Notice Of Public Hearing On Short Term Rentals

The Rich County Commission will hold a Public Hearing to consider adopting a Rich County Short Term Rental Ordinance. This proposed ordinance would regulate the business of nightly and short term rentals (under 30 days) of residences within the unincorporated areas of Rich County. This ordinance would do so by requiring a special business license for the short term rentals and setting conditions of holding the license.At this meeting,the Board of County Commissioners will hear public comments regarding this proposed ordinance.

A complete copy of the proposed ordinance can be obtained by contacting the Rich County Clerk, Becky Peart.

DATE: February 1, 2017

TIME: 1:30 p.m.

PLACE: Rich County Courthouse

KSL News Report On Garden City Beach Access

By Carter Williams, KSL News   | Posted Dec 19th, 2016 @ 11:18am

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  With a pristine view of Bear Lake to the east, it's hard not to fall in love with the homes located within the Shore Lodge Estates subdivision.

"It's so beautiful there," says Jenny Robison, the daughter-in-law of one of the subdivision's homeowners.

So it's hard to believe that the subdivision is also ground zero for a bitter court battle between homeowners and the town that has dragged on for years — and counting.

Since 2013, there has been a seemingly constant battle back-and-forth between the homeowners and Garden City town officials over whether or not the private lanes in the subdivision that connect their homes and the lake should be available to the public.

Now, months after a judge in Utah’s 1st District Court ruled in favor of the property owners, the homeowners of the subdivision are fuming as town officials push forward to use eminent domain to claim two of the six lanes — roads made from grass, dirt and gravel — at the center of the lengthy squabble.

Read the rest of the story at https://www.ksl.com/?sid=42623689

Rich Middle School Honor Roll

First Trimester – 2016-17
6th Grade, Elly Argyle*, Holt Argyle, Jeremy Brown*, Jazlyn Chandler, Jayken Downing, Ayden Handley, Hazer Hoffman, Chris Kurek, Corbin Moldenhauer, Aria Ostler, Max Parry, Darlene Petersen, Brynlee Pugmire, Stetson Rothlisberger, Sophee Seamons, Ryann Stapel, Tessa Ward*,
Hana Weston

7th Grade, Justin Adams, Brooklyn Anderson, Chancie Bell, Riley Carrillo, Hattie Cornia, Eden Dalley, Riley Dean, Josh England, Kassidee Groll, Kayley Hatch, Hannah Hillier, Ellie Johnson,
Brittney Lamborn*, Ryan Leifson, Ambria Lutz*,Tayla McKee, James McKinnon, Chloe Negus*,
Tanner Nelson, Amasay Nielsen, Natalee Parry, Annie Peart*, Hanna Rex, Makynzee Smith*,
Kylie Thomson, Sadie Wadsworth, Katlyn Wahlberg*, Jayden Ward, Nathan Woods

8th Grade, Peyton Allred, Aaron Cook, Alysia Cook, Amber Cook, Jaycee Cornia*, Taylee Cornia,
Zoe Dean, Kennedy Eastman*, Kambry Fairbourn, Kate Frandsen, Travis Gifford, Konner Greer,
Jaidyn Groll, Brooke Handley, Kylen Hardman, Sydney Hopkin*,Kysa Johnson, Chase Kurek,
Abril Maldonado*,Corbin Malm, Hayden Meek*, Logan Muirbrook, Haylie Nye*, Amanda Schulthess, McKina Stacey*, Riley Taylor, Amiya Trenery, Sam Wahlberg, Grace Wamsley, Rebecca Wamsley*, Madyson Weston*


*4.0

Nominee Named To Fill Justice Court Vacancy

Randolph, Utah. The Rich County Nominating Commission has announced the appointment of the Honorable Judge Trevor Layne Cook to fill the Rich County Justice Court vacancy. The position will replace Judge Ross McKinnon, who will retire effective Jan. 1, 2017.

