300 West Road Project Delay

Kathie B. Anderson, Reporter

Rich Civic Times 

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  Cindy Gooch, Funding Specialist, reported that the UDOT grant for the 300 West project has been delayed two years because of sequestered funding.  Originally, the grant was to be funded in 2016, but UDOT wants to move it to 2018 because of  limited funds.   Mayor Sphuler, Cindy Gooch, and the City Engineer will meet with UDOT on May 23, 2013 to attempt to get the grant funded for 2017, a one year delay.  

The Culinary Water Master Plan for Garden City is being prepared.  Grants and other potential sources of funding are being evaluated for the revitalization of downtown Garden City.

Recreational Director Position Discussed

Kathie B. Anderson, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

 

GARDEN City, Utah.  Garden City Council.  Keri Pugmire suggested that Garden City should have a Recreational Director incorporating 4-H, arts/crafts, swimming instruction, life skills, and safety awareness. The program would also be responsible for organized team sports such as, baseball, soccer, tennis, etc. The Garden City Town Council agreed that this would be a good investment for the youth. Keri Pugmire was given a stipend of up to $500 to organize a recreation committee.

The Garden City Town Council discussed H.B.333S1, regarding launching restrictions on Bear Lake.  

Garden City Council Meeting Report

Kathie B. Anderson, Reporter

Rich County Times

     

Staff Reports: 

GARDEN CITY, Utah. Riley Argle, Public Works Department, reported that the project to repair the water main line in Lakota has been moved to the fall.  A public hearing will be held next month on the proposed Garden City Gun Range.  So far, everyone who has seen the site is excited about this project.  An on-site visit will be available for the public before the public hearing.  Because of unavailability of asphalt, the project to replace five outdated water meters will be delayed until Monday of this coming week.  The GIS mapping is progressing.   

A bid for a parking lot at Heritage Park should be coming in this week.  New trees have been planted, a ramp has been installed, bentonite clay has been added, the head gates and boxes repaired, ditch improvements have been installed, and rock has been laid to slow erosion at the Heritage Park Pond. 

So far, eight of twenty decorative light poles have been installed in Garden City.   Landscaping surrounding the Water Treatment Plant is being completed as promised to property owners.    A water line must be installed in 300 West before construction of the roadway.  A 14” water line must be installed for bypass reasons, to serve properties, and for fire flow.  The estimated cost of this project is between $90,000 and $100,000, including hydrants, fittings, etc. 

Andy Stokes, Code Enforcement Officer, is preparing a new format for giving citations.  New businesses are being consulted regarding the sign ordinance.   Stokes has stated that most businesses have been cooperative regarding signage.  Signage stating that a business is open/closed, enter/exit signs are considered informational, not a product sign. 

Danny White, Garden City Administrator, performed jurisdictional determinations of the wetlands along 3^rd West.  Hydrophytic vegetation assessment, soils classifications, and hydrology assessments were performed.   Using GIS,  White compiled the data collected in the field and delineated the wetland boundaries. Two other roadway projects, 100 West and 75^th North-Beach Access Road, also were assessed, as was 300 West. An initial survey of the site (the 75 North parking lots) will determine the opportunities and constraints.  

A preliminary layout of the parking area has been produced.  Some changes on the layout of the decorative lights to allow more flexibility in the spacing have been implemented and installation of the lights is continuing.   White has met with State Parks, Utah  Division of Wildlife Resources, and the Rich County Commissioners to discuss the gun range design, and is  working with the Division of Wildlife Resource to mitigate the impact on winter grazing habitat, and with UDOT to determine if a turn lane will be needed.  

Garden City with is also working with State Parks to identify the locations of property corners on the site.  White spoke with Renegade Raceway and should have a letter of understanding that the Raceway will have the façade on the sign by the first week in July.  A map showing public beach access points and locations for future parking adjacent to these sites is being prepared.  An information Kiosk design proposed by White has been signed and stamped by JUB and will be under construction soon.

 

NEW BUSINESS IN TOWN 

A second location was approved for Epic Recreation, LLC., Nathan Smoot, at 200 N. 160 W. Boat, Sea Doo, UTV Rentals and Repairs. A third location was approved for Epic Recreation, LLC., Nathan Smoot, 201 N. Bear Lake Blvd. Boat, Sea doo, UTV, Rentals and Repairs. 

Subway Restaurant location was approved for John Jensen at 25 North Bear Lake Blvd. upon condition of a NO PARKING SIGN or STRIP, and that the parking ordinance will be followed.

 

SHORT TERM RENTAL LICENSES  

Short term rental licenses were approved for the following: 

At 135 South Bear Lake Blvd, Elizabeth Seiler, Property Management Company in Bear Lake Lodging; and Marina View Condo #11, Glen Smith, Property Management Company in Bear Lake Cabin Rentals on condition of a fire inspection by Dan Kurek, Fire Chief, and completion of a checklist by George Peart, Building Inspector. 

Funding for Bear Lake Annual Conference

Kathie B. Anderson, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  The Garden City Town Council held a public hearing on Thursday, May 9, 2013.  Mitch Poulsen, Bear Lake Regional Commission, asked the Garden City Town Council to match funds with the Rich County Commission to host the Bear Lake Annual Conference which will be held on Saturday, May 18, starting at 9 a.m.  The first session will be moderated by Jennifer Hansen, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.  Mitch Poulsen, Bear Lake Regional Commission, will moderate the second session.  Vaughn Rasmussen, Bear Lake County Commissioner, will be the keynote speaker.  The Garden City Town Council voted to approve the $500 funding requested.    

