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Show Page 2 The Ogden Valley News Volume XXX Issue X March 1, 2023 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 to the Editor Thank You, Ogden Valley A heartfelt thank you to the amazing community for all of the love and support you have given my husband Chris Whiting and me throughout his battle against cancer. When we moved to beautiful Ogden Valley, we knew it was a special place, but didn’t realize just how special it truly is. You have 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. 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 March 15 issue is March 1. hiking, enjoying the beauty of Ogden Valley like he always did, taking in a glorious sunrise or sunset, living life, and thinking of him. Much love to you all! Ché Zuro Whiting, Liberty OV Starry Nights Looking for Residents to Serve on Its Committee Hello, my name is Zach Thomas and I’m president of the organization Ogden Valley Starry Nights. Recently, members of our organization have worked with Commissioners Harvey and Froerer to establish, after six years, a Dark Skies Committee for Ogden Valley. This Committee will not be involved with the enforcement of the dark-sky ordinance passed in 2017 but, rather, will help find ways to edu- cate the community on best dark-sky practices and continue efforts for protecting North Fork Park’s Dark Sky Accreditation. We are at a critical moment in preserving our dark skies in Ogden Valley. Weber County is seeking applicants for the Dark Sky Committee. We need two Ogden Valley residents and two Ogden Valley business members to sit on the committee. If you are aware of anyone who fits this criteria, or you would like to serve, please reach out to me or fill out the application at the following link: webercountyutah.gov/news/post.php?id=95. Thank you for your dedication to keeping our night sky dark. Zach Thomas, President, Ogden Valley Starry Nights Ogden Downtown Alliance Announces Executive Director Transition • Growing Farmers Market Ogden’s SNAP, and other market incentive programs, more than 400 percent since 2016. • Serving on a variety of community boards, including Visit Ogden, GOAL Foundation, Junior League of Ogden, and Ogden Food Council. 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 embraced us and surrounded us with strength and positivity as you all became a part of his team, encouraging him to live each day with gusto, until he could no longer live. I am forever grateful. I look forward to seeing you out in the fresh air, skiing, playing golf, paddling on the lake, After nearly a decade of working to further Ogden Downtown Alliance’s mission and values, Kim Bowsher announced in January 2023 that she was stepping down as Executive Director, effective February 15, 2023. Kim was a founding member of Ogden Downtown Alliance and has continued to be a driving force of the organization’s growth and success. A brief sample of her many accomplishments include: • Establishing the Ogden Downtown Alliance • Developing the Ogden Downtown Alliance’s mission work into a six-pillar model, with programs behind each pillar—driving a ~$20M economic impact through events programming alone in 2022. • Establishing the new Farmers Market Ogden in 2016, leading the community-favorite event to being named ‘Indie Ogden Best Project of the Year,’ ‘Best Event,’ ‘Best Place for Family Fun’ and more. The vision, passion and leadership of Kim will be greatly missed by Ogden Downtown Alliance’s staff, board of directors, sponsors, business owners, and community partners alike. Over the next few months, a hiring committee led by Board Chair Danette Pulley will be conducting a thorough search to find Ogden Downtown Alliance’s next Executive Director. It is the priority of the hiring committee to find a collaborative leader passionate about community building with the ability to create growth for the organization in alignment with Ogden Downtown Alliance’s mission: to increase economic vitality and community vibrancy in the downtown area through arts, events, placemaking, and destination development. In the interim, the Ogden Downtown Alliance staff remains committed to the mission and is hard at work under the joint leadership of Haille VanPatten, head of Marketing and Public Relations and Thomas Kiernan, Fund Development Director. FEASIBILITY cont. from page 1 Sources of revenue include property tax, sales tax, business licenses, building permits, transient room tax, class B/C road funds, RAMP funds, grants, and other federal program monies. Please note that the “property tax” will replace and be equal (or less than) the Unincorporated Municipal Services Tax currently paid by Valley landowners. Once the study is completed, it will be released to the public. Community meetings will then be hosted by the feasibility contractor to share the results of the study, and whether it is financially viable to move forward with incorporating. The intent is to have a neutral, if not positive outcome. If the feasibility study proves that an incorporated city would be financially sound, the residents of the Valley could then sign a petition requesting the state/county add a question to the next general election ballot asking if voters would like to incorporate. It would be this vote, by a simple majority, that would determine if the valley should incorporate or not. If the vote to incorporate is unsuccessful, then things remain as they currently are—status quo. However, if the vote to incorporate is successful, the process will move to the next step. Voters who live within the proposed boundary of the new city will elect the new government leaders and the process to set up the city will begin. At this time, the intent is to incorporate as a city, not a new county. Huntsville Town would owners to request withdrawal from the proposed incorporation area. The LG’s office will then review the petition, which required signatures from owners representing a minimum of 7% of the property value and 10% of acreage in the proposed area. Once that is completed, the LG’s office will verify the signatures on the petition. If approved, the state will issue a RFP (request for proposal) to a third-party contractor to complete the study. The study is funded by the state. This third party will then complete a socio-economic analysis of the proposed incorporated area. It is expected that this report will be completed by late 2023. The report shall include: • Budget for Proposed City, including the ratio of projected revenue to expenses • Tax Impacts to Property Owners • Fiscal Impacts to Current Service Providers Expenses considered will include general government costs, i.e., elected officials and administrative and legal fees; and projected recorder, finance, elections (general only), auditor, planning, engineering, police, animal control and shelter, roads and highways and weed department costs. The county retains many of the expenses, including those associated with the judicial system, jail, fire, elections, library, and schools. Applications are now being accepted for the Executive Director position. The leadership position description and qualifications can be found at ogdendowntown.com/employment and will remain open until filled. Inquiries, nominations, and candidate applications should be directed electronically with “ODA ED” in the subject line to odaedsearch@gmail.com. Applications must include a cover letter and resume or CV. The selection committee is available to answer questions or supply further information as requested. All inquiries or referrals will be held in strict confidence. We wish Kim the best of luck in her next chapter and ask for your help in identifying qualified candidates who can help Ogden Downtown Alliance continue its mission work moving forward. About Ogden Downtown Alliance - Ogden Downtown Alliance was recently awarded Best of State in Community Development. Ogden Downtown Alliance is a 501(c)(3) committed to increasing economic vitality and community vibrancy throughout Ogden’s Central Business District. We support local commerce through placemaking, destination marketing, focused community programming, and events. We create and promote a dynamic epicenter for arts, entertainment, and cultural experiences in downtown Ogden. remain autonomous as they already incorporated back in 1924. Huntsville Town is in support of the incorporation, as noted in a recent letter from Mayor Sorenson. Becoming a city allows for local governance of planning and zoning, collection of taxes/fees and to conduct business. It allows for local control and implementation of the general plan into code as it was intended. The Vested Rights Rule protects existing development plans. The incorporation of Ogden Valley is sponsored by state designated Primary Sponsor Mark Ferrin of Eden and supporting sponsors Nick Dahlkamp, Shanna Francis, Brandi Hammon, Richard Webb, and Jeannie Wendell. My personal belief is that Ogden Valley is a special place. It should be well thought out, protected, and grown as outlined by the public developed and designed General Plan. I fully support the General Plan and all the effort and input that went into its creation. I hope you can join me next Thursday so that I and the other sponsors can answer any questions you may have regarding this endeavor. Here’s to making the world a better place one small valley at a time. Note: Additional information can be found at Ogden Valley Incorporated on Facebook or email ovincorporation@gmail.com. An open house will be held at the Ogden Valley Library in Huntsville Tuesday, February 28 at 6:00 p.m. |