Cisco Sonar

Smoke

By Bryce Neilson

I seem to becoming more depressed lately.  Sort of like in the winter when the Lake is trying to freeze and the valley fills with clean fog.  What we are experiencing now is different.  It is minute particles of carbon pushed into the atmosphere by fire burning vegetation.  As I traveled across western Oregon last week, wildfires were burning thousands of acres sagebrush and cheat grass.  That is typical of this part of the west but with temperatures of 104F as we passed Pendleton it is worse this year. 

I didn’t think much of it at the time but as we returned to Bear Lake it as there and has been getting thicker over the past few days.  One of the things that keeps my world in balance is getting up in the morning and looking out over Bear Lake.  Its changing colors and moods helps me realize where I am at.  It is something I never get tired of.  As I have travelled over the world and seen many beautiful things, the thing that is most spectacular to me is Bear Lake coming over the summit.

I can’t see it now and that bums me out.  No one to blame, just Mother Earth.  I feel bad for visitors who are coming through that won’t get the opportunity to see Bear Lake.  It reminds me of the Yellowstone fires or the eruption of St. Helens volcano.  The smoke will drift away eventually and the views will return. It is just that now, my soul is obscured.

Note:

Noreen Hansen passed away this week.  She was a unique lady.  Carmen and I worked with Noreen in the Garden City Offices for over twelve years.  She was thrifty, using both sides of adding machine paper, spending hours trying to find a lost penny in the checking account and was well known for not taking any guff from anyone, including the Mayor.  They don’t make people like that anymore.  I will miss her but the memories will always remain. 

Photo by Elvira Luzack

Noreen Beck Hansen 1926 - 2015

Noreen Beck Hansen, 88, passed away August 19, 2015 in North Logan, Cache, Utah.  She fought a valiant 18 year battle with Alzheimer's. 

She was born December 5, 1926 in Ovid, Bear Lake, Idaho to Leon Anders Beck and Jennie Louise Porter Beck, the fifth of seven children.  Noreen married her eternal mate John K. Hansen May 16, 1946 in the Salt Lake Temple. They recently celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary.  She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had many callings, her favorite being Primary Nursery Leader. 

She is preceded in death by her parents, brothers and sisters, a grand-daughter (Stephanie) and a daughter in law (Susan)  Noreen is survived by her husband John K. Hansen and 8 children: Randall (Nancy), Jennie Whitmill (LeLand), Diane Weston (Monty), Bonnie Jorgensen (Jeffrey), Kenneth (Donna), Glen (Julie), Melvin (Gwenda), Elaine Braithwaite (Stephan), 40 grandchildren and 86 great grandchildren. Noreen's greatest legacy is her family whom she loved very much.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday August 25, 2015 at 12:00 pm at the Garden City LDS Chapel, 65 Bear Lake Blvd.  Friends and family may visit from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm.  Interment: Garden City Cemetery.  Funeral arrangements arranged through Cache Valley Mortuary.

Garden City Council Meeting

Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  August 13, 2015. A request by Claudia Lopez that her Claudia’s Cleaning Service be granted a business license to conduct a cleaning company in Garden City was made.  Her request was granted.

Garden City Cemetery District requested that water rates be discussed with the City.  It was noted that because the Cemetery District has taxing ability, that they should perhaps raise their taxes slightly to be able to pay for the water used.  The area covered by the Cemetery District is much larger than the Garden City Limits.  If Garden City gives the Cemetery District a lower water rate, the citizens in Garden City would be paying the full bill for Cemetery water while those outside the City that also live in the Cemetery District would not be paying their share of the costs.  The citizens of Garden City would be paying the entire bill.  That would not be fair to either group.

Ordinance #15-22 is written to update the exemptions of height limitations.  The Council didn’t want the term “water tank” used in the ordinance.  They felt “fire suppression tank” would better explain what is allowed.  They also decided to take out the word “decorative”.  With those changes, the ordinance was passed.

Ordinance #15-28 is an ordinance that will update the requirements for a short term rental license.  Additional wording was added as follows:  Owners, property management company, and/or any other entity contact person.  This will hopefully clarify the necessity of the contract person who is qualified to solve problems that may arise.

