| OCR Text |
Show Volume XXX Issue VII The Ogden Valley News Page 3 June 15, 2023 Letters to the Editor It Has Been a Privilege to Work & Serve Huntsville Town May 26 was my last day as the Huntsville Town Clerk. It has been a privilege to work and serve the town that I love so much these last 6½ years. I have learned so much from this experience. I have really enjoyed working with the town councils and planning commissions that are filled with friends and neighbors. It is a unique situation, I know. I also loved getting to know the individuals who contract with Huntsville Town. I have been able to grow my circle of friends and associates by leaps and bounds. Residents, you have an amazing staff at Huntsville Town. They are part-time, non-benefited and would do almost anything to satisfy your needs. I couldn’t have asked for better people to work with. Last of all, I want to thank the residents for their patience with me. Our new town clerk, Nikki Wolthuis, will take my place June 5. I have every confidence that our town will take care of her and she will be able to grow to love Huntsville residents as much as I do. At this time, please direct all water, land use, planning commission, building permit, parks, and event questions to Shannon at the town office, 801-745-3420. Sheree Evans is the treasurer and also in charge of business licensing. She can also be reached at 801-745-3420. Nikki will serve the town council and have responsibility for legislative and other tasks associated with the town council. If you aren’t sure who to contact, please email clerk@huntsvilletown. com or contact the town office on Monday or Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Thanks to all my friends and neighbors! Sincerely, Beckki Endicott, Huntsville Guest Commentary Utahns Asked to Provide Feedback on Proposed Mine Expansion Over Memorial Day weekend, the Utah Division of Air Quality (DAQ) announced its intent to approve a permit for the 20-acre gravel pit in Parley’s Canyon. The DAQ is seeking public feedback through July 27 on the permit and air quality analysis. While this permit is for 20 acres, Granite Construction and Tree Farm LLC have made it clear that they intend to continue expansion to a larger mine. Save Our Canyons is strongly against the proposed gravel pit in Parley’s Canyon. The Parley’s Creek watershed provides about 20% of the water supply to Salt Lake City’s residents. The Wasatch Mountains overall provide about 60% of the water to residents in the Greater Salt Lake Valley. The resulting dust and debris would pollute nearby streams and reservoirs, contaminate our water supply, harm our air quality, and divert water from the drying Great Salt Lake. Parley’s Canyon is also a crucial migration corridor for moose, bear, elk, and other wildlife. We’re working hard to review the over 400-pages of project information and encourage you to check out project information at daqpermitting.utah.gov/ AOsOutForCmt?emci=91c528e7-a604-ee11907c-00224832eb73&emdi=b05c9846-3305ee11-907c-00224832eb73&ceid=758269 then submit comments. There are three ways to do so: 1. Email John Persons (DAQ project manager) at jpersons@utah.gov. 2. Send a letter to Persons at: 195 N. 1950 W., Salt Lake City, UT 84116. 3. Attend the public hearing being held June 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Save Our Canyons is dedicated to protecting the wilderness and beauty of the Wasatch Mountains. For more information, contact Save Our Canyons at saveourcanyons.org or 801-363-7283. A Message from the Mayor Memorial Day Celebration I always look forward to our Memorial Day Celebration, and this year’s American Legion Presentation did not disappoint. In Huntsville, Memorial Day is much more than a threeday weekend, as we honor the men and woman who died while valiantly serving in the military. Each year I am reminded of our own Jimmy Blain, who never returned from Vietnam. I was too young to remember Jimmy but knew his family and remember the stories of him. Huntsville had more servicemen and woman per capita serving in World War II than any other municipality in, not only Utah, but most of the country. The Hislop and Stoker families had several siblings serving. Fortunately, they all returned. During this year’s Memorial Day presentation, Huntsville native and World War II hero Marine Gunnery Sergeant Keith Renstrom was honored. Suzanne Ferre gave a beautiful tribute to Keith and spoke about his participation in the Battles of Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima. Years ago, while on a trip to Saipan, I visited the local World War II Museum. To my surprise, amongst the hundreds of photos, I saw a photo that depicted a float that carried veterans of the Battle of Saipan, who had returned in the mid 1990’s to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Saipan. Sitting proudly on the float was none other than Keith Renstrom of Huntsville, Utah. Keith was the perfect choice to be honored as we prepare for our annual Independence Day Celebration. For decades, Keith and his clan, dressed in Civil War attire, led our Independence Day parade, stopping along the route to fire his cannon. Keith was a true patriot, and we honor and appreciate his life of service. Our parades are always amazing, but we all miss Keith leading the procession. Tribute to Beckki - After 6½ years of dedicated service to our residents and town council, Beckki Endicott has left to be a full-time grandma. During the first 1½ years of my term, Beckki has been my right hand, left hand, and everything in between. Whether I needed help drafting a letter, meeting with our attorney, working on a grant, or sending flowers to a family going through a loss, Beckki was always there for me. When contemplating a simple agreement with a potential town sub-contractor, Beckki was quick to suggest that a more extensive contract would be prudent. When issues would arise, Beckki was quick to provide simple, but effective, solutions and suggestions. When Beckki notified me she was leaving, my gut instinct was to beg her to stay, as