National Junior Honor Society

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah. January 16, 2018.  Kip Motta, Rich Middle School principal, said that they created the National Junior Honors Society which has national ties and is the junior version of the National Honors Society which is sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.   To be selected to the Honors Society a student must have a 3.7 grade point average,
leadership, an H citizenship grade. and good character.

Texi Johnson, Middle School teacher, created the 5 member faculty council, which cannot include the principal.  The council wrote the bylaws.

 Of the 7^th and 8^th  grade students thirty met the requirements.  They filled out the national forms about their leadership and service activities.  Twenty-nine returned the forms and were accepted.  They were inducted in a lovely ceremony.

Motta wanted to thank Johnson for her work on  creating this as a first class organization.  In addition to the honors at the school, participants can compete for the advocacy council .  There are also scholarships available to Society members.  Some members may have opportunities to go to regional and national meetings. Being a member is also good on resumes as the Society is a nationally recognized organization.

Virtual Historical Reality

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah. January 16, 2018.  Virtual history field trips to sites of the American Revolution have been enjoyed by the students of Texie Johnson, Rich Middle School history teacher.   She attended The  Rural Schools Conference where she saw the technology.  She used tech money to buy 24 IPods and  cardboard Google virtual reality boxes.  The publisher, Houghten Mifflen, has apps that show the actual sites in 3D.   For example, a student can see the path of Paul Revere’s ride much as you would experience it in person.  One can see how wide or small the trail or see how little distance there was between the Rebels and the British at the Old North Bridge where the first shot was fired.  The world history app shows Roman ruins and aqueducts.  

The board enjoyed working with the technology and complimented Johnson on her efforts to bring history to life.

Eighteen Wheeler Philosophy

By Mel Hansen, The Eighteen Wheeler Philosopher

Never thought I'd say this...I miss building/mending fences.

I'm listening to a book about the constitution, right now it's talking about the First Amendment, Freedom of Speech.

It's jogged my memory of another "Fencing Lesson" I learned from my Dad as we were building a new fence around the grain field on the east side of the lake shortly after I had returned home from my mission.

At noon we sat in the pickup to have lunch, I turned on the radio to listen to the news and a few tunes whilst eating our sandwiches. Can't exactly remember what the news was specifically about, but it must've had something to do with freedom of speech cause I can remember my Dad saying after the news, "I fought for the right for every American to say what they want, but I didn't fight for what some think...is their right to be heard!"

I didn't comment on his statement at that time, but I found myself thinking about it the rest of the day. It's really a thought provoking statement.

On the way home I said to him "Dad, a person has to have the right to be heard...if not, what good is freedom of speech?"

His reply was..."No my boy! you have the "right" to say whatever you want!  It's up to others to determine if you're heard." 

No Bull

Anyone see the larger than life sized, anatomically correct bull on the roof of Merlin's Restaurant in Garden City the other day? It was huge.  It's gone from the roof now.

It seems our city fathers found the bull mildly disturbing, perched on the roof for all to see in its glory, so it has been banished to Merlin's back yard by vote of the City Council.

There is a sign warning people not to feed the bull.  Perhaps women and children should avert their eyes.

Photo by Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Garden City

Garden City Council Meeting

Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah. January 11, 2018.  The Spa at Water’s Edge requested the City add a retail sale option to their current business license at 88 South Bear Lake Blvd.  After a brief discussion, the license was approved with the contingency that the individual must have an occupancy certificate before the business license would be valid.

Cody’s Gastro Garage requested the city to add catering to their current restaurant business license.  This business is also located at 88 South Bear Lake Blvd.  The request was made by Chris Shurian.  He noted that there have been several requests that large groups would like to have food delivered to their home or other location without having to bring the big groups to the restaurant itself.  He said that this license would allow him to buy the needed equipment to keep food at the proper temperature and have the types of equipment and vehicles to transfer food easily.  The requested was granted.

A request was made for a short-term rental license.  Scott Dotson will be the contact person for a short-term rental located at 794 N. Cambry Drive.  The owner is Streamline Consulting.  The license was granted.

