was driving, a male in a red passenger car pointed a handgun at her and her passenger and fired several shots. Upon arrival, deputies quickly located the suspect vehicle about a block away parked in a driveway. After an initial investigation, several people were detained who were in the home. A 21-year-old male, Brady Scott Walker, had an airsoft gun holstered on his hip and was taken into custody. During an interview, after waiving his rights to an attorney, the suspect stated he pulled out an airsoft gun and fired several times at the victim’s vehicle. According to an affidavit in the case, Walker admitted to pointing the gun at the car, but claimed he accidently pressed threigger. He added that the fun had a “light trigger” and pulling the trigger, cycled the weapon through multiple shots. The suspect was arrested for two counts of aggravated assault and booked into the Weber County Jail. No injuries were reported in the incident; however, the victim’s car had windshield damage “consistent with a BB-type projectile,” according to a charging document. A representative with the Weber County Sheriff’s office stated, “We would like to thank Utah Highway Patrol and Utah Division of Natural Resources for their assistance.” Sunsets in Eden. Photos, from left to right, are courtesy of Tracy Woodworth of Eden, Doug Dickson of Liberty, and Terrie Beus of Liberty. |