Letter to The Editor

Bear Lake-Hot seat of controversy.

The changes that have come to Garden City have improved/frustrated the people who live and come to play there. New laws on land use, sewer, water, fire, and safety have all caused uproars through the years.

I live on 150 So. and the use of the road has increased by 100% plus. But, I also understand that the lake is for everyone and there needs to be access.

The state helped the City clean and pave the road to the lake. The City runs a bus in the summer for visitors who want to get to the beach. It has helped with the traffic and dust so much.

Much criticism has been directed at the Garden City Mayor and Town Council over the years when people have chosen to voice their feelings about issues which affect them-which is an American right.
When a mayor allowed Shore Estates to gate the access to the lake at Shore Estates, I felt at the time that it was not right and told him that these accesses would be important later as the population increased in our area. He chuckled and told me that the accesses would never be used and the Shore Estates people wanted to protect their vacation/year round homes.

I have read the Shore Estate plat and it states that the accesses were to open to the public for perpetuity-not just for the adjoining land owner’s use. When we came to Bear Lake in 1968, we had friends-Larry & Sharon Harris whom we visited a lot at Shore Estates. They knew the accesses were open to the public. Over time the Shore Estate owners have wanted to keep people from walking on “their” public accesses.

We lived in Chicago and there were public walking lanes to the lake. We visited Honolulu and there were public walkways to the ocean. The Legacy Development granted the City a walking path to the lake.

In the Pickleville plat there were walking lanes to the lake. Homeowners did not want people walking past their homes, but the City began cleaning and signing those areas for use of the public.
Yes, Judge Wilmore said the gates could go back up, but I believe he did not understand the issue that his decision will affect all public roads on plats that anyone then can say this was a decision made by a Judge about public access and can be changed at will. This ruling will also reflect on the historical roads that people have tried to fence over the years. The state ruled that the historical roads remain open.

This part is long, but should be refuted.

“Other evidence strongly supports a finding that neither the (homeowners) nor (the town) ever intended or believed the driveways to be public streets. If a city owns public city streets for 50 years, upon which many of its families reside, it will typically pave or improve the streets in some way, plow the snow from them or name them,” Willmore wrote in his decision. (Only one homeowner lived on these 5 streets year round for the last 50 years-we have another street in Pickleville where one homeowner lives and we don’t plow for him and he is 94. Naming the streets should have been done on the plat-only no one thought about that detail 50 years ago. Many of our streets were not paved as the City did not have much money to do so until the late 90’s, even then it was on a limited basis. Several streets are not paved even now. The road to the Negus Ranch has been there over 100 years and is still not paved).

“A city would not allow public city streets to be chained off or gated by private citizens for any length of time, much less for decades. (The town) seems to confuse maintaining sewer and water lines under the driveways with maintaining the driveways themselves as owners would … by all accounts, (the town has) never exercised control over these driveways like owners until the events underlying this cause of action.”

After noting that the homeowners could be harmed from losing their privacy from the loss of gates, Willmore went on to write that “if anything, the public’s interest lies in obtaining unrestricted use of these driveways at the expense of these (homeowners).”

(The use of the access roads was to be walking lanes only to protect the homeowners).
Lastly, the homeowners have never paid taxes for “their” driveways. I mow and remove snow on the State Highway ROW. I’d like to not have to pay taxes and then get reimbursed for eminent domain. All of the City should share in what they will get if this continues to go to eminent domain.
Another thought: The Foundation of Bear Lake is working towards purchasing land for another park, but that is years in the making and perhaps all of the private lands will be gone and the Foundation will just keep helping with bike path around the lake.

Seriously, I wish for this New Year a plan of peace and goodwill-especially at Bear Lake.