The Council discussed Resolution #R15-06.  It is a resolution updating land use fees and miscellaneous fees for services rendered and providing an effective date.  It was decided that an annual inspection will be conducted by the fire chief for each short-term rental. The fire department charges a $30 fee for each inspection they make.  The city handles the collection of this fee which also requires time and paperwork.  Thus the fee for short-term rentals will need to be raised slightly.  There were several examples of similar changes that have been made this past summer.  Thus the resolution fee schedule was updated to take care of the changes that have occurred.

The ULCT (The Utah League of Cities and Towns held an information meeting last week.  Mayor Spuhler attended the meeting.  Apparently Towns can add a ¼ percent gas tax on all entities.  It is generally called a transportation tax.  It works exactly the same way the resort tax works.  Garden City generally receives about $30,000 from the resort tax.  The transportation tax could also produce some revenue for the City that could be used for road maintenance.  It would need to be placed on the ballot at the next election.

Garden City Council Member Reports

Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  August 13, 2015.  Mayor Spuhler reported that he had met a very talented individual who creates musical productions.  He writes the music to fit the story.  The City could then have the musical produced during the summer months.  It would tell the history of Garden City.  A stage could be built and a small ticket price could be collected.  This would give visitors another venue while they are in the town.

Bruce Warner, Council Member, reported that he hopes the city will be able to get a commercial building inspector soon.  He noted that separate water connections are important.

Darrin Pugmire said that the city needs to cut into the water line close to Heritage Park and connect the park to city water.  He said that the park was not getting enough water for the pond, especially during July. He thinks the park needs to tie into the city water line so that the pond will be kept full.

Chuck Stocking has been able to get the water leaking from the canal into a ditch that goes around his home.  However, the water then runs down the north side of the road and out onto Highway 30.  Darrin would like to see the water taken under the road on Hodges Lane and allow the water to fan out on Norm Mecham’s property which is south of Hodges Lane.  This would be a better solution to this water problem.

The sidewalks do need a lot of work.  It will probably cost the city about $30,000 to repair the section of sidewalk under consideration.

Bess Huefner reported that the parks seem to be doing well.  The Farmers Market was held each week all summer.  It was a nice activity, but no profit was made.  The Council may want to look into the activity and determine if it is worth the effort that has gone into this project.

The Tour of Utah was interesting and fun to see.  It was too bad it was raining because there could have been a lot of good publicity result from that race had the helicopters and other media sources been able to capture the lake and area at its best.  Because of the rain, the racers came and went very quickly with very little publicity at all.

Several bids have been submitted concerning a splash pad.  It would cost about $30,000 for a pad 25’ by 25’.  Some of the money from the PTIF fund could perhaps be used if it is decided that this would be a good addition to the park.

If the City decides to create a baseball park, it would cost between $125,000 and $150,000.  Softball and baseball have different requirements so that which type of ball field to build would have to be determined.  There is a TRT grant for $45,000 that could be sought after when decisions of what is really wanted have been made.

Chuck Stocking noted that the library has been considering changing the cost of using the internet because of complaints that have been made by some of the visitors to the area.  Currently, they are charged $5 for two hours.  A library card only costs $30 and lasts for an entire year.  If people don’t want to pay for the internet, they can go to several restaurants that have free internet.  Also, $30 would allow them to come to the library every day the library is open for an entire year.  The members of the Council thought it was a pretty good deal for outsiders.

The library people have worked hard and feel good about the rummage sale results ($5,108.53).  They especially wanted to thank World Mark for their support.

The pool seems to be doing well.

Short Term Rentals In Garden City

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  August 13, 2015.  There were several short term rental license requests made.  The first was at 1006 Snow Meadows Drive.  It will be handled by the Benchmark Realty Management, LLC, owned by Kett Blatter.  It was noted that the building sketch shows four parking spaces on the street.  Street parking is not allowed in Snow Meadows.  However, there is occupancy for 47 individuals and there are 10 parking spaces inside the parking lot.  This does meet the City’s ordinance.  The license will be granted, but no street parking will be allowed.

David and Mary Wagner will rent at 2176 South Bear Lake Blvd, units #185 and #186.  This was approved.

