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| Photo by Vicky Nelson, KUTV 2News |
Friday, March 1, 2019
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Garden City Fire District Board Meeting
Leonard O’Reilly, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
GARDEN CITY, Utah. February 6, 2018. The Fire District monthly meeting was held at a special time of 1:00 PM with Chairman Randall Knight presiding. All members were in attendance except Howard Pope. No one from the general public were in attendance.
Randall stated the Commissioners had accepted Douglas Pincock as the new board member replacing Howard Pope. It was noted that it is a 4 year commitment. Randall thanked Pope for his years of service and valuable input to all of the discussions .
Fire Chief Mike Wahlberg reported on the progress of the station addition. He spoke concerning the possibility of purchasing a new thermal imaging camera. The old one has limitations. It is used to scan a structure for life inside as well as to assess any hot spots of the fire before entering. It’s an expensive instrument requiring special investment procedures by the board.
Mike reported on the responses for the month:
One fire call.
Five medical calls.
Semi roll over with an additional semi slide off which hit sheriff's deputy, Jon Nichole, who was directing traffic. He sustained non-life threatening injuries and has now been released from Logan Regional Hospital.
Two mutual aid requests to Cache County assisting with snowmobilers.
After a short meeting there was a closed session conducted in order to update the new board member on ongoing discussions. I was informed that there was no further actions required from that discussion.
Monday, February 25, 2019
Pre - Disaster Mitigation Plan
Public Service Announcement
The Bear River Association of Governments (BRAG) is updating
the region’s current Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan.
During this update process over the next year
or so, BRAG staff will be working with local jurisdictions and emergency
planning personnel from Box Elder, Cache, and Rich Counties. Adoption of a Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA)-approved plan is required of each jurisdiction in the tri-county region
if they would like to be considered eligible for certain federal funds for pre
and post-disaster mitigation projects.
Most
jurisdictions in the region adopted the plan in 2015. If you, general public included, would like
to become involved in this important planning process or if you have any
questions, please contact Zac Covington, Senior Regional Planner, at
(435) 752-7242 or zacc@brag.utah.gov.
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Good Stuff!
A Column of Interesting Things
La Brea, Bingham’s Meats, New flavor at USU Creamery
By John Brown
I have cut my consumption of bread to almost nothing. And so when I want a slice, I’m not going to waste it on run-of-the-mill sandwich bread. I want
something delicious. And the best bread we’ve found is the La Brea Bakery bread that’s sold at Smith’s and other Kroger food stores.
Our favorites are the cranberry walnut loaf, the toasted sunflower honey loaf, and the pecan raisin loaf. These breads are made the old-fashioned way with a substantial crumb and a crackly, chewy crust that’s a joy to eat. And unlike the bread from a chain bread company that will remain unnamed, these loaves are actually fully cooked.
We just got two loaves today on our trip to Logan. We came back home, cut a few slices, popped them in the toaster, buttered, and ate with some chicken noodle soup. Pure bread heaven.
With that bread you might want some bratwurst. Not grocery store brats. Real brats. If so, I found the spot to get them. There’s a gem of a butcher’s shop in Morgan, Utah called Bingham’s Custom Meats. It’s clean, well-lit, and nice-smelling. The people there are friendly. And they have over thirty different flavors of brats.
Bratwurst, by the way, comes from German. It’s made up of two words. “Brat,” which means finely chopped meat, and “wurst,” which means sausage. At Bingham’s they don’t add nitrates or any other preservatives. Their recipes are pork mixed with various sets of spices.
So far I’ve tried nine of their flavors, and they’ve all been delicious. They’re great for a low-carb diet. A Bingham’s brat and a bunch of cooked vegetables makes an awesome lunch. If you want, you can also just slit the casing and cook the sausage patty or stir fry style.
I’ve also cut my consumption of sweets. Which means if I eat something, I want it to be worth it. And so it gives me great pleasure to report my discovery of a wonderful flavor of Aggie ice cream at the USU Creamery—it’s called lemon custard.
I know. Lemon ice cream?
And when I say ice cream, I mean ice cream. This is not a sherbet. And let me tell you right now, this ice cream is amazing. It’s amazing all by itself. It’s amazing with a banana, which they sell at the creamery. Furthermore, for a little fun, if you combine it with the regular Aggie chocolate, the two together taste like a Tootsie Roll. No lie.
