Planning and Zoning Conflicts

Randall Knight, Reporter

Rich Civic Times 

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  March 1, 2017.  The Planning and Zoning meeting began at 5:00 PM and those in attendance were employees of Epic except for the city Building Inspector.    The board members present were: Susan House (Chair), Joey Stocking, Jim DeGroot, Jared Hislop and Zack McKee.  Lance Bourne and Tom Stevens were absent.

Mark Smoot’s request for the city to accept his request and plan for a PUD development on 200 N went into the third month.  The plan shows 5 commercial buildings and 27 vacation rental houses on the 6.09 acres.  The main focus was on the number and size of parking spaces, road width and setbacks.  Mark pointed out a change in garage design would provide more parking spaces and when added to the spaces on the north side of 200 N. the parking space requirement would be exceeded.  It was pointed out that one of the commercial buildings would have a restaurant with a 4000 sq ft dining room.  When asked about the cuisine, he said it had not been determined yet.  When the commission asked if garbage dumpsters would be used by the 27 residences, he said each home would have a garbage can that would be pulled to a pickup area by an HOA employee so the garbage trucks won’t go into the housing area.   The most heated discussion was about the road width in the housing area (20 ft versus 30 ft) and the required setback for corner lots.   The request was tabled until next month to resolve the last two differences.

There was a discussion to approve #16-07 in regard to the rental of RV units as a short term rental.   The commission was concerned about how waste and water supply would be managed and what the setback requirement for these units would be.  The proposal to update the ordinance was approved with 4 yea and 1 nay by Joey Stocking. 

The next discussion focused on the #16-08 dealing with fence height.   The commission restated last month’s concern of putting a 6 foot fence on top of a berm when the ordinance height is 6 ft.  The decision was to have Jim DeGroot approach the Town Counsel about reconsidering their recommendation to leave the fence height requirement to 6 ft above natural grade.

 

The miscellaneous discussion was in regard to a Conditional Use request in Hillside Estates.  Joey said a resident is thinking about a business that would provide wagon rides to a chuck wagon eating area and wondered if the commission would entertain the request. Jim DeGroot stated conditional use permits in residential areas had been requested in the past and shot down because it opens up Pandora’s Box because people will always stretch the limits that were set. 

Sun Dogs

Photo by Kami Dotson

Report on Garden City Flooding

Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  February 16, 2017.  Fire Chief Mike Wahlberg reported on the local flooding which happened a couple of weeks ago.  He said that on Friday morning at about 4:30—4:45 a.m. he responded to a call reporting that flooding was taking place at Harbor Village.  He said he was there in about 15 minutes and one of the sheriff’s deputies was there as well. There was not a breach in the canal; the water overflowed the canal banks.  The flooding at Lockwood was diverted to Highway 89. 

There was also flooding at the lower portion of Buttercup.  The residents directed the water into ditches and then under the road and into the lake.  Sand bags were taken to Azure Cove where there were also water problems.  Three homes there were flooded.

The fire department took command of the flooding.  Both Friday and Saturday many people from the community as well as from other towns came to fill sandbags.  There were various agencies helping and taking advantage of each groups’ expertise in dealing with the emergency scene.  There was especially good coordination between the city and the fire department.  

Chief Wahlberg said that colder weather will slow the flooding but he feels there will be more problems in the future.  There will be more significant rain and melting snow storms since it is only February.  The workers have left the sandbags in place so that additional water can follow the water paths that have been created.  Azure Cove gets flooding almost every year and will probably get more this year.  

Wahlberg also wanted to thank the Red Cross, the County, and other organizations that were so helpful.  He noted that Bill Cox, a County Commissioner, spent Friday here in Garden City, then worked to help some of the other towns in the County Friday night; and he was back in Garden at 6 a.m. Saturday morning to help some more.

Parson’s Construction Company donated sand and delivered it to where sandbags were being filled.  The County also delivered sand to help.  Parsons brought in an additional four loads of sand on Saturday.

The County was declared a local disaster which allowed the Red Cross to come in to assist.  Food, tools, shovels, and so forth were brought to help.

About 5,500 sand bags were filled in the two days.  Four thousand of those were filled on Friday.  About 1,500 more were filled on Saturday.  There are about 1,800 sand bags in reserve are filled and are being stored in the City Office area so that when water comes again, they will be ready for use.  There are 3,000 more bags at the City so that individuals can go and fill them as needed.

The City gave permission to breach the canal south of Logan Road.  The water was spread out on a large field.  The property owner, however, came and asked that the water be stopped from running through that area because it was too wet and muddy for the horses he had pastured in that area.  He was referred to the City to take care of that issue.

They used sandbags to patch the canal and slow down the water running onto his property. 

It was noted that owners of homes in the area should be made aware of the situation.  They should come and check their homes to make sure that they haven’t been flooded.

About a third of the individuals living in Azure Cove came and helped fill sand bags.

Chief Wahlberg noted that he felt it was a good idea to use Facebook to thank volunteers.  He noted that the Facebook technology had alerted people to the problems and is probably why so many individuals showed up to help with the sand bags.  He was very appreciative of all the help that was given and wanted to thank everyone who helped.

It was noted that there was flooding in Woodruff.  The highway was flooded in one area of the town.  Laketown had flooding on the south end of the lake.  Randolph also had flooding in their community.  

