Life at Bear Lake

Photos by Bobbie Coray

 

 

 

Photo by Elizabeth Buffy Evans

Raspberry Days July 30- Aug2

 Go to www.bearlake.org for complete listings of activities.

Wednesday: July 30 at 7 p.m. the Miss Berry Princess is chosen at the stage at 50 S 100 W in Garden City.

Thursday:  July 31, Craft Fairs at two places, 50 S 100 West in Garden City and local crafts at the Garden City Town Center.  10 a.m. to 8 p.m.  Parade a 6 p.m. Entertainment after.  Family dance at the Bear Lake Dance Place.

Friday:  August 1, Craft fairs and entertainment all day at Raspberry Days venue and city offices
Laketown Rodeo 7:30 p.m. Laketown Arena.

Saturday: August 2,  Raspberry Days 5 k run, 8 a.m.  Pancake Breakfast 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. Garden City Park.  Craft fairs 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.   Entertainment all day.  Laketown Rodeo at the Laketown Arena at 7:30 p.m.

No Fire Board Report This Month?

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

A report of what occurred at the fireboard meeting for July was not written this month.  The Garden City District Fire Board normally holds their monthly meeting the third Thursday of each month.  In the past, the writer was also sent an agenda or could check at the post office to make sure the meeting was being held.  That didn’t happen this month. 

Actually the agenda has not been posted in the post office for a number of months, and the agenda hasn’t be mailed ahead of time either.  The agenda must be picked up when you get to the meeting.

Anyway, this reporter made her way to the fire board office to attend the fireboard meeting at the usual time and on the third Thursday of the month.  When I arrived, there was no one there.  I checked the door.  It was locked.  I looked at the side of the doors because sometimes the agenda is posted there.  

The meeting had been held the previous evening—Wednesday night.  I felt badly that I was unable to get fireboard information to you this month, especially when it is the time of the summer when there is a much greater fire danger and decisions are generally made concerning fireworks and other problems that require the services of the fire department.

I will try extra hard to discover and attend the next meeting.  I hate to have to go directly to the fire office several times until the agenda is posted there—at least I think it may be hung there.  Since it is an open governmental meeting, it is supposed to be posted somewhere in a timely manner.

Fires!

Statewide Fire Restriction Order

Effective July 12, 2014, the state has put into effect fire restrictions that until rescinded are the law in all private unincorporated and state lands in Rich County (and others).  These include:

1)      No open fires of any kind, except campfires built within facilities provided for them in campgrounds, picnic areas, or permanently improved places of habitation (some areas have even stronger restrictions, not state law, but those are locally enforced, as in some HOA’s),

2)      No smoking except in a closed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least 3 feet in diameter that is barren or cleared to mineral soil,

3)      No fireworks, tracer ammunition, or other pyrotechnic devices,

4)      No cutting, welding, or grinding metal in areas of dry vegetation,

State and Federal Fire Officers and firefighting forces in the performance of official duties are excluded, as are persons with a specific permit specifically authorizing the prohibited act at a specific location.

Violation of these restrictions is a class B misdemeanor.

These restrictions do not apply to lands In incorporated areas.

How Do Short Term Rentals Affect Subdivisions In Bear Lake?

Over the years we  have heard both pro and con about allowing short term rentals in the subdivisions of the Bear Lake Valley.  Some CC&R allow them and some do not.  Positively, it makes so that larger homes can be built in the subdivisions since they can generate income and so we are seeing homes with 10 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms worthy of Architectural Digest being built on the hills around the lake. And it provides "hotel" space for recreational visitors who are a major part of our economy.  If the cabins are used as "hotels" they also pay a resort tax and sales tax.

Negatively, those same bedrooms often house 20 to 30 people with ATV, boats and cars which park on common streets and block traffic.  These "hotels" are often built as private homes without being built to commercial fire and building codes.  Renters often do not know or observe the firework or fire pit restrictions on our dry hillsides.  Owners are often out of the county or state and cannot be contacted to control noise or dangerous situations.

