Garden City Primary Election Results:

For Mayor:  The top two will be on the General Election Ballot in November.

Mike Leonhardt  84
Darin Pugmire  76
Bruce Warner  24

For City Council:  The  top four will be on the General Election Ballot

Laura Cluff  42
Kenneth Hansen   87
Travis Hobbs  54
Dan Kurek  46
Howard Pope  102
Andy Stokes   32

0 Provisional ballots
182 Absentee ballots

Garden City Staff Reports

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  August 10, 2017.  The rain during the week caused some flooding along Bear Lake Blvd.  The KOA area was covered with water and La Beau’s Drive Inn also had water damage.  Apparently, the culverts that are close to these two locations had not been cleaned properly for some time.  The water had no place to go and backed up at the two locations.

The culverts belong to the State.  It appeared near LaBeau’s that the culvert there had purposely been covered.  There was no marking to show where the culvert was located.  The culverts were put in place by the state many years ago.

All of the staff members were happy they had survived Raspberry Days.  There was some damage to the sprinklers on the Church lot.  There were some issues with power as well.  Several of the booths needed more outlets and more power.  Another year more power will be required to satisfy everyone.  It was suggested that the application sent to possible booth owners include a section to be filled out giving their power needs.  It was also noted that a liability release form be included in the application.  Most individuals do not get commercial insurance for such a short activity, so the city needs to be protected by such a release.

Council Member, Chuck Stocking noted that he had just been to a fair.  He had a booth and was required to pay for any power that he used during that event and was separate from the booth price itself.  He had a schedule of what was charged for various amounts of power.  He gave that electricity break-down to Pat Argyle and suggested that all vendors pay for their own power in the future instead of the City paying that expense.  The Council members agreed that in the future all booth vendors will be asked to pay for their power usage

The City is going to be short $400,000 to get Third West in place this next summer.  Several options had been discussed last month.  It was decided that the city borrow from the state.  The money can be borrowed for five years at zero interest.  If the loan is not paid off by that time, interest will be added to the remaining balance.

Glen Gillis , Commercial Building Inspector, reported that he had given out 46 citations.  Twenty-eight of them had been resolved.  Seven were not taken care of, and those individuals will be receiving certified letters this week.

Building is moving forward in town.  The Beach walkway has been started.  Smoot is making some changes at Harbor Village.  Norm Mecham has plans for a new PUD and will be submitting his information to the office this week.  Water’s Edge is planning on building a hotel.  They want to get all the footings and foundations put in before winter.  They will probably not try and work through the winter.  Smoot at his 200 North location is ready to begin building employee housing behind his shop.

The City has created a list of possible complaints that may be submitted.  There will be choices given to individuals when they call in a complaint.  By determining the kind of complaint, the call will be directed immediately to whoever is responsible for handling that item.  This will save a lot of time and ensure that all complaints will be sent to the proper individuals and will be handled as soon as possible. Parking problems is the number one issue in the town.

Logan City is currently considering bringing air service into their City.  They are trying to make Logan a ski destination area.  This could work well for Garden City because of the number of short-term rentals that are available during the snowy season. 

Zan Murray, the City’s Engineer, noted that he is still attempting to get the final signature on the agreement with Elk’s Ridge.  The easement is in hand.  They have only one more signature that is needed.  Murray had to redo the document because of a change.  This required that everyone had to sign the new revised agreement.  He said it would be taken care before the end of the week. Another individual who owns land up above Elk’s Ridge wanted to be able to use the ingress/egress that was required of Elk’s Ridge Subdivision.  He was told that he would need to work with Elk’s Ridge Subdivision homeowners and not Garden City.

Murray is finishing up the final questions on the water project.  Funding is always a problem.  They will be looking into the impact on water rates.  Currently, the base rate is $44 for those within the City limits and $66 for those outside the City.  This water rate may appear high, but because of the water treatment plant, it is necessary.  Murray is looking for a grant to help with water prices.  He is hoping to find a grant that will pay up 45 percent of the current water prices.

