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| Photo by Thirteen year old Madison Harrah |
Friday, April 17, 2015
Garden City Council Meeting
Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
GARDEN CITY, Utah. April 9, 2015. Crepes & Coffee requested a business license to conduct
a business at 235 north Bear Lake
Blvd. This
business request is for a takeout crepe and specialty coffee/drink
establishment. The owner is Elke
Brown. The Council granted the request.
The Rily Property Management requested a license to conduct
a property management company in Garden City.
The owners are Rick and Lyn Bessey.
The Council granted the request.
Conestoga Ranch requested a license to conduct a glamping
resort at 400 north 300 west. The owner
is Mike Knapp. The Council granted the
request.
The Conestoga Ranch requested that the City allow this
business to apply to the state for an alcohol license. The Council made the motion to allow that
liquor could be served in the restaurant and beer could be sold at the
concession store at the glamping location.
The City’s permission had to be obtained prior to approaching the State
for their approval.
Four new short term rentals were given short term rental
licenses. Bear Lake 865 Harbor Village Drive, #204 . This same management company will also handle
the rental at 109 Harbor Village, owned by Shindig Enterprises. Both of these locations were given the
licenses contingent upon submitting drawings of the layouts of these two
potential rental homes. David and
Hillary Force own a home a 628
South Eutaw Road .
The license was approved. Jacob
Strain’s home at 922 M Blackberry Drive was also approved.
AJ Franks and Mitch McBride from United Way presented
information to the Council in the hopes that some good projects could be set up
and completed in Garden City. They asked
the Council to consider their offer of assistance and to try and come up with
some ideas that could benefit the Community and its citizens. They will come back in a month or two to see
what the City has decided to work on.
A budget discussion was held. There are several items that have gone over
budget and others that are under.
Changes are needed to balance out the accounts. The Council spent quite a bit of time going
through the budget making suggestions and changes that need to be made. The changes will be made prior to next month’s
meeting. The proposed budget for the
next fiscal year will also be presented next month. Any changes on the proposed budget can then
be made prior to accepting to budget for the fiscal year 2015-2016 at the June
meeting.
Council Member Reports
Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
GARDEN CITY, Utah.
April 9, 2015. Bess Huefner
reported that Mitch Poulson has been putting together a map of all the trails
available at the present time. She
thought that perhaps United Way
could help with the trails project. She
noted that the lake will be drawn down at least five feet this coming summer
which will give a lot of beach area.
The water draw down will probably be complete by the first part of
July. Raspberry Days plans are moving
forward. There are 81 booths spaces that
have been paid for. Eight of these
booths will be selling food. She hopes
that the Chamber of Commerce will get on the worker housing issue. She asked if background checks had been
completed on all City employees. All but
one has been completed.
Chuck Stocking said that the library was getting their sign
ready. It will be put in the frame next
to the Clinic. It has a hard surface so
that banners can be put on top of it for special announcements without waving
and flapping in the wind. The City has
agreed to pay half of the cost of the sign.
The pool heater for the spa has been installed. It was reported that the pool should not be
opened to the public until two life guards are present.
Bruce Warner noted that several elderly and widowed
individuals on a fixed income have been given a discounted price for
water. He waived the disconnect and
reconnect fee for one individual. He had
contacted another individual who was unaware that there was a fee for
water. This individual had been out of
the country for some time but was willing to pay for the months that had been
missed.
There was a big leak at one location. After talking with the family, it was
determined there was quite a bit of water damage. He waived the water overage that occurred for
the month when the leak happened.
Darrin Pugmire noted that the work was moving forward on the
new parking lots. Work on roads is also
being done.
Mayor Spuhler noted that there have been some changes
concerning the beach. Zones will be established.
In some zones, items can be left on the beach overnight. Volley ball will be allowed in certain
areas. The area below 150 South will
have a parking lot and porta potties. Those
who take advantage of the parking lot will be asked to pay $10 for this
convenience. There will be a drop off
area. This is where there will be the
most people.
People can get to the beach by parking in the new parking
areas and walking to the beach. They can
drive to the beach, leave their things, then drive back up and park. There will a shuttle that will be stopping at
each of the lake access points. It is
free and people can put their items on the trailer and get out at any location
they desire and catch the shuttle when they are ready to leave.