Bess Huefner

Chris Stone Coray 1943 - 2017

Editors Note: Bobbie has obviously been occupied with other matters the last few weeks. I've done my best to keep this newsletter going on her behalf. Because I wanted to get this obituary out before next Monday (and because I missed having anything to send lass Monday) I am sending a special edition of the newsletter. My sincerest condolences to the Coray family for their loss of Chris. He truly was a wonderful man that did a lot of good for this world. 
- Joey Stocking of Garden City, UT

Chris Stone Coray was born July 11, 1943 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Howard Flygare Coray and Ivy Josephine Stone Coray. He passed away unexpectedly Jan. 3, 2017, of Acute Myeloid Leukemia at the LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City. After graduating from East High School, he earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Utah. He served in the U.S. Army as a nuclear weapons officer from 1965-69. During his years in the service he was stationed in Germany, Turkey and the USA.

On Nov. 25, 1966, Chris married Bobbie Bicknell (chief editor of this newsletter) at the Fort Douglas Army Chapel in Salt Lake City.

Chris received his doctoral degree in mathematics at the University of Utah, where he was awarded an NDEA Fellowship. He began his teaching career in 1973 as an assistant professor at Idaho State University. During that time he also worked as a researcher at the Idaho Nuclear Engineering Laboratory.
He began teaching at Utah State University in Logan, Utah, in 1975 and was a full professor of mathematics. While in this position at USU he authored many refereed papers and published research. He also received several National Science Foundation grants. Chris was awarded the Gerald Sherratt Special Recognition Robins Award and the 1988 Professor of the Year in Mathematics and Statistics.

In 1979 he was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in 1980 he and his family were sealed in the Logan LDS Temple.
In 1982, he was selected to work with the University of Tokyo in a space-related research project. During this time he and his family lived in Tokyo, where Chris worked with the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science for nine months.

In 1994 he was named Cache County Chamber "Total Citizen of the Year," and in 1997, Teacher of the Year in Mathematics and Statistics. In 1997 he also won the prestigious NORCHE prize. In both 2000 and 2001 Chris was named the Department and College of Science Advisor of the Year. He also served on the USU Faculty Senate for many years.

In 1990, he was elected to the Cache County Council and served a four-year term, where he was able to implement the 911 system in Cache County and created a 10-year planning project that has resulted in making Cache Valley a better place to live.

Chris was chair of the Cache County Sheriff's Merit Commission from 1996-2002 and member of the Countywide Planning and Development Governing Board. He also served as a member of the Community Accountability Board and Adult Probation and Parole. In addition, he served as chairman of the American Cancer Society from 1996-98 and served on the board of Logan Regional Hospital. As chairman of the Logan Regional Hospital IHC Foundation he helped to raise $1.4 million towards the construction of a beautiful new cancer center. As he watched patients who had to drive long distances for treatment he became committed to building a cancer center in Logan.

Chris was a wonderful father who loved to share his love of reading (especially the "Oz" stories by L. Frank Baum) with his two daughters and now his three granddaughters. He also loved being in the sidelines at basketball and soccer games. He was thrilled when his daughters and granddaughters - whom he called his "grandberries" - excelled in violin, soccer, ballet and ice skating. As his family grew, Chris was able share with them his love of hunting, fishing and camping. Chris also found time to be a Scouting leader to young men and taught many young men the values of hard work and forthrightness.

Chris served as a bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints USU First Stake. Currently, he was serving as the High Priest group leader in the Garden City Second Ward. His favorite Church calling was as Young Men's advisor, where he was able to teach and influence many lives.

After retiring to Garden City, Chris continued to serve his community as the chairman of the Garden City Fire Department, the Sweetwater HOA Board president and the Sweetwater Water Company Chairman. He helped to build the Garden City offices and library. In his spare time, Chris was "The Unmuddled Mathematician" columnist for the Rich Civic Times. He also voluntarily tutored many young people in the community. It was always important for him to "lift people up," but his greatest joy was his three granddaughters.

In 2010, he and his wife Bobbie were called to an LDS Humanitarian Mission to Damascus, Syria, where he was associated with Damascus University and worked on LDS Humanitarian projects. In 2011, during the "Arab Spring" they were transferred to Madaba, Jordan, where Chris assisted in the founding year of a new Catholic University, The American University of Madaba.
He is survived by his wife; daughters, Kimberly Erin Coray Larson (Steve), Wendy Kristine Coray Wimmer (Marc); and three granddaughters, Savannah K. Larson, Jade Wimmer and Carmen Wimmer. He is also survived by his mother, his brother, Reed Spencer Coray, and sister, Samala Coray, and a large extended family of nieces, nephews and cousins whom he loved very much.
A scholarship endowment at the USU Department of Mathematics has been created for students in rural areas in Chris' name. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made at https://www.usu.edu/advancement/coray/.