Judge Cook graduated from Utah State University with a B.S. in management and human resources and earned a law degree from Texas Southern University. After law school he worked as a law clerk for the First District Court of Utah. After his clerkship, Cook joined the law finn of Ericson & Shaw, LLP where he practiced civil law for eight years. In 2012, Judge Cook was appointed to the justice court bench where he serves Nibley City and Mendon City. He is cunently employed at Bear River Mental Health Services, Inc. as its corporate compliance officer.

Cisco Sonar

By Bryce Nielson,The Cisco Kid

By now, I suspect that many of you have seen the “haunting” picture, taken from the Space Station (NASA), of white sediments swirling in Bear Lake’s blue, water.  The description below the image said that the sediment probably came in from North Eden, Fish Haven and Swan creeks.

I have been fascinated by Bear Lake’s physical characteristics since 1967 when my USU limnology class came to take water samples.  At that time, Dr. Bill Helm, told us about currents in Bear lake and that were influenced by the earth’s rotation and the relationship of the moon, much like tides.  It sounded too far out for me to buy into at the time.  To further his arguments, he described how researchers would suspend glass tubes filled with liquid gelatin and suspend them at various depths and locations.  They would then retrieve them with the solidified gelatin inside and and

measure the degree variation for level to describe the effects of currents.  Unfortunately, none of that data was ever published and was lost with Bill’s death.  I learned a lot in that class about water densities in relation to temperature, thermal stratification, fall and spring overturns and a myriad of chemical compounds that are associated with water.  I finished college, went to work for Utah Fish and Game (now Wildlife Resources) and ended up at Bear Lake as a research fisheries biologist in 1974.  One thing that the old, classical, scientists taught me was instruments were fine but when it came to understanding the natural world around us, constant observation is the best tool you have.

Bear Lake currents have resided in a corner of my mind since then.  I would watch where boats and floats and other debris drifted to when they were lost on the lake.  Given enough time, most stuff ends up on North Eden.  Living up in Bridgerland, I would look down on the lake see the surface waters covered in different patterns and swirls.  I still had a nagging feeling that this was all a result of the wind.  I have spent a good majority of my life creel checking fishermen.  Lots of time it was on the ice.  Then as I saw things closer, I observed that ice fishermen’s lines didn’t always go straight down.  Many times it was difficult to keep a light lure on the bottom.  Along the east shore they were always drifting towards the north.  This evidence convinced me that currents were active under the ice, away from the winds influence.  I would be looking at Google Earth around Garden City and would notice current swirls off Gus Rich Point.  When I was exploring the “Rockpile” with an underwater camera, an area of gravel could be seen, that was clean of sediments, obviously swept off by currents.  It turns out to be an important spot for Bonneville cisco spawning.  “Weed Beds” which attract fishermen after cutthroat and whitefish, also catch millions of cisco eggs that are drifting in the water column away from spawning areas which provide food for other fish.  Even the elusive Bear Lake sculpin depends on lake currents to distribute their larval fish around the lake, away from the only spawning substrate on the east side.

When I saw sediment swirls from space, it all made sense to me.  What I was seeing was three current cells, rotating counter clockwise bringing up calcium carbonate, marl, from the lake.  Calcium carbonate particles are extremely small and take a long time to drift through the water column (why Bear Lake water is blue).  Cells in the shallow water were picking marl up off the bottom sediment. The sediment in the deep waters was probably coming up from the thermocline.  This time of year the lake is stratified which results in the thermocline concentrating marl in that layer of rapidly changing densities with depth.  If you remember, the moon was at its closest distance to the earth around that time, so one could surmise that the currents were especially well defined and active.  One thing for sure, is that they were not created by a sediment inflow from North Eden Creek which has extremely low flows during September.  With irrigation diversions on Swan and Fish Haven, not much water enters the lake and it is crystal clear.

Bear Lake is such a complicated but stable ecosystem.  It has been here for over 200,000 years and I suspect will be here after we are all gone.  I will never quit learning about Bear Lake, but some of her secrets may take a while to surface like they did in September 2016.

