50 South Road Discussed

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Time 

GARDEN CITY, Utah. September 14, 2017.   Greg Gunnel, Lake Meadow Lodge, approached the City to extend an agreement that allowed Lake Meadow Lodge to use a piece of Garden City roadway connecting to their subdivision.  The original agreement had elapsed last year and was not renewed.  When they made this request, Mayor Spuhler informed Gunnel that the City needs this property because there are too many people using 150 South to get into Water’s Edge or are needing to turn around.  Currently Lake Meadow Lodge has put up gates and set up the County Dumpsters on a portion of 50 South making it impossible for people to get into Water’s Edge or turn around when they are pulling a boat or a trailer.  That section of the road is on City property.

Mayor Spuhler asked if Gunnel could move the gates to the east onto their property and find a different location for the dumpsters so that the City’s ingress/egress next to Water’s Edge could be used as well as allow individuals who turned down that road by mistake can turn and get back on Bear Lake Blvd.  There really needs to be a turn-around at the end of 50 South.  It is a safety issue.

Mayor Spuhler asked Gunnel if he could come up with some alternatives for the dumpster location and how a turnaround could be accommodated.  He asked that the suggestions be presented at the November City Council Meeting.

Garden City Council

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times 

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  September 14, 2017.   Jennifer Casillas asked that her business license to renewed for the Little Bear Lake Monster Preschool.  The location has changed to 120 South Bear Lake Blvd. The license request was approved.

Two short-term rental licenses were requested.  The first requested was from Kenneth Kawiti Finlayson who is the owner and manager of a property at 916 N. Blackberry Drive.  The second request was from James Thomas who is the owner of property located at 1705 South Bear Lake Blvd.  It will be managed by Bear Lake Condo Rentals.  Approval was granted to both requests with the condition that Mr. Finlayson get a copy of his tax number to the City.

A discussion was held concerning short-term rentals and the renewal process that is currently used.  It was noted that when large changes are made by the owners of the short- term rental, these changes need to be made known to the City.  Also, parking is becoming a real issue at many of the short-term rentals.  The City needs to look into this problem and make some changes.

A Public Hearing was held.  There was a question concerning the ordinance updating the utility service requirements for Garden City.  There was also a discussion regarding the application process for obtaining the needed funding for water system improvements for the Town of Garden City and the need for the water system improvements.  This is going to an ongoing and expensive item.  Hopefully, citizens will be able to come up with some ideas of how more money can be found to assist with this major overhaul.  It was noted that JUB is in the process of writing a grant for water system improvements.  By 2020 the City will need to drill a new well.

Additional funding for Third West will probably borrowed from UDOT.  There is either a small interest rate or no interest charged at all which would be very helpful to City in getting this project completed.

The Public Hearing was closed and Ordinance #17-16, an ordinance updating the utility service requirements for Garden City was approved.

Ordinance #17.09, an ordinance updating the definition for a Dwelling was discussed.  The City has been working on this ordinance. The Planning and Zoning Commission wanted the size to be at least 350 square feet or above to be called a dwelling.  The State has set the square footage at 600 square feet.  According to the State of Utah’s ordinance, a manufactured home has a minimum of 12 ‘ wide by 54’.  The State also calls anything 320 square feet or less is an RV.  Several suggestions were made concerning information about possible garages and their size according to a home size.

It was noted that Garden City already has an ordinance concerning the age of mobile homes to be brough into the city.  They must be five years old or newer.

The Council finally made the motion and approve it that a dwelling must have at least 12’ for all walls of the dwelling.

The remainder of Ordinances #17-10  -  #17-15 were updated so that zones be consistent with a 20’ set back in each of the zones listed.

A discussion was held and approval given for the Final Plat, Phase 1 for Bear Lake Rental Resort submitted by Mark Smoot.         

Richard Bywater 1964 - 2017

GARDEN CITY - Our loving father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle and friend, Richard Rick Dee Bywater, died unexpectedly on Sunday, September 24, 2017, in Garden City, Utah.

