The
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Serving Wayne & Garfield Counties, Utah Loa • Fremont • Lyman • BickneLL • teasdaLe • torrey • Grover • Fruita • caineviLLe • HanksviLLe PanGuitcH • PanGuitcH Lake • HatcH • antimony • Bryce • troPic • HenrieviLLe • cannonviLLe • escaLante • BouLder
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Issue # 1217
Garfield School District Passes Tax Increase Teachers Make Plea for Additional Support
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The Garfield County School District Board met during their regular meeting on Thursday, August 17, at Escalante High School. During the meeting the board passed a tax increase of just over $200,000 for the district. Left to right are Mike Savage, Myron Cottam, Cheryl Cox, Ken Platt, GCSD Business Administrator Patty Murphy, and Frank Houston. ESCALANTE – The Garfield County School District board held their regular meeting on the afternoon of Thursday, August 17. The meeting included a public hearing regarding a proposed a district-wide “Truth in Taxa-
tion” funding increase, which, following the hearing was unanimously passed by the board. Much of the meeting included impassioned requests from Boulder Elementary and Escalante Elementary and
High School teachers for additional resources for their schools and students, with teachers present stating that the current funding and staffing resources are “unsustainable.” The fiscal year 2017 tax increase, which passed unanimously, will provide $206,000 in funds across the district. Board president Cheryl Cox and GCSD administrator Patty Murphy explained that while this is an increase over 2016, that because there had been a decrease in taxes for schools over the past two years, it is not an increase over tax levels that county residents have paid previously. “This has never been done in the history of Utah— we reduced taxes for two years,” said Cox. The GCSD’s board’s ba-
Bristlecones Play in Torrey, Aug. 26
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The Bristlecones (l-r, Robert Marc, Don Gomes, Barry Scholl) perform on the Entrada Stage at the Apple Days celebration in Torrey, Utah. You can see them again on Saturday, August 26th, at 7pm at the Robbers' Roost.
SUWA Sues Garfield County Over Open and Public Meetings Law SALT LAKE CITY – On August 15, 2017 the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance filed suit against the Garfield County Commission, stating that county commissioners violated “Utah’s Open and Public Meetings Act…by operating and conducting secret policy meetings with the United States Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke during his trip on or about May 10, 2017.” Kane County Commissioners are also included in the complaint. In a letter addressed to Garfield County Commission Chairman Leland Pollock, dated June 13, 2017, attorney David C. Reymann, representing SUWA, stated, “I am advised that on May 10, 2017, all three members of the Garfield County Commission met with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke during his visit to Utah, and that the subject matter of the discussion involved, among other things, the future of the Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument and its relationship to Garfield County and other matters under the jurisdiction of the Commission. I am further advised that this meeting was not publicly noticed and that members of the public were not permitted to attend or otherwise participate in that meeting.” The letter continues, “If these facts are true, the Commission has violated Utah’s Open and Public Meetings Act.” A similar letter was also sent by SUWA to the Kane County Commission. SUWA Staff Attorney Laura Peterson stated during a phone conversation that there is a “common misconception” that Utah’s Open Meeting Law applies only to situations where an action by a convening public body takes place. “It actually does not just apply to when there is an action or decision,” said Peterson. “Utah Attorney General opinion includes whether a
REGIONAL WEATHER FORECAST FOR SOME BUT NOT ALL REGIONS REPRESENTED IN OUR NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AREA
THURS. AUG 24 - WED. AUG 30
SOME BRIGHT DAYS AHEAD. Mostly sunny for the next week. Warm and lovely through the weekend. Highs in the mid to low 80s, lows in the mid 50s and high 40s. Winds will be slowing down to around 9 MPH. Humidity levels will soar towards the weekend, to around 34%.
public body is ‘discussing or acting’ on a matter. So discussing a matter is included--it is not just that official action has taken place,” she said. Reymann’s June 13 letter, on behalf of SUWA, also states: “Governmental bodies are not entitled to operate and conduct policy discussions in secret, particularly when they are meeting with high-level government officials and discussing matters that would affect thousands of citizens of this state. The reasons for proper closure of a meeting are limited and narrow, and none of them apply here.” Peterson said that representatives from neither Garfield nor Kane counties have responded to the June 13 letters submitted to them. Judge Todd Shaughnessy will hear the complaint in Utah’s Third Judicial District Court in Salt Lake City. SUWA attorney Laura Peterson said that the counties’ responses will be due around mid-September. “We’ll have to see how the counties respond, and it might be set up for a hearing at that point, she said. —Insider
sis for the tax increase are that out of a total budget of $10 million, the district has incurred losses of $500,000 in federal Secure Rural Schools funding, a loss of $500,000 in property tax funding, and in addition, $1.2 million in bond funds that needed to be returned to the State. “We had money left in our bond and we were going to pay for our new schools with that but we discovered that we cannot do that. We had to pay the extra back,” said Cheryl Cox. The district is currently proposing new structures for Bryce Valley and Panguitch Elementary schools. To provide a measure of what the tax increase means on Garfield County property Garfield School Cont'd on page 5
Fly-in & Car Show Bryce Canyon BRYCE CANYON Southern Utah is going back in time for its 4th annual Bryce Canyon Fly-in and Car show. This yearly event will be on Saturday, August 26 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The show is an opportunity for families, travelers, car enthusiasts and airplane lovers to have an exciting day of adventure in Bryce Canyon Country. “So far, the Fly-in and Car show has been successful,” Greg Pollock, Bryce Canyon airport manager, said. “It usually takes five to 10 years before large crowds of people start to come, but a lot of people have come the past two years. One year, we ran out of food because we only expected about 150 people to show up. Luckily, Ruby’s Inn is close and helped us out.” The show will be at the historic Bryce Canyon Airport, located at 450 N Airport Fly-in & Car Show Cont'd on page 2
Made In Escalante's First Friday Art Market
Courtesy Made In esCalante
One of Shawn Miller's landscape paintings that will be featured at the Made In Escalante Art Market on Sept. 1