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| Photo by Tammy Calder |
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Mayor Spuhler Responds To County Criticism
In October's Rich County Commission meeting, commissioners expressed some dismay that Mayor Spuhler and Garden City were taking over the gun range and jetty issues. All commissioners were vocal about their confusion about the subject and one commented that it was the county's responsibility to take charge of those issues. Later it was learned that Mayor Spuhler had a signed MOU with the County Commissioners to follow through with those issues: Mayor Spuhler responds to the article titled "Garden City Usurping County Land Rights On Gun Range".
To The Editor:
I am a
bit confused by your article here are the facts as Garden City has had a very
good relationship with the county and I was completely surprised by your
article:
1. We have a signed MOU, clearly outlining a joint venture between the county and the city to explore the Gun Range. This MOU was given to the State Parks several months ago.
2. Garden City, went to the County, Laketown,
and the Bear Lake Regional Commission for approval to proceed on the Jetty
concept all three agreed with unanimous approvals. In those meetings a basic
design and location were discussed.
3. Emails with invitations to the meetings
as well as emails to commissioner Cox dated 8.11.2014 with the Jetty design and
cc to DNR. The commissioner accepted the meeting with Sen Hillyard but did not
show up. I saw him later and he apologized due to a scheduling issue he as not
able to make it. Those are the facts and anyone wanting to read the MOU on the
Gun Range can do so as it is all public record. We value our relationship with
the county and other cities.
John Spuhler
Garden City Mayor
Gun Range Public Hearing
Chris Coray, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
On October 8, 2014 a public hearing was held by the Garden
City Town Council. One of the topics at
the hearing, which was part of a regular council meeting, was a discussion of a
potential gun range 600 yards south of the Sweetwater Trailer Park on land west
of SR 30. The land at the site belongs
to the state. The trailer park is not
part of Garden City. It is currently
legal to discharge a firearm in the area proposed for a gun range.
About 35 people attended the hearing, the majority of whom
expressed a favorable opinion about having a range at the location. Exactly one person who lives in the trailer
park attended. The state parks personnel
had recently done work on evaluating the land for potential ancient artifacts,
breeding grounds for sage hens, and had conducted firearm sound testing in the
area. No artifacts are believed to be
present. The sound tests were compared
with data from the gun range in Cache Valley (results were similar) and were
available at the hearing. The maximum
decibel level detected at the edge of the trailer park when measuring sound
from a variety of firearms discharged at a point in the proposed gun range produced
results similar to the ambient sound in a large retail store (e.g. WalMart). It was pointed out by an attendee that the
sounds from different sources, though equal in decibel levels, have different
effects on humans and animals. For
example, fireworks, guns, ATVs, and boats can all produce significant and
nearly equal decibel sound but have different effects on those who hear them.
Management of the proposed range was briefly discussed but is
still in the very preliminary stages.
There would likely be some fee associated with the gun range use; while hours
of operation, and access issues have not been settled. Questions of liability insurance were raised
but the process is not far enough along for specific answers.
Jeff Rasmussen, Utah State Parks representative from Salt
Lake, was present and commented that there had been a number of issues,
questions, and opinions raised by some of those who live in the trailer park
and he had hoped for a greater attendance from that group. Rick Bywater, the one trailer park resident
who did attend, stated that “There are only about 5 or 6 people who oppose the
range, the rest are in favor”. Mayor
Spuhler stated that he believed that if asked, 90% of the citizens of the
county would favor the gun range.
However, neither Mr. Bywater nor the Mayor had any data to substantiate their
remarks. Commissioner Bill Cox noted the
absence of trailer park property owners at the hearing and wondered if public
hearings should be held in Salt Lake City.
Another resident said that perhaps St. George would then be appropriate
for a hearing.
All wishing to speak having done so, the public hearing was
closed.
Rich County Sheriff's Report, September
Anita Weston, Reporter
Randolph
Rich Civic Times
RANDOLPH, Utah. September, 2014. There were 101 incidents during the month of September. There were 13 citizen assists, 12 medical
emergencies, 8 criminal histories, 7 civil processes, and 6 each of the
following: alarms, traffic accidents
with damage, and VIN serial number inspections.