He was born on April 10, 1964, in Brigham City, Utah, a son of Rodney E. and Betty Lue Petersen Bywater. He was reared and educated in Brigham City and graduated from Box Elder High School in 1982.

Rick married Amy Humphrey in Brigham City, Utah, they had two children from this union, Benjamin and Valeri. They later divorced.

Rick enjoyed fishing on Bear Lake with his family and friends. He also liked hunting, trapping, music and making people laugh.

Surviving are his two children, Benjamin of Salt Lake City; Valeri of Brigham City; one granddaughter, Brooklyn; his parents, Rod and Betty; two brothers, Rodney of Brigham City; and Kevin (Angela) of Oxfordshire, England; and three nieces and two nephews.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, one aunt and one uncle.

Memorial services were held on Saturday, September 30, 2017, at 11 a.m. at Brigham City Bible Church, 634 S. 200 East. A viewing was held on Friday, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Gillies Funeral Chapel, 634 E. 200 South.

Update On Garden City Shooting

Statement from the Rich County Sheriff's Office:

On Sunday, September 24, 2017 Rich County Sheriff's responded to reports of a suicidal man who was shooting into a home in Garden City. When officers arrived they found one deceased male inside a vehicle that had crashed into the side of a trailer home. Inside the home two elderly gunshot victims were found. 

During the attack, gunfire was exchanged and it is believed that is when the suspect was shot and killed.

A preliminary investigation shows the elderly couple shot back at the suspect as a manner of self-defense.

Why the suspect was targeting the elderly couple is still under investigation. The two victims do not have life threatening injuries and are expected to survive.

Seven agents with the Department of Public Safety's State Bureau of Investigation,three Utah Highway Patrol Troopers and forensic scientist with the state crime labwere called out to the scene to assist in a joint investigation with Rich County.

The Pickleville Philosopher

Wild Feast

Jim Stone, The Pickleville Philosopher

Well I’m so used to getting up early to get the store opened up; I forgot I was closed up for the year.  I have a giant list of things I was gonna do but I don’t know what happened.

I got a call but it wasn’t on the phone.  It was the call of the wild.  Sometimes I don’t answer my phone because it’s a salesman or someone I can’t understand, but I answer the call of the wild 100 percent of the time.

Anyways our waterfowl season doesn’t open for a month, but the blue grouse season is open.

For you guys that might not know, grouse is kinda like a big chicken, but you gotta do a bit of work to find them.  Grouse or all birds love wild berries.  It’s fun to find berries because normally you find some big nice grouse too.  Today I got some grouse for my dinner but I was mostly after the wild berries to make sauces for all the wild game to come.

Raspberries

Today me and the dogs and my great friend went on a gathering trip we found Oregon grapes, and apples that are too green.   Still, we got elderberries, chokecherries, serviceberries and one cool one we found looks like a razzleberry but it’s about five times the boldness and flavor.  It’s called a thimbleberry.  It has great big huge plants and leaves with what looks like a miniature raspberry.  We found late season huckleberries and rose hips.

Two of my favorite berries to find are mountain ash,  they look like a pod of orange grapes;  we call them grouse berries because the blue grouse love to dine on them.   The late summer brings a lot of delicate flowers.  I wish I could identify them, I don’t know much about that.  I will freeze and process all the wild things we gathered today to make wild sweet sauces for all the wild meat from, I hope, a good year hunting and fishing.

Gooseberries

Wild berries go so hand in hand with wild game.  It makes me think of how well the pioneers ate when it was all wild food.  They had to work hard compared to a drive up window for burgers and fries!  Well I got grouse steaks, wild greens and berries, a cucumber from the garden and a cob of corn that my friend dropped off.   I hope you all have a great night big smiles from me to all of you.

Rosy Lake

Photo by Denise Kimball Buchi

Garden City Shooting Leaves One Dead, Two Hospitalized

Photo by Bobbie Bicknell Coray

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter
Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah. September 24, 2017.   Long time Garden City resident Rick Bywater shot Sweetwater Trailer Park HOA President, Kay Carnahan and her husband Mike, shooting him in the stomach and her in the shoulder, then allegedly turned the gun on himself.  He was pronounced dead at the scene.  Sheriff’s deputies were called by residents around 12:30 p.m. notifying them of a suicidal man shooting car and trailer windows so they had arrived on the scene very quickly. 

