Garden City Council Reports

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  September 20, 2018.  Garden City Mayor  Mike Leonhardt reported that Raspberry Days was successful, and he is already looking forward to next year.  He noted that he had attended the Utah League of Cities and Towns Conference.  He said that conference was very good, and he encouraged all the Council Members to attend such meetings when they can.  He reported that Kathy Hislop had also attended a meeting that was held for clerks.

Council woman Pat Argyle reported that a lot of work is currently being done at Heritage Park.  The first meeting of the Raspberry Days Committees was held and plans for next year are moving forward.  Argyle also noted that the City will be selling T-shirts with the logo “Greatest Show on Earth.”

Councilman Howard Pope stated that he was looking forward to next year’s Raspberry Days just because it will be held again on green grass—much easier and more comfortable than cement.  He reported that there will be a permanent stage at Heritage Park.  He stated that this provides an opportunity to hold concerts in the park any time during the summer.  “It is going to be an especially nice facility, “he said.  He also noted that next year there will be lots of fun things that families can enjoy.  Pope noted that Kathy Webb was the chairman of the first Raspberry Days celebration.

Pope went on to explain that there has been a problem with the new boiler at the pool.  They are looking into this problem.  He noted that Cisco road is moving forward.  There have been a lot of challenges there in getting culverts in place for telephone service.  He noted that it is especially difficult to get fiber into isolated areas.  The telephone company has spent more money cutting/splicing/ etc.  It has been very difficult to get things set up over there.

Pope also noted that Mitch Poulson is still working on trails.  He said he was going to try and work more closely with Poulsen to see if they can’t get things moving forward.  He noted that working with the National Forest Service is very difficult.  They seem to have no rules to follow.  They have just left everything up to Poulsen and those working with him.

Councilman Ken Hansen noted that the library seems to be moving along just fine.  On October 10, he is going to work with the County Library and Cox to move some of the County Senior Services over here to our library.  This is to be done two days a month and will provide some services to senior citizens without them having to travel to Randolph.

Six More Short Term Rentals Approved

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  September 20, 2018.  The Garden City Council heard short-term rental licenses discussions and approved six new rental units.

Cameron Workman owns property at 918 #3 Newburg Road.  Bear Lake Lodging is the contact company.  The occupancy will be eight individuals and there are two parking stalls.  This was approved.

Greg Callister has a condo at 888 #4 Newburg Drive.  Bear Lake Lodging is the contact company.  There will be eight individuals allowed with two parking stalls.  Approval was given.

Jeffrey Williams also owns a condo at 888 #3 Newburg Road.  Bear Lake Lodging is the contact company.  There will be allowed eight individuals, and there are two parking stalls.  The Council approved this short-term rental.

Larry and Maurine Teeples own a condo #4 at N 941 Newberg Drive.  Bear Lake Lodging is the contact company.  There will be allowed eight individuals.  The motion was made and passed.

Jeremy Arnell owns a dwelling at 458 West Buttercup Lane.  This dwelling has an occupancy of 34.  There are nine parking stalls.  The motion was made and approved.

Alan Arthur owns a home at 936 South Balsamorhiza Road.  Bear Lake Cabin Rentals is the contact company.  The occupancy is 50 and there are 21 parking stalls.  This item was approved

Glorious Morning

Photo by Tammy Calder, Garden City

Council Hears Development Plans

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  September 20, 2018. Todd Stevens requested a business license to conduct a property management/property rental business.  The name of the business will be Bear Lake Lodging and will be located at 48 Logan Road.  The motion was made and approved by the Council.

There was to be a discussion concerning the Cherimoya HOA proposed Third West Extension.  Jim Kemp stepped up to the table to talk with the Council.  He also had an attorney with him to assist him in putting his point across.  He was concerned about short-term rentals on Cherimoya as well as Persimmon Street being used for an entrance/exist for the proposed Hansen Subdivision.  Mayor Leonhardt told Kemp and his attorney that Garden City has sent information about these issues to the City’s Attorney.  When the City gets a response from their attorney, he will allow these individuals to present their case.  Until the City has this information, however, he felt discussing this item would not be fruitful.

