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Show Escalante Members Of Governor's Strategy Committee To Hold June 18 Meet For Escalante Residents ESCALANTE Escalante's members of Governor Mike Leavitt's new 30-member Community Com-munity and Economic Development Develop-ment Strategy Committee will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, June 18 at 7 p.m. at the Community -Center to assess specifically what residents of Escalante would like to see happen hap-pen on the new Grand Staircase-Escalante Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Local Strategy Committee members Howard Miller, Escalante Esca-lante mayor; Marlene Stowe, manager at the local bank; Dal Liston, a local rancher; and Louise Liston, Escalante resident who chairs the Garfield County Commission are inviting all Escalante residents to voice their opinions and ideas. In making his selections for the Strategy Committee, Com-mittee, Governor Leavitt consulted con-sulted with local government leaders. The four will take those ideas gleaned from the Wednesday night meeting to the first official meeting of the Strategy Committee with the members of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Planning Team set for July 1 in Kanab. Sub-committees to address special issues will be formed at that meeting. The Governor, in partnership with local governments in Kane and Garfield Counties, decided on the committee which is expected to attempt to "maximize benefits to cities, counties and other entities in both the short and long term." The Governor sent letters late in May to each of the 30 inviting them to participate as members of his Strategy Committee. Com-mittee. He appointed Harold Hiskey with the Center for Rural Life at Southern Utah University as chairman. The Governor said that one of the major goals of the Strategy Committee will be to "further the consideration of economic, social, so-cial, and community planning issues in the Monument Management Manage-ment Plan and to promote compatibility com-patibility between the Strategy and the Plan." The Governor proposes that the two counties outline a "shared vision" for the future, perhaps for the next 20 years. He hopes the committee will provide needed input to the Bureau of Land Management planning process on key issues such as visitors centers, impact mitigation, funding, financing, and entrance fees. He suggests that the "shared vision" might include addressing what the communities might look like in 20 years, how they can - interface with the monument, where and how the monument-supporting monument-supporting tourism industry to develop, and how a sustainable and diversified economy might be ' developed. He wants the Strategy Committee Com-mittee to develop ideas on how the State can help with supporting local efforts with technical assistance assis-tance and infrastructure. He asks the committee to determine the timetable for completion com-pletion of their effort. One member of the committee commit-tee will serve as the State's representative on the Monument Planning Team. The Governor said that the Department of the (See Escalante Strategy Committee Commit-tee Members Hold Meet Page 3) Escalante Members Of Governor's Strategy Committee To Hold June 18 Meet For Escalante Residents From Front Page Interior will provide assistance as will he and State agencies. Other members of the Strategy committee include Brad Barber, Governor's Office of Planning and Budget; Dave Winder, Utah Department of Community and Economic Development; Dean Reeder, Utah Travel Council; Dave Terry, Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration; Adminis-tration; Ted Stewart, Utah Department Depart-ment of Natural Resources; Commissioner Com-missioner Joe Judd, Kane County; Mayor Jean Seiler, Tropic; Mayor Elaine Baldwin, Panguitch; Mayor May-or Allen (Viv) Allen, Kanab; Mayor Geraldine Rankin, Big Water; Mayor Eric Brinkerhoff, Glendale; and Travis Parashonts, Paiute Economic Development Professional. Kane County business leaders on the Strategy Committee include in-clude Roger Holland, Kanab council member and geologist; Jim Spero, Big Water, a contractor; Jim Matson, Kanab, coordinating federal money; Karen Kar-en Alvey, Kanab, retired Job Service; and Ellen Lamb, Travel Council chairperson. Garfield County business leaders lead-ers on the committee include Del LeFevre, Boulder rancher; Earl Slack, principal, Bryce Valley High School; Mark Austin, Boulder, lodge; and Joe Thompson, Thomp-son, construction business. Other committee members include in-clude Brooke Williams, sustainable sustain-able communities; Jim Ruch, Grand Canyon Trust; Carl Al-brecht, Al-brecht, Garkane Power Association. Associ-ation. Ex-officio members include Jerry Meredith, BLM; Marty Ott, National Park Service; Hugh Thompson, U.S. Forest Service; Scott Truman, Rural Development Develop-ment Council and SUPAC; John Williams, Five County Association Associa-tion of Governments; Rep. Tom Hatch; Sen. Mike Dmitrich; Bruce Richison representing Sen. Bob Bennett; Rick Arial, representing Rep. Jim Hansen; Jeannine Holt, representing Sen. Orrin Hatch; and Keith Nash, representing Rep. Chris Cannon. Ken Sizemore will .serve as staff assistant and Planning Team liaison. The Escalante Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly meeting for June at 6 p.m. on June 18 at the Senior Citizen Center and then move upstairs to participate in the meeting sponsored spon-sored by the Strategy Committee. The Escalante Chamber will meet monthly on each third Wednesday where a different member of the Monument Planning Plan-ning Team will update the chamber on planning progress and specific progress in his or her field of expertise. |