 

 

Heads Up - New Plans For Bear Lake

Heads-up Utah Bearlakers, The Bear Lake Regional Commission, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands(FFSL) and Garden City are hosting meeting on May 18th at the lake. Check out the half day agenda (attached). It has many topics of interest, but it also includes at least one of particular importance: Utah State Lands is proposing to amend the Comprehensive Management Plan along with changes in the rules regarding: Where boat launching will be allowed Where vehicles may travel How launching permits will be issued and to whom. Should "Private Ramps" or any structure that crosses on to state land be allowed/Permitted The attached notice was mailed out to those who have property adjacent to lake, but this is important to all who use the lake in Utah. This is to be a public process. You are the stakeholders, even if you can't attend, make sure your views and interests get expressed properly. Please look over this material and feel free to reply or call us if you have questions or concerns. Attached: Agenda for May 18th Notice from State Lands Withdrawal of Permitting Private Boat Ramps House Bill 333

Claudia & David Cottle Executive Directors Bear Lake Watch, Inc. 2629 Hwy 89 Fish Haven, Idaho 83287 801-243-8980 - Claudia 208-530-0058 - David Working to keep Bear Lake "Clean, Deep and Blue"

Spring!

Spring Flowers In Our Mountains

Rich County Commission Notes

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times 

RANDOLPH, Utah. May 1, 2013.  Kim Wilson, County Treasurer, presented some personal property exemptions for approval by the Rich County Commission.  She noted that in the last legislature the amount had been changed from under $4,000 to under $10,000 in order to apply for personal property exemptions.  She felt this will have a real impact on the County.  The exemptions she presented were approved. 

An Auditor has been engaged to review county records.  The commission approved this action. 

Scott Jacobson informed the commission that three bids on a county building exterior had been obtained.  He noted that most of the cost concerned a 14' x 14' door.  They requested that he get one more bid from a company who has done good work for the county in the past before making a decision on the bidding for this project. Jacobson noted that the new dumpsters are nice looking and working out well.  One of the garbage trucks needs to be advertised with bids due on the 10^th of May.  

Interviews for part time summer help for the Sanitation Department will be held next week, May 8, at 1 p.m.  The commissioners requested that a background check be made on all applicants for these positions.   

Lou Jean Argyle reported to the commissioners that the apportionment from the Ruby Pipe Line must be paid back.  The county will need to return $107,000.  There are several entities effected by this appeal by the pipe line company.  In addition to Rich County, the Rich County School District, the Woodruff Cemetery, and the Woodruff School are some involved.  It was noted that the School District will probably raise taxes to cover this loss.  Ruth Smith has contacted all of the entities involved and will hold back their apportionment until their portion of the bill is paid. Currently this item is shown as a negative until all monies have been paid back. 

A refund was requested to be granted to one of the county tax payers.  Part of his property was in green belt, and the county was unaware of this designation on his property. 

Ruth Smith suggested that rodeo tickets be made available online.  It is a quick and easy way to handle tickets for this event.  The monies would be placed directly into the fair account.  However, since all tickets are for general seating, the Commissioners didn’t think there would be much advantage to doing tickets this way.
 

The Rich County Commissioners passed a resolution in support of the Sage Grouse Management Program.  This resolution will bring the county in compliance with the state requirements.  The general land usage plan will need to be amended.  Identification of the number of acres for sage grouse must be made and give priority to these birds in those areas.  The designated areas that have been identified will take precedence over mineral extraction, improving trails, fishing on the lake shore, further recreation in those areas, as well as the land currently being considered for the proposed gun range.

Musings Of A Muddled Male

By Bob Stevens, The Muddled Male

Am I Old Already?

      I was thinking that it was only yesterday that I was in high school swaggering around wearing a D.A and lookin’ cool.  Wearing a D.A., for those of you not of my era, meant that one’s hair was saturated in Brylcreem and combed back on both sides to meet at the middle in the rear so that the back of the head looked like the south end of a duck waddling north.  I would still be wearing my hair that way except that Ann, my wife, put her foot down immediately following our wedding vows and told me that I was forbidden to blow my nose in any hanky that she was expected to wash, and no greasy head was allowed to stain the pillow cases on her bed.  I don’t know if my mother was just kinder than Ann, or if she just assumed that greasy pillow cases and a used hanky were the price for having someone around to shovel snow. 

      I began worrying about having grown older when I received an invitation this past week to my 60^th high school reunion and realized that we will be a bunch of old people sitting around trying to talk about the good old days that we can’t remember.  I have already started studying my library of old high school yearbooks hoping that I will be able to remember names, but I suspect that my problem will be that I will be able remember names but not recognize faces.  I began to worry about recognition this morning as I was shaving and the face staring back from the mirror didn’t match anyone in my yearbook. 

      Have you noticed that as we grow older things that used to be supple and soft tend now to be leathery and brittle, or that men who once had a full head of hair now have bald spots but hair growing out of their ears.  I recognize that growing old has its challenges.  The thing I fear most about my reunion, however, is that Ronald “G” is still tough and mean, and I still won’t be able to outrun him.  If I could, I just might go to my reunion sporting Brylcreem, a D.A., and packing a hanky to show them that I am still lookin’ cool.  To translate that into teenager speak, “to show them I am still, like, lookin’ totally awesome, dude.”  The only thing holding me back is my fear of Ronald, plus the thought of Ann taking me down to the Garden City Car Wash to clean me and my hanky off with the high pressure hose before she lets us back into the house.