Visiting and greeting will be held at the Allen-Hall Mortuary, 34 E. Center St., in Logan, on Friday, Jan. 6, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and in Garden City at the Garden City Second Ward on 65 S. Bear Lake Boulevard on Saturday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. with the funeral held at noon. Condolences may be expressed online at www.allenmortuaries.net.

BATC Report To RC School Board

Anita Weston, reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah. December 21, 2016. Troy Christensen presented information to the Board concerning Bridgerland Applied Technology College (BATC).  He had a video that he played for the Board dealing with what they call stackable credits.  BATC and USU have built a curriculum that allows for 90 credits from BATC to transfer to USU as 30 credits.  These credits can be earned while still attending high school or while attending BATC.  They are accepted by USU and move students forward without having to retake any courses.

Christensen noted certificates start careers and degrees elevate them.  In other words, a student can gain a certification and get a good paying job.  As they work, they generally decide that they would like to gain more education to allow themselves to increase their pay check.  Thus, they are able to be accepted into USU and already have credits that move them toward their goal while still working if necessary.  It seems to work out really well for the students who have been following this path.

Statistics show that technical skills fill 68 percent of the jobs that pay a livable wage.  A bachelor’s degree fills about 21 percent of all jobs and a higher PHD education is needed by about 11 percent of the jobs.  It is easy to see that skills are where the majority of the jobs in the work force exist.

Christensen said there are two key points that individuals should be aware of.  First, there are exit and entrance points that must be considered.  Also specific, relevant, and economical facts must be known.  The most common path is getting a high school diploma.  Next is a technical certification, then an association science degree and finally a bachelor’s degree.

At Rich High School, the students are able to have concurrent enrollment.  Students have the opportunity of getting most of those required credits for an associate degree.  A bachelor’s degree requires 126 credits.  BATC has set up pathways toward the associate degree so that no extra classes are additional credits are required.  It is a very economical and good way to move a student toward a higher education.  BATC has the same agreement with most of the higher education institutions in the state allowing students to transfer to the school of their choice.  Currently, 90 percent of the students gaining certification at BATC are employed when the finish their program.

School Board Meeting Adopts CTSO Program

Anita Weston, reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah. December 21, 2016. The Utah State Board of Education has mandated that every high school in the state is required to offer a CTSO (Career Technical Student Program) or the $89,000 add on funding will be withheld. This is generally taken care of by creating student organizations such as FFA (Future Farmers of American) etc. which creates additional work for teachers who are put in charge of these programs.  That means that teachers either need to be paid more or given release time to handle the programs.

Principal Larsen went to the school board with all kinds of facts and figures to show that Rich High School is offering more opportunities to students than any other school in the State.  He told the State Board that Rich High School is the best school in the State.  He then went through what is available to the students here.  He noted that the currently has a 900 hour drafting program, a 900 hour robotics and automation program, a machine shop experience, an agricultural science program, and the current business classes of desk top publishing 1 and 2 and computer science will become a computer science program, there is a welding program, a construction trades opportunity, carpentry, auto diesel experience, several medical programs and a foods and culinary arts experience. 

He noted that 93 percent of the students are involved in these programs as well as athletics and other outside activities.  He said it was putting an extra burden on the teachers in the Rich County School District.

He noted that they didn’t seem to mind hearing about all of these things.  They then explained  that the CTSO that Rich High School should adopt is called Skills USA.  It would fit beautifully because it deals with many of the above programs.  They recommended that any student who isn’t currently in one of the programs be called as the president of the CTSO and that student should then recruit some other students to help.  The students who are outstanding in any of the programs could then be sent to the state and national competitions which means they would be out of school for perhaps a day or two.  The students are responsible for the organization.  It is set up so that the students have an opportunity to develop leadership skills which is the reason for CTSOs in the first place.