It's Very Cold But The Fish Are Great

Travis Hobbs shows off his trophy fish for the Pugstones's Winter Fish Derby

RMS Honors

December Student of the Month

Bella Seamons and Holt Argyle   -  6th grade

Josh England and Hattie Cornia - 7th grade

Haylie Nye and Chase Kurek - 8th grade

December Citizen of the Month

Hazer Hoffman and Jazlyn Chandler - 6th grade

Ryan Leifson and Kassidee Groll - 7th grade

Zoe Dean & Logan Muirbrook - 8th grade

Garden City Public Works Report

Anita Weston, reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah. December 8, 2016   Riley Argyle, Public Works Supervisor, reported that one of the snow plows had a hydraulic issue that has now been fixed and working well.  He feels he and his crew will be able to keep ahead of the snow.

There has been a water leak on 150 South that still needs some additional work.  There was a motor at the water treatment plant that had to be replaced.  The heater in the Elk’s Ridge pump house went out.  The workers were able to get it working again.

Fuel pumps have been ordered as well as fuel tanks.  The city can save 80 cents a gallon by taking advantage of the state rates that are allowed to public organizations.  The city will also have to make a space to place the tanks.  It will cost the city about $2,000 to get the tanks and pumps but  Argyle feels that will amount will soon be saved by using the lower price.  It was reported that $150 in fuel was used in just the last two days by the snow plows.

Glenn Gilles, the city’s commercial building inspector, reported that Water’s Edge has started to build.  The club house is the only building at the Legacy PUD that is commercial.  All of the rest of the buildings in that location will be inspected by George Peart, the building inspector for homes.  At Legacy, the footprints on each plot are built to the edge.  The set back requirement in most situations can be changed in a PUD.  CC&Rs need to be written by both of these new developments.

Zan Murray, city engineer, reported that the Elk’s Ridge easement items are moving forward.  Almost all of the signatures have been obtained.  It should be completed within the next week or two.

Murray had met with Rod Terry concerning 300 West.  The grant that was obtained was using federal funds.  However, the amount has been lowed by the state from 1.3 million dollars to one million.  Murray said he would check to see why the state had entered into this project.  With the change in the amount of money, the road can be completed, but the bike path that was to be included may have to be left for later on.

Plans and designs can be done and building can begin in October 2017.  There are several things that can be done this next year including environmental work, and the right of way by the pond.  Most of the road has a wide right-of-way.  However, when it gets near Buttercup is only 66 feet wide.  Also, there is a curve that needs to be broadened out to maintain a 35 MPH speed in that area by the pond. 

The paper work on the water rights from Shundahi has been completed.  The application with Swan Creek Village concerning water rights is still pending.

Robert Peterson, the City’s Ordinance Officer, reported that the TRT grant will probably be used to build the beach access lane south of Legacy.  It will cost about $100,000.  This means that it will be two or three years in order save enough of the TRT money to complete this project.  A fence will be built along with an asphalt pathway to the lakeshore.

There have been several incidents concerning signs that do not conform to the sign ordinance.  Bob has been working with several business owners to get them back in compliance with the ordinance.

There has been an issue of culinary water theft and Bob has had to give out a warning.  Hopefully this problem is resolved.

Computers for the water treatment plant have arrived along with the computers for the library. 

Bob noted that he is going to be working on the zoning ordinance making minor changes so that there will be greater clarity for this ordinance.

Bob has been meeting with the Utah Trust Insurance Company.  He has been impressed with this company.  They have been most helpful, have presented several excellent seminars, and want to look out for their members.  It is a good company.  He said having the city go with company has been a real plus.

Buttercup’s HOA is dissolving.  They are giving all of the green space in that HOA to the City.  A quick deed for the green space will be the document used to make the transfer.  A letter has been written by the City acknowledging this donation and making it known that they will accept this property.