I had it last month, and the month before, and I can’t wait for another date with the wife to go enjoy another scoop.
La Brea, Bingham’s Meats, New flavor at USU Creamery
I have cut my consumption of bread to almost nothing. And so when I want a slice, I’m not going to waste it on run-of-the-mill sandwich bread. I want something delicious. And the best bread we’ve found is the La Brea Bakery bread that’s sold at Smith’s and other Kroger food stores.
We just got two loaves today on our trip to Logan. We came back home, cut a few slices, popped them in the toaster, buttered, and ate with some chicken noodle soup. Pure bread heaven.
With that bread you might want some bratwurst. Not grocery store brats. Real brats. If so, I found the spot to get them. There’s a gem of a butcher’s shop in Morgan, Utah called Bingham’s Custom Meats. It’s clean, well-lit, and nice-smelling. The people there are friendly. And they have over thirty different flavors of brats.
Bratwurst, by the way, comes from German. It’s made up of two words. “Brat,” which means finely chopped meat, and “wurst,” which means sausage. At Bingham’s they don’t add nitrates or any other preservatives. Their recipes are pork mixed with various sets of spices.
So far I’ve tried nine of their flavors, and they’ve all been delicious. They’re great for a low-carb diet. A Bingham’s brat and a bunch of cooked vegetables makes an awesome lunch. If you want, you can also just slit the casing and cook the sausage patty or stir fry style.
I’ve also cut my consumption of sweets. Which means if I eat something, I want it to be worth it. And so it gives me great pleasure to report my discovery of a wonderful flavor of Aggie ice cream at the USU Creamery—it’s called lemon custard.
I know. Lemon ice cream?
And when I say ice cream, I mean ice cream. This is not a sherbet. And let me tell you right now, this ice cream is amazing. It’s amazing all by itself. It’s amazing with a banana, which they sell at the creamery. Furthermore, for a little fun, if you combine it with the regular Aggie chocolate, the two together taste like a Tootsie Roll. No lie.
I had it last month, and the month before, and I can’t wait for another date with the wife to go enjoy another scoop.
Mike DeBloois 1940 - 2019
Editor Note: It is with great personal sadness we note his passing, Mike was so involved with building the new library and city offices and spent many, many volunteer hours making it a wonderful project for Garden City.
MICHAEL LYNN DEBLOOIS
24 Dec 1940 – 9 Feb 2019
Mike was born
December 24, 1940 in North Ogden, Utah to William Jr. and Pearl Holmes
DeBloois. He swore that since he never had a birthday party because of his
Christmas Eve arrival date, he’d instead made a daily celebration of life.
As a boy he
learned construction skills from his father, a builder, which he utilized many
times by building beautiful homes for his family at various stages of their
life together, culminating in a wonderful home overlooking Bear Lake where he
lived the final twenty years of his life. He had a powerful work ethic and
claimed that he weeded rows of onions to the horizon as a youth. He passed this
ethic to his children, much to their childhood chagrin.
Mike was an athlete.
He played basketball at Weber High and went with his team to the State
Championship playoffs in 1959. He was also a member of the All Church
Basketball College Division Championship team in 1966. When older, he loved
skiing and was a member of the ski patrol at Beaver Mountain for several years.
His skiing highlight was a trip to Canada where he went heli-skiing for several
days, an event he loved to recount. At age 60 he earned his PADI Scuba
certification in southern Thailand.
After serving
a church mission to the Netherlands in the early ‘60s, Mike returned to Utah
State University where he completed his bachelors and obtained a master’s
degree in history, a lifelong passion. Following
a year teaching history at Church College of Hawaii he attended University of
Massachusetts Amherst, earning an EdD in education. In time, he returned to the
Utah mountains and USU where he taught instructional technology and was an
early innovator in computerized self-learning. His greatest professional delight
was a Kellogg Fellowship that gave him access to like minds and new frontiers.
Following his years at USU, he cofounded the Miken Corporation which developed
computerized training programs for companies such as ESSO, IBM, the US military
and others.
While
studying at USU, Mike married Judy McFarland and together they raised four
children. The family moved to Hawaii to Massachusetts to Florida as Mike
pursued his education and professional goals. They finally settled in Hyde Park
in a home built by Mike and raised their children there through their teenage
years. During that time, the family enjoyed summers at the family cabin in
Island Park, Idaho; spent six months in Germany and hiked in Switzerland. He
and Judy were later divorced.