Garden City residents can have a free pass. They will be considered a resident if they
vote in Garden City.
There are open positions for an ordinance officer, a city
manager, and some part time workers.
Hopefully, these positions will be filled soon.
Summer Rodeo
Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
GARDEN CITY, Utah.
April 9, 2015. Jade Willis, who
had the rodeo venue last summer, appeared before the Council to discuss some
options to go along with the rodeo this summer.
He noted that last summer was not successful financially.
However, because the glamping resort has a western theme,
Mike Knapp asked Willis to continue with the rodeo this summer if at all
possible. Willis asked if the Council
would allow him to get some concerts and other activities lined up to use the
arena along with rodeos. He felt there
needs to be more variety and more advertising to make the area there
successful.
The Council was more than willing to go along with most of
his ideas. However, they wanted him to
make some decisions and bring in a detailed agenda for them to consider.
City To Buy Shudahi Tank
Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
GARDEN CITY, Utah. April 9, 2015. Norm Mecham appeared
before the Council. A decision needs to
be made as to whether the City will buy the Shundahi tank or drill a new
well. It was determined that the existing
tank would probably be the best decision at the present time. A new well is also needed but could be
postponed for four or five years. The
tank will meet the state requirement for the amount of water storage needed and
is already in place. It will take the
City some time to find a good area to drill for a well. This work needs to be started so the City
will be ready to drill when the well becomes necessary.
Riley Argyle, Public Works, noted that there is emergency
water available as a result of the agreement that was made with
Sweetwater. Because of the dry winter
this past year; water for fire suppression may be more important this summer
than in the past. He suggested that the
City buy the tank and get the well in 6 to 8 years to take care of water needs.
Mayor Spuhler felt that getting the tank would be the best
option for the City at this time. The
Board members were in agreement.
It was decided that the city needs to begin immediately to
get the preliminary engineering report with all the necessary documents
required. There needs to be an addendum
of alternatives, the agreement needs to be formalized and documented, there
needs to be an environmental report, a biological report on plants and animals
must be compiled, and so on.
An application needs to be submitted. There will be a review process of this
application that must be completed in 30 days after it is submitted. It will take up to 150 days to get financing. The tank can then be purchased. It is important to keep all parties invested
in the project to keep things moving.
Zan Murray, the City Engineer, will be able to help the City through the
process and keep things on track.
City funds can be used for the study phase, or the City can
ask for a planning advance and put that amount into the overall financing of
the project.
Mecham was told that it will be 4 to 5 months—about the end
of August to allow Murray to get the application prepared. A trustee note needs to be prepared for
$92,000 for the land (approximately 7,900 linear feet) owned by Mecham that the
City needs to complete 150 South. This
amount, however, will be forgiven if the City buys the water tank.
There will not be a large circular turn around but here will
be enough area at the bottom of 150 South for a three point turn around. Signage will be needed to let people know
that no large vehicles or trailers will be allowed on 150 South.
The Council was in agreement with the changes and items
discussed. It was noted that Norm will
write up an agreement memo and asked that all members of the Council sign. They were in agreement.
Mecham will finish up the easement and get it on the agenda
for next month so that the City can give their formal approval. Mecham was told to go ahead and move forward
with what he needs to do to get everything moving. It was noted that Murray will move the project
forward as well, Mecham will get signatures, and Darrin Pugmire will read all forms.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Mountain Lion Sightings
U.S. Forest Service Uinta Wasatch Cache National Forest Report
If you recreate in
mountain lion country, here are a few guidelines to make your experience safer:
• Hike with other people and make noise. Cougars usually
will not bother groups of people.
• Keep a clean camp and store food and garbage in your
vehicle or hang it between two trees where cougars (and bears) cannot reach it.
• When hiking with small children, keep the children in the
group or in sight ahead of the group. Remember, cougars ambush from behind, so
keeping a child in front of the main group will lessen the possibility of
attack.
• Keep away from dead animals, especially deer or elk. This
could be a kill that a cougar is guarding or will be returning to. A cougar
will defend its food.
• If hiking with pets, keep them on a leash and close to the
group. Roaming pets will be open to cougar attacks.
• Try to minimize your recreation activities during dawn and
dusk- the times mountain lions are most active.
• Respect any warning signs posted by agencies. It may not
be a good time for outdoor adventuring.