Jeff Jorgenson was on the agenda to discuss the Hansen Development Plan.  They were asking for a re-approval of the conceptual plan and to review the Development Agreement. Ken Hansen noted that he had a conflict of interest and excused himself from the meeting. 

Jorgenson noted that the Third West Road will be going through the Hansen Property.  Persimmon Street will be coming straight across and right up the power and water line.  There will be at three lots--#23, 24, and 25 cut off from the proposed plat.

Mayor Leonhardt noted that this item was approved at the last meeting.  He informed these individuals involved that the City had already given them permission to move forward with their plan.  He didn’t think the Council needed to go through this item a second time.  He encouraged them to move forward and start their project by getting their information to the City’s Planning Commission.

A partner on Mark Smoot’s 2^nd North Development noted that there were some changes made to the Conceptual Plan that had been approved by the City.  A section of the homes will be made smaller.  They will have only one bedroom with a sleeping loft and a pull-out couch.  There will be a garage and a parking spot behind the garage that is attached to these smaller homes.  This will allow six people to each home.  These homes will be about 900 square feet.  There will be a single bathroom and perhaps another one-half bathroom. 

There will be three entrances/exists to the street. and all parking will be inside the subdivision and not on the street as shown on the original plan.  The plans show Phase I for the first group of homes.  Phase II is a second group of homes.

Ordinance #18-17 is an ordinance updating the short-term rental requirements. It was noted that Glen Gillies measures the square footage on short-term rentals.  Therefore, the requirement to require individuals to draw a plan of their rental to scale will be dropped.  However, a floor plan is still desired—but it doesn’t have to be measured.  Glen also checks for parking so that the City does have that information after Glen does his inspection of a short-term rental.  These two items will be dropped from the ordinance.

A motion was made and approved for the Ordinance#18-17 with the above noted changes.

Resolution #R18-09 is a resolution updating the land use fees and the miscellaneous fees for services rendered and providing an effective date.  The fees were moved up by $10.  That was not deemed to be too much.  The Council approved this change.

Burn Scars Are Dangerous In Flash Flooding

By Jason Wade Matthews
Special to Rich Civic Times

Garden City, Utah.  September 29, 2018.  It’s been a busy fire season in 2018, California burnt and we lost a local firefighter there. Utah has had its share of fires as well. Loss of structures and even firefighting equipment hit us here at home. Thanks to a brave group of firefighters our fire here locally was caught and put out.

There are a few fires ongoing in our state and a few fairly close that are impacting the hunt. Safety around the burn scars is something I want to make a short mention of. The accepted rule is .05” of rain within 60 minutes will result in flooding. 

What is a burn scar? Easy answer is what’s left after a fire has passed through. An area devoid of vegetation on the ground. In a burn scar water has nothing to absorb or slow water from moving rapidly downhill. Nothing to stop water soaked dirt from moving as well. So if the thought of flash floods isn’t enough, the mudslides should also cause concern.

When out on one of these fires, we say keep one in the black for safety. The opposite holds true after the fire. Stay off the burn scar in wet weather, don’t cross under a scar either. It’s the revenge of an extinguished fire, one last assault if you will. A scar will cause floods and it will give you mudslides. 

Be smart out there this year when on the hunts, this week we are expecting some rain. Don’t be the reason Search and Rescue has to deploy. There is a wealth of knowledge just a “google” away, look up burn scars and floods for more info.

Flash Flood Watch

US National Weather Service. Salt Lake City, Utah.  September 29, 2018

We have issued a flash flood watch for most of our area (shaded green on attached image). This watch goes into effect 3 PM Monday for southern (basically south of I-70, and the Capitol Reef area) Utah, while it goes into effect for the remainder of the shaded area 6 AM Tuesday. Currently the watch is effective until 4 AM Wednesday.

The main flooding threats will be prone areas such as: slot canyons, dry washes, steep terrain, and recent burn scars. Ponding on roadways and street flooding and urban areas will also be possible.