In 1995 he
married Marty Adams and they lived their life together with a mantra of
creating and sharing adventure. Their early years were spent hiking Utah trails
and camping with family and friends. A chance encounter in 1997 with one of his
Pi Kappa Alpha brothers led to a three-year, part-time, joint USU/Thai Ministry
of Labor contract that sparked a 20-year love affair with southeast Asia and
Thailand. They explored the wonders of Bali, Hanoi, Angkor Wat, Singapore,
Guangzhou and Hong Kong. In Bangkok they found a second family of assorted
expats and Thais who expanded their world view and provided countless days of
conversation, humor, and questionable exploits.
On February 9th,
after enduring years of diabetes and later, congestive heart failure, without
complaint, Mike yielded up this life to pursue his next great adventure. He
died peacefully with his wife, family members, and good friends at his side.
He is
survived by his wife, Marty Adams; children Traci Hanzalik (Sutton), Krista
Taylor (Chris), Todd DeBloois (Nicole), and Nicole Iniesta DeBloois (Antonio);
stepchildren Kris Mitchell, Jennifer Seljestad (Dave), and James Hebdon (Amy);
10 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Also survived by his sisters Joan
Whittaker and Toni Dougherty (Jerry).
Mike was a
man of probing intellect, wry humor, bodacious exaggeration, kindness and
uncompromising loyalty. He was a good man.
A celebration
of his life was held at The Falls at Trolley Square (580 S. 600 E) on Friday February 15th.
Town Council reports
Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
Rich Civic Times
GARDEN
CITY, Utah. February 21, 2019. Garden City Councilwoman, Pat Argyle, said that work is moving forward at Heritage
Park. It will be ready for Raspberry
Days. She reported that the stage at the
park will be ready in time for programs on Raspberry Days. Everything for that activity is moving along
smoothly.
Pat
Argyle reported that John Lee will be creating a web site for Raspberry
Days. He will do it without any
charge. He will make a mock up one first
and allow any of the City Council Members to check it out and make suggestions
before the final page is completed.
Argyle
noted that Easter is coming. She will be
working with the Office Staff on this holiday and the Easter Egg Hunt.
Councilman
Howard Pope said that there have been some problems with closing the pool
before closing time. He reported that
the pool must remain open until closing time.
It might be all right to close it maybe 10 minutes early if no one has
come in before that time. Ten Minutes
wouldn’t allow someone to change clothes and get into the pool before it was
time to lock the doors. Otherwise, it
will remain open the full time advertised.
There
is a new boiler in the pool area.
Everything has been installed and up to code.
Councilman
Darrin Pugmire thanked the road crews for keeping the roads in good condition
during this winter season. They are
keeping roads in good repair and are also keeping them clear of snow.
Hodges
Canyon Road will need some work this coming spring. There is a culvert that needs to be taken
care of. It either needs some wings on
each side, or work with Mecham to perhaps make an extension to take out some of
the bend in the road
Bids
are out to get the trees removed along Kimball Lane. It has not been easy to get an individual who will take down the trees
when the electricity goes right along by the trees. The City will then try and
get the road up to the required 60-feet width for this Lane.
Pugmire
reported that property owners on Third West on the north side are willing to
donate some property for north and south power lines. He noted that Sweetwater Hill should begin
helping Garden City for Roads such as Kimball Lane. They are the individuals using those
roads. The City has been taking care of
them. Those folks could perhaps help in
several different ways that will make it easier to upgrade and assist them in
getting in and out of their area. The
City has no obligation in doing anything above the trail head. Sweetwater could easily take care of their
roads. The County should also help with
roads in that area.
Councilman
Ken Hansen reported that the library needs funds to improve their computer
area. Rhonda Menlove, Library Chair, asked if the Library Board could contact some
of the people who have summer homes here to help with this issue. She also asked if they could write a grant to
get more funding for computers. The
Council wants to let them go ahead and do as much as they can to handle this
problem. The Library Board also asked
that the computers be checked and worked on every quarter. Hopefully, this will be done.
Mayor
Mike Leonhardt noted that the City may consider putting in some charging
stations on the parking lot next to the Church for electric cars. The City may try and get some money from the
parks and some businesses to carry out this suggestion. He asked that this item be placed on next
month’s agenda.