Dr. Troben Walters and Dieter Walters would like to rent the home located at 737 Spruce Drive.  This request was also approved.

Ideal Beach Condo #172 is owned by Ronald Reaveley.  Ideal Beach Condo #117 is owned by Mike Ford.  Ideal Beach Condo #430 is owned by Dean Anderson.  Ideal Beach condo #102 is owned by Mike Marston.  Ideal Beach Condo #472 is owned by Micah Christensen.  Ideal Beach Condo #263 and #264 are owned by John Curtis.  All of the Ideal Beach Condos listed above are to be short-term rentals.  All of these units will be granted licenses contingent upon proof of ownership and valid insurance.

Brian House noted that during Court, a short term rental owner said that he had talked with one of the Council Members and was told his license would be taken care of.  It was decided that if in the future, if this happens again, the individual will need to produce a letter with at least two council members signatures on the letter to prove that the license requirements have been met.

A request to encumber parcels #41-21-201, #41-21-49-202, #41-21-49-203, #41-21-204, #41-21-49-205, #41-21-49-206, #41-21-207, #41-21-49-301, #41-21-49-302, #41-21-303, #41-21-49-304, #41-21-49-305, #41-21-306, and  #41-21-49-307 was made by Stan Goodell, the owner of Season’s Resort Community.  The Council passed the request for this encumbrance.

Moose Sightings

Photo by Tammy Calder, Calderberry Photography

Photo by Janalynn Dawson Negus

Public Works Report

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  August 13 2015. Riley Argyle, the Public Works Supervisor, reported that Raspberry Days went well, but takes a lot of time and effort in getting all the required equipment setup and all the preparations completed.

A lawn at Heritage Park around the pond has been seeded.  Someone has already taken a 4-wheeler and made deep ruts in the area.  The workers will go back up and try to rake and smooth out the ruts and reseed that portion of the lawn.  It has to be watered several times a day to keep it damp.  Apparently that area holds the water very well and doesn’t require as much as was recommended.  The City has installed some new sprinkler heads at the park.  Moss killer is being put in the pond every day.  It seems to be working. 

All of the seasonal workers will be finished this coming Saturday. 

There are several new tables that have been purchased.  They were used at the Pancake Breakfast.  They will be moved up by the pond at Heritage Park.  Third West road needs to be closed for safety reasons.

The City has plowed quite a bit of the beach this summer.  It makes a tremendous difference.  The deer flies were sprayed which made the beach more enjoyable as well.

There are several areas along the bike path that needs to be repaired. At 350 South and at Fay’s RV Park on the north, collection boxes will need to be put in place.  Overlaying additional asphalt is more expensive but the problem by Ray’s Lutz’s home as well as the low area near Buttercup entrance will require asphalt overlays.  There would be approximately 50 feet of overlay required.  This will cost about $10,000.

Johnson Construction will be doing the cuts and overlays and must bring a paver over in order to do this work.  If there are other places where the paver should be used, they should be put on a list so that they can all be completed while the paver is in the vicinity.

There are some leaks in the line in the treatment plant.  As soon as Labor Day is over, repairs here will be attempted.  It will be done at night, and the plant will be back up the next day.

Additional power was needed for Raspberry Days.  A bigger breaker and spider box with 220 volts that steps down to 110 volts was installed.  This was quite expensive.

Argyle noted that he will take some continuing education training at Layton as he is able to get away.  Glen will be going to St. George for some additional training.

The road on 350 was cut through.  A service line needed to be run from the meter to the main line.

There was a leak in front of the post office.  In order to repair this leak, the water will be turned off for several hours and will affect quite a few homes.  This is another road patch they should be put on Johnson’s list.  Also, when the road is cut, the drinking fountain there should be turned on.  If the Post Office doesn’t want to pay for that water, it should be put onto the City’s water usage bill.

There are quite a few pot holes that need fixing.

There are a bunch of metal rods at the Church.  They are canopy rods that go with the tent that was purchased for Raspberry Days.  The city is waiting for the connectors that are necessary to assemble the tent.  When everything arrives, the tent will be put up and painted so it will be easy to set up in the future.  It is just a bit late for use this year.