Currently most of the advertising monies are spent on ads encouraging people to come to Bear Lake in the summer.  However, our town is completely filled in the summer.  The City would like to get the advertising monies to be used in encouraging people to come in the fall, winter, and spring times.  Since the city doesn’t get that much of the TRT money, it would be nice to be able to encourage those who do the advertising to quit spending the majority on summer encouragement.  It would be better used letting people know about Beaver Mountain Ski Resort, snowmobiling possibilities, ice fishing, snow shoeing, etc.

It was suggested that perhaps an economic development person could be hired.  The city is currently looking into using Quatrics which is a way to gather data concerning those who come to Garden City to vacation.  The better the data the city has, the better decisions they will be able to make to cater to the visitors here.

Garden City Council Member Reports

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  December 8, 2016.  Council member Chuck Stocking suggested that short term rentals, renewals of business licenses from date issued rather than the first of the year.  Bob Peterson said the software they use can do it.  The same should be done for other business licenses.  Kathy Hislop said it would be a nightmare if the office had to do it manually and they had to handle 300 licenses.  But the software sends an automatic e-mail when the license is due.  The issue will be put on the agenda next month.

Jennifer Huefner talked adding more trails to the general plan.  Mitch Poulsen, Bear Lake  Regional Commission, has been working on an extensive trail map and Huefner suggested that the city adopt that map as part of the general plan.   Pat Argyle said a lot of trails are in bad shape.  Huefner said it is important to have it on the general plan map to protect the trails.  The trails do need upgrades, and The Bear Lake Regional Commission would be logical to partner with as they can help with trail grants.

Darrin Pugmire met with Zan Murray, city engineer, who said that the money for third west could be available in October 2017.  Pugmire is trying to ascertain where the roads will be so that people know exactly where they will be on their land and be able to plan development around it. 

 

John Spuhler talked about local internet, he and the council concurred that there is inadequate internet service here.  The hot point for local All West Internet is in Randolph, so it doesn't service Garden City.  Centra Com’s internet is unreliable and slow.   Spuhler said he is looking to put 5 gig spectrum on Crawford Mountain which will add speed and some redundancy.   He said he would update the council as more information became available.

Rich High Drill Team Takes Second At Wasatch Invitational For 1A.

Garden City Council Notes

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, reporter
Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  December 8, 2016.   The Garden City financial report for fiscal year July 1 2015 – June 30, 2016 will be voted on in a special meeting this week.

Tom Stevens has been reappointed to the planning commission, Jennifer Negus to the board of adjustments and Anita Weston to the Appeals Authority.

Garden City has discussed a partnership with Tourism, the County and the City to buy a Qualtrics package to conduct surveys of tourist’s needs and desires to focus on winter season.  The initial entry cost is $5,000 which could be shared between the three entities. They will investigate further to see if this is feasible as they believe knowing more about why people come to the county and their recreational needs will help in promoting more tourism.

Bear Cloud Software, LLC owned by John Spuhler, Bob Peterson and Kenny Jacobsen at 69 N Paradise Parkway was given a business license.

RDA Proposed

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, reporter
Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  December 8, 2016.  The Garden City Council approved an interlocal agreement between Water’s Edge and the town of Garden City for tax increment participation in  the Water’s Edge Community.  This creates an RDA project boundary with Water’s Edge which is a mechanism to help the city develop an area and create incentives for business location.   The last one approved was nearly 20 years ago at Harbor Village.  It is now coming to the end of its term and the city is looking to create another economic development tool.

Instead of the tax dollars going to the schools, county and other entities it goes  to the RDA.  This year the city will receive $100,000 from the Harbor Village RDA.  About 20% of that money will be used for projects in the city and the other 80% will that goes to economic development projects within the RDA. Last year the 75 North parking lot was built using RDA money.

Because the tax dollars are suspended for a negotiated period of time up to 20 years, the school district must sign off on it so those property tax dollars come back to the RDA.