A current Utah State School Board Member is also the national board member of Skills USA.  He was at the Board Meeting.  He showed a video of what is expected of schools that belong to Skills USA.  He noted that apparently the students at Rich High School are certainly getting technical skills.  However, he felt that Skills USA would add the opportunity to develop leadership skills.  It is an inter-curricular organization.  It covers all of the programs at school as well as Bridgeland courses.  There are state, regional, and national competitions.  There are dues that will have to be paid.  Generally at the competitions only one student (the best) is sent to represent the school.

The Board was told that if they don’t get something going that the State will recognize as a CTSO program, they will lose the $89,000.  It must be put in place this year in order to not miss out on this year’s funds.  The motion was made and passed by the Board that Skills USA would be adopted and organized within the next few weeks.

Rich County School Board Meeting

Anita Weston, reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah. December 21, 2016. A home school request was approved by the Board.

Policy 312.3.1 is about the amount of time a student is allowed to be out of school when they are sick or hurt.  The time period is three consecutive months.  The motion was made and passed with the suggested improvements.

Utah High School Athletic Association has changed regional boundaries.  Principal Larsen reported that the meeting where the changes were made was cordial and went well.  He noted that Rich High School will be the largest school in the new region.  Some of the schools that are now in our region are private schools.  Many do no have all of the same sports as Rich High so there will be interesting changes as time passes.  Rich High School is the only school sponsoring football.

Scott Tolentino attended the workshop for newly elected local board members.  He said that it was a great training meeting.  There were 71 newly elected individuals and 67 of them attended the meeting.  There were four break-out sessions that were especially helpful.  He said that he learned a lot of good things that will be helpful as he begins work on the board.  He noted that several local boards communicate with other board members using social media which kept everyone on the board current with what is happening.  They also shared important topics prior to the meetings so the members can look into these issues before the meeting.  He was told that it was a good idea to attend the City Council meetings to be aware of the work that the various cities are doing.  There is a meeting February 17 on capital hill for all school board members.

The PEHP Health Screening schedules were pretty much filled and were well attended.  Three people came to do the screening and were very professional and competent.  All who attended were given $50.  Individuals who were out of compliance were given suggestions to help them meet their goals.  All who met their goal were given another $50.  This was a very positive thing and made people enthused and willing to attend.

The superintendent noted that the transition from one insurance company to another one was very seamless and was especially well done.  He felt that the business manager should be thanked for all of his help in making this change.

January Board Meeting will be held January 18, 2017.

Clouds over Bear Lake

Photo by Karla Allen

Notice Of Public Hearing On Short Term Rentals

The Rich County Commission will hold a Public Hearing to consider adopting a Rich County Short Term Rental Ordinance. This proposed ordinance would regulate the business of nightly and short term rentals (under 30 days) of residences within the unincorporated areas of Rich County. This ordinance would do so by requiring a special business license for the short term rentals and setting conditions of holding the license.At this meeting,the Board of County Commissioners will hear public comments regarding this proposed ordinance.

A complete copy of the proposed ordinance can be obtained by contacting the Rich County Clerk, Becky Peart.

DATE: February 1, 2017

TIME: 1:30 p.m.

PLACE: Rich County Courthouse

KSL News Report On Garden City Beach Access

By Carter Williams, KSL News   | Posted Dec 19th, 2016 @ 11:18am

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  With a pristine view of Bear Lake to the east, it's hard not to fall in love with the homes located within the Shore Lodge Estates subdivision.

"It's so beautiful there," says Jenny Robison, the daughter-in-law of one of the subdivision's homeowners.

So it's hard to believe that the subdivision is also ground zero for a bitter court battle between homeowners and the town that has dragged on for years — and counting.

Since 2013, there has been a seemingly constant battle back-and-forth between the homeowners and Garden City town officials over whether or not the private lanes in the subdivision that connect their homes and the lake should be available to the public.

Now, months after a judge in Utah’s 1st District Court ruled in favor of the property owners, the homeowners of the subdivision are fuming as town officials push forward to use eminent domain to claim two of the six lanes — roads made from grass, dirt and gravel — at the center of the lengthy squabble.

