RCT Online News: 2016-03-13

Saturday, March 19, 2016

The Ice On The Lake Has Melted

Some of the last ice fishers.
Photo by Tammy Calder

Changes In Precinct Boundaries

NOTICE

Due to the County redistricting of school districts which was passed on September 2, 2015, the precinct boundaries have changed. If for the primaries and caucuses you have any questions on which precinct you are in, please contact:

County Clerk's Office 435 793 2415

Garden City Engineer Report

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, March 10, 2016. Zan Murray noted that Water’s Edge Phase 3 final plat will be discussed in the Council Meeting. There are a few minor edits that need to be corrected on the plat before final approval is given. When approval is given, make sure it is conditional until certain changes are made.

The Parking lot on 150 South needs to be repaired. Murray noted that he will get in touch with Circle C and ask them to get the repairs done in that area.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) is being drafted between Lance Anderson and Garden City concerning the easements and tank ownership on Elks’ Ridge. Progress is being made. Hopefully the easements will be ready in the next couple of weeks and will be sent to the City soon.

The 350 South Beach Access Trail is ready to respond to any questions people may have.

Cottonwood Subdivision will be reviewed again soon. Comments concerning this subdivision can be submitted to the developer.

Legacy Beach is a new PUD which is in a beach development zone. The developer will be creating a development plan that will be presented to the City for start approval. The five acres across the highway are considered to be part of the entire development.

There will not be enough parking for Water’s Edge development. There is an understanding that the developers will have to purchase some additional parking. The overall calculation of parking can be taken care of later as the developments progresses. It appears that they will be short about 18 spaces. However, each phase still must stand alone, so enough parking must be shown to move forward on Phase 3. The developers realize that they can purchase 15 percent of required parking spaces from the City. They need to have 53 parking spaces for Phase 3. It will be important to keep track of the parking as each phase is approved.

Garden City Public Works

GARDEN CITY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT REPORT

March 10, 2016

Reported by Anita Weston

GARDEN CITY, Utah. Marh 10, 2016. Riley Argyle reported that he had reviewed the site where the new flag pole will be placed in Heritage Park. He approved of the location. Half of the cost for the new flag pole will be paid by a grant and the other half will be paid out park monies. While he was at Heritage Park, he noted that a pipe line needs to be laid between the pond and the playground. This should be put in place soon. There are two more locations at the playground that needs more bark—at least two loads.

The bike path has been brushed and cleaned. It is ready to go. The roller has been used on the beach. It really does a good job and makes everything look smooth and attractive.

Some replacement parts are needed at the water treatment plant. Also, there are quite a few spring water leaks that are taking time to get fixed. A new valve will be needed in Buttercup. The water there sill have to be turned off to install the new valve. Five homes will be without water during the repair.

A Garden City employee has taken the test for a license to work at the treatment plant. He won’t receive the results on the exam for at least a month. He is also scheduled to take the culinary water distribution test. That will give him the needed certification to handle water leaks that occur in the water system. The Town’s water system is rated as a Level one system. Riley Argyle noted that he had been reviewing and discussing with Tom what he will need to know to pass the distribution test. They will review everything just prior to him taking the exam.

The City will be getting another tractor to use on the beach. It will be a larger machine than the Town used last year. It will cost the City $1,800 more for this year because of the larger machine. It will be delivered on the first of this coming month and will be used until the first of September. The City owns a skid-steer which can be attached to the tractor. A lot more of the beach will be plowed this year. That should help with the insect problems. Since the City obtained the federal license, the City is permitted to take care of the beach. Riley Argyle thought it would be a good idea to run the plans for beach work past the D&R concerning 150 South area. There shouldn’t be any problems.

Argyle noted that he and Kathy Hislop had completed the water report. The City did use about 10 percent more water this last summer than the previous year. It was noted that the months of September and June were the months of the highest use.

An agreement has been made between the City and Swan Creek HOA concerning water shares. The paperwork has been submitted to the State for their approval.

This past winter two loads of salt and two loads of sand were used. The workers make a 50 percent mix when salting the slick roads. This is about an average amount used for the past several years. It costs the City about $2,000 a load for the salt. The City then takes care of some County Roads in payment for the sand they obtain from the County.

The new snow plow truck has not yet gone into service. The service station in Laketown is waiting for a valve that is needed to get the truck into service. Since we seem to be moving toward spring, this truck will probably not be used until next winter. One of the Council members noted that perhaps the City needed to make arrangements with another repair company so that if the waiting period becomes too long, the equipment can be moved to the other company where the repair can be done in a more expeditious manner. It was noted that International Equipment in Cache Valley has helped the City out in the past and may be the one that could be used as the alternative.

One of the employees, Glen, has decided to stay and continue to work part-time for the Public Works area. He will become the commercial building inspector and will not be able to work fulltime for the City. He has always been paid on an hourly rate, so that won’t be a problem. He is still waiting for the results on his inspector exam.