• Make enough noise when hiking, cycling or running that you
do not get too close without them hearing you coming. Lions that hear you
coming will leave an area before you get there.
• If you encounter a cougar please alert the Division of
Wildlife Resources 801-476-2740.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Musings Of A Muddled Male
A Muddled
Reporter’s Lament
Who
would have expected so much turmoil to have come into a simple man’s life from
a short email penned by a vacationing editor basking in the sun somewhere in a
timeshare in Mexico? The short version
of the message was that the two RCTOnline reporters who normally cover the Rich
County Commissioners’ Meetings were unavailable, and would I be so kind as to
fill in for them at the Commissioners’ first of April meeting. My first thought was that this was a hoax and
I was being set up as the fall guy in an April fool’s joke. “Nay, nay,” said my editor. All I would have to do is to attend the
meeting in behalf of the AWOL reporters, listen to the discussions and
presentations that occurred, and then write up an abbreviated version of what went
on. “How hard could that be,” I asked
myself. So I decided to be a nice guy
and do what I was asked.
By Bob Stevens, The Muddled Male
Who
would have expected so much turmoil to have come into a simple man’s life from
a short email penned by a vacationing editor basking in the sun somewhere in a
timeshare in Mexico? The short version
of the message was that the two RCTOnline reporters who normally cover the Rich
County Commissioners’ Meetings were unavailable, and would I be so kind as to
fill in for them at the Commissioners’ first of April meeting. My first thought was that this was a hoax and
I was being set up as the fall guy in an April fool’s joke. “Nay, nay,” said my editor. All I would have to do is to attend the
meeting in behalf of the AWOL reporters, listen to the discussions and
presentations that occurred, and then write up an abbreviated version of what went
on. “How hard could that be,” I asked
myself. So I decided to be a nice guy
and do what I was asked.
Although
I arrived early, the room was already full of people. And it appeared that the meeting had started without
me and I was missing things I was expected to hear and report. I tried to use the same technique that I use
when I arrive late to Church by peeking quietly into the room and when no one
is looking, slip quietly into a seat on the back row so that everyone thinks
that I have been there all along. But a
kindly person with a smile on her face caught me in mid stride and informed me
that I was interrupting a crew meeting and moved me back into the hall and then
closed the door to prevent me from becoming part of something I was not allowed
to join. My editor warned me that I
might be thrown out, but I didn’t realize that it would happen even before I
started.
I
admit that I concluded almost immediately that a reporter’s life is not always
easy. Especially for an inexperienced
reporter like me who was only there because of a desperation assignment. I want everyone to know, however, that in
spite of my limitations I really did try my best. I came to my assignment packing a laptop, an
iPad, a picture of all the main characters with their name so that I wouldn’t
blunder and call Joe, Pete, a pen in case my laptop battery ran down, and my
hearing aids. The Court room where the
Commissioners meet isn’t the easiest place for an old man to hear. First of all those making a plea or a
presentation to the Commissioners sit facing the Commissioners but with their
backs to the audience where the reporters sit.
I tried turning my hearing aids up.
I tried turning my hearing aids down.
But no adjustment corrected the noise from people talking in the hallway
outside the court room door, or the sound of a copy machine kachunking out
copies somewhere in the region of the Courtroom. And as hard as I tried I never figured out
how to read the lips of presenters by looking at the backs of heads and
watching ears wiggle.
In
spite of all that, I accept responsibility for any error that may have resulted
from me misunderstanding what I thought I understood, or editing out something
that should have been left in. It is
interesting to note that I have been writing the Muddled Male column for about
seven years. In all that time I have
received two telephone calls and two emails.
Oh, and there has been a long time correspondence with a special fan in
Hamtramck, Michigan who is also a good friend.
Of course there is my sister who says she thinks my articles are
humorous, but she is partial to me because I have always been such a nice
brother.
But
with the article I wrote this past week regarding the Swan Creek Garbage Pickup Problem, I received two personal contacts
and two telephone calls within two days of the article being published. All of this is a preface to telling you that
a correction to that article has been included in this edition of the RCTOnline. Thank you for being readers and for feeling
strongly enough to contact me …. and for speaking kindly rather than
threatening to clean my clock.