Forty eight of the incidents occurred in Garden City, 28 in Randolph
In Garden City there were 8 citizen assists, 6 alarms, 5
medical emergencies, and 5 traffic accidents with damages. There were 4 sovereign lands issues, and 4
VIN serial number inspections. There
were 2 agency assists, 2 civil processes, 2 lost property issues, and 2 suspicious
persons/circumstances. There was 1 each of the following: an attempt to locate, a citizen dispute, a
criminal history issue, a controlled substance problem, a DUI alcohol/drugs
problem, a lockout, a traffic hazard, and a trespass.
Laketown had 4 medical emergencies, 3 citizen assists, 2
animal problems, and 2 civil processes.
There was one each of the following:
a lost property problem, a sovereign lands issue, a traffic hazard, a trespass
incident, and a VIN serial number inspection.
Woodruff had an animal problem, an assault, an attempt to
locate, a citizen assist, a civil process, a DUI alcohol/drugs issue, a
trespass, and a VIN serial number inspection.
The incident outside the County concerned a suspicious
person/circumstance.
There were 6 citations and 6 violations on the Traffic Citation
Report. All incidents occurred in Garden
City. One of these violations was a snow/OHV improper registration and the
other five were speeding tickets. There
were three warning and 3 violations in Garden City, and 2 warnings and 3
violations in Laketown reported on the Traffic Warning Report. The 6 incidents on the Traffic Warning Report
were as follows: a valid launch permit
was required, an AIS check station was bypassed, an OHV restrictions/private
land issue was encountered, there was a speeding issue, and there were two
violations with motor vehicles on the beach.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Letter To The Editor: Inn At Snow Meadows
Inn
at Snow Meadows and Kerasma Restaurant are now closed. Our family would like to
thank everyone who came to our garage sales to help us out with our moving
expenses. We were glad that items that we really cared about went to people who
we had a close relationship to. At the close of it this last Sunday, we opened
it up to anyone who needed anything that was left could have it for no cost. It
was a lot of fun.
We
were a little overwhelmed at the close of the sale by how to get what was
leftover to the pods stored at the churches for DI. Then here comes Bobbie and
Chris Coray, Bill and Barbara England, Claudia and Family, Cyndi and Darren
Caldwell and numerous others to help with clearing it out. It meant so much to
us for the extra help. We want to thank you all for donating your time on what
should have been a relaxing Sunday evening. It made it possible for us to leave
on time as we had planned and we appreciate it.
You
know if there is anything to be done in this city these people are the ones to
call on. They know how to get a job done and do it well! Again, it warmed our
hearts and reminded us of why we settled in Bear Lake to begin with.
As
we go on our new adventure, we will take what we have learned here and make
something great happen once again! We are looking forward to being with family
and also seeing those of you who know the area well and will be coming to visit
us.
It
is a new beginning and we are so excited to get started! The timing is perfect.
Again, may we say thank you. We'll always remember your hearts were in the
right place at the right time for the right reasons!
Sincerely,
Carol,
Greg, Brittany and Miss Lily
Burn Restrictions Off For Winter
Garden City Fire Chief Mike Wahlberg has received notice that the
state-imposed fire restrictions have been lifted. In those areas where burning
is permitted the chief will issue a permit based on safety criteria. Some areas
still prohibit burning but the state has lifted its restrictions.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
The Unmuddled Mathematician
Some Changes
are Hard to Bear
By Chris S.
Coray, The Unmuddled Mathematician
Well, it may be that the end of the world is near. All of my life, as change and technology and
new things have swept one after another through our civilization there has been
a cornerstone of stability. Levis. I was raised with Levis and still wear
them. Sure, as a youth I would turn up
the cuffs at the bottom as a fashion statement but the Levis themselves were
unchanged. The fashion statement
upturned cuffs were actually pretty dumb as they provided really nothing more
than a place for dirt, grime, weeds, and critters to occupy.
But now Levis has announced a major change in the most
fundamental of apparel. They are enlarging
the pockets in order to accommodate the IPhone 6+. Is nothing sacred? When I told my dear friend, The Muddled Male,
about this impending change his response was a loud, “Yesssssssss!”. He is always at the front of the ever
advancing phone technology or he is a depressed wannabe until his wife allows
him to move to the front of the technological frontier. But some things should not be done. Even in the era of slide rules (if you have
any notion of what one is) we might in earlier days attach them to our Levis or
belts but we did not modify the fundamental apparel. Those days are apparently over.
