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Show Remember 1981? 'News' Does in Year's Review Where did 1981 go? As it slipped by it brought many eventful days to Garfield County, and the Garfield County News was on hand to report them for you. Here for your remembering is 1981 in review. Can you believe that all this took place in just one year? JANUARY Four new or returning county officials were sworn into office, as the year Legan: four-year commissioner Guy Thompson; two-year commissioner Dell LeFevre; sheriff Don Mosier; and, deputy assessor, Collette Nay. As the four began their tenure, Wallace Ott, Tropic, retired form six years on the county commisison where he also served as chairman of the Southwest District Health Services Board, member of the Five County Association of Governments Assistance Payments Boards, member of the Garfield County Ambulance Board, and alternate representative for the Commission to the Five County AOG monthly meetings. Easier access between the eastern and western portions of Garfield County came closer to being a reality as commissioners met with representatives of the Utah Department of Transportation. Proposed improvement of the 74 mile stretch of road between Boulder and Ticaboo meant that travelers going from Panguitch to Ticaboo would no longer face 225 miles of travel through Piute, Sevier, Wayne and back into Garfield County. "If the environmentalists like the decision, it can't be a good one for us." So spoke county commissioner George Middletone regarding environmentalist reaction to Secretary of the Interior Cecil Andriw' decision on the Southern Utah Petition to declare lands adjacent to Bryce Canyon National Park unsuitable for coal mining. (Continued on Page 2) 'News' Recalls Top Stories, Events of 1981 ' , The skyline east of Panguitch was visibly altered In February when Kenting Drilling, out of Edmonton, (ConUnued from Page 1) Elected officials from almost every town in Garfield County gathered at the courthouse in Panguitch to hear commissioner George Middleton outline the county's plan for fighting fires which would involve each town in the county. Under the plan each community would be assigned a district which included a portion of the unincorporated area of the county as well as the territory inside its own incorporated boundaries. The county would contribute to each community an amount based on its assessed valuation to assist in fire fighting in return for protection .afforded unincorporated areas adjacent to the community. Michele Liston was selected' Homecoming Queen; Marilee Griggin, first attendant; and Maria Richins, second attendant at Escalante High School. The crowning of the queen and her two attendants came after an exciting basketball game where the Moquis defeated the Wayne county team, 84 to 71. Utah Power and Light Company crews restored electric power to a major transmission line between Glen Canyon and Sigurd Friday morning after a state-wide outage resulted in a 240 kilovolt line ripping away from a wood standard and dropping to the' ground four miles east of Antimony, The line, in operation since 1961, was at first believed to be a contributing cause of the blackout January 8 which kept many areas of the state, including southern Utah, without electricity for six hours. However, after analysis of time elements, it was concluded that the line went down as the result of the power outage, rather than being a cause of it. Power company officials ultimately concluded that the cause of the outage was the result of trash being burned under a high voltage line at the Utah State Prison, and an explosion of a barrel of volatile material which caused some ionization of the air near the power lines and caused the system to shut down. Panguitch City Police Chief Don ' Kidder named January 31 as his final day as he submitted his resignation to Panguitch City Manager Bruce Fullmer and the Panguitch City Council. Elder L. Tom Perry, a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church called a new stake president for the Escalante Stake on January 18 before a record attendance of 777 members and visitors. Fifty-two percent of the members were present to sustain Richard Crawford, Escalante, as stake president; LaMar Feltner, Tropic, as first counselor; and Sharon Dale Marsh, Escalante, as second counselor. Seven special education students, accompanied by their coach Frank Venuti, Bryce Valley School, and teacher aide Janet Pollock, headed for the first annual Utah Winter Special Olympics at Beaver Mountain near Canada, hoisted their derrick to begin a wildcat drilling operation. Logan. As result of their success, at least three and possibly four team members were assured of a spot on Utah's State Special Olympics Team. FEBRUARY Representatives of the state fire Marshall's office sifted through the . remains of a home gutted by fire. Approximately half of Panguitch City's volunteer fire department responded to the early morning blaze at the home of Paul Butler, general manager of the Intermountain Drilling Company currently working in Panguitch. Efforts to fight the fire were hampered by strong winds with the building 75 percent burned out by the time the blaze was contained about dawn. Emergency mobilization plans tailored especially for Garfield County were distributed throughout the county. Adapted