The
Mayor is currently on the BRAG Board as the Vice Chairman. He will be the president of this organization
next year.
There
are efforts being made to get a run-away ramp on the top of Logan Canyon. It looks like the soonest it will happen
would be 2020. There is also the
possibility of creating a break check area.
It could be just an extra lane where trucks could pull over and check
their brakes. The State is also looking
at making an escape ramp—that would be probably be between the Storage area and
the Chevron Station. Some signage has
been put along the road coming down from the top. However, there should be signage all the way
through Logan Canyon so that trucks have a better knowledge before they get to
the top of the Canyon. Laketown Canyon
is also a problem that needs greater signage.
UDOT
will be doing a lot of road work in Logan Canyon this coming summer. The following summer, they are planning on
redoing the road from Tony Grove to Garden City and on to the Utah/Idaho state
line.
The
City will probably get a cross walk this spring on First West. In 2020, money will be available for a stop
light at the corner.
There
are several bills currently in the legislature concerning protecting water
rights. Logan is concerned, and Rich
County also needs to investigate water rights and make sure everything is
updated and correct. There is currently
a lot of interest in resolutions about water rights, and there are several
areas that are attempting to get more water.
Garden City Town Council
Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
GARDEN CITY, Utah. February 21, 2019. There were two companies requesting short-term rental licenses. Bear Lake Lodging will manage the property located at 740 S Buttercup Circle. This home is owned by Marcus Smoot. The motion was made and passed to allow this short-term rental a license.
Bear Lake Luxury Rentals will mange the home located at 660 South Bear Lake Blvd. The owner of this home is Scott Sechrist. The motion was made and passed allowing rental of this home.
Carmen and Connie Vella have several lots that have been encumbered. They want to terminate the encumbrance agreement and covenant to run with the land located in Raspberry Patch Estates. They requested termination of the encumbrances of Parcels #41-17-030-0028, #41-17-030-0029, #41-17-030-0030, #41-17-030-0031, #41-17-030-0032, and #41-17-030-0033. The motion was made and passed to unencumber these lots.
A motion was then made to encumber lots #41-17-030-0028, #41-17-030-0029, #41-17-030-0030 and encumber #41-17-030-0031, #41-17-030-0032, and #41-17-030-0033. The motion passed.
Robert and Cynthia Argyle requested the City to encumber Lots #41-17-050-0050 and #41-17-050-0051. The motion was made and passed.
Norm Mecham requested the city to rezone property at approximately 185 S and 100 W from a C1 and C3 Zone to a Planned Unit Development (PUD) zone. He has titled this property Waterdance. The motion was made and passed.
Ted Holmberg has four commercial lots at Raspberry Farms located at 395 Logan Canyon Road. The roadway into this area has been recorded and is a private road which includes its use by the storage sheds on the north as well as the four lots just noted. There is a 15’ area on the west from the road center for utilities and a 15’ area on the east also for utilities. Currently, the only people using this road are those involved with the storage units.
There is a canal easement and the set backs there are of the proper amount. A letter from the Canal Company has given permission for this subdivision. A motion was made and passed accepting this new subdivision.
Jeff Jorgensen is heading the new subdivision west of Cherimoya. This new subdivision is called Long Ridge at Bear Lake. Jorgensen noted that last month, the City requested that Starlight Drive be 60’ wide. By doing that, some of the lot sizes had to be changed. Also, Morning Star Circle was also changed in size to allow larger vehicles to be able to turn in that area.
The Council Members noted that the City’s attorney requires a current title report before any work can be done on this subdivision. A current title report is also needed to get preliminary plat approval. Because of this restriction, the Council stated that it would not be able to give preliminary approval. Thus, the request for preliminary approval for phase One for a three lot subdivision west of Cherimoya had to be denied.
As the Town Council worked with the map, they were unable to find both an ingress and egress for this subdivision. There is only one entry. This, too, needs to be addressed before approval can be given for phase one.
Jorgensen was told that the City has not begun work on Paradise Parkway. The water line is currently being put through that area, but it will be at least five or more years before Paradise Parkway will become a real road. A fire-type road could fill the requirements of the ingress/egress problem. This could be a dirt/gravel road at least 20’ wide. However, this road should have an 8 percent grade. Some shorter areas could be as steep as 10 percent, but most of the road would need to be at the 8 percent grade. The Hansen family may have to get an easement through some property next to Hodges Canyon to make this road workable.