I suppose one course of action would be to just turn away
from new gadgets and abide in geezerhood for the remainder of my days. But no, I have chosen the better path, that
of adaptation, primarily so I can remain in contact with my
granddaughters.
So, in the spirit of keeping up I seek to fill a clear need
brought about by the bigger 6+ and the larger Levis pockets. It is apparently the case that the new phones
are so thin that with their new size a problem has arisen with potential bending
of the expensive device caused by sitting on it when encased in a pocket. Horrors!
Humans apparently do not have flat fannies (tell that to an old
geezer, and note that I did not write fat fannies) and human curvature can
produce a sort of wrap around IPhone. So
today I begin to offer a brand new must have accessory for 6+ owners. It does come with the warning “Some Assembly
Required”. Accompanying this article
are two photos. The first is of the
necessary parts prior to assembly. There are 4 clamps, 2 wood braces, and a 10lb
weight. That is photo 1. In photo 2 the device is assembled, with a
simulated IPhone 6+ safely secured inside the clamped wood braces.
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| Photo 1 |
With your new gadget securely placed in this device there is
no chance of bending, mutilating, or spindling.
There may be an issue with answering a phone call in adequate or
reasonable time or getting through airport security but what the heck. The phone will be straight and happy. It is up to you how to get the assembled unit
into your pocket but that is now Levis’ problem. You may also be wondering about the 10b
weight. Well, science has
prevailed. In order to avoid permanent
damage to lumbar vertebrae 5 by
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| Photo 2 |
carrying the protected phone on one side of
your body the weight is provided to carry on the opposite side pocket to
provide balance and preserve your spine.
Pre-orders are now being accepted. More than 4 million such orders exist for the
6+. I am not yet spending my
certain-to-arrive new found wealth.
This is guaranteed not to interfere with ear trumpets.
School Board Redistricting Stalled
Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
Rich School Board elections are coming up in the November 4, 2014 election. There are contested races in three districts. However, the 2010 census requires a redistricting. Because of population changes in the district, some districts may change after the election.
It is required that the County Commissioners select a committee to reapportion the districts. The Commissioners were asked if they had moved forward with that. Norm Weston thanked the reporters for reminding him and Cox said they would work on it.
The contested school board districts are Randolph North with Ralph B. Johnson, incumbent, and Monty G. Weston. Laketown School Board candidates are Dallas L. Clark and Eric Wamsley. Garden City School Board candidates are Tammy E. Calder, incumbent, and Bryce Huefner.
Caramel Corn Pops In Bear Lake
Bill and Barbara England have opened a new caramel corn shop, The Caramel Corner, in the Bear Lake Pizza. Thirty years ago they owned a caramel corn shop in Idaho Falls. When they left to manage the Little America, they sold the shop and the equipment. But the equipment sat unused until Barbara England, suggested that they call and see if they could buy back the special popcorn equipment and beautiful large copper pot to stir her special caramel into the hot buttery popcorn. The pot shines and gleams and the hot caramel scents fill the room and Barbara England is stirring up popcorn balls and sacks of hot popcorn.
Garden City Planning and Zoning
Randall Knight, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
Rich Civic Times
The P&Z meeting began as scheduled at 5:00 PM on 1
Oct 2014. The board members present were: Lance Bourne, Mike Schiess, Dewayne
Gifford, Pat Argyle, and Steve Arnold. Absent was Susan House and Jim Stone. Gary Cox, Garden City Administrator, and Mr.
Hanzelka were also present. The first role of business was to swear in Steve
Arnold as a new board member to fill the Nate Gracey vacancy.
The minutes for both the Public meeting and the Planning
and Zoning Commission meetings for Sept 3 were accepted with minor
changes.
The Commission continued to kick the “Gross Leasable Area”
topic down the road. Steve Arnold asked
if the definition was taken from other towns.