Another request for a short-term rental was made by the owners, Robert and Kristi Smith for their property located at 865 Harbor Village Dr. #209.  Bear Lake Rental Properties will be the Management Company.    The dimensions of the rooms on their outline of the home as well as a lack of a diagram of the parking spots were left off from the request so the motion was made and approved with the contingency that these two missing items be drawn up and given to the City Office personnel.

Mitch Poulson, Bear Lake Regional Council,  appeared before the Council with a map showing the current and future trails throughout the County as well as other counties that are contiguous to Rich County.  The map uses different colors for trails for walking; walking and biking; walking, biking, and horseback riding; walking, biking, horseback riding; and four-wheelers and side-by-sides.  All types of facilities such as information, parking, restrooms, etc. are also included.  The maps will be available to individuals desiring to take advantage of these facilities.  He noted that the information on the map can also be made into an app that people can put on their telephones.

The Council was very receptive to the map and asked if the maps could also include trails and facilities that are also available in the winter.  There are more people coming in the winter to snowmobile, snowshoe, ski, etc.  This map could also be very helpful to those interested in winter activities. 

Poulson noted that they are trying to get the map ready for the coming summer, but there are still some items that need to be checked before final printing of the map.

The Council members re-appointed the following:

            Planning Commission Member, Lance Bourne

            Planning Commission Member, Jared Hislop

            Board of Adjustment Member, Mark Hislop

A motion was made and passed to reappoint the above individuals.

Mayor Leonhardt asked the Council members if they were satisfied with their assignments.  They responded that they were fine with the items they have been asked to work on. 

Garden City Council Reports

Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah. January 11, 2018.  Pat Argyle, Garden City Council Member, reported on Heritage Park.  She noted that work on the park will be completed prior to Raspberry Days.  She is concerned about parking facilities for Raspberry Days and asked the Council Members to come up with some ideas for parking.  She noted that the first meeting for the Raspberry Committee was held the other day and hopes that everyone will look forward and take care of things early so that that Festival will go smoothly.

Howard Pope , Council Member, reported that he had met with Richard Monk concerning the swimming pool.  Glen Gillies noted that he has been doing a lot of work on the swimming pool.  He had cleaned the boiler and heating unit.  In the past only a minimum fee was assessed to reserve the pool.  The fee only took care of some salaries but not all the expenses involved.  Gillies noted that the fee to reserve the pool for parties needs to be increased.   

Gillies has purchased an extra circulation pump and there are six life guards working at the pool.  He suggested that a regular schedule for maintenance and cleaning be set up so that nothing gets overlooked in the future.  A lift for handicapped has been purchased as well as a new cover.  Things are going much better, and there is still some money that was set aside for the pool to continue to improve that area.

Mayor Mike Leonhardt told Pope that there will be a meeting February 12 dealing with trails.  The County Commissioners, the Forest Service and DNR individuals will be present.  It begins as 1:00 p.m.  He asked Pope to attend that meeting.

Ken Hansen, Council Member, noted that he has been working with Riley Argyle.  He said he was currently working on two projects—one to let out for a bid and the other one needs to be finished soon.  Hansen said that the library needs better lighting.  He said he would get the lights purchased and is willing to install the new lights.  He was told that there is a wiring problem on the east side of the library.  He said he would look into that issue.  He noted that the library needs some additional lights outside for safety.  He will also take care of that item.  Hansen was also told that the office used by the Tourism Bureau doesn’t have any heat in that area.  He said he would check out that matter as well.

Darin Pugmire reported that he is still working on 300 West going south.  Darrin noted that he is concerned about 300 West going from the City Offices to Highway 89 close to the KOA location.  He said that the road needs to be widened by at least two feet.  He also said that sidewalks would add to that area and should be at least 5’ wide if possible.  He is also concerned about the sidewalks in town. 

Mayor Leonhardt said that the computers in the city offices and the library need to be updated.  The current computer system is going down and working much to slow.  He said that hopefully they can get a new network up and working well soon.