Read the rest of the story at https://www.ksl.com/?sid=42623689

Rich Middle School Honor Roll

First Trimester – 2016-17
6th Grade, Elly Argyle*, Holt Argyle, Jeremy Brown*, Jazlyn Chandler, Jayken Downing, Ayden Handley, Hazer Hoffman, Chris Kurek, Corbin Moldenhauer, Aria Ostler, Max Parry, Darlene Petersen, Brynlee Pugmire, Stetson Rothlisberger, Sophee Seamons, Ryann Stapel, Tessa Ward*,
Hana Weston

7th Grade, Justin Adams, Brooklyn Anderson, Chancie Bell, Riley Carrillo, Hattie Cornia, Eden Dalley, Riley Dean, Josh England, Kassidee Groll, Kayley Hatch, Hannah Hillier, Ellie Johnson,
Brittney Lamborn*, Ryan Leifson, Ambria Lutz*,Tayla McKee, James McKinnon, Chloe Negus*,
Tanner Nelson, Amasay Nielsen, Natalee Parry, Annie Peart*, Hanna Rex, Makynzee Smith*,
Kylie Thomson, Sadie Wadsworth, Katlyn Wahlberg*, Jayden Ward, Nathan Woods

8th Grade, Peyton Allred, Aaron Cook, Alysia Cook, Amber Cook, Jaycee Cornia*, Taylee Cornia,
Zoe Dean, Kennedy Eastman*, Kambry Fairbourn, Kate Frandsen, Travis Gifford, Konner Greer,
Jaidyn Groll, Brooke Handley, Kylen Hardman, Sydney Hopkin*,Kysa Johnson, Chase Kurek,
Abril Maldonado*,Corbin Malm, Hayden Meek*, Logan Muirbrook, Haylie Nye*, Amanda Schulthess, McKina Stacey*, Riley Taylor, Amiya Trenery, Sam Wahlberg, Grace Wamsley, Rebecca Wamsley*, Madyson Weston*


*4.0

Nominee Named To Fill Justice Court Vacancy

Randolph, Utah. The Rich County Nominating Commission has announced the appointment of the Honorable Judge Trevor Layne Cook to fill the Rich County Justice Court vacancy. The position will replace Judge Ross McKinnon, who will retire effective Jan. 1, 2017.

Judge Cook graduated from Utah State University with a B.S. in management and human resources and earned a law degree from Texas Southern University. After law school he worked as a law clerk for the First District Court of Utah. After his clerkship, Cook joined the law finn of Ericson & Shaw, LLP where he practiced civil law for eight years. In 2012, Judge Cook was appointed to the justice court bench where he serves Nibley City and Mendon City. He is cunently employed at Bear River Mental Health Services, Inc. as its corporate compliance officer.

Cisco Sonar

By Bryce Nielson,The Cisco Kid

By now, I suspect that many of you have seen the “haunting” picture, taken from the Space Station (NASA), of white sediments swirling in Bear Lake’s blue, water.  The description below the image said that the sediment probably came in from North Eden, Fish Haven and Swan creeks.

I have been fascinated by Bear Lake’s physical characteristics since 1967 when my USU limnology class came to take water samples.  At that time, Dr. Bill Helm, told us about currents in Bear lake and that were influenced by the earth’s rotation and the relationship of the moon, much like tides.  It sounded too far out for me to buy into at the time.  To further his arguments, he described how researchers would suspend glass tubes filled with liquid gelatin and suspend them at various depths and locations.  They would then retrieve them with the solidified gelatin inside and and

measure the degree variation for level to describe the effects of currents.  Unfortunately, none of that data was ever published and was lost with Bill’s death.  I learned a lot in that class about water densities in relation to temperature, thermal stratification, fall and spring overturns and a myriad of chemical compounds that are associated with water.  I finished college, went to work for Utah Fish and Game (now Wildlife Resources) and ended up at Bear Lake as a research fisheries biologist in 1974.  One thing that the old, classical, scientists taught me was instruments were fine but when it came to understanding the natural world around us, constant observation is the best tool you have.

