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Show G Address Service Requested GUNNISON±ALLEY Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 11 Gunnison, UT ECRWSS *met efto•tetoeufit Ileuvizeiftex i Volume 7 • Number 29 Thursday, July 21, 2011 Copy Price • One dollar Centerfield's Pioneer Day Celebration Friday July 22 Parade • 6 pm Dinner & Entertainment will follow at the Park Dinner by Donation Bring your own dishes Fayette's Sesquicentennial Celebration Sat July 23 Starts at 6:30 am Activities all day long Everyone is invited! Relay for Life Swap Meet Fri July 29 • 10-6 on Gunnison Main Street For a booth contact Ranae Hyatt at 528-3366 There are no up front charges for booths but 10% of sales should be donated to Relay for Life. Donations for the Relay for Life's Silent Auction and Live Auction are now being accepted. Please contact Kim Sorenson @ 528-5289 or 979-8355 GVHS Volleyball Try-outs Aug 8 & 9 Email items for What's Happening in Gunnison Valley to gazetteagtelco.net fax to 528-5179 or call 528-5178 2 John Hales/Gunnison Valley Gazette An estimated 5,000 cubic feet of mud and debris now clog the Gunnison Riverwalk from one end to the other of the Riverwalk's underpass under U.S. 89. The mess is what remains of high water and flooding the Sanpitch River fell victim to just weeks ago. City crews will eventually clean up the 5-foot-by-12foot-by-80-foot wall of silt that prevents use of the Riverwalk. But for now, the mud is being left in place so that officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can take a look at how flooding affected the city when they tour through Sanpete County later this week. Gunnison City is a party to a declaration of emergency the county issued a couple weeks ago to set in motion a process that could result in federal funds to pay for flood preparation and mitigation projects in places that need it, like Gunnison. Candidates file for city elections By John Hales When it comes to interest in running for local office in upcoming elections this November, the contrast between Gunnison and other communities in the Gunnison Valley could not be greater. In Fayette, there are no candidates at all, even though two town council seats are up for grabs. In Mayfield, town officials had to go hat in hand to citizens, finally getting four who consented to run for two town council positions. And in Centerfield, the only candidates for three seats are the incumbents who already sit in them. (No candidate information was available for the Axtell Special Service District as of press time on Tuesday). But in Gunnison, 11 people filed as city council candidates, nearly four times the number of seats up for election. "That's the difference between controversy and none," said Fayette Mayor Scott Bartholomew. The controversy in question appears to be Gunnison's Main Street project. "That shouldn't be the whole issue, but it seems to be what everyone's concerned about," said Blake Donaldson, a candidate who supports the Main Street project as long as it's "presented properly and done in the correct way," he said. Just as national midterm elections are seen as a referendum on the policies of the current president, Gunnison's "midterm" elections are shaping up to be a referendum on one of the main objectives of Mayor Lori Nay: the Core Preservation Renewal Project, a proposal to replace or upgrade infrastructure, improve safety and invigorate the look of Gunnison's main business corridor. The project has been divisive for some time, and seems to be a factor in the city's elections, even though the project could be well underway by the time those elections take place. "People that I have talked to are either polar against the beautification, or they are saying we live in an ugly town," said Thomas Stafford, one of the candidates running in opposition to the Main Street project. "Here we are going forward with projects that I don't necessarily agree with," he said. "People may take this as they wish: Am I in favor of the beautification project as it stands? No. Am I in favor of infrastructure needs? Yes. Are we being fiscally responsible with the dwindling revenues that we have? I don't agree with the direction I see the city is going." Stafford is one of several candidates with similar sentiments, though some of them were hesitant at this point to go on record saying as much. They do not like what is happening, they indicated, and see little effort from current council members to stop it. However, one of those whose position is no secret is incumbent Councilman Brian Jensen, who declared his re-election campaign. He recently voted "no" on the Main Street project. "You cannot spend that kind of money on that kind of a project before doing your homework