Garden City needs to become involved with the wild land insurance bill. The state of Utah is divided into areas. There are three areas: green requires the least amount of insurance and won’t cost much. Yellow areas must pay $2.50 per square acre within a city. Red areas must pay $5.00 per square acre. Garden City needs to insure all of the land within the City because, if and when a fire occurs, the city is totally responsible for open areas. It will cost the City about $2,000 for the city’s insurance plan.

The City needs to dig another well in the City Park. The one dug at Heritage Park has worked very well. This will save the City money. Instead of installing a water meter and paying the city for the water used, the City can pump the water from the well to keep the park looking green and attractive. It will cost the City about $5,000 to dig the well and get in working properly. Water shares that the City owns will be used to cover the amount of water being used by the two park wells.

Riley Argyle reported that some cooling devices (there are 12) at the water treatment plant need to be rebuilt. It will cost about $150 each to rebuild these parts. This is going to be cheaper than buying new units.

Argyle recommended that the City hire Austin again this coming summer. He is not currently attending college this semester, and Argyle asked if he could be placed on the payroll soon and finish up all of the GPS work that needs to be completed. He could finish out the entire project by fall. He will work for about the same rate as last summer.

Argyle noted that he will be attending a training to become certified to work with asbestos. The training is a week long course.

Raspberry Days probably should include an entrance fee. Everyone under the age of 12 should pay $1 each day of attendance.

The flag pole should be in place in time for a dedication on Memorial Day. It has been decided to place four granite monuments around the fishing pond at Heritage Park.

Tom Wahlberg mentioned that there are old airplanes and tanks that no longer run. Perhaps placing an airplane or tank in the Heritage Park play area would attract and be enjoyable for children to play on.

High School Musical

Rich High gets raves for their musical, High School Musical
Photo by Laura Cluff

Short Term Rentals, Rec Center Proposal

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah. March 10, 2015. Bob Peterson, Garden City’s ordinance officer, reported that the state legislature proposed a bill to take responsibility and enforcement of all short term rentals in the state. However, as the legislators became more familiar with this idea, they discovered that it is much more complex than at first thought. The bill was pulled, and it appears that in the future the State may pass a law or write up some general guidelines for short term rentals.

The legislators thought there were about 1,900 short term rentals in the entire State. However, it was noted that there were over 4,000 in Park City alone. The sponsor of the bill discovered that most of the data he had was way off from what actually exists. Not only was the data off, but each city has unusual items that needs to be considered. One size does not meet all. Peterson will keep his eye on what is happening in the State concerning this item in the future.

Peterson is still working on the models for the recreational center. He will have enough data to share with the public at the next council meeting.

The information from the data collected from the pool has been extremely helpful. There were 3,500 paying customers who took advantage of the pool last year. The numbers for this year are already way ahead of those collected last year.

Peterson is still working on ordinances, the work done on the C4 zone will be addressed in the coming meeting, and permission for signage for the bike path and scenic byway areas is being researched.

New Businesses In Garden City

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah. March 10, 2016. A business license was granted to Conestoga Wagon Company, LLC, to allow the owner, Mike Knapp, to conduct a business at 2131 South Bear Lake Blvd. They will be building and selling Conestoga Wagons.

There were two short term rental applications submitted to the City. Owners John and Roxan Fitzgerald have a home at 955 Blackberry Drive. They will be renting this facility. Property Management Company, Bear Lake Condo Rentals, will be in charge of renting out Nanette Calhoun’s property located at 864 North Harbor Village Drive, #106. The Council approved both applications.

The Council discussed and approved the re-zone of property at #36-04-00-009 (south of town) from Residential Estates to the C-4 Zone. This item had been sent to the Council from Planning and Zoning. This is the second time the item has been submitted to the Council with their request for approval. After some discussion, the Council approved the zone change.

The final phase plan for the PUD commercial retail and restaurant building with multi-family residential housing on the second floor was presented to the Council. This is called phase 3 of the previously approved site development plan of the Water’s Edge Resort. After a short discussion with the owners of the Arete Land Company, approval was given. A few minor changes will be made on the plat and work will begin soon at this site.

Mayor Spuhler was re-appointed as a board member to the Bear Lake Regional Commission. Darrin Pugmire was re-appointed as the Town Treasurer, and Kathy Hislop was re-appointed as the Town Clerk/Recorder.

Chuck Stocking reported that the library is doing well. Repairs to the pool and shower were complete. The pool is being heavily used and doing well.

Darrin Pugmire noted that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the County and State is still in the works. He noted that the City will not be getting any of the $10,000 back for the original plans and drawings made toward the building of a gun range.

Darrin noted that he felt the County should have control over the gun range. If the state assumes responsibility, any money that may be made at the range would never been seen by this area of the state. However, if the County has control, possible profit would be reinvested in the gun range itself and in the local area. The County is ready to move forward. Darrin noted that he will meet with Commissioner Tom Weston, Parks Supervisor Drosbeck, and then turn the MOU over to the attorney to make sure all areas are covered.