Sweetwater Hillside CC&R prohibit commercial use.  The Bylaws prohibit rentals.  This issue will be addressed at the annual meeting.  Other subdivisions are faced with similar issues.  RCTonline would like to hear from people who have opinions on how short term rentals do or do not affect them.  Editor

The Muddled Male

Tiger

 

By Bob Stevens, The Muddled Male

 

         I have always been a model of obedience and compliance in spite of what Ann, my wife, might have told you.  Suffice it to say that any negative comments she may have made to the contrary are to be ignored since she has been known to carry a grudge for a very long time.  Take Tiger, for example.  Tiger was a stray cat we took in about forty-five years ago when we were a young married couple living in Washington State.  Even though I was kind enough to allow Tiger to eat and sleep at our place free of charge, his demeanor toward me always seemed to be a mixture of arrogance and disdain. 

            Tiger loved to lay on our driveway and warm himself in the sun.  So much so that he considered that spot in the driveway as his personal and private property.  Each time I would approach the driveway and try to drive the car into the garage, Tiger would just lay there and stare at me as if to say, “This is my spot and you better not try driving past here.”  His game of chicken would always end at the last second with a quick little sidestep to avoid me running over him as I drove the car into the garage.  And then came that fateful day when he didn’t sidestep.  Actually, I don’t know whether he forgot, or just moved too slowly in his declining years.  Whatever the reason, we held a nice memorial and then buried him in grass town, a place in the woods where the neighborhood dumped their lawn clippings. 

            I thought that after Ann’s initial tirade against my ineptness as a driver, things would calm down and we could go back to being friends.  Silly me.  The untimely exit of Tiger continues to come up every time Ann becomes upset with something that either I do wrong or I didn’t do but should have.  Forty-five years later I am still being punished for that minor flaw that crept into my otherwise sterling character all those years ago.  Today, as I am writing this column, it is our fifty-ninth anniversary and I already know what Ann will say when we sit down later today for a celebratory supper at a nice eatery where I will order my usual extra-large portion of buttermilk-battered French fries.  Instead of, “Bob, my darling, thank you for sticking by me all these years.  I have loved every minute of our time together.”  I suspect she will say, “I should have known that someone who would run over my favorite cat would order that culinary disaster.  Your gastronomic choices have filled my life with long periods of worry and despair.” 

            A week ago I tried a dry-run of our planned celebration of Ann’s birthday hoping to develop a husband/wife communication technique that would help me avoid the reprimand I was certain to receive at the real celebration.  We were in Logan, so I took Ann to Chick-Fil-A, one of her favorite places to eat.  She loves the grilled chicken, and I love the waffle fries.  Especially when she happens to forget that a waffle fry is just a lacey version of a French fry.  When we arrived we found the place full of people.  I don’t mean kind of full.  I mean chuck full as in almost no place to sit.  There were adults, teenagers, and a whole bunch of little ones running in and out of the play area dropping food and spilling drinks as they ran back and forth beneath the sign that said, No drinks or food in the play area.  And the adults who were supposed to be watching them were oblivious as they busily chatted with each other.  The reason for all this activity, we noticed from the sign at the entrance, was that this was customer appreciation day, and anyone who came in dressed as a Holstein cow would receive a free chicken sandwich.  We were surrounded by people wearing cow’s ears, tails, faces and arms covered with Holstein spots, and a few customers with make-believe udders.  Because Ann and I were the only customers dressed as people, we were the only ones who had to pay for the chicken sandwiches we ordered.  We completed and paid for our food, fought our way to the only two seats available, sat down, and then Ann said, “All these people in cow costumes are cute.  Tiger would have loved this.  Too bad someone didn’t allow him to live.”  And that is how our dry-run ended.  Well, maybe I am exaggerating a little, but I knew what she was thinking.

Goose landed in Bear Lake This Week

Photo by Steve Larson, Logan, Utah

Rich County School Board

 Kathie B. Anderson, Reporter

 Rich Civic Times Online 

Action Items:

RANDOLPH, Utah, July 16, 2014. The Rich County School Board approved a contract with the R & D Cleaning Company for the 2014-2015 school year.

A sport fee of $5.00 was approved.   This adjustment will make the middle school and high school sport fees uniform.  After an adjustment, the fall athletic schedule was approved.  Policy 601.3.4.1 was ratified. Policy 601.3.4.1 deals with assistance from volunteers. 