Open Meeting Rules Discussed In Garden City
Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
GARDEN CITY, Utah.
April 9, 2014. The Garden City
Offices conducted a special meeting for training individuals who serve on the
various boards within the City. It is a
state requirement that all individuals serving on public boards need annual
training on open meetings. The
information presented was given to help citizens follow the statues concerning
open meetings.
There were several people from the Garden City District Fire
Board who attended the meeting. There
were also a number of people currently serving on the City’s Library Board that
were there. Several other interested individuals were also
present.
Kathy Hislop, the City Clerk, took charge of the
meeting. She informed those in
attendance that all public boards should post all meeting agendas on the Utah
Public Meeting Notice site. Also, all
information that goes along with the agenda that will be discussed should also
be posted. Interested individuals can
subscribe to the site—they must do it for each board where information is
desired. If you want the agenda for the
Library, you can subscribe to the Garden City Library Board. If you also want information about the Garden
City Fire District, you can subscribe to that organization. The desired information will then be sent to
you after it is posted.
When decisions are being made in a meeting, all individuals
on the board should vote. There should
be a roll call on each decision made. If
someone does not vote, that is a “no” vote.
The roll call votes should be included in the minutes of the meeting.
Electronic meetings are allowed. If a board member wants to participate in the
meeting but is unable to attend in person, he/she can call in and participate
in the meeting. The City has an
ordinance that allows this type of participation. The City also has the telephone number to be
called and the equipment to be able to easily handle this type of
participation.
There are several reasons for an executive session. Some mentioned were: personnel issues, legal issues, property
acquisitions, personal issues, and security issues. Generally, a closed session is included on
the regular meeting agenda. A motion
must be made giving the reason for the closed session, and a majority of the
board must agree to go into a closed session. At the end of the closed session, the
resulting decision is generally brought out into the regular meeting where a
motion and vote is taken.
Kathy Hislop noted that there is a computer site where an
expert, David Church, gives an especially good presentation on open
meetings. She said she would give the
internet address to anyone interested in viewing that site. She summed up the meeting by stating that
whatever is best for the public is what should be done in an open meeting.
Openness and clarity are important for people to be able to trust and support
their leaders.
Garden City Staff Reports
Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
GARDEN CITY, Utah. April 9, 2015. Riley Argyle, Supervisor of the Public Works Department,
reported on his activities. He noted
that 200 feet of a culinary water line had to be replaced at 1764 South because
it was leaking quite a lot of water.
This project should be finished tomorrow—everything is done except
moving a telephone line. The telephone
line was chopped into two pieces. It
will be moved across the road and buried on Friday. Only four homes were affected during the
overnight hours, and none of the homes were occupied at the time.
There are always more water leaks during the spring than in
any other time of the year. These leaks
are more difficult to find during the winter months, and when things begin to
thaw; it becomes easier find and repair them. Argyle noted that he will try and keep up with these water problems.
Circle C Construction Company has started work on 150
South. There has been a verbal agreement
with Norman Mecham to allow this Company to begin work. The paperwork for this project is supposed to
be completed tomorrow—Friday.
Parsons Construction Company will begin their work this
coming Monday. They will be doing some
work at the City Park
and the Parking lot at Heritage
Park
UDOT will be working on the turn lane onto Third West. They plan to have that project completed by
June 19. Because of this construction, the Utah Wildlife and Parks Department
will be using Lookout Point for boat inspections until this construction is
completed. They will then move the boat
inspection station back down to the City Complex.
The City will be getting a 14” water line across Logan road starting on
Monday. Only about 5 or 6 homes will be
affected. They will be contacted
tomorrow and told that the water will be turned off in their area.
Argyle decided that it would be smarter to buy an attachment
mower that could be fastened to the tractor instead of buying a new stand-alone
lawn mower. The mower would be used on
both parks as well as the beach area.
Because it is much wider, it will allow the lawns to be finished much
more quickly and will save the City some money.
The Council made and motion and approved this suggestion.
There are several water meters on 150 South that need to be
moved out of the right-of-way. They were installed several years ago and are
located where the road and parking lot will be asphalted. Riley didn’t think it would take too long to
move these meters.
The City has completed the ditch work along Third West and
has installed three water culverts needed for irrigation. The water users in that area seemed to be
satisfied with what has been completed there so far. Because of such an early spring, it was
decided to put in the other four culverts that will be needed. The necessary pipe and other items for
completion of this project have been ordered.