Bear Lake currents have resided in a corner of my mind since then.  I would watch where boats and floats and other debris drifted to when they were lost on the lake.  Given enough time, most stuff ends up on North Eden.  Living up in Bridgerland, I would look down on the lake see the surface waters covered in different patterns and swirls.  I still had a nagging feeling that this was all a result of the wind.  I have spent a good majority of my life creel checking fishermen.  Lots of time it was on the ice.  Then as I saw things closer, I observed that ice fishermen’s lines didn’t always go straight down.  Many times it was difficult to keep a light lure on the bottom.  Along the east shore they were always drifting towards the north.  This evidence convinced me that currents were active under the ice, away from the winds influence.  I would be looking at Google Earth around Garden City and would notice current swirls off Gus Rich Point.  When I was exploring the “Rockpile” with an underwater camera, an area of gravel could be seen, that was clean of sediments, obviously swept off by currents.  It turns out to be an important spot for Bonneville cisco spawning.  “Weed Beds” which attract fishermen after cutthroat and whitefish, also catch millions of cisco eggs that are drifting in the water column away from spawning areas which provide food for other fish.  Even the elusive Bear Lake sculpin depends on lake currents to distribute their larval fish around the lake, away from the only spawning substrate on the east side.

When I saw sediment swirls from space, it all made sense to me.  What I was seeing was three current cells, rotating counter clockwise bringing up calcium carbonate, marl, from the lake.  Calcium carbonate particles are extremely small and take a long time to drift through the water column (why Bear Lake water is blue).  Cells in the shallow water were picking marl up off the bottom sediment. The sediment in the deep waters was probably coming up from the thermocline.  This time of year the lake is stratified which results in the thermocline concentrating marl in that layer of rapidly changing densities with depth.  If you remember, the moon was at its closest distance to the earth around that time, so one could surmise that the currents were especially well defined and active.  One thing for sure, is that they were not created by a sediment inflow from North Eden Creek which has extremely low flows during September.  With irrigation diversions on Swan and Fish Haven, not much water enters the lake and it is crystal clear.

Bear Lake is such a complicated but stable ecosystem.  It has been here for over 200,000 years and I suspect will be here after we are all gone.  I will never quit learning about Bear Lake, but some of her secrets may take a while to surface like they did in September 2016.

It's Very Cold But The Fish Are Great

Travis Hobbs shows off his trophy fish for the Pugstones's Winter Fish Derby

RMS Honors

December Student of the Month

Bella Seamons and Holt Argyle   -  6th grade

Josh England and Hattie Cornia - 7th grade

Haylie Nye and Chase Kurek - 8th grade

December Citizen of the Month

Hazer Hoffman and Jazlyn Chandler - 6th grade

Ryan Leifson and Kassidee Groll - 7th grade

Zoe Dean & Logan Muirbrook - 8th grade

Garden City Public Works Report

Anita Weston, reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah. December 8, 2016   Riley Argyle, Public Works Supervisor, reported that one of the snow plows had a hydraulic issue that has now been fixed and working well.  He feels he and his crew will be able to keep ahead of the snow.

There has been a water leak on 150 South that still needs some additional work.  There was a motor at the water treatment plant that had to be replaced.  The heater in the Elk’s Ridge pump house went out.  The workers were able to get it working again.

Fuel pumps have been ordered as well as fuel tanks.  The city can save 80 cents a gallon by taking advantage of the state rates that are allowed to public organizations.  The city will also have to make a space to place the tanks.  It will cost the city about $2,000 to get the tanks and pumps but  Argyle feels that will amount will soon be saved by using the lower price.  It was reported that $150 in fuel was used in just the last two days by the snow plows.

Glenn Gilles, the city’s commercial building inspector, reported that Water’s Edge has started to build.  The club house is the only building at the Legacy PUD that is commercial.  All of the rest of the buildings in that location will be inspected by George Peart, the building inspector for homes.  At Legacy, the footprints on each plot are built to the edge.  The set back requirement in most situations can be changed in a PUD.  CC&Rs need to be written by both of these new developments.

Zan Murray, city engineer, reported that the Elk’s Ridge easement items are moving forward.  Almost all of the signatures have been obtained.  It should be completed within the next week or two.