Policy 513, the child nutrition policy, was modified as follows:  students and parents, rather than students, parents, and teachers are covered by the policy; 1% milk will replace 2% milk; and wheat products must contain at least 51% wheat, rather than 50%.  The One to One Procedure for the middle school was adopted.  This procedure will provide computers for all students.  A contract with the parent, student, and school will be require. The parent will pay a $40.00 insurance fee; pay $50.00 if the computer needs repair; and if the computer is damaged beyond repair, it must be replaced by the parent.  Supervised computer changes can be made only by the teacher.  No explicit items may be accessed.  The student will use this computer throughout middle school and high school.    

Information Items:

Shelly Stapel requested having a Foreign Exchange Student again this year.  After a lengthy discussion, the Board members were of the opinion that the cultural opportunities for Rich County students outweighed any negative concerns.

The summer work projects are on schedule.  The Special Education room has been remodeled and new desks and tables for the school have arrived.  Lodging compensation for conferences was raised to $100.00.

Our Beloved Marie Weston's Flowers Are Blooming!

Marie Weston
Photos by June Marie Saxton

 

 

Reader's Comments on Cell Service in Bear Lake Valley

Comment:  We have AT&T as a carrier and we could not access the internet all day July 4, 5, and 6  Kept getting message no service or no connection to internet and when there is service it is very slow.  I agree more towers are needed.

Lynn Davis

Comment: I read the editorial in the Rich County times about cell phone coverage. I have a house in Fish Haven that has been spotty for AT&T cell phone use for years – but worked reasonably well.

This year it has gone from bad to worse! It was to point where if I had an emergency I would  not be able to use my phone. Text messages were even unpredictable.

I called AT&T a few weeks ago and they basically told me sorry, nothing they can do. Which I responded to them C-YA….

I called Verizon immediately after that call with AT&T and got a new Verizon phone along with reliable service. It worked great this last July 4^th weekend as well. I was the only one in my family that had cell phone use on the lake and Fish Haven.

I am now going to switch the rest of my family over to Verizon so they have cell phone coverage at Bear Lake, as well as some peace of mind knowing they can get a hold of me.

Thanks 

Mark Scadden

Comment: I noticed a severe decline in cell service with AT&T in the past two to three weeks.

When I called the company they said the issue has been reported and documented.  It is because their tower is "severely degraded". She said they are currently working on it and should be back up and running in a week or two.

Before we get all huffy and puffy, let's recall when not so long ago there was NO cell service in the Bear Lake valley.

Krista Klein

Comment:   We have been having probems for almost a month with our cell service.  Most of the time when we go to use our cell phone we have no bars with EMERGENCY CALLS ONLY appearing on our phones. Also  we are getting messages when we go to Logan that were sent to us two days before  several times we were cut off during calls that we made when we had service.  Today (7/14) while I was talking with the receptionist at the Special Service District I was cut off during our conversation.  We have called AT&T several times and all they can say is they are working on it.  We need something done  We need our cell phones to work.  We're thinking about chaging to Verion if things are not corrected soon.

Karen and Richard A Droesbeke

Lake Is 70 Degrees, Great Swimming!

Photo by Bear Lake Visitors and Convention Bureau

Garden City Council Meeting

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  July 10, 2014. Robert and Deborah Chandler appeared before the Council asking to be given a business license to run a small equipment rental business.  It will be located at 200 North and 220 West.  The name of the business is Bear Bottom Equipment Rental.  They indicated they had paint sprayers, pressure washers, and so forth.  They will erect a 6’ privacy fence and do quite a bit of landscaping.  They are community minded and have supported the polar plunge for the last two or three years.  They have similar businesses in two other states.  They have applied for a sales tax number.  The business license was granted upon receipt of their sales tax number.

A short term rental was given a license.  The home is owned by Scott Gordon, 970 Harbor Village #3 and will be managed by Bear Lake Lodging.

Fire Chief Wahlberg reported that the 4^th of July Celebration was great.  There were lots of fireworks, and everyone seemed to really enjoy the evening.  He noted that people had been directed toward the City Park or the City’s parking lot just north of the Church. Council Member Bess Huefner noted that there was a lot of trash and garbage that was left at both of those locations.  It took quite a bit of time and effort to clean up after the celebration and asked if in the future people could be asked to clean up after themselves.

Chief Wahlberg noted that there may be some fire restrictions put in place in the near future.  Many parts of the State are getting very dry and the State may impose some restrictions.