No Ice On The Lake This Year

Photo by Lauriann Wakefield, Little Starling Photography, Garden City

Special Garden City Council Meeting

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times 

GARDEN CITY, Utah. January 2, 2018.  According to the agenda placed in the post office, there was a special meeting of the Garden City Council Meeting.  The following items were noted:

The new mayor, Mike Leonhardt was sworn into office.  The two new board members, Ken Hansen and Howard Pope were also sworn into office. 

Several individuals from the community were appointed to several different committees as follows:

            Planning Commission Member, Lindsey Thomson

            Appeals Authority Member, Dan Kurek

            Administrative Judge, Travis Hobbs

            Library Board Member, Ronda Menlove.

After a roll call, there was an ordinance discussion concerning Ordinance #17-17, an ordinance adding storage sheds as a conditional use permit in the C-3 Zone.  Ordinance #17-18 was also discussed.  It is an ordinance changing the wording of “accessory building” to “accessory structure”.  Both ordinances were approved.

There was also a discussion to purchase the two bays in the public works building from the Bear Lake Special Service District.  This item was also approved.

            

Good Stuff

Fat?

By John Brown, The Man

So what if everything you know about fat, cholesterol, and diet is pretty much wrong?

What if you found out that the science behind the good old food pyramid is, well, not really there?

We’ve been told that a healthy diet consists of lots of grains, bagels, bread, pasta, cereals, rice, etc. and very little fat. What if it’s actually the reverse?

If it is, then it might explain why the rates of diabetes and obesity began to skyrocket as the nation started to implement this experiment.

I remember having gained about fifteen pounds when I was first married. I decided I would go on a diet. I read up on the low fat high carb diet and followed it strictly. Two weeks later, I had gained ten more pounds. Did I at the time look at the diet and think that maybe there was something wrong with it?

No. That would have been too intelligent.

Instead, I figured something must be wrong with me and continued to try to “eat healthy.” What’s that definition of insanity—doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? Call me insane. Or slow. Or too trusting of authority.

It appears that the science of nutrition got hijacked. Government policy then ran away with it. It’s a fascinating and cautionary tale. Let me recommend three books that explain what really causes us to deposit fat and how we got off track.

The first is Why We Get Fat by science writer Gary Taubes. In it he reveals the bad nutritional science of the last century, why the good science was ignored, what really causes us to store fat, and what to do about it.

The next is The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung. Fung is a kidney specialist. Obesity and diabetes are the root of many kidney problems. And so he decided to help his patients by strop treating symptoms and get at the root cause. Fung’s gift is clarity. He explains how obesity and diabetes became an epidemic, the errors in how we think about calories and diet, and then he explains in great clarity the new model of what really causes obesity and how to reverse it.

The last is The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat & Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet by investigative journalist Nina Teicholz. She spent nine years investigating this, and the book reveals how the misinformation about saturated fats took hold in the scientific community, government, and the public and how recent findings overturn these beliefs. It’s a startling history, a cautionary tale showing how ego, bias, and premature institutional consensus allowed dangerous misrepresentations to become dietary dogma.

If you’re dealing with obesity, heart disease, or diabetes, I think you’ll find these books very interesting. 

Winter Mornings

Photo by Donna Hirschi Stocking

Garden City Planning & Zoning

Randall Knight, Reporter

Rich Civic Times 

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  January 3, 2018.  The Planning and Zoning meeting began at 5:00 PM and the board members present were: Lance Bourne (Chair), Susan House, Joey Stocking, Jim DeGroot, Zack McKee, and Jared Hislop.  Tom Stevens was replaced by Lindsey Thompson.  There were no public comments so the commission went right into the regularly scheduled meeting.

Board members Bourne, Hislop, and Lindsey Thompson were sworn in as Commission Members.  Bourne was nominated as the Chair and House the vice chair.

There was a long discussion on allowing a home owner or contractor to have temporary containers for 6 months that would be used for storage during construction or repairs in Ord 17-18.  The main concern was the possibility of containers being converted into a permanent structure as seen in various areas of the nation.  A recommendation was made to require a permit allowing the temporary use to provide a method to track and regulate their use.  Because of so many different options the proposal to change the wording in regard to accessory buildings was tabled.

