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Show Commissioners To Keep Lake Road Open This Winter Panguitch Lake road will remain open this winter according to the unanimous decision by Garfield County Commissioners in Monday's commission meeting. Commissioners were responding to a plea by Panguitch Lake Resort owners to keep the road open to the popular resort area, normally operational during summer months only. Resort owners were joined in their request by some 50 Panguitch business owners who anticipate additional winter time revenue from tourists who will come to participate in the winter time recreational activities in the Panguitch Lake area. Commissioners made their decision despite counter pleas from approximately 100 cabin owners in the lake area who feared increased vandalism, already a growing problem. When queried about possible increased costs to taxpayers due to keeping the lake road open and providing necessary police protection, commissioners reasoned that costs of maintaining the road throughout the winter, should approximately equal costs of reopening the road in the . spring, if it were kept closed. In the event of a particularly severe ' winter county equipment may be inadequate to handle buildups of snow and ice, in which case residents of the lake area will be notified and the road closed. Commissioner George Middleton interjected at this point that many years mild winters have permitted use of the Panguitch Lake road all year round without special snow maintenance. It was pointed out that families with school age children will be residing in the Panguitch Lake area and will need to use the road on a daily basis. In response to cabin owners fears that opening of the road during winter months would lead to increased vandalism, commissioners pointed out that vandalism had already occur ed in previous winters but cabins and resorts had been inaccessible to police because of the closed Panguitch Lake road. Cabin owners told commissioners and resort owners that their properties would not benefit from the opening of the main road since their cabins would still not be accessible. At that point a "cooperative spirit" developed between resort owners and cabin owners as the businessmen pledged their personal snow removal equipment to help clear the cabin owners roads. Lake residents also pointed out to commissioners the need for fire fighting equipment as well as the need for increased police coverage. Representatives inquiring about the possibility of becoming a "special service district" to provide for increased services were told by commissioners to consult the county attorney about forming a "special assessment" area with their own "local control board." |