There are several places where the City needs to pick up the garbage.  The garbage container in Pickleville was and is really full.  The container at the fish pond as well as the one at 75 north also needs to be picked up.  Riley was asked if he would make a route for the city workers to follow so they don’t overlook any of the containers the City is responsible for.

A new water meter was installed at the Inn at the Lake.  There was a pinhole leak that was difficult to locate.  The meter had been buried when the work was done along Logan Road.  All meters should be exposed, not buried.  Also, every homeowner should have their own shut off valve outside their home for water.

UDOT is going to roto-mill the road from the Logan intersection and Bear Lake Blvd. south to the rest area (Lady Bird Park) just north of Laketown.  This is scheduled for next summer.

Garden City Ordinance Officer Report

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times 

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  August 13, 2015. Bob Peterson, the city ordinance officer, reported that in the last month he had 18 calls.  Eight were ATVs racing on the beach, 5 were noise problems (1 at the Harbor, 2 in downtown, 1 at Buttercup, and 1 at Sweetwater).  There was one complaint at a short term rental where there were too many people camping on the lot. 

There were four parking infractions, three of these in Buttercup and one at Cherimoya.  There were four calls after hours (after 10:30 at night and before 10:30 in the morning).  Out of all of the calls, four were dealing with short-term rentals.  Apparently people are just putting up with things and/or the owners are handling most of the complaints.

Peterson locks the park each evening.  He then drives around the downtown area checking how many people are out and about. 

He noted that he had given out 16 tickets, and 13 warnings.  Several were for garbage cans that are not taken off the roadside.  Off premise signs advertising businesses were also a problem.  The sign ordinance needs to be worked on to make sure everyone understand what can and cannot be done.  Also, it must be written in such a way that enforcement can be done in a proper and understandable way.   

Lately, there have been quite a few fireworks on the beach.  Also, ATVs are driving out onto the sandbars, and he has to explain that they are not allowed out there.  Visitors need to unload their items and then move their vehicles back away from the water.  There have also been several cars that have had to be moved back from the water’s edge.  Launching boats from the lakeshore is okay as long as the boats have all of the necessary permits.

This fall, Peterson will be auditing for sales tax.  Many of the businesses in town have not been adding the tax onto their sales slips.  The City is losing potential revenue that could be used to enhance the City.   Not all the businesses are paying sales tax.

Garden City Engineer Report

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah. August 13 2015.  Zan Murray, city engineer, reported to the City Council over the telephone.  He noted that Water’s Edge Resort had submitted a development proposal for phases 9 and 10 which will contain two condo buildings.  The plan looked different from the original plan that had be submitted to the Planning Commission.  However, even though the concept looked different, the footprint was the same.  Parking also was different.  However, with the revised parking ordinance, there are probably 50 extra stalls over the entire development.  Thus, the changes made were not significant.

The Planning Commission requested that the Army Corp. of Engineers report granting approval for the development would be needed in order to move forward.  They also requested that the traffic analysis be completed.  The Commission did vote to accept the plan with a couple of stipulations.   The City definitely needs a letter from the Army Corps, but it is probably not necessary for phases 9 and 10 of the proposed project. 

When Norm Mecham comes in for a building permit, there should be a utilities site plan included, as well as all of the set backs being shown, notations of all building heights, as well as the above mentioned items.  Since these buildings will be commercial, the commercial inspector needs to be made aware of what the City has requested before the permit be issued.

The water project is moving forward.  Danny White has completed the biological assessment.  The report is coming along well.  Riley Argyle and Kathy Hislop are working on filling in the requested information.  The report is actually about 30 days behind.  The cultural report is slow.  The City needs to get those reviews back.  The City is in the process of surveying all the facilities involved with the water system.  When all of the required pieces are put together, the entire report will need to be reviewed.

150 South,where the new parking lot and road have recently been completed, is having some problems.  Paving at the lower end of the road is starting to crack and move.  The base apparently is unstable.  The plans included an additional drain line and a catch basin.  This apparently was not enough to keep the area from getting wet and having soft spots appear.  Circle C will need to come back and help solve this problem since the City is still within the warranty period.  There should be some solutions that can be used.  This will need to be done after the Labor Day Weekend.  The City will get this resolved and remedied.