Garden City Fire Board Report

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times 

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  February 16, 2017.  The Fire Board’s Policies and Procedures manual needed to be updated and revised. Randall Knight was given this responsibility.  The updated manual was presented to the Board Members for their opinion.  It was noted that a really good job had been done, and the motion was made and passed to accept the revised manual. Knight noted that he would like to see a district map included in the manual.  Chief Wahlberg said he had a map that could be included.

Fire Chief Wahlberg reported that many of the firemen attend a winter fire school.  Several were able to gain needed certifications and all seemed to have a good experience.

 

All were involved in a live fire drill.  There were classes in extraction from a car wreck, grant writing, and so forth.  Wahlberg was able to pick up some new equipment and was in touch with several other fire chiefs.  He wanted to interact with other chiefs that were involved with short term rentals, but didn’t find any there who were involved with this item.

The class on grant writing was especially beneficial to Wahlberg.  He noted that he found out how many of the grants worked and how to get the things that are needed.

Wahlberg said that the Bear Lake Monster Plunge was successful.  There was a good turnout.  The firemen were there for safety reasons.  They cut the ice and cleared it so that people could jump into the lake.  Some were suited up in case any individuals needed assistance.  They need more volunteers another year to make sure it will run smoothly.  They got along, but the activity could be more enjoyable with additional help.  Search and Rescue were in charge of the parking.  Hopefully, next year, they will be able to handle it more smoothly

The Cisco Disco went well.  There were several people there who did go through the ice, but they were close enough to shore that they were able to walk back onto the beach.

Better and more advertising for both of these activities would bring more participants and people involvement.  Also, donations were asked for, but many individuals did not know where the containers were in order to hand in their donation.  Next year, donation spots need to be much more visible and available.  Also, people started walking out on the ice thinking it was thick enough.  They had to be brought back to shore.

Wahlberg also noted that the fire hydrant location on Sweetwater Hill have been covered by snow.  They need to be marked so that they aren’t damaged by snow plowing etc. All of the hydrants have been put on a GPS system so that they can be located even with the snow coverage.  All of the Hydrants also have been numbered.  Swan Creek has made sure all of their hydrants have been shoveled out from the snow.

Wahlberg reported that several shovels were lost in filling the sand bags.  People who came unknowingly carried some shovels away.  It would be appreciated if they could be returned.  Brush truck 43 had a starter issue but it is now back in service.

There were two structure fires last month—one in Meadowville and one at Ideal Beach.  The fire in Meadowville was handled by the Laketown Fire Department.  The basement and half of the garage were destroyed.  One individual was taken to the hospital because of smoke inhalation.

The fire at Ideal Beach was caused by a propane explosion.  The fire was called into dispatch, but those staying in the Condo used the fire extinguisher to put the fire out.  There was minimal damage.  It was caused by too much snow against the vent control that was on the roof. This could happen in any of the units.  A check was made throughout the entire resort.  There was one more unit leaking.  It was repaired and changes in the system will be made this next summer to make sure it won’t happen in the future.

There were six medical assists, 8 fire alarms, two propane leaks, and 1 CO call.  The fire chief was called to remove a dead deer at Lakota.  He asked that the individual call the Sheriff’s office or the DWR office for such situations.

The County is still working on their short term rental ordinance. 

Randall Knight noted that he had taken the GRAMA Training on line.  He spent approximately two hours to complete that training.  He will be reimbursed for the time spent.

High Water & Possible Flooding

There is easily still 1 to 2 feet of snow on the ground around Bear Lake and even some ice on the lake itself, so it might seem premature to be too concerned about how much water the lake might get this spring and summer!

The latest Bear Lake level forecast by PacifiCorp is a high probability for the lake to reach 5,922.2 ft. (UP&L datum).

That is almost 10 feet above its present level! And, within 1.5 feet of full!

By comparison, in 2011 the lake reached 5,921.47. The last time the forecast for the lake was in this range was in 1997, 1998 and 1999.

For the last 10 days, the flow into Bear Lake at the Causeway has been above 500 cfs. That has been raising the lake 0.1 ft every 2 1/2 days or nearly 3 inches in a week! And runoff around Bear Lake and upstream on the Bear River has not started in earnest yet!

The PacifiCorp press release mentions flooding on historic flood plains. That is something most of us have never witnessed and it's even hard to visualize along our man-altered stream environments.

There are a lot of variables that affect snowmelt, runoff and lake levels / river levels. A couple of warm windy cloudy weeks could sublimate a lot of snow and its associated water content. A couple of warm, sunny calm weeks could make all the snow melt quickly and runoff peak rapidly. Time will tell exactly when and how this happens this year, but the potential is definitely there for a really big water year.

Under the "Ounce of Prevention" category, whether you have property along the lake shore, along the Bear River or any of the tributaries, or happen to be in the bottom of a drainage that might not have seen water in several years, be prepared for high water and possible flooding. Be mindful that you don't even have to be in low-land or historic drainage to be affected by runoff. If the ground or ditches are still frozen, the snowmelt will just move over the top. 

Vegetation, construction or other conditions of the ground or landscape my cause deviations of flows or backups. So, take a fresh look, reevaluate the situation, move vehicles and equipment away from low lying areas along streams and rivers. If you are on the lakeshore, remove any docks, floats, piers, junk, etc to the high-water line.

It's a good year to think like a Boy Scout - Be Prepared!

David Cottle

Claudia & David Cottle
Executive Directors
Bear Lake Watch, Inc.
4544 Hwy 89
Fish Haven, Idaho 83287
208-945-2772
801-243-8980 

Working to keep Bear Lake "Clean, Deep and Blue"