The boardwalk project is moving forward.  The handrail will need 4” x 4” posts.  There will be an update on the boardwalk at the next meeting.

The City needs to update the city’s road map.  B and C roads should be checked to make sure the length of them is accurate and highlight the city’s roads on the map and include all paved, graveled, and dirt roads.  The 300 West road will add miles to the city’s current road lengths.

The Hoyt Subdivision has a gate that is on city property.  There was an agreement between the subdivision and the city that expired this past year.  That agreement has not been renewed.  Currently, it is difficult for a car to turn around down the road to the Hoyt Subdivision.  Originally there was to be a 90’ circle there to allow for easy turning. The dumpster for this Subdivision is also on city property.  It will need to be moved back into the Subdivision allowing for the circle turnaround.

There are at least nine different items that the city needs to take care of .  The workers will meet on either the 8^th or 9^th of September to make plans and arrangements to take care of these items.

The city did trade property previously to make Third West a bypass road by smoothing out the curves by the fish pond.  However, nothing was done to make sure all details were covered.  This item now needs to again be addressed and necessary changes need to be written down and attached to a map so that any property transactions can be taken care of in a timely manner.

George Peart, Building Inspector, noted that there is a small trailer on Buttercup that is smaller than a sheep camp.  No permit can be issued for any trailer less than 750 square feet of living space.  This trailer will need some kind of inspection.  It was built in South Jordan but no specs are available because it was home-made.  George said that he couldn’t pass on the trailer.

The national code is less restrictive than the state’s regulations but, you do need specs, and you need a zone for that size trailer.  Buttercup is the area where trailers are permitted, but the trailers must be able to pass inspections.  People building their own trailer off site create some real problems.  When they build off-site, they need inspections during the building process.

Two permits were granted since the last meeting.  One will have solar heat and the other is a regular home.  Peart noted that he is still getting calls for short-term rental inspections

Garden City Council Meeting

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  August 10, 2017. Cory Rasmussen appeared before the Council to ask permission to do an Eagle Scout project that involves the city.  He would like to make holders for the American flag when flags are put up on the smaller light poles in the City.  Currently, the flags are put next to the poles and taped in place.  He thought holders would be nicer looking and easier to handle.

He thought that a bracket around the light pole and then clip the flag to the bracket would work.  The bracket could be raised and lowered depending on the size of the flags being used.  Another possibility would be to have a slider on the pole where the flag could be placed and then pinned into position.  His third suggestion was to have a tube next to the pole and the flag could be dropped into the tube.

There are approximately 30 small light poles in the City.  It was noted by the Council that the city has some scrap metal that Rasmussen could use if he needed it.  It was suggested that whatever he did, that it should be powder coated to keep the metal from rusting.  The City approved the project and told Rasmussen if he needed some financial help, he should write up a budget and give it to Pat Argyle.

The City approved licenses for six more short term rentals as follows:

1.     Dr. Patrick Smith is the owner of a lodging at 942 #4 Newburg.  Bear Lake Lodging will be managing this property.

2.      Dr. Ken Poulsen owns a home at 932 S. Snowmeadows.  He will manage his own rental.

3.     Frank McBride owns a condo at 2176 Bear Lake Blvd #414 at Ideal Beach.  He will be taking care of his own condo.

4.     Ted Rudder is the owner of a property at 930 Yacht Drive #3.  Bear Lake Lodging will be managing this property.

5.     Jennifer Workmen is the owner of property at 918 Newberg Drive #3.  Bear Lake Lodging will also manage this property.

6.     Dan Smith owns property at Ideal Beach Resort.  The location is 2176 South Bear Lake Blvd. #280.  He will manage his own condo.