No action was taken on this subdivision by the City Council.
There was a short discussion regarding the resolution proposed by Bear Lake Watch to save Bear Lake. Currently, there is a group of people in the Salt Lake City Area that would like to make sure that the Great Salt Lake be maintained at a certain water height. That group is working on a resolution that would allow them to pull water from Bear Lake if the Great Salt Lake goes down below a certain level.
A suggestion was made that it might be a good idea to allow fences between commercial and residential areas to go as high as eight feet. Currently, fences can be six feet high. It was noted that this item could be put on next month’s agenda as well as have a public hearing on this matter.
The height of homes in the Beach Zone should be changed to 35 feet. Currently, homes in that zone can have a height of 25 feet. However, because of the number of trees and other things along the lake, 35 feet would not actually change what people can see of the lake while driving down the road. This would require an ordinance change which should be handled by the Planning and Zoning Commission. The Mayor asked that this item be placed on the Planning and Zoning’s next agenda.
Rich Civic Times
GARDEN CITY, Utah. February 21, 2019. There were two companies requesting short-term rental licenses. Bear Lake Lodging will manage the property located at 740 S Buttercup Circle. This home is owned by Marcus Smoot. The motion was made and passed to allow this short-term rental a license.
Bear Lake Luxury Rentals will mange the home located at 660 South Bear Lake Blvd. The owner of this home is Scott Sechrist. The motion was made and passed allowing rental of this home.
Carmen and Connie Vella have several lots that have been encumbered. They want to terminate the encumbrance agreement and covenant to run with the land located in Raspberry Patch Estates. They requested termination of the encumbrances of Parcels #41-17-030-0028, #41-17-030-0029, #41-17-030-0030, #41-17-030-0031, #41-17-030-0032, and #41-17-030-0033. The motion was made and passed to unencumber these lots.
A motion was then made to encumber lots #41-17-030-0028, #41-17-030-0029, #41-17-030-0030 and encumber #41-17-030-0031, #41-17-030-0032, and #41-17-030-0033. The motion passed.
Robert and Cynthia Argyle requested the City to encumber Lots #41-17-050-0050 and #41-17-050-0051. The motion was made and passed.
Norm Mecham requested the city to rezone property at approximately 185 S and 100 W from a C1 and C3 Zone to a Planned Unit Development (PUD) zone. He has titled this property Waterdance. The motion was made and passed.
Ted Holmberg has four commercial lots at Raspberry Farms located at 395 Logan Canyon Road. The roadway into this area has been recorded and is a private road which includes its use by the storage sheds on the north as well as the four lots just noted. There is a 15’ area on the west from the road center for utilities and a 15’ area on the east also for utilities. Currently, the only people using this road are those involved with the storage units.
There is a canal easement and the set backs there are of the proper amount. A letter from the Canal Company has given permission for this subdivision. A motion was made and passed accepting this new subdivision.
Jeff Jorgensen is heading the new subdivision west of Cherimoya. This new subdivision is called Long Ridge at Bear Lake. Jorgensen noted that last month, the City requested that Starlight Drive be 60’ wide. By doing that, some of the lot sizes had to be changed. Also, Morning Star Circle was also changed in size to allow larger vehicles to be able to turn in that area.
The Council Members noted that the City’s attorney requires a current title report before any work can be done on this subdivision. A current title report is also needed to get preliminary plat approval. Because of this restriction, the Council stated that it would not be able to give preliminary approval. Thus, the request for preliminary approval for phase One for a three lot subdivision west of Cherimoya had to be denied.
As the Town Council worked with the map, they were unable to find both an ingress and egress for this subdivision. There is only one entry. This, too, needs to be addressed before approval can be given for phase one.
Jorgensen was told that the City has not begun work on Paradise Parkway. The water line is currently being put through that area, but it will be at least five or more years before Paradise Parkway will become a real road. A fire-type road could fill the requirements of the ingress/egress problem. This could be a dirt/gravel road at least 20’ wide. However, this road should have an 8 percent grade. Some shorter areas could be as steep as 10 percent, but most of the road would need to be at the 8 percent grade. The Hansen family may have to get an easement through some property next to Hodges Canyon to make this road workable.
No action was taken on this subdivision by the City Council.