Bruce Warner reported that there is enough water at Shundahi.  He noted that impact fees don’t have to be paid all at once, but as the homes are completed.  The City will need to provide service in that area and money to take care of the tank will be required.  He noted that 750,000 gallon capacity will be needed for that subdivision.

Warner noted that the most important thing that needs to be considered in making sure the beaches are in good shape.  The lake is the City’s greatest asset and needs to be taken care of. 

Warner has been looking into the various licenses that most Cities have.  He felt there could be various licenses available according to a list of categories.  Specific requirements and regulations could be available to business owners so that they could take care of all the requirements, and be able to apply and obtain a license at any time instead of having to come before the City Council.  Currently business owners only have the option of applying prior to a Council Meeting in order to obtain the required license.  Mayor Spuhler told Warner to continue to look into this possibility, especially if it would expedite paperwork and be more efficient over the internet.

Currently owners of several lots can encumber these lots putting them together thereby doing away with water fees for each individual plot and pay a much smaller water fee.  It costs $250 to encumber a number of adjacent lots.  If the owner has the opportunity to sell a lot, all of the lots have to be unencumbered at the same cost of $250.  There is also a $40 recording fee.   Then, after the sale, if the owner wants to take advantage of the lower water bill in the future, he must again pay the $250 fee to encumber the remaining lots again. 

Some property owners would like to do away with some of these costs.  However, over time, many individuals who have bought properties as an investment have actually saved thousands of dollars over the last two or three years with the lower water fees.  Mayor Spuhler noted that perhaps the City’s attorney could come up with a better idea.  He suggested that the attorney be given an opportunity to make some suggestions to handle this situation.  Meanwhile the City will proceed as they have in the past.

Chuck Stocking reported that the pool and spa required a new pump and are now back up and running.  Chuck noted that he had done some research for the purchase and storage of chlorine and hydrochloric acid.  Currently they are stored inside the building; and, as a result, the walls and area where they are stored are actually deteriorating.  The suggestion was made to store the drums of these chemicals outside by the propane tank.  A fence could be built around that area.  The fumes would be outside which would do away with the problems within the building.  Also, there is a company that will deliver the 55 gallon drums on a regular basis at a cost less than what the City is currently paying.  This would save money and be much safer.  He was told by the Council to move forward with these changes.

Darrin Pugmire reported that the 3^rd West road needs to be graveled and made travelable this fall.  There is no reason to let things continue to drag on.  He noted that there has been some complaint about dust down 150 South.  Bess Huefner said that it would be possible to use mag water in that area which would probably help.

Several people have noted that the beach at 150 South is gooey and covered with deer flies.  People are also getting stuck in the soft wet areas.  Mayor Spuhler noted that people had been complaining that they couldn’t go down this street and requested that the lane be opened up.  Now that it is opened, they are complaining that it is not a perfect spot to swim.  Mayor Spuhler said that the water subs from the canal.  That adds to the problems and doesn’t allow the beach to dry up as most people desire.  He noted that the canal would be shut off soon so that the beaches could dry out and be more inviting to the visitors.

Mayor Spuhler reported on the lawsuit that was presented in Court on July 9 in the Rich County Court House.  He felt the information presented to the judge was clear and concise.  He felt the City is in a good situation.  The judge will make a ruling on the facts presented in the next 60 days.

Mayor Spuhler noted that the results of the sound tests for the gun range were better than expected.  He was pleased with the findings there.

Spuhler also noted that he has set up a meeting with sovereign lands concerning the jetty concept.  He wants to explain to them the problems that arise when all the boats head back to the harbor when the wind comes up or there is a problem on the lake.  He feels something needs to be done and that the proposed jetty would solve some of the launching problems that currently exist.

Kathy Hislop noted that the budget will need to be opened in one of the upcoming Council meetings to transfer funds into the park budget.  She noted that bids have been requested and the amount of money to be transferred will depend on the bid prices that come in. 

The Unmuddled Mathematician

Never Trust a Mathematician

By Chris Coray, The Unmuddled Mathematician

Well, you can’t say you haven’t been warned.  We are not to be trusted.  On the positive side you probably don’t know too many of us so that is in your favor.  On the down side, the NSA (yeah, those guys) hire a lot of people.  And what kind of people do they hire?  Mathematicians.  We are taking over.  Do not bother to adjust your IPhone, computer, whatever.  We are coming for you and some of us are practical jokers.  It’s a revenge of the nerds kind of thing.