from comprehensive plans based on federal and state plans, they were varied to fit potential needs o each town in the county. Local plans were devised to dovetail with state and federal plans in an endeavor to coordinate activities associated with a natural disaster or with nuclear war. Donna Peterson, then president of the Utah Education Association, was selected woman of the Year by the Panguitch Chapter of the Business1 and Professional 'Women. Througff'lne BPW organization she was also honored as one of Utah's Women of Achievement by Gov. Scott Matheson. Howard Gilmore was promoted to police chief and Don Ipson was hired as Pangutich City policeman. Employees and management at the Hatch facility of the Garkane Power Association pitched in to remodel and refurbish their office and conference room. Residents of Panguitch began to see the almost immediate impact of progress on their small community as 72 diesel trucks hauling parts of a new six million dollar diesel electric oil drilling rig started rolling into town. Texas International Petroleum Company (TIPCO), Oklahoma City, contracted with Kenting Drilling to drill a well approximately five miles east of Panguitch. For the first time since Panguitch High School participated, two of its wrestlers captured state honors in Class 1-A. Beaver High School hosted the State Class 1-A wrestling tournament where Mike Kenmuir took a first in the 183-pound division and Chuck Floyd took third in the 98 pound division. Garfield County Commissioner Del LeFevre was asked by Governor Scott Matheson to fill a vacancy on the Advisory Council on Community Affairs to serve a four year term beginning March 1. Mark Johnson, former Panguitch City policeman trainee, was hired as a Garfield County sheriff's deputy. Mark FueUenbach, publisher of the Garfield County News and three other southern Utah newspapers was named Television's weatherman, Bob Welti, featured on KSL was featured speaker at this year's annual fun draiser for the Garfield Memorial Health Care Foundation. Workers from Imperial Glass and Window Company located in Cedar City completed a contracted weatherizatlon project with the president of the Utah Press Association. Prior to being named president, FueUenbach served as vice president of UPA. He served previously as secretary, treasurer and a member of the board of directors. Still bubbling with enthusism over the "most exciting experience I've ever had," Garfield County's Mrs. America contestant returned to Panguitch with stories that will last a lifetime of telling and retelling. Mrs. Carl (Leah) Henrie, 31-year-old mother of two sons, competed in Las Vegas against other mothers for the title of Mrs. Utah. She advanced to the semi-finals in the competition. MARCH The Pangutich Chapter of the Future Farmers of America selected Tammy Evans as FFA Sweetheart at their annual Sweetheart Dance. Lana was selected as first attendant and LaCinda Fransen, second attendant. County commissioners pondered a one mill tax increase to carry out plans to more adequtely provide fire protection county wide under a cooperative agreement worked out with communities within Garfield County."" ,J "" i' ciir . . b'fVYe're smothering in government agencies," said, Garfield County commissioner George Middleton who charged the Bureau of Land Management with a "vendetta" against Garfield County. Commissioners signed several letters to heads of various government agencies registering complaints about unfair treatment of Garfield County and the failure on the part of specific agencies to carry through promises to consider the concerns of local citizens. Emerging from discussion at the past two Panguitch City Council meetings was a draft agreement to set responsibility for checking weather conditions at Pangutich City airport. The airport, which is owned by the city but located in county territory, became the center of attention when an emergency arose in which a report on such weather conditions were needed but no specific individual or agency was responsible for providing it. Alfred Foster, Jr. owner of Foster's 66 near Bryce Canyon signed a contract with the county to provide fuel at Bryce Canyon airport, promising to keep fuel available at all times for airport users. APRIL The pilot of a Cherokee Piper aircraft which crashed in a blinding snowstorm south of Bryce Canyon about two-and-one-half miles southeast of Alton, walked away alive and unhurt. Rescurers found the survivor about 10 miles southeast of his downed plane in the Johnson Canyon area. Glen Mahana, 31, Orem was transported to Kanab Hospital where he was checked out and released with only a few bruises to show for his ordeal. Named to the 1-A All Star players basketball team were Alan Bailey, a county this year. County courthouse on Main took on an entirely new appearance with the installation of the new storm windows. senior at Escalante High School and David Henrie, a Panguitch High School senior. The two competed in All-Star competition at Snow College in Ephraim. Approximately 100 people gathered to honor members of Panguitch High School's award-winning Bobcats. Team took third place in Provo after a successful season and a trip to Region 12 competition in Beaver. Escalante Sawmills Inc. indicated pride in its three certified lumber graders, a unique accomplishment for a mill