Pat Argyle noted that she has everything ready for the Easter Egg Hunt. It will be held on the 25^th at 10 a.m. She is working on getting four monuments that will be placed in Heritage Park. The grant money is now available to help buy and install a flag pole at Heritage Park. The flag pole will be installed in time for Memorial Day. She will be meeting with the Raspberry Days Committee in the next day or two. It has been suggested that a charge of $1 per person for everyone over the age of 12 be collected daily for entry into the Raspberry Days booth area. This will help defray costs of this event.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

A Musical Journey

March 25, 2016 7:30 pm

Allinger Community Theatre, Montpelier

Allinger Community Theatre invites you to join them on a musical journey guided by local artists.

Performing for your listening pleasure will be composer/pianist James Farmer, violinist Jamie Bartschi, and the musical talents of Neil, Shirley, and Makenzie Harris.

General admission tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for children. Theatre doors open at 7:00 pm performance starts at 7:30 pm.

Pamela June Porter Weston 1940 - 2016

Pamela June Porter Weston, age 75, returned to her Heavenly Father on March 15, 2016, at the Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello, Idaho, due to complications of a stroke.

Pam was born to Francis E., and June Wilde Porter on December 13, 1940 in Coalville, Utah. She grew up in Devil’s Slide and Morgan, Utah, where she attended school, becoming a very allegiant fan of Trojan athletics. Pam’s fondest memories included playing with her many cousins, watching her dad and uncles play semi-pro baseball, and then cheering for her younger brothers as her father coached. Pam made fond memories working at Como Hot Springs.

Pam graduated from Weber State College and went to Utah State University where she met a shy but determined cowboy, Dale B. Weston. They were married on November 16, 1962. They became the parents of three children, Kevin Benjamin, Lyn Porter, and June Marie. In 1975 the family moved from Pickleville, Utah, to the old BQ Ranch in Sage, Wyoming. Dale and Pam later retired to a happy home in Cokeville, Wyoming. Pam was proud of the front porch Dale built for her, and she decorated it cheerily for each season and holiday.

Pam began teaching school at North Rich Elementary in 1972, and didn’t fully retire from Cokeville High School until May of 2015, working all of those years directly in Special Education. Pam loved her students with all of her heart, and championed the causes of any who were hurt, discouraged, or needing love. She carried the students’ burdens around with her, finding many creative ways to help and enrich both in and out of the classroom. Pam is known for sending cards, giving smiles, hugs, and sincerely cherishing her friends and family. She considered her grandchildren to be her crowning jewels, and followed them in sports and activities, always believing them to be the best at everything. She became a spirited, true blue, loyal fan of Bear Lake, Cokeville, and Rich athletics, music, and activities! When grandchildren played against grandchildren she counseled with the refs indiscriminately. She was known by many as Grandma Pam, or Baseball Grandma.

Pam was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving in many callings throughout her lifetime. She served as Ward Historian for the past 10 years, and magnified that calling with the zeal of Nephi. She was currently serving as Stake Historian, and has been a valiant historian forfamily, community, and church. She kept a daily journal for the past 50 years.

Pam was preceded in death by her husband, Dale B. Weston, parents, Francis and June Porter, a stillborn infant brother, and a nephew, Lance Porter. She is survived by her brothers, Dennis (Lorraine) Porter of Brigham City, and Francis “Luke” Porter of Morgan, her children, Kevin (Stephanie) Weston of Cokeville, Wyoming, Lyn (Heidi) Weston of Randolph, Utah, June Marie (Mike) Saxton of Raymond, Idaho, 12 grandchildren: Shannyn (Cody) Davis, Casey, Justyn, and Tahnee Saxton, Lyndi (Camron) Foust, Whitlee, Porter, and Madyson Weston, Kaylee (Paul) Clark, Brittney, Morgann and Shanaya Weston, and 6 great grandchildren: Kynleigh and McKoy Davis, Cambrie Dawn Foust, Benjamin, Weston, and Karley Clark.

Viewings were held on Friday, March 18, from 7-9 p.m. and on Saturday, March 19, from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Cokeville LDS Church. Funeral services followed the Saturday viewing at noon at the Cokeville LDS Church. Interment at the Cokeville Cemetery.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Cisco Sonar

Antelopes in Garden City
By Bryce Nielson

I am continually amazed at wildlife in the Bear Lake Valley. This is a picture taken of an antelope feeding in the field west of the Chevron in Garden City. Over the last thirty years I have watched antelope slowly migrate from the Bear River to the west, Ten years ago I first saw them in the hills east of Bear Lake. I then saw them cresting the top of Laketown Canyon. Last year there a small bunch in the fields north of Laketown. And now, this one on the other side of the valley. If they were deer you might not be surprised but one thing that is different about antelope. They can not jump fences, They have to go under or around them. There are a lot of fences between Laketown and Garden City.