 

The Council approved the request of Chris and Amy Pendleton to unencumber lots 1, 2, and 3 of Buttercup Mobile Home Estates, 41-21-320-0001, 41-21-320-0002, and 41-21-320-0003.

It was noted that the wireless tower is up and functioning.  It was put in place by CentraCom.  The service can be purchased through them.  It has already been most helpful when the numbers of visitors were high.  Work on the communication needs at the City Office will soon be completed as well.

Darrin Pugmire has been working on getting information concerning the road between Jim Stone’s and the small cabins to the north of his place.  Norm Mecham noted that the road between those two businesses has been in existence for many years and should be opened for future use. Darrin will follow up on this issue.  Pugmire said the road needs to be 30 feet wide and that the City needs a deeded right-of-way for that road.

Mayor Spuhler said that the Planning and Zoning Committee needed to add to the subdivisions and PUDs ordinances a clause that requires developers to put in conduit in the future.  It is not that expensive and will certainly be needed in the future.

August 31 - Clinic Open House

Good Stuff

Books worth multiple readings
By John Brown, The Man

Would you like to improve your relationship with your spouse or children?

Would you like to improve your experience with teachers, coaches, and administrators this coming year at school as you try to influence them and work with them for the benefit of your children?

Would you like to simply have a better time with the people in your community?

There are some books so full of practical wisdom about relationships that they deserve to be read every year or three. I want to recommend two such books to you.

The first is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. This book has been in print for eighty years. And not only that, it has been, year after year, one of the bestselling books out there for almost each of those eighty years. For example, Amazon right now ranks it the #9 most read book. You’ll see other books come and go on that list. But books like this and Stephen R. Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People stay.

There are thousands of how-to books published each year on relationships in business and personal settings. Most are never seen again. But this one has stayed because people find it so useful they recommend it over and over again.

And I wish to heck I’d not waited ten years to pick my copy up again. As I re-read the book this last month, I saw that if I’d been thinking about the practical guidelines Carnegie shares, I could have avoided a number of public and private arguments I’ve had over the last few years.

I could have avoided subjecting those relationships to attack, coming to my senses, and then trying to clean up the mess, large or small. But even more important, I could have added a little more sweetness to my life and the life of others I encounter on my way. There are only so many days we have here on earth, and how much better it is to add additional drops of honey to them instead of vinegar.

One of the wonderful things about his book is that Carnegie shares the wisdom in a down-to-earth way with lots of examples and stories. He shares wisdom on building relationships, being liked, winning people to your way of thinking, and how to make your requests for change known without giving offense or rousing resentment. And he does it simply and in a way that you feel like you’re sitting down with a good-humored grandfather. There are no dry, abstract parts. Just look at a sampling of the chapter titles.

• “If You Want to Gather Honey, Don’t Kick Over the Beehive”
• “He Who Can Do This Has the Whole World with Him. He Who Cannot Walks a Lonely Way”
• “An Easy Way to Become a Good Conversationalist”
• “If You Must Find Fault, This Is the Way to Begin”
• “Give a Dog a Good Name”

I can tell you that every time I try to approach things the way he proposes, they almost always seem to go better.  If you have an issue you want to discuss with a school teacher, coach, or administrator this year, let me suggest you first listen to what Carnegie has to say. I can promise you you’ll get much farther. And you will probably end up enjoying the interaction.

If you want to improve your time with your wife and kids, open this book and look for insights.
If you want to have a better time with your co-workers or boss, I suggest reviewing the wisdom you’ll find here. Carnegie doesn’t possess all the wisdom there is to be had about relationships. There are many people out there with great insights. But, gee whiz, he provides a great start. If you want to add some sweetness to your life, I think you’ll find this book a great help.

Let me illustrate this Carnegie stuff with an experience I had with one of our high school coaches two years ago. I have a vast background in basketball that includes, well, nothing. I basically know how to dribble a ball. Oh, yeah, I also played church ball two or three years in a row back in the 1980s. So, as you can see, my knowledge is vast.