The next item discussed was the wording for active and passive open areas defined in 11F-100.  It was pointed out that active areas are defined but passive areas isn’t.  Active areas include parks, play grounds, landscaping, etc.  It was suggested passive areas would be slopes, gullies, drainage areas, etc. It was discussed how parking areas and streets are not included as open space in one section, but in the PUD section it is negotiable. House found some good examples of how other groups have defined these areas.  Bourne said he would reword the definitions and present them for review and acceptance next month.

Matt Nielsen, developer,  presented a top level design for a new PUD in the open lot south of the car wash and storage sheds on 300 W.  The project would be on the vacant lot west of the current Season’s 5-plex on 100 W and north of the city storage area behind the Special Service Building and Fire Station.  The project would include approximately 56 town houses.

Mitch Poulsen, Bear Lake Regional Commission, provided a map showing the current and proposed trails connecting some city streets to the USFS and BLM trails.  This is in line with the city’s plans to expand tourism from just lake activities to ATV, biking, hiking, snowmobiling, and cross country skiing enthusiasts as well.

Mayor Mike Leonhardt, Garden City, thanked the board members for their service in such a difficult capacity for the planning and managing of city ordinances during this time of large growth. 

Mountain Sky

Photo by Julie Dotson, Garden City

Cluff Appointed To Fire Board

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter
Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah.  January 3, 2018.  The Rich County Commissioners appointed Laura Cluff, co-owner of Summit Pizza as the Garden City designee on the Garden City Fire District Board replacing Brian House.  Cluff has lived in the district for several years and has been active in the community.

The Commissioners reappointed Randall Knight and Howard Pope to four year terms.

New Grazing Rules in Northern Utah

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times 

RANDOLPH, Utah. January 3, 2018.  The BLM and Forest Service have signed the Three Creeks Grazing Allotment Consolidation.  This is a program that has been seven years in the making, bringing local ranchers into one grazing association to protect both grasslands and grazing permits.  The grazing ranges will be used for shorter periods of time to allow the grasses to regrow, allowing grazers to use them longer. 

Ten herds will be split into two herds which will pasture in ten pastures; there will be more cattle but shorter grazing in each pasture.  Ranchers will have to move herds every two weeks.  Commissioner Norm Weston said that his cattle are in the same kind of pastures and it has increased his work load in the summer.

The Deseret News, December 26, 2017, reports “"Ranchers are usually pretty independent-minded, but here we have 30-plus who have come together with an ecological goal to improve the landscape. They all bought off on it," said Troy Forrest, head of the grazing improvement program within the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. "This higher level of management will lead to improvements on the ground."

At issue are more than 135,000 acres chiefly owned and managed by federal agencies in Rich County, where grazing has been an economic mainstay since the 1800s.

Ranchers who graze their livestock on public lands, however, are increasingly in the crosshairs of environmental groups that seek an end to the practice by citing degraded landscapes.

This effort of rotational grazing at Three Creeks, accompanied by monitoring of rangeland health, is modeled after the success of the Deseret Land & Livestock Ranch 10 miles to the south in Woodruff.”

Landfill Summer Hours

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah.  January 3, 2018. Times for the Rich County Landfill will change for the summer.  Commissioners were asked to approve summer hours of 8a.m. to 4p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.  The landfill will be closed on Sunday and Monday.

In the winter the landfill is open Tuesday through Friday 12 noon to 4 p.m.

Lynn Weston , newly appointed Sanitation Supervisor, said that closing the landfill to the public on Mondays would allow one more worker to be part of the garbage collection that increases on the weekends .  They have pickup on Saturdays and Sundays in Garden City on the weekends and then another pickup on Monday if needed.  Saturday is the busiest time at the landfill as people bring large items.  Contractors use the landfill to dispose of waste although many use the dumpsters which is against the law and that construction  waste causes damage to the trucks.

Four people work on the trucks in the winter and in the summer they hire one extra part time person. The trucks take a two hour round trip to empty dumpsters and bring the trash back to the landfill, for Garden City they make several round trips.  In the summer the sanitation workers may work ten to eleven hour days.

Weston said that cardboard boxes are 80% of the garbage and that he is looking into finding ways to have residents recycle the boxes.