Murray had met with Rod Terry concerning 300 West.  The grant that was obtained was using federal funds.  However, the amount has been lowed by the state from 1.3 million dollars to one million.  Murray said he would check to see why the state had entered into this project.  With the change in the amount of money, the road can be completed, but the bike path that was to be included may have to be left for later on.

Plans and designs can be done and building can begin in October 2017.  There are several things that can be done this next year including environmental work, and the right of way by the pond.  Most of the road has a wide right-of-way.  However, when it gets near Buttercup is only 66 feet wide.  Also, there is a curve that needs to be broadened out to maintain a 35 MPH speed in that area by the pond. 

The paper work on the water rights from Shundahi has been completed.  The application with Swan Creek Village concerning water rights is still pending.

Robert Peterson, the City’s Ordinance Officer, reported that the TRT grant will probably be used to build the beach access lane south of Legacy.  It will cost about $100,000.  This means that it will be two or three years in order save enough of the TRT money to complete this project.  A fence will be built along with an asphalt pathway to the lakeshore.

There have been several incidents concerning signs that do not conform to the sign ordinance.  Bob has been working with several business owners to get them back in compliance with the ordinance.

There has been an issue of culinary water theft and Bob has had to give out a warning.  Hopefully this problem is resolved.

Computers for the water treatment plant have arrived along with the computers for the library. 

Bob noted that he is going to be working on the zoning ordinance making minor changes so that there will be greater clarity for this ordinance.

Bob has been meeting with the Utah Trust Insurance Company.  He has been impressed with this company.  They have been most helpful, have presented several excellent seminars, and want to look out for their members.  It is a good company.  He said having the city go with company has been a real plus.

Buttercup’s HOA is dissolving.  They are giving all of the green space in that HOA to the City.  A quick deed for the green space will be the document used to make the transfer.  A letter has been written by the City acknowledging this donation and making it known that they will accept this property.

Currently most of the advertising monies are spent on ads encouraging people to come to Bear Lake in the summer.  However, our town is completely filled in the summer.  The City would like to get the advertising monies to be used in encouraging people to come in the fall, winter, and spring times.  Since the city doesn’t get that much of the TRT money, it would be nice to be able to encourage those who do the advertising to quit spending the majority on summer encouragement.  It would be better used letting people know about Beaver Mountain Ski Resort, snowmobiling possibilities, ice fishing, snow shoeing, etc.

It was suggested that perhaps an economic development person could be hired.  The city is currently looking into using Quatrics which is a way to gather data concerning those who come to Garden City to vacation.  The better the data the city has, the better decisions they will be able to make to cater to the visitors here.

Garden City Council Member Reports

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  December 8, 2016.  Council member Chuck Stocking suggested that short term rentals, renewals of business licenses from date issued rather than the first of the year.  Bob Peterson said the software they use can do it.  The same should be done for other business licenses.  Kathy Hislop said it would be a nightmare if the office had to do it manually and they had to handle 300 licenses.  But the software sends an automatic e-mail when the license is due.  The issue will be put on the agenda next month.

Jennifer Huefner talked adding more trails to the general plan.  Mitch Poulsen, Bear Lake  Regional Commission, has been working on an extensive trail map and Huefner suggested that the city adopt that map as part of the general plan.   Pat Argyle said a lot of trails are in bad shape.  Huefner said it is important to have it on the general plan map to protect the trails.  The trails do need upgrades, and The Bear Lake Regional Commission would be logical to partner with as they can help with trail grants.

Darrin Pugmire met with Zan Murray, city engineer, who said that the money for third west could be available in October 2017.  Pugmire is trying to ascertain where the roads will be so that people know exactly where they will be on their land and be able to plan development around it. 

 

John Spuhler talked about local internet, he and the council concurred that there is inadequate internet service here.  The hot point for local All West Internet is in Randolph, so it doesn't service Garden City.  Centra Com’s internet is unreliable and slow.   Spuhler said he is looking to put 5 gig spectrum on Crawford Mountain which will add speed and some redundancy.   He said he would update the council as more information became available.