Shooting Fatality In Rich County

Rich County Sheriff's Office

Rich County --- on Sunday, September 23rd at approximately 3:00 in the afternoon, Rich County Emergency Dispatch received a 911 call, stating that a person had been shot. Law Enforcement and Emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene. Arriving officers found a 14 year old boy had been shot and died at the scene in a remote area of the Monte Cristo range. 

The boy was riding in the back seat of a vehicle with his family, driven by his father, when he was struck in the head by a bullet fired at a target several hundred feet from the vehicle. The individual involved as well as witnesses stated that they did not know there was a road down range and could not see the vehicle as it traveled on the road due to thick brush and trees. Investigators from several agencies worked past dark on Sunday and several hours on Monday to reconstruct the scene. At this time, it appears to have been unintentional. When the investigation is complete, all information and evidence will be turned over to the Rich County Prosecutor for further action or charges. As of this time no charges have been filed.

For the privacy of all involved, Rich County Sheriff’s Office will not release names of individuals until all investigations are complete.

Fearless Foodie

                                                         

By Scott Heiner

Say Cheese

…as I was saying, I grew up in a small rural town in northern Utah where the meals were based on  How I got to be a passionate foodie in that environment is not clear.  I’m sure it’s partly due to my endless curiosity about just about everything—including food—and my interest in trying new things.  

meat and potatoes.

            One of the foods I am passionate about is cheese.  It started when I was about 7 or 8 years old when I would go to the grocery store with my grandfather.  At the meat counter, they had a huge wheel of cheddar cheese encased in a layer of red wax.  Grandpa would have the butcher cut off a large wedge of that cheese, weigh it and wrap it in white butcher paper.  Back home, Grandpa would cut off a slice of that cheese and eat it with a slice of apple.  I followed suit and developed a taste for good cheddar cheese.  Oh, that cheese was good!  It had a nice salty nut-like flavor, but the best thing about this cheese was its consistency.  It was very firm, about like Swiss cheese.  As a young adult, I used to buy cheese like that in vacuum-sealed 1-lb bricks in the supermarkets, but the quality has gone way down.  Now, it’s nearly impossible to find cheese like what I had in my childhood days.  I have to go to specialty markets or delis.

One thing I was always curious about was Limburger cheese.  That cheese had a bad rap with jokes and cartoons about how bad Limburger smelled.  One day, years ago I was at Smiths (I think) at the deli area and noticed way back on the top shelf some packages of Limburger almost out of sight.  Those packages must have been sitting there quite a while because they all were coated with dust. (Apparently this stuff wasn’t all that popular).  I also noticed that the expiration date had passed some time ago, but that didn’t deter me.  This was my chance; I had to find out about this (in)famous cheese.

Now, Limburger cheese is supposed to be soft, spreadable with a knife.  When I opened this package, however, I discovered it to be about the consistency of thick gravy.  And, oh, boy, it did smell!  Luckily, my wife was away or she’d have thrown me out, cheese and all.  Well, I had paid good money for it, and I was committed.  So, I spooned some of the glop onto a cracker and took a bite.  Wooeee, was it strong!  I eventually managed to eat about half the package, but I was done in.  I had discovered the strongest of the strong.  Now I had some idea of the range of cheese strengths, from American Cheese to Limburger.

As I grew older, my interest in ever bolder, stronger cheeses grew.  When I was a kid, I didn’t like blue cheese dressing but I certainly outgrew that.  Now I crave the stuff and could eat it with a spoon right out of the jar.  It’s strange, and somewhat embarrassing that the cheeses I love best smell just like stinky feet.  I recently learned that the similarity between smelly feet and smelly cheese is no coincidence; the same type of bacteria is responsible for both.  I know… it’s a fetish and I’m weird beyond help.

It is well known in my family that for me, the best Christmas, Father’s Day or birthday gift is an assortment of cheeses.  No neckties for me, thank you.  I lean toward the stronger and harder cheeses, but I like them all.  Camembert, Gouda (it’s really “guud”—sorry, I just couldn’t help myself), Gruyere, Brie, Feta, Edam…I could go on and on.  There are so many different cheeses to pursue, and I’ve only begun.  I’m on a crusade to discover all the kinds of cheese in the world.  The more I learn about the varieties of this milk-based treasure, the more I realize I’ll never find them all.

