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Show County Updates Citizenry On Monument Planning Process The Garfield County Commission Commis-sion released its first "Monument Update and Countdown" on April 24. Its content follows: Seven months and six days have elapsed since that fateful day in September of 1996 when the President stood on the rim of Grand Canyon and set aside almost al-most two million acres of Garfield and Kane Counties as the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Cloaked in secrecy and deception, this act changed the course of our future here in Garfield County. To his credit, however, the President placed the Monument under BLM jurisdiction to be managed "pursuant to applicable legal authorities." Since BLM is a multiple use agency and operates oper-ates under the guidelines of the Federal Lands Policy Management Manage-ment Act (FLPMA), local government gov-ernment will play a key role in developing the management plan. With all that in mind, let us give you an update of events that have occurred so far. The commission in cooperation cooper-ation with the County Planning and Zoning Commission is working work-ing very carefully on amending the County's General Plan to address Monument impacts, and protect the County during the management plan process. Jim Parker, a highly respected, retired State BLM director, and Sheldon Kinsel, a consultant for the Utah Association of Counties, are help- (See County Updates Citizens On Monument Planning On Page 4A) County Updates Citizenry On Monument Planning Process From Front Page ing with this important work. Ken Sizemore from the Five County Association of Governments was also involved before becoming a member of the planning team. Garfield and Kane Counties are meeting together once a month to coordinate planning efforts. In their last meeting, on April 11 at Rubys Inn, Garfield County shared a Vision Document with Kane County which the Commission has been developing. The unifying theme of that document docu-ment is the maximum possible continued use of the land and resources within the Monument, which is not only in the best interests of Garfield County and Southern Utah, but the state and nation as well. Jerry Meredith, Monument Manager, has expressed ex-pressed interest in working with both counties in this area. Public meetings will be held during the month of May in the communities surrounded by the Monument to formulate and es tablish the criteria necessary to ensure that the quality of life and local customs and culture are preserved to the maximum extent cially moved into its new office in Cedar City and phones have been installed. That number is 586-5100, Eleven slots in the 15-mem-ber planning team have now been filled. (See the recent Garfield County News article which gav information on each of those team members.) The planning team has offi- (See County Updates Citizenry On Monument On Page 5A) County Updates Citizenry On Monument Planning Process From Front Paee ( possible. The Rural Development Council (RDC) will help in organizing and advertising this effort. It is critical that local citizens citi-zens become involved in determining dete-rmining what they want and don't want to happen in their commu-ities commu-ities in the coming months and years. The Governor's Office of Planning and Budget is in the process of forming an Economic Development Strategy team which will work directly with the Planning Team during the three-year three-year process to ensure that local communities will not suffer economically eco-nomically from the Monument. This team will include state agencies, county commissioners, mayors and businessmen or women with economic development develop-ment experience and expertise. That team should be in place within the next two weeks. Commissioner Louise Liston is working with the National Association of Counties' Joint Center for Community Sustain-ability Sustain-ability to seek grant moneys to help with infrastructure and other needs associated with the Monument. Monu-ment. Commissioner Listoh and Commissioner Joe Judd from Kane County testified before Congressman Con-gressman Ralph Regula's Appropriations Appro-priations Committee to request funding the 1998 budget to help with the necessary services that Monument visitation will require, i.e., search and rescue, emergency emergen-cy services, law enforcement, garbage collection, fire protection, protec-tion, road maintenance, etc. Commissioner Liston was asked to testify on April 29 in Congressman Jim Hansen's Sub-Committee Sub-Committee Oversight Hearing on the Monument. Katy McGinty and Secretary Bruce Babbitt will be put under oath in that hearing to answer questions on the process pro-cess by which the Monument was created. She will also participate in a press conference the next day with Senator Robert and Congressman Con-gressman Chris Cannon on the Monument and other public land issues. On May 1, she will testify in yet another hearing on the Senate side on Senator Bennett's legislation (SB 357) which attempts to codify and pass the language of the President's Proclamation Proc-lamation into law. On April 22, Commissioners Clare Ramsay and Liston visited the Conoco drilling site in Reese Canyon in the Monument with State Department of Natural Resources staff, State Trust Lands staff, and the press. That drilling site is located on a state school section directly adjacent to an RS2477 Kane County road. Despite a major campaign by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Alli-ance and others (including a recent full page ad in the New York Times) to block Conoco's efforts, the Company still plans to pursue the project. The site is accessed by the Alvey Wash Road. If there are any questions or comments about Monument-related Monument-related activities, please feel free to contact us personally or call the courthouse and leave a message. We welcome public input and want to know your concerns. |