first," Jensen said this week. "With the city hall, with the fire department, somewhere you've got to step back and say, wait a minute, you've got to catch up. If that doesn't get me elected, so be it." See CANDIDATES, Page 2 Grand Marshals chosen for Mayfield and Centerfield Ed and Bonnie Whitaker consider it an honor and a privilege to be named Grand Marshals of Mayfield's 2011 Pioneer Day celebration. Bonnie, a Mayfield native, has lived here her entire life, and Ed— when asked what brought him to Mayfield from his former home in Montana—grins and glances at Bonnie: "Her!" Most fitting for Pioneer Day, both Bonnie and Ed love hunting and fishing, and they both practice pioneer crafts. At Arapeen Days events in Mayfield—as well as Mountain Man Rendezvous in Montana, Colorado, Washington, California, and Utah—they raise their tepee, set up a forge, and hammer hot iron into pot hooks and hinges and tent stakes. They always donate iron and leather goods to raffles and auctions for Mayfield events. Right now they're preparing for a Labor Day Rendezvous at Ft. Bridger, WY. They will haul 2700 pounds of hand-forged iron goods, including Bonnie's 27 dozen tent stakes and Ed's collapsible campstoves, washstands, tools, lamps, candle holders, and sundries. "He does anything with iron," Bonnie says proudly. "And anything with leather." Bonnie makes mug-holders from leather, and Ed does holsters, sheaths, and portmanteaux—the round-ended ourtesy oto Ed and Bonnie Whitaker will serve as the Grand Marshals of the Mayfield Parade. satchels designed for stagecoach travel. Asked if she preferred forging and tooling to "women's crafts" like embroidery, Bonnie exclaimed, "Oh, no!" It's been a while since she embroidered, she said, but she quilts and sews along with the leatherwork. Bonnie grew up as "one of the twins," born to Glen and Marge Amtoft on Canyon Road, along with Connie, the other twin, and three other siblings. Ed doesn't remember which number he was among the 14 Whitaker children growing up in the three-room, uninsulated clapboard house in Haver, on the Montana prairie. When they married 30 years ago, both were still building power lines for Utah Power. Ed retired about 20 years ago, and now works at WalMart in Ephraim. Bonnie now works at WalMart in Richfield. For their 30th anniversary, their kids pooled their resources and sent the second honeymooners to celebrate in Las Vegas. Their proud children are Joanne (John) Callahan of Yakima, WA; and Lisa (Chris) Soper, Julie (Mayor John) Christensen, Bobby (Carina) Whitaker, and Stacy (Larry) Petersen, all of Mayfield. With 22 grandkids and 16.9 great-grands (one due next month), their legacy in Mayfield is assured. Merrill and Betty Gunderson have been chosen as the Grand Marshals of the Centerfield Pioneer Day Parade. Merrill and Betty moved to Centerfield in 1995 after Merrill retired fiom a thirty six year career with the Bureau of Reclamation. They are the parents of seven children, thirty three grandchildren and one great grandchild, for a total posterity of fifty four. In addition to his employment with Reclamation, Merrill obtained his Utah Land Surveying license and was a partner in an Engineering and Land Surveying firm. Betty returned to school after five years of marriage and graduated from BYU. She owned and managed two small businesses in the food industry in addition to her primary career as homemaker and nurturer of their seven children. Merrill (76) was born in Murray, Utah, and raised on a farm in Spanish Fork. Betty (74) was born and raised in Central, Arizona. They met while attending BYU and were married in the Mesa, Athona Temple in 1958. During their married life they have lived in thirteen different homes in Farmington, New Mexico and Provo, Vernal, Salem, Duchesne, Orem, and now Centerfield, Utah. Their greatest interest is their family and membership ourtesy oto Merrill and Betty Gunderson will serve as Grand Marshals of the Centerfield Parade. in the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints where Betty has been in leadership and teaching positions since her teenage years. Merrill has also served in several church callings. While living in Centerfield First Ward, Betty has served as Relief Society President and Merrill as a counselor in the Bishopric. Betty's greatest joy is mingling with and still caring for her family. Merrill's fun activities while raising their family were coaching his sons and kids in their age group in football, basketball and baseball. He still enjoys watching sporting events. They both were involved in numerous hands on home improvements and remodeling. Both Betty and Merrill have ancestral roots in Sanpete County and they are enjoying their retirement years in Centerfield. |