its size. Scott McDonald, Boulder, and Doren Smith and Terry Cooper, both Escalante, all of whom were with the mill slightly over four . years qualify as certified lumber graders. Escalante Sawmills, Inc., the second largest sawmill in Utah, employed approximately 100 workers (including logging contractors) at peak employment. Jolyn Barnhurst, Hatch, competed in a state wide spelling bee in Salt Lake City. The 12-year-old sixth grader took first place in Garfield County school district competition. She is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Merivn Barnhurst, Hatch. " Statements both supporting and opposing possible upgrading and ex- ' pansion of tourist facilities inside Bryce Canyon National Park were aired during a public meeting held at the park visitor center. Some 75 persons mostly from state and federal agencies, along with county commissioners from Garfield and Kane counties, and a large representation of motel owners attended the session. Kaelynn Bybee, Tropic, a senior at Bryce Valley High School was designated a runner-up in the general scholarship division of the third annual Southwest Sterling Scholar competition held at Southern Utah State College in Cedar City. Wreckage of a light plane, missing for five days, was found by searchers in Bryce Canyon National Park and both occupants were found dead Inside the craft. Owners of four busineses operating just outside Bryce Canyon National Park joined forces against proposed expansion of in-park facilities for overnight lodging and possible extended season services at the popular national park. The group opposed the expansion sought by the in-park concessioner, TWA Services, Inc. Syndicated talk show host Phil Donahue and wife Mario Thomas pause for a photo with Bryce Canyon National Park superintendent Bob i A disabled Army CH-47C Chinook helicopter was forced down at Bryce Canyon airport. While awaiting repairs, it provided students at Bryce Valley schools a unique oportunity when crew members arranged a guided tour of the large craft and a lecture about the operation of the large chopper. MAY A record number of visitors came to Bryce Canyon National Park during ADril. According to park Superintendent Bob Benton a total of 27,900 (Continued on Page 3) Benton and his wife Julie, Donahues broke away from hectic tapeing schedule In Salt Lake City for Bryce visit. 'News9 Recalls Top Stories, Events of 1981 (Continued From Page 2) visitors were counted in April, 1.27 percent increase compared with the same month last year. Capitol Reef National Park Superintendent Derek Hambly directed a letter to Garfield County Commissioner Guy Thompson in which he said that he would object to "commercial ore-hauling vehicles" using the Burr Trail road in its present condition which he felt would be "unsafe." The 6u rr Trail road connects Boulder with Hcaboo in the southeast part of Garfield County. Hambly 's letter went on to explain that trucks of all sizes currently use the busy dirt road, shortest route to the southeast part of the county. The minds of those who refused to give up the search were set to rest with the grim discovery of the wreckage of a light plane missing since February 28 which contained the bodies of its six victims. The twin-engined Cherokee-Six had been the subject of one of the most extensive aerial searches in Utah history. It was finally sighted on Boulder Mountain through the efforts of volunteer pilot Wallace Woolsey and observer Gary Lane Liston, both Escalante. John Woodruff was hired by Panguitch City as a policeman. Woodruff came to Panguitch with a variety of experience in law enforcement and related fields. Karen Barney, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Miles Barney, was named the most outstanding girl in the Lambda Delta Sigma LDS sorority for women in the four-state Western region where the sorority has chapters. Lamonte Twitch ell a Cannonville native attending Southern Utah State College learned that he had been named Outstanding Life Science Student at the Cedar City institution. Fifteen percent of Antimony's total population attended last Thursday's school board meeting determined to keep their elementary school. Declining enrollment threatened the continued operation of the facility, but they were reassured when the school board virtually guaranteed that they could keep their school if they could pre-register a sufficient number of students. Hcaboo high school qualifies as the second smallest graduating class in the state, graduating three, with Panguitch graduating 20; Escalante, 13 and Bryce Valley, 16. JUNE Henrieville's community center was formally dedicated June 6 with a special dinner and program. A special roadblock workshop was conducted for local law enforcmenet officers. The class was sponsored' by the Utah Highway Patrol and coordinated by Garfield County Sheriff Don Mosier. Marilyn (Mrs. Russell) Bulkley, Panguitch, became the first Garfield County college graduate to receive her diploma under Southern Utah State College's unique "Outreach" program in teacher education. She was one of 15 graduates who probably would not have recieved their college degrees except for the opportunity offered by the special program. Utah State Engineer Dee Hansen set some new policy under which "no new wells may be drilled in the valley-fill area above the |