So, two years ago, we moved to Bear Lake, with no source of good cheeses around.  I felt like I was in a cheese wasteland.  But I learned I was wrong.  Gossners in Logan (one of the largest cheese manufacturers in the U.S.) makes some really great cheeses.  I now make regular pilgrimages there to hit their sample table and pick up some of their addicting cheese curds along with some of their Muenster or Colby.

Last spring my daughter gave me some amazing cheeses from Rockhill Creamery in Richmond.  They are a small dairy that makes craft cheeses in small batches based on European recipes.  I had no idea.  Then, just the other day I heard about a small cheese and wine shop just north of Bloomington.  I’ve got to check them out ASAP.  Here, I was thinking my cheese adventures were over, but on second thought, I think I’m living in Cheese Heaven!

Just writing this, I’m really getting hungry.  Time to go break out the cheese and crackers.

Until next time, happy eating!

Scott wants to hear from you about your foodie likes and dislikes and any interesting eateries.

scottsheiner@gmail.com

Fall Begins

Photo by Linda Baird, Garden City

Garden City Staff Meeting

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah. September 20, 2018. Riley Argyle, Garden City Public Works, told the city council that the water treatment plant has two parts needing fixing. Both are long term fixes will take as long as 6 weeks, water delivery should not be affected.  Public Works is laying electric conduit and sprinkler lines in Heritage Park. Sod is expected to come mid-October when they will lay it.  They would like to water the sod and have it get a start before winter.  Argyle said that they will be working on the park until Raspberry Days next year where the fair will be held in a place designed for the fair.  “Heritage park will be a nice asset for the community, “said Mayor Mike Leonhardt.   

Next week they will be spraying for weeds and they are also working on trails.  There is one more push in the Garden City Canyon to finish off ¼ mile of rough terrain on the trail.

Zan Murrey, City Engineer, has been focused on working with the electrical engineer to get the conduit designed and built.  He praised Riley Argyle for keeping the project moving along.  The water project proposals will be ready for review from the city council.  In November, they plan to have contractors come look at site so they can see it and price the bids correctly before the snow comes. 

Murray said that 300 West is wrapped up and finished.  Howard Pope, Councilman, said it will improve the land values.  Pat Argyle, Councilwoman, said the people who donated land for the road will be pleased with the improved access to their properties.

Swan Creek Village water rights need to be utilized and there are three requests from developers to use those rights.   There is an agreement with Swan Creek HOA and the city regarding water rights. The water rights transfer has been approved by the state. However there are details that need to be worked out. 

Glen Gilles, Building Inspector, is working on updating building codes. He reported that the new drive in   “Moose Bumps” is breaking ground.  Norm Mecham is working on his clubhouse approval for his development on 200 West.

“The work is not slowing down” Gillies said.  “It is the last rush for people starting next summer projects.”

Fall Fun

Photo by Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

Garden City Library Wins Grant For New Books

The Garden City Library was awarded the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, the “Children and Teen Book Enhancement Project.”   Applicants were able to choose 4 lists of books they would like to receive should they be awarded the grant.  They then will receive the books from 2 of their chosen lists, and the number of titles received is due to vendor availability. The Garden City Library will be notified in the next few weeks when the new books will be shipped.

Funds for this project were provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the Library Services and Technology Act and were administered by the Utah State Library Division.

Additionally, the library is implementing a new project called “Try It Kits,” an idea generated from the “Make It – Try Something New” kits found at other libraries.  These kits include such things as cake decorating, crochet, weaving, soldering, and more.  Families with accounts in good standing can check out a kit to take home and try something new for two weeks at no charge.  They hope to add more kits after a trial period. 

Funding for this project will be provided through the nonprofit, “Friends of the Garden City Library.”  Donations are readily and gratefully accepted for this and other programs at the library.

Preschool Story Time will resume October 3, 2018 at 11 a.m.

Evacuation List

Preparedness list in case of  emergency evacuation.

Because of the many fires in the Intermountain West it might be a good idea to have an evacuation plan.