The Rich County Conservation District will hold a
BUDGET HEARING
for Fiscal Year (revision) 2020 and Fiscal Year 2021
Wednesday, June 17th
6:00 p.m.
County Courthouse
20 South Main St.
Randolph, Utah
PUBLIC INVITED
Saturday, June 13, 2020
Rich School District budget hearing
Rich School District
Annual Budget Hearing
The Rich County Board of Education will hold its annual budget hearing on the proposed 2020-2021 budget and the final 2019-2020 budget on Thursday, June 18 at 6:00 in Randolph, Utah.
Road Construction
Traffic Signal Installation
This week, concrete pouring will start on the East side of the project while crews prepare the West side of the intersection. After the East side has been completed, the West side concrete will be poured. Throughout construction, crews will maintain pedestrian access as much as possible in the area.
Crews may begin paving asphalt as early as the week of June 15th and paving operations will also move from the East side of the intersection to the West side.
This project will install a new traffic light signal at the intersection of U.S. 89 and Bear Lake Boulevard, improve pedestrian facilities, and formalize the driveway into Raspberry Square. The project is anticipated to be completed by mid-summer.
COVID is here
Written by Craig Hislop
June 12, 2020
GARDEN CITY – The first official positive COVID-19 case in Rich County is part of the Friday report from the Bear River Health District, and on the 166th day of the pandemic the district’s total number of cases grew to 1013.
There are 29 new positive cases, the fewest in nearly a week, with 26 in Cache County, two in Box Elder County and one in Rich County. Most of the new patients in Cache County (23) are in the 18-60 age group and three are under 18. Both the Box Elder cases and the one in Rich County are also 18-60.
The BRHD’s total case count of 1013 includes 939 in Cache County, 73 in Box Elder County and one in Rich County.
Today’s update from the Utah Department of Health shows the state’s positive COVID-19 cases total 13,577 over nearly three months, a daily rate increase of 2.5 percent from yesterday. The 325 cases reported Friday marks the state’s 16th straight day of 200 or more positives.
With 4,118 tests administered yesterday, 258,786 Utahns have been tested and the rate of positives during the pandemic is 5.2 percent.
There have been 139 total COVID-19 deaths, eight more than yesterday.
There are 7,935 of Utah’s total COVID-19 cases that are considered “recovered.”
With 20 more hospitalizations yesterday, 130 positive cases are now hospitalized, and the total COVID-19 hospitalizations in Utah during the pandemic is 988.
The most recent Idaho report shows 3,302 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 86 deaths. There have been 10 positive cases in Franklin County and still none in Bear Lake and Oneida counties.
Friday, June 12, 2020
Thomas J Weston 1951 - 2020
Thomas J Weston was born in Montpelier, Idaho on December 13, 1951 to George Wesley Weston and Theda Mattson of Laketown, Utah. He was the co-conspirator of his two brothers and the tormentor of his three younger sisters. The ranch was his playground until he grew old enough to work; haying, moving cows, and dry farming east of Bear Lake. For all his hard work, he played harder and could often be found swimming in the lake, riding horses, and roaming the town with his bike and BB gun.
Tom graduated from North Rich High School in 1970 and attended two weeks of college before realizing it was not for him. He served an honorable LDS mission in The Australia West Mission from 1971—1973. While in Australia, he shipped packages of kangaroo hides, recorded tapes, boomerangs, and opals. The dang Aussies wouldn’t let him send home shark teeth, or ivories.
Upon returning home, Tom met and fell in love with Vickie Spencer of Randolph, Utah. They were married in the Ogden Utah Temple, August 30, 1973, and have been married for 47 years. Together, they raised four children: Dana Lee, Wesley, Joshua, and Kalon.
Tom joined his dad and brothers in the ranching business and enjoyed breaking colts. He loved swimming, fishing, hunting, collecting guns, and waterskiing in Bear Lake (which he often bragged he could do from the shore and back without ever getting wet).
Tom was a mountain of a man with a laugh to match. He served in various positions in his church and his community. He was an active member of the Utah Cattlemen’s Association, a Brand Inspector for the State of Utah, and drove the local school bus. He was most well-known for his time spent as a Rich County Commissioner where he served for sixteen years. He took great pride in caring for his family, especially his aging mother, but his greatest accomplishment was his children and grandchildren.
He passed away on June 4, 2020 in Rich County, Utah at the age of 68. He is survived by his wife, Vickie Weston; four children: Dana Lee (Paul) Lazcanotegui, Wesley (Kelly) Weston, Joshua (Ashley) Weston, and Kalon Weston; seven grandchildren; his mother, Theda Mattson Weston; and his siblings; Alice (Kent) Argyle, Shelly Mettman, Chuck Webb, and Cathy Weston. He was preceded in death by his father; George Wesley Weston; his siblings, Christine Weston Webb, Samuel M Weston, George Terrill Weston; and brother-in-law El Mettman.
The viewing was Friday, June 12 from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Laketown Ward Cultural Hall. The Graveside service at 12:00 p.m. at the Laketown Cemetery. The graveside service may be viewed via the Zoom Application
Obituary for Thomas J Weston
To view the graveside services live, please click on the following link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85467971850
Sunday, June 7, 2020
Randolph: One Hundred and Fifty
By Maydi and Kennedy Eastman
Growing up I always looked forward to Memorial Day, because
it was a day spent with my extended family catching up and reminiscing about
our family members who had passed away. This is where I began to understand
that family roots run deep. My love for cemeteries, the history they hold, and
the memories that they evoke all stemmed from my grandmother prioritizing Memorial
Day and honoring our loved ones.
As we sat down to learn more about my husband’s genealogy we
discovered that his great great great grandfather was essential in the settling
of Swan Creek and Garden City. So this
year, my family embarked on a “cemetery tour” seeking out this man and his
family’s final resting and to learn more about our roots and discover the past.