For example, in my prime (assuming I ever had a prime and by the way speaking of prime, my age is now prime) I used to own a big river raft and would take week long trips with friends down many of the major whitewater rivers in the west.  I rowed the rapids rather than going on guided tours.  It took considerable time getting the equipment ready and organizing the trips.  The hardest part was always getting a permit.  The forest service and BLM don’t just hand these out, they were awarded each year by lottery and then only to those who had adequate qualifications and experience.   One year we wanted to float the Green River through Hell’s Half Mile and the Gates of Ladore.  These were named by John Wesley Powell after he made the first trip.  We figured that with our 3 rafts we could handle about 12 people.  So we turned our permit in, being careful with each question and provided the name of each member of our group.  Then we waited and what do you know, we lucked out, won the big lottery and got a permit.  That’s when the fun began. 

After a week of deeper planning for the trip, arranging our schedules, getting drivers to shuttle our vehicles, one of my companions and I decided to play a practical joke on the owner of the third raft and in fact was the person whose name appeared as the actual permit holder.  He is a wonderful guy, but a little bit dyslexic.  Anyway, we manufactured a piece of paper with the header of the forest service (remember, we had an actual permit) and sent him a letter on that letterhead that read as follows (italics provided):

Dear Mr. Bullen,

We have recently reviewed your application for a float trip down the Green River, and for which you were apparently successful.  However, after further careful review, we have learned that one of the names on your list of persons also appears on a second, independent application made by another group.  As you know, a person may apply on only one application.  As a consequence of this action we hereby notify you that your permit has been revoked and further, you and all named persons on the application are forbidden from application for further trips on rivers controlled by us for a period of 5 years.

Should you wish to appeal our decision you may do so by contacting our office at 435 753 3198 or write to us directly at Chris Coray, 1473 N. 1525 E., Logan, Utah.  We regret the necessity of our action but must strictly enforce the department’s guidelines.

Sincerely,

Wimbledon Quigley, US Forest Service

We knew that Bill Bullen was excitable so we sat back and waited.  Bill, affectionately known as “The Hummer”, got our bogus letter.  He read the first paragraph and mentally checked out after that.  He was immediately on the phone to me, almost speechless with disappointment and frustration, as he told me that we were canceled and had a 5 year wait ahead.  I asked him to read the letter over the phone.  He did, but could not get past the first paragraph without stopping.  I asked, “Is there anything more in the letter?”  He said yes, but it was just something about an appeal.  He was really down.  So I kept pushing, asking him to please read that part aloud.  After a while he settled down enough to do so, and read until he got to my name.  Then silence.  Then there followed a string of fairly harsh profanity about my ancestry, my lack of character, and a bunch of other stuff.  I was laughing so hard it’s hard to remember all that was said but it about a week he had settled down.

We had a great trip.  But don’t trust a mathematician.  I have done this kind of thing before and may not be done.

Summer Bus Shuttle

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times
 

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  July 10, 2014.  The beach shuttle is up and running.  This will give visitors a chance to park where they want and still have easy access to the beach and local businesses.  The shuttle makes its rounds every 10 to 15 minutes.  A map is included to show the route and where stops are being made.  The kiosk is included on the route.

Dan Fisher has been hired to drive the bus. The shuttle will be running from Thursday through Saturday.  The shuttle has good air conditioning and a good speaker system.  It was suggested that the driver keep track of the number of individuals riding the bus.  Gary Cox, City Administrator, noted that he would get a clicker to assist in counting riders.

An ordinance enforcement complaint form is being considered.  This will allow a record to be kept of ordinance enforcement requests, who has requested help, and how the matter was handled.  Most cities have such a record, and it would be helpful for out town as well.  A couple of samples used by other cities were shown to the Council.  Gary Cox was asked to go ahead with a sample form and see how it works. 

A bid will soon be let for fences for Heritage Park.  Costs are constantly going up.  The bid needs to include possible cost adjustments.  A lot of cement is going to have to be removed which will be expensive.  The budget will have to be opened and more funds placed into that account.

Rodeo on Weekends in Garden City

Photos by Tammy Calder