Argyle will try and get the four street lights installed at
parking lot at 75 North. Two lights will
be put on the north side and two more on the south side of that parking
area. They are the small street lights
like those that have been placed in various areas around the City.
He noted that some financial arrangements will need to be
made to take care of water issues on Elk’s Ridge. He noted that a concrete box can be placed
almost anywhere. It could even be placed
underneath a road with a cover if necessary.
A drivable road needs to be created between Elk’s Ridge and
the Webber property. Bess Huefner, a
Council member noted that she will be in touch with the Webbers. It was suggested that the Raspberry Patch Home
Owner’s Association also needs to be contacted to make sure they are aware of
what is happening. This road will
provide better fire protection, especially for those homes higher on the
hill. There will be better water
pressure control and an additional exit from the area will be available in case
of an emergency.
The County is working with Darrin Pugmire, a Council member,
on the gun range. It appears that there
will be a public hearing near Memorial Day when many of the people who live up
on Sweetwater Trailer Park
Riley Argyle reported that the sander that attaches to the snow
plow is really becoming very worn. He
noted that a new one would cost about $8,000.
The workers could probably overhaul the old sander at a cost of about
$3,000. A motion was made and passed by
the City Council to have the sander overhauled.
This job should be completed during this coming summer.
The new computer at the water treatment plant has been
running in tandem with the old computer to make sure everything is working
correctly. The old computer will be turned
off soon, because the new machine is doing a good job.
The individual who handles the computer setup at the water
treatment plant is currently in the process of creating his own business. Argyle asked if the City could move their
business to him, instead of continuing their contract with the New York
Company. This gentleman lives in Park City
Summer workers are currently being hired. They usually mow the lawns, clean the
bathrooms and help the Public Works Department when needed. Beach maintenance will probably be added to
these positions. So far, two young men
have applied for these jobs.
Water will be kept in Bear Lake
Four loads of mag water have been ordered for the first part
of June. It will be applied to the roads
where needed. Argyle has requested that
smaller amounts or the mag water be used in application than in previous years.
The Public Works Department put in 60 hours in cleaning the
canals. There is a lot of plants and
brush growing in the canal between Lockwood and the glamping area. Next year, additional work may be needed to
remove this vegetation.
Slurry has been ordered.
In the past certain sections have been covered. This year, everything that has been missed in
the past will have this product applied.
It will cost approximately $94,000 to finish up everything.
The sidewalks in town need attention. There are several areas where a great deal of
work will be required. There are also
some areas on the bike path that need maintenance and repair work.
George Peart, the City Building Inspector, reported that
there are 11 building permits that have been issued so far this year. At least three of these permits are for
commercial buildings. The Council
members asked that George keep track of what are commercial and the types and
kinds of work that is being done on the residential building permits.
Peart reported that on 75 North three lots have been
encumbered. A shed is being moved onto
one of those areas.
The Planning Commission has worked hard on several of the
City’s ordinances. They worked on the
RV’s zones ordinance, and the new sign ordinance. There is currently an ordinance for
windmills. The title of the windmill
ordinance gives the impression that windmills are prohibited. Actually the ordinance regulates the size
that can be accommodated in the town. It
was decided that a windmill could be 25 feet high and up to 6 feet wide. The title of the ordinance will be change to
note that that the city does allow green energy production but also has some
predetermined sizes that must be met.
It was noted that the commercial building inspector should
be invited to the staff meeting so that he can report on the work he is doing
in the town. There is growth in the
commercial area, and it would be nice for the public to be aware of the new
businesses being built.
Kindergarten News
To Parents
of 2015-2016 Kindergarten Students:
Kindergarten
School Visit Day will be Monday, April 20th. We will be meeting at North Rich Elementary
at 10:00 am. The schedule will be as follows:
10:10-Bus orientation
10:30- Children to Library for story & song
Parents meet with Mr. Motta
for
Kindergarten information
11:00- Lunch – Chicken nuggets
Cost is $3.00 for adults and $1.90 for
children
This
should be a fun experience for you and your child as you both get ready for Kindergarten!!!
If you have any questions, please feel free to call 946-3359.
Hope to see you there!!
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