Mr. Bourne said “yes” it was and the Commission uses other cities
ordinances as a baseline in several cases to save time and to use accepted
wording as much as possible. The number
of parking stalls for each business is a major part of this ordinance and the
point of contention because several businesses have more customers than private
parking stalls. It was pointed out that
UDOT may stop allowing people to park along Hwy 89 and that would be a big
impact to parking. Gary Cox reported
that within the next year the city plans on making 270 parking stalls available
to the public. George Peart, Building
Inspector, stated that Ideal Beach is required to have one parking stall for 5
guests. This is different than the 3.5
passengers used in the parking formula.
This reporter was surprised nobody on the commission asked why the
difference. It was stated several times the plan is to make the town a
pedestrian type of town so parking will continue to be a major issue. Pat Argyle stated several business people
have told her they are not interested in developing in Garden City because it
is too costly and difficult to meet the requirements. Hanzelka reported Senator
Hillyard said it will be difficult for the city to obtain future grants if they
don’t come up with some better business plans.
During the discussion a recommendation was made to let
the businesses define their parking needs instead of the city telling them what
is required. One idea was to have them
help pay the cost of the shuttle since the plan is to have the town become a
walking district and all businesses benefit from the service. The commission discussed the possible need to
charge for parking in the prime areas in an attempt to encourage people to use
the public parking areas and the shuttle.
Darin Pugmire was asked for his opinion and he stated he submitted a
proposal 6 months ago and it obviously wasn’t accepted so he has no comment
other than the current ordinance isn’t right.
Cox was asked to email the current parking plan to the members for
review. A proposal was made to table the
discussion because there were so many different ideas.
The next topic kicked down the road was in regard to
Hotel/Motel zones. The Commission is
considering the following three locations now, down from the four previously
reported: South of Hwy 89 at 700 west and south of the old raspberry patch; an
area just below Shundahai and finally an area south of Bear Hollow and west of
300 West. A recommendation was made to
use Google Earth as a way to look at the locations, topography and size of the areas. The plan is to locate areas where building
higher than 35 feet can be built without obstructing the view of those behind
the higher structures. This topic was
also tabled for another month.
The next topic discussed was the re-zoning of Ideal
Beach, and the area west of 300 W to 450 S.
The rezoning would be changed from Residential Estates to Commercial 2 and
from Commercial 2 to Commercial 3. Discussions
focused on where adult and industrial businesses should be located. It was stated there isn’t a place that will
meet everybody’s desires but a zone has to be made to prevent them from being
located within the middle of town.
Public comments were voiced against changing the zone from Residential
Estates to Commercial 2 zone. Mr.
Schiess pointed out the current plan requires industrial businesses to be
enclosed so piles of logs or stacks of wood would not be visible from the
higher elevations. Motion was made to
table the discussion.
It was pointed out that nightly rentals were 75% of the
issues for the ordinance officer during the summer. A recommendation was made to have a zone
defined for nightly rentals. Pugmire
said there are discussions going on by the town council to allow only three
areas to have nightly rentals after a new ordinance is passed; Snow Meadows,
Harbor Village and Ideal Beach. Peart
pointed out there isn’t a difference in the business fees for a small rental
versus a large one even though the impact to the infrastructure and to the
neighbors are very different. A
recommendation was made to have the city consider having different rates for
business licenses based on the occupancy.
During the miscellaneous discussion, Peart said the request
for building permits has slowed down a lot this year. Argyle said the impact fee is higher along
with water connection fee being about $4500
depending on the zone. It was pointed
out the high connection fee is due to the cost to maintain the oversized water
treatment plant.
Cox reported the shuttle service went very well for the
first year with several bus schedules full of passengers. One of the main reasons why the service was considered
to be successful was because of the usage even though there was no advertising
about the service.
Argyle said some people have asked her opinion about starting
a “Glamping” business west of the rodeo grounds and above the canal. It would comprise of portable tents and covered
wagons with beds, fire pits and toilet facilities. This would only be for summer time use and
the tents and wagons would be removed during the winter. Parking
would be below the canal so bridges would be required to allow the guests to cross
the canal. She also stated other people
had asked about dog kennels. Pugmire
said the city council is moving public hearing meetings to a later time during
the regular meeting to allow more time for the citizens to get off work so they
could attend both meetings. He also
stated the council allows a two-three minute period for the public to comment about
the agenda topics. The commission
thought this was a good idea and would consider making the change.
Meeting adjourned at 7:50 PM.
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