Two ambulances were dispatched to take the Carnahans to the Logan Regional Hospital.  Family members told friends that they had both had surgery but both were expected to survive after a long period of recovery.  A Facebook page is being set up to track their recovery.

Bywater had posted a series of very angry posts on Facebook, the day of the shooting, excoriating several people in Garden City including Kay Carnahan. 

Photo by Bobbie Bicknell Coray

Pictures show Bywater’s SUV crashed into two ATV and the front of the Carnahan’s trailer.  Many people in Garden City knew Bywater and were supportive him with his problems.  And all of Garden City prays for the recovery of their friends, the Carnahans.

Sheriff Dale Stacy has asked the State of Utah to send a crime scene team to assist the Rich County’s Sheriff’s office with this investigation.

Jill Parker, Victim Services, Bear River Health Department, released a statement from the family of the victims in the Garden City Shooting .  Parker said she was sending it on behalf of the Cache County Attorney's Office Victim Services and said the family will not be providing any additional information at this time. Please feel free to call Parker's cell phone 435-994-1022 with any questions.

"We would like to thank our friends and community for their outpouring of love and support at this difficult time. The victims are being cared for and currently recovering. We would like to thank law enforcement and the emergency responders who helped our family today. We ask that you please respect our privacy at this time."

Garden City Public Works Report

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Time 

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  September 14, 2017.  Riley Argyle, Garden City Public Works Supervisor, reported that a land swap of property on the west side of the current site of the public works equipment be made in working with the Sewer District and the Fire District.  He suggested that the City purchase an additional 50’ of roadway.  This would allow at least 40 feet of buildable work space that could be used by the City.   The Sewer District has an easement access and has two bays.  The City should buy the two bays which would be very helpful.  Also, the Fire Department has a 123’ x 40’ easement access.

The road on the west still gives the Public Works Department the storage area and additional useable ground to the City.  The City currently can’t use some of this area.  If the City keeps 25’ of that area, there would still be access to the PUD from US 89, and the Public Works Department would be able to utilize the 50’ piece of ground. 

Argyle suggested that the City make arrangements to buy the two bays from the Sewer District.  Take care of that item first, then move forward with the other possibilities.

Argyle noted that there are lots of leaks in the water system.  There are two or three currently in that park that he is working on. 

Two fire hydrants have been shut down.  To fix the first hydrant, the water will have to be turned off between 150 South and 350 South. to repair one of the hydrants. The water will have to be off for most of the day because concrete will be needed to complete the job and requires time to set up. 

The other hydrant is in Cherimoya.  Argyle took the hydrant apart and thought it could be fixed easily.  However, new parts were required.  They have been ordered and will be here soon.

There is a water line that hasn’t been capped.  Argyle has been digging down to where the water is coming to the surface and attempts to find the end.  He fixes what he can find and the water pops up again in another spot.  Hopefully, he will be able to find the end of this line soon.

Work will be started on Heritage Park this week.  The top soil will be piled up and other material brought in to fill in the low areas.  The top soil will then be put back on top.  There needs to be a large parking area there.

The City has hired two new people to finish the Boardwalk by Legacy Beach Subdivision.  We are waiting for lumber for the handrail.

There are about 1100 meters for water that are read each month.  Thirty of those meters are not working properly and need to be replaced.  The meters that are not reading properly are scattered all over the map.  Riley repaired some of the meters, and they worked for a short time then quit again.  He suggested that the city replace those that are not working.

Jason, who works with the Public Works Department, has been licensed for working at the treatment plant.  That will be a great help in working with the water system.

Riley and his workers have been pulling moss out of the fish pond.  They have cleaned the bubblers and are getting the fish pond taken care of.