There was a short discussion regarding the resolution proposed by Bear Lake Watch to save Bear Lake. Currently, there is a group of people in the Salt Lake City Area that would like to make sure that the Great Salt Lake be maintained at a certain water height. That group is working on a resolution that would allow them to pull water from Bear Lake if the Great Salt Lake goes down below a certain level.
A suggestion was made that it might be a good idea to allow fences between commercial and residential areas to go as high as eight feet. Currently, fences can be six feet high. It was noted that this item could be put on next month’s agenda as well as have a public hearing on this matter.
The height of homes in the Beach Zone should be changed to 35 feet. Currently, homes in that zone can have a height of 25 feet. However, because of the number of trees and other things along the lake, 35 feet would not actually change what people can see of the lake while driving down the road. This would require an ordinance change which should be handled by the Planning and Zoning Commission. The Mayor asked that this item be placed on the Planning and Zoning’s next agenda.
Redevelopment Agency and future expenditures
Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
GARDEN
CITY, Utah. February 21, 2019.This
meeting was held to discuss short term rentals and how it is affecting the
City’s infrastructure. There needs to be
tax that can be used to create money enough to improve the water, sewer, and
other items that are currently almost maxed out. Something must be done. A tax called a pillow tax which is a
recreational use fee, was discussed. This tax may be something to consider.,
The
City currently is using software that is becoming dated. This software needs to
be improved and upgraded. There is a
package that will cost $15,000 a year.
It is reported to be user
friendly. Everything would then be online.
An
annual cost for a 24-hour call center would be $2,000 a year and can handle
unlimited calls. This item is also
something that needs to be purchased and used by the office. The call center can automatically transfer
calls to the correct locations and individuals.
It will be much more effective than the current system. Any time items
that can’t be handled by the software and equipment will then be transferred to
the code enforcement officer.
Mayor
Mike Leonhardt noted that a certain
figure should be used on a per head basis as a way of obtaining money. If there are a certain number of individuals
in a short-term rental, everyone could be charged a certain amount. That way, everyone would be paying their
share of the updates and changes that are needed. Even though people are calling short-term
rentals personal home, they are
businesses. A business should pay their
share of taxes.
There
is a financial burden on the city. More
taxes must be put in place. We need to
utilize what funds can be obtained to keep the City in the black.
It
was noted that this year is the last year the City will receive Redevelopment
Money. It is about $100,000. It was suggested that this money should be
used for repairing the sidewalks along in front of the Church. The trees there have really pushed up and
cracked the sidewalks. The sidewalks
should also be about 5’ wide—more like the bike path in that area.
Another
suggestion was to use the money to get the street lights back up and useable. There are about 28 to 30 of the lights that
need to be fixed.
Another
suggestion was to put some bike racks in areas of the Town. They could be placed in the parking lot next
to the Church, next to some of the business near 200 North, and some even along
the bike path itself.
The
meeting was adjourned.
Bear Lake Watch and House Concurrent Resolution 18
Big Splash
We may have made a big splash with this …
let’s see if we can swim it to shore!
H.C.R 18 CONCURRENT RESOLUTION CONCERNING BEAR LAKE
Because you are interested in Bear Lake elevations and such, I thought you would be interested in this news splash.
Instigated by Bear Lake Watch, with the cooperation of our cosigners on the Bear River System, PacifiCorp, Bear River Water Users Association as well as local officials;
The Bear Lake Resolution is now officially in process in the Utah legislature! Hopefully, a similar version will be in the pipe in Idaho soon. This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and Governor encourages action regarding
Bear Lake.
Highlighted Provisions:
Recognizes the characteristics, benefits, and challenges of Bear Lake;
Urges solutions to address challenges to Bear Lake;
Urges continued cooperation with the state of Idaho to develop joint expectations for the continued health, beauty, and enjoyment of Bear Lake; and encourages the development of opportunities for participation of a wide-range of stakeholders to develop recommendations.
While this may be just a Resolution, a resolution is the means by which the States can express commitment to resolving issues. The hope is that it will start a conversation, bring people together to learn more about the lake and cooperatively set a good course for the future of Bear Lake.
We certainly appreciate Representative Logan Wilde for sponsoring this resolution in the House and anticipate that our good Senator Lyle Hillyard will carry it on the Senate side.
You can follow the progress on the Utah Legislature site. We'll send updates too.
https://le.utah.gov/~2019/bills/static/HCR018.html
If you like this idea, let your legislators know …
on either side of the border!