Born as the sixth of seven children, Phineas Wolcott Cook was born on August 8, 1819 in Litchfield County, Connecticut. In 1837 the family moved to Gull Prairie, Richland Township where Phineas began working for Henry Howland—his soon to be father in law. — Phineas was married to Ann Eliza in the beginning of 1840, and they together had 16 children and raised eight of them into adulthood. There children were born all along the pioneer trail as they traveled to the west.
Both were baptized as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Kalamazoo River on September 8, 1845. A year later they met President Brigham Young and were asked to leave for Salt Lake where Phineas could build a mill and help prepare for the many saints that would come. However, due to illness they did not arrive in Salt Lake until the fall of 1848. Once in Salt Lake their lives were full of changes, including the call to polygamy. Phineas then married Catherin McCleve and Polly Amanda Savage, and in 1863 he and his family moved to help settle the Bear Lake Valley. After a long journey to the valley, the families stayed in previously built wigwams until they could build their own cabin to call home. Phineas said, “The people who were there were very kind to us, and helped us out by letting us have some logs which were already there, and my father being a carpenter and a builder, and with the help of other, (we) soon had a log house of two large rooms ready to move into.” They moved in just in time to have a nice Christmas dinner.
They were not in this home long. Asked to move to Swan Creek
the following spring, Phineas and his family moved once again to help establish
the town. All of his experiences prior to this move were crucial to the
knowledge that was needed for the Mill that would create an important resource
from the nearby water.
“Phineas Walcott Cook built the first mill in the valley
that ground flour, and as time passed he added more mills; a sawmill, a carding
mill where wool was carded and made into rolls, which in turn was spun into
yarn and wool batting an made into quilts.”
Last summer I had the opportunity to attend a family reunion
of Phineas Walcott Cook where I learned more about him and the amazing
contributions he made to the valley. As one of the early settlers of Bear Lake
he built many homes, mills, and was also a major contribute to the layout of
Garden City. Our cemetery tour soon turned into a tour of “landmarks” this man
had a hand in building.
We began in the Garden City Cemetery at the burial site of
Phineas’ first wife Ann Eliza Cook. She is my husband’s 3rd great
grandmother. Eliza was a faithful and dedicated member of the church and was
the first Relief Society President in Garden City. She and Amanda Savage (her
first counselor and Phineas’ second wife) served for 20 years in these callings.
These women embodied strength, faithfulness, and generosity. According to their
journals they were best friends, had their houses built next to each other, and
they are even buried side by side in the cemetery.
Next, we went to Swan Creek.
 |
We took pictures of the outside and then moved on to find remnants of the mills that were built. We followed a creek and pieces of wood that we believe were the mills, but we are not certain, nonetheless we took some more pictures.
We then visited the St. Charles Cemetery where Phineas’ and Eliza had buried two children. It was an amazing day full of history
and learning about what went into the wonderful valley we get to call home.
Phineas is buried in the Star Valley Cemetery with his fifth wife, but that
trip is for another day that I am looking forward to. I am able to see
cemeteries as a chance to learn about and connect with my roots because of the
early traditions my grandma established and her diligent example in making
history an important part of our lives.
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| The Cook home today |
Garden City Public Hearing on budget
PUBLIC HEARING
The Garden City Town Council will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, June 11, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. The
meeting will be held at the Garden City Office, located at 69 N. Paradise Parkway, Building C.
AGENDA
This Public Hearing is being held to receive public comment and discuss with the Garden
City residents regarding the following:
1. Roll Call
2. Final Budget Discussion; General Fund, Enterprise Fund, Sid Fund, Capital Project Fund,and Beach Access Fund for fiscal year July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021
3. Adjournment
The public is invited to attend and may give written or oral comments.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals needing special accommodations
(including auxiliary communicative aids and services) during this public hearing should notify the
Garden City Office at (435) 946-2901, 69 N. Paradise Parkway, Garden City, Utah, on Monday through
Friday, at least 3 working days prior to the public hearing. The office hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Individuals with speech and/or hearing impairments may call the Relay Utah by dialing 711. Spanish
Relay Utah; 1-888-346-3162.
New money for economic development
Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
RANDOLPH, Utah. June 3, 2020. The State of Utah has authorized
$200,000 to each rural county for economic development. Mitch Poulsen, Director of the Bear Lake
Regional Council (BLRC) and Brian Carver, Bear River Association of Governments (BRAG) told County
Commissioners that this was an exciting opportunity.
The legislature also set aside $600,000 for competitive
funding for new projects. An Economic Development Board of at least 5
members needs to be created to administer these funds.
Projects to be funded include
business assistance, tech assistance, workforce development, infrastructure development such as needed
business or industrial space. It can also be used to develop better broadband internet.
Commissioner Sim Weston suggested that the county needs help with
sanitation issues with more equipment for garbage disposal as the crowds increase every year and the county is overwhelmed now. A business incubator
could also be considered or revolving loan funding.
Utah Association of Counties has sample
resolutions to use to create the Board and bylaws. Carver said that the money can be used for SBA
matches or micro loans or seed money for startups.
CARES (a federal program for COVID 19 economic assistance) has money too and the State money could be used to
match these federal dollars for a project.
CARES Act also gave $400,000 for the region
for economic development in addition to the money BRAG already gets. EDA money,
will provide for staff, travel, and studies.
Rich County will get $30,000. BRAG wants to put one staff member in Rich
County as perhaps a shared position between Bear Lake County, Idaho and Rich
County. BRAG is currently working with
Idaho to flesh out that idea.
There are also CDBG COVID 19
relief funds. BRAG is working with the Rich
Senior Citizen’s kitchen to make improvements.
They are also funding some emergency response needs.
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