There were some sandbags left north of the ACE Hardware.  They need to be picked up and taken back to the City.  A culvert extension has been put into the ditch next to Dorothy Stringham’s home.   There is a place where 690 feet of road needs to be repaired.  That will cost about $12,600.  The road at 74 North Blvd. will be closed to fix and patch a section of road at the cost of $8,300 plus the patch.

There is a section of culinary water where the piping is not large enough to handle the homes that are connected there.  There is only a ¾” pipe that has three homes already connected.  There are two more lots available in that area, so a larger pipe will have to be installed.  The length of pipe needed will be about 300’.  It is up a steep slope, and Riley requested that it be put out to bid.

In Little Switzerland, there is a water line that is going across a private lot.  It needs to be moved and taken down the road.  It will have to tie into the line at a different location.  It will require about 700 feet to run the line.  It is all in the County, but it is Garden City’s water.

The bike path is getting pretty rough in areas because of the trees.  They need to be cut.  The City also needs to tap into 950 South close to where Dorothy Stringham lives.  There is an 8” water line there that needs to be used for fire protection.  The plan is to put in a T and run the line to the needed area.

The sidewalk between 250 and 350 South is in bad shape.  Something needs to be done there.

The City are going to chip and seal the roads in Buttercup.  We have a contract so that the job will be complete and finished in the next week.

Third West Road For Garden City

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  September 14, 2017. Jack and Joanne Stone appeared before the City Council regarding a property transfer negotiation.  The Stones own property that the City needs in order to change the Third West road design.  Currently the curves near Buttercup were too sharp for a 40-mph bypass road.  The Stone family noted that agreements and plans were made in 2010, and yet there was no follow through on the part of the City. 

There are two main issues the Stone family would appreciate the City fixing.  Currently, the City wants to move the new road closer to the Stone’s garage.  In so doing, that will leave only 29’ of a driveway.  The Stone’s need at least a 46-foot driveway in order to be able to park their boats. 

It was suggested that the City make an entrance to the garage on the West side of the building.  This would require modification of the doors, the driveway, and required drainage in that area.  Perhaps the City could take care of the possibility to bid out these modifications.

In the agreement made in 2010, Garden City agreed to add a new fence, give the Stone’s a water hookup, would gravel the shoulders of the road, and put a culvert in the best location. This agreement, however, was never filed.  Because of this failure to follow-through, the Stones doubt the City will follow through this time with the items that are needed by the Stones.  They are reluctantly willing to make accommodations if the City will make the requested changes.

Before The Snow

Photo by Cheryl Edwards

Garden City Emergency Preparedness

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

  

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  September 14, 2017. Mike Weibel, Director of the CERT/MRC Emergency Preparedness Program for Cache, Box Elder, and Rich County, reported that he felt a lot had been accomplished this past summer in the Garden City Area.  The meetings held are the beginning of building a great medical reserve team for this area.  It has been difficult to find people who are really interested in obtaining the needed training necessary for this medical reserve team. 

There were four workshops held this past summer.  Post cards were sent to local and summer people to make them aware of the information being presented and to promote the CERT/MRC program.  The workshops covered items such as water storage, safety, and so forth.  Thirty individuals attended, mostly from Garden City.  There were a few from Laketown.

Weibel was pleased that people were interested and seemed to enjoy the workshops.  Weibel wants to have these people continue to gain additional information so that they can get the necessary equipment to begin forming the medical reserve team.  There is money enough to buy 20 sets of equipment—vests, helmets, gloves, etc.-- that are needed for recognition as well as protection.

There is a need for 8 to 12 lay people for every one medical person.  The medical response team will be most helpful in this area.  The medical response team would work under a medical team and the health department.  Fire Chief Wahlberg has been coordinating the summer workshops.  The CERT program is recognized by the state, and it can join with the Bear River Health to add even greater support.  Getting locals involved is important. 

Because of the success this past summer, Mr. Weibel would like to continue with the workshops this coming summer.  The instructors for the workshops have volunteered their participation. In emergency preparedness, the more people who know preparedness information, the better off the community will be.  Both church wards are needed to coordinate and help in carrying the program forward.