Claudia & David Cottle, Bear Lake Watch
Cisco’s Sonar
Arabian Peninsula
By Bryce Neilson
Did I ever want to travel to the United Arab Emeritus (UAE)? It had never crossed my mind until my sister
Janet called and wanted to know if Doreen and I would like to travel with
her. Always up for an adventure we
agreed and the tour was booked.
Everyone wondered why we wanted to go there. After thinking about it, I wanted to know the
truth about Arabs and Moslems, not what I have heard in the fake media. It took us 13 hrs to fly from JFK on United
Emeritus airline which is supposed to be one of the best. If you are down in cattle car class it is
like every other one, crowded and smelly.
We arrived at the beginning of good weather in the 80’s not like
the 130 F in the summer. We landed in
Dubai and drove for two hours to Abu Dhabi for three days and back to Dubai for
four days. We went to all the
attractions, biggest mosque, the biggest mall, the tallest building and the
Louvre art museum. We also went to Oman,
out on the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf, then into the desert with the
Bedouin, falcons and camels. However, this piece is not about a vacation, but what
we experienced and learned about the culture.
UAE is a combination of seven Bedouin tribes that each controlled
a specific area. In 1972, Sheikh
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan from Abu Dhabi brought all the all of them together,
made them into States and established the UAE.
He essentially created the country and even though he has died, is still
remembered in public pictures and referred to as “the Father”. With oil gushing out under them, they all
started swimming in money. Their
forefathers probably had no money but today the Emeritus spend it
lavishly. You see, there are only two
classes in UAE, Naturals and everyone else.
Emeritus are individuals who can trace their heritage back to their
Bedouin forefathers. They are the
“Naturals” who have lavish amounts of money given to them. They have palaces, cars, and free
everything. They have UAE passports. They can come and go as they please. 
Since they live in luxury there needs to be a lot of
people to do the work and maintain the Country.
70% of the population are immigrants.
They, primarily from India, Pakistan, and the Philippines are happy to
be here even though they may be mistreated and live in squalor. At least they are safe and can make money to
send home to their families. They do
everything and contribute diversity to the culture. They work in high end stores, building
construction, and the huge service industry that is required by the growing
tourism. They have limited rights but
living in the UAE is better than their own countries and they can send tax free money
home to their families. Even if they
are born in the country that can never be citizens. They have the same passports as their
parents. They stay at the pleasure of
the Sheiks and have to renew their work visas every two years and be a good
employee or they are deported never to return.
Because of this, there is no crime, homelessness,
welfare, or dissent. Obviously, weapons
are not allowed. You even look like you
may be a problem, you are gone. The
court systems are simple and immediate with no debate. No Liberals or Conservatives there. If you have tattoos, colored hair, or act
suspicious you are gone, no questions asked.
Open homosexuality is definitely not permitted. Their food is all non-GMO and since their
religion feels that pigs are unclean, there is no lard for cooking. Things may look the same but taste
differently. Alcohol is forbidden, even
in foods. Because they want to cater to the
tourists, which is the second biggest industry behind oil, visiting individuals
can purchase alcohol openly in hotels. If
you wander the streets while intoxicated and are caught, you are automatically
deported. Drugs are completely
outlawed. There appears to be no local newspapers
or television because it is controlled by the government and nothing bad
happens in the UAE. The only local
channel I saw was camel racing which is huge here. The rest of the news and sports come from
cable television from all over the world.
Tourism is second in terms of income after oil production, but the government
sees it as the future after the oil is no longer needed.
Being there, I never felt uncomfortable but welcome. Everyone was positive and few complaints were
uttered. The traditional dress is worn
by the naturals and wanabees. There rest
is Western/Asian. It was weird visiting
a society with no middle class governed by men wearing flowing white
robes. All women are definitely second
citizens there. I never saw anything
that would be considered anti American and Trump’s name was never mentioned. We visited some friends from Cache Valley
that have lived there for 15 years and are Mormons. Since the Branch had no property, the Sheik
gave them land to build a meeting house on.
They welcome all religions other than Israelis who are not allowed in. It was beyond interesting and I have a new
respect for the people living in the UAE. I can’t speak for the other Arab nations, but we
thoroughly enjoyed our adventure in Dubai and Abu Dubai.
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