I knew she and her expertise could not be replaced. However, reality set in as I realized I could not compete with her role of Grandma. I appreciate her dedication and friendship and wish Beckki and her family the best. Independence Day Volunteers - July 4 is a month away, and we could use some volunteers to work in the Ice Shack selling drinks and ice cream. We will have several 1- to 2-hour shifts open and will need two to three volunteers during each shift. Please call or text our Ice Shack coordinator LuAnn Carver at 801-624-0744. There are many other volunteer opportunities for July 4 and beyond. If you would like to help, please email clerk@huntsvilletown.com or call 801-745-3420, or you can text or call Artie Powell at 385-231-3051 (texts are preferred). Thanks for being great neighbors, and thanks for making Huntsville a great place to live. Sincerely, Mayor Richard Sorensen Dave Scadden’s Box Canyon Drift Boat Right Makes Might! By Shanna Francis “Might makes right” is an aphorism used to express the view that values of wrong and right are not in alignment with universal truisms; instead, truth is determined by those in power. But this idea, though popular and often seemingly correct, is not. There truly are sure markers of right and wrong; right and wrong are not relative or dependent factors. What is true or right is independent of all else. President Harry S. Truman, often considered a simpleton, had a framed saying hanging in the Oval Office that was handwritten by the author Mark Twain’s own hand, “Always do right!” This was a motto Truman did his best to live by. And to “hell” with all else, which often left his advisors extremely frustrated. One of the greatest challenges facing Truman during his presidency was the Soviet blockade of West Berlin, which began June 24, 1948. After the end of World War II, the Allies— America, Britain, France, and Russia—split up Berlin, the Nazi capital of the defeated Germans, along with the rest of their county into four occupied zones. It so happened that much of Berlin was located deep within the Russian-designated Eastern zone of Germany. While Russia was on the right side of history during World War II—aligning forces with the Allies—this alliance soon deteriorated, sharply escalating with Soviet aggression and the beginning and heightening of the Cold War, which began in March 1947. While the Soviet Union and, today, Russia, like to think that their might and heavy-handed actions make right, they do not. They once again find themselves on the wrong side of history. Recently Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said as much, stating, “Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is an illegal and barbaric act. The people responsible for that invasion are war criminals. Everyone in the world has a responsibility to be very clear about that and to speak out about that.” She added, “I would say all the countries in the world have an absolutely clear interest in Putin’s war failing because Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is the strongest challenge in a generation to the rules-based international order, and that rules-based international order is something all the countries of the world depend on.” All countries, internationally and domestically, depend on rules-based order, on inter- national and domestic leaders who “always do right,” instead of what is politically expedient, popular, or personally advantageous at any given time in history. Political heroes who stand out through the course of time are those who found themselves on the right side of history because of their character and faith in endeavoring to “always doing right” versus doing what seemed most politically favorable. These were fearless men and women like Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and even Harry Truman, who would not put up with the Soviet-backed coup of Czechoslovakia. Instead, the remaining Allies made clear their intention to stand up to Soviet expansion; thus, to merge their three German zones into an independent zone set up as West Germany. Stalin considered this an unsustainable bluff by the Allies, then threatened to cut off all land and river transit routes into Berlin’s Alliedcontrolled area as retribution, which became known as the Berlin Blockade. With winter coming on Stalin planned to starve and freeze the West Berliners until the Allies gave up their idealist stance. Millions were now facing a bleak and life-threatening winter without fuel or food. The solution? Truman didn’t want to start WWIII by sending troops in. Instead, he decided upon air drops and shipments of food and fuel to help the Berliners. All of Truman’s advisors said, logistically, it couldn’t be done— there was no way! There weren’t enough planes with adequate carrying capacity nor places to land them when considering the number of people who would have to be fed and the amount of coal that would have to be delivered. The “experts” around Truman said the obstacles to an adequate and successful air response were insurmountable. Truman’s perspective: giving in to Stalin was wrong and he wouldn’t concede to it—it wasn’t an option. They’d do the best with what they had because it was the right thing to do. England supported the air effort, too. Planes were serviced and put into operation, and the speed and efficiency of flights in and out of West Berlin steadily increased. During America’s “Operation Vittles,” planes were soon reaching West Berlin in an astounding number—every thirty seconds. And a record MIGHT cont. on page 13 Dad will love this book for Father’s day! BEST-1 Hummingbird Feeders Feeders are bee and wasp proof. Glass bottles won’t leak or drip. Locals Only Starting at Retail: $5,600 $18.99 Sale: $2,799 Finally....an ultra high performance, frameless technology drift boat that rivals the performance of a conventional drift boat with none of the hassles! 801-940-7474 YouTube: davescadden See the entire line at davescaddenpaddlesports.com MOUTH OF OGDEN CANYON MON-THURS 10-8 | FRI & SAT 10-9 | SUN 11-7 l 801-621-1606 |