Garden City Building Inspector Report

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, August 13, 2015. George Peart was not at the meeting.  It was noted, however, that three more building permits had been obtained from the City during the past week. 

Currently, Peart works for Garden City as well as the County.  The City pays a fixed fee to the County, and his salary then comes from the County.  Garden City is in need of a commercial building inspector.  Peart thought he might get his license to do this.   However, this will require quite a bit of education and time that he may not be able to handle with the amount of work he is now doing. 

The Unmuddled Mathematician

Two Fairs, Two Completely Different Worlds
By Chris Coray, The Unmuddled Mathematician

We went to the Rich County Fair Thursday in Randolph and watched a portion of the fair where delightful young people exhibited showmanship as they displayed their animals. 

In fact the contest was about how well the animals were shown, not the quality of the animals themselves. The whole event was honest, clean, without guile, and delightful. Especially the little girl with the binky, her control stick, and her pig.

I write this to begin a study in contrast of a fair in Iowa held at the same time, where the showmanship and animals had none of the attributes above. You can decide for yourself the answer to the difficult question which of the media or candidates in Iowa were the animals and which were showing off. What follows is a synopsis of the Iowa fair this past week.

Presidential Candidate #1 (PC1): “Gee, it’s wonderful to here in Iowa. I love pigs. And the deep fried hot dogs that come from them.”

Media Person #1 (MP1): “Your polls show your support at 1.2% here in Iowa. What are your plans to change that number?”

PC1: “Polls at this stage mean nothing. I mean with 17 candidates running the average poll number has to be 5.88%. I didn’t compute that number by myself, my local staff of 63 did it for me. What’s important is that I have kissed pigs in each of the 99 counties here in Iowa. Some have been a little on the ugly side. And smelly. Probably good bacon, though. There are a lot of pigs in this state. But I do love Ethanol.”

MP2, speaking to another candidate: “It seems like the crowd here is mostly candidates and media, as opposed to Iowans. But let’s turn to an actual issue. What are your specific plans to address the huge federal entitlement budget issue, for example, Social Security?”

PC2: “Thank you for asking. It is a very important, in fact vital issue. And so, specifically, I---“

MP2: “We’ll have to leave it there as we have some breaking news here at the fairgrounds. Over to you, MP3.”

MP3: “Thanks, MP2. Some day I’ll learn your name. But not while I am on camera. We are here with the leader in the polls, PC3. How are you enjoying the fair?”

PC3: “I love the fair. I love all people, especially me. Did you see my helicopter? I brought it so I could offer rides to kids here at the fair. As you know, I am very rich. All the other candidates are losers. Idiots. Down the tubes. We can be great again.”

MP3: “How do you plan to make that happen?”

PC3: “You’re a loser, done for, finished. I don’t answer questions from losers. Only winners, like me.”

MP4: “When the Iowa caucus is finished, will you ever return here?”

PC3: “You look a lot like the pig I kissed in that county down in the southern part of the state. Well almost that good. That pig is also undoubtedly smarter than you. Probably better educated. And you can be sure that after the caucus I will never bring my fancy Italian shoes to this backwater dive. Build a fence. Close the border. Make Iowans pay for it. Stop the loss of good American jobs into Iowa. (Someone whispers in his ear). Is that true, I mean can Iowans actually vote? Who reads the ballot for them? Have you noticed my big lead in the polls? Everybody else is a loser. PC2 is so washed up he thinks that people love their children. I love women.”

MP4: “Well, there you have it, a definitive interview with PC3, the leader in the national primary polls. I want to say that I did put lipstick on this morning, so the pig reference hurt. I’m sorry my mascara is running. And my middle name is not Oink. But PC3 is certainly …….

International Reader Submits This Photo

No, this is not Bear Lake.  It is a beach in Lignano, Italy where one of our most devoted readers, Marcia Sultagi, world traveler, lives part of the year.  When we start complaining about croweded beaches we might want to consider this!  Marcia has never been to Bear Lake but hopes to one day. I'd like to go to Lignano.  I love the matching umbrellas.

We also have readers in Germany who have a cabin in Sweetwater.  So RCTonline is an international paper!