And not to toot my own horn, but this wasn’t just any church ball team. This was a team that improved the sport.

How? You ask. Well, during one of those church ball years, me and the guys from my ward (“congregation” for those not familiar with the Mormon faith) thought it would be capital to make jeans and concert tee-shirts our  uniforms. Back in those days concert tee-shirts looked like this.

 
This meant we ran up and down the church courts with drugs, sex, and rock and roll on our chests (I’m sure that’s precisely what the brethren had in mind for the program). As you can see, we were way up there on the basketball ladder.

So back to this coach. My daughter was playing on the high school team, and the team was having a consistently hard time with one type of defense. And I thought, “Self, there’s got to be a way to break that defense.” These are the big thoughts that basketball gurus like myself have.

And so I researched and watched and talked to folks who had actually played basketball competitively (unfortunately, without concert tee shirts) and identified an offensive counter that looked like it might work.

And I sent an email to the coach sharing my idea.

Now, the coach could have reacted in many ways. Especially given the fact that (1) he had already thought of the idea I was proposing, (2) had already tried it in games that, yes, I had attended, and (3) probably knew just a teensy bit more about basketball and his team than I did even though my church ball team had vastly superior uniforms.

But this coach, whether he knew it or not, was following a number of the principles found in Carnegie’s book, including the chapter titled “Let the Other Person Save Face”. This meant that instead of rolling his eyes or ridiculing or saying something like, “Brown, are you blind?”, he explained what he was doing and then expressed his appreciation. He was happy I was so invested. He thanked me.

And here’s the thing: he meant it. I replied that if he ever wanted someone to suggest an idea he was already trying, to just call. I’d be happy to help.

We laughed, but the important thing is that what could have been a wedge became a good experience for all. And, more than ever, I wanted to work with him to help my daughter in the program.
I will give you one more example. There’s a mother who had four of her children go through my wife’s seventh and eighth grade language arts classes. Now, Nellie is a worker. She expects her students to work. She wants to have a good time, loves having great interactions with the kids, but she also wants them to improve and learn, and knows that’s going to take some work. Sometimes the assignments, despite her best efforts, aren’t clearly understood. Sometimes they’re a bit challenging. And this sometimes creates frustration.

There are a lot of ways that parents deal with this. But this one mother took an approach that, whether she knew it or not, followed many of the principles in the book including those shared in “You Can’t Win an Argument” and “A Formula That Will Work Wonders For You”. This resulted in a fabulous working relationship. It helped the mother have less stress. Helped her kids. And helped Nellie improve her program.

The issues the mother encountered could have become wedges, but instead, because of how she handled them, they became stepping stones. And this didn’t happen with this one individual. There are many mothers and fathers who have taken a similar approach with similar results. The principles work every time.

I could go on with many more examples in other situations, but why listen to mine? Carnegie has a book full of them. If you want to improve your relationships or persuade others to your way of thinking, you’ll want to start by reading this book.

The second book I want to recommend is I Don’t Have to Make Everything All Better by Gary and Joy Lundberg. But this post is full, so stay tuned, and next time I’ll explain what awaits you in its fabulous pages.

Early Morning Fire At Merlin's Restaurant

Photo by Tammy Calder, Calderberry Photos

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter
Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  August 14, 2017. Garden City Fire Chief, Mike Wahlberg, said that the fire started sometime after midnight in a storage area on the north end of the restaurant.  Over a fourth of the structure was destroyed by the fire and other parts have smoke damage.  Most of the damage was inside the building. Two fire engines, a ladder truck and two brush trucks responded to the fire.  Some firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation.

Merlin's will be closed for the rest of the season.

Boye Rocks Bear Lake

Alex Boye, internationally known rock singer who incorporates his African roots into rock music performed at the Laketown Arena as the opening night of the Rich County Fair.

Energetic and fun, Boye captivated the crowd by getting down on his hands and knees and making sand castles with a little boy, joking with the teens and initiating conversations with the concert goers.  He also sang with a group of teens from Montpelier, Laketown, Randolph and Garden City.  What a spectacular opportunity for those young people.

Boye said that he liked coming to small Utah counties because it was so intimate and fun with the crowds.  He has done at least 18 counties in the last two years.  He also said that his experience on America's Got Talent increased his visibility to millions of viewers and has opened many doors for him.  He will be performing in a NFL half time this next week.

The music was great with a strong back up band and soon everyone was dancing and clapping.  Many of the songs had been written by Boye and incorporated strong optimistic themes.

Jace Rothlisberger, of Randolph, Utah,  was the opening act for Boye and the crowds cheered as he sang country music with real flair.

Rezone Denied

PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

August 2, 2017

Reported by Anita Weston

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  August 2, 2017  A public hearing was held to discuss a re-zone request at 55 W and 350 S to change the zone from a Single Family Residential to a Commercial-3 Zone.  The request was made by Julie Anderson. 

Anderson said that she and her sisters would like to raise strawberries and raspberries and sell them at their lot.  She said there was enough property there to grow the fruit for sale as well as have a small shop for other types of gifts for sale.

Several neighbors were at the hearing.  Most indicated they really didn’t want a business in the middle of their neighborhood.  It was noted that the possibility of a Conditional Use Permit could perhaps be used to allow a business there only until the business changed hands.  Then, the City could allow that area to again become a Single Family Residential zone or allow the new owner to get another Conditional Use Permit.  After looking into the Conditional Use Permit it was decided that this issue did not meet the requirements of a Conditional Use Permit.

The public hearing was closed and the regular Planning Commission Meeting was called to order.

The Commission discussed the request for the Anderson rezone.  Several members of the Committee noted that they did not like the idea of spot zoning.  Currently, there are more commercial areas in Garden City than residential areas. 

There are some businesses that are carried out in homes.  These businesses, such as a beauty operator, an accountant, etc., only have one client at a time so there are no traffic or parking problems.

It was noted by Glen Gillies, the Commercial Building Inspector, that if the lot were to be changed to commercial, the current building would have to meet the commercial code requirements and that it would cost less money to tear the current building down and build a new one instead of trying to get the current building to pass commercial standards.

The motion to deny the request to rezone that lot was passed.

A discussion ensued concerning the minimum square footage for a house to be called a house and not a trailer, or other type building.  There is a “tiny home” that has been put on a lot in Buttercup.  It has only 140 square feet of living space.  It was built on wheels and does not have any specs to be able to check out the building for residential requirements.  Gillies asked the Commission to decide the difference between a house and a trailer.  He noted that from all his reading, a house could be over 500 square feet of living space while anything under 500 square feet falls into the trailer category.

Gillies said that a trailer should be built on concrete.  This tiny house must follow requirements.  It needs the proper setbacks, and connect to the sewer, water, and electricity.  This “tiny house” does not have enough livable space.  He asked that the minimum amount of space be at least 180 square feet or more.  The Commission noted that they would look into this issue.

Norm Mecham has purchased a 15-acre piece of land at 300 West through to 100 West.  It touches 150 south going east.  He will be creating a CPUD.    His plan meets the density requirements, the parking issues for nightly rentals is generous, and it connects with at least two city roads making movement in and out of the CPUD easy.  Mecham is aware of the need to run fiber in a new subdivision and is willing to do that.

Mark Smoot will have 20’ roads at his proposed PUD.  They will be one-way streets and the subdivision will be gated.  The speed limit within the PUD will be 3 MPH.  He has also made the PUD less dense than his original plan.  He will be working in phases.  He will include a hotel with nine rooms that have a western look.  The changes that he has made look good.

The Commission noted that they need to clean up some of the ordinances for greater clarity.  They need to add more regulations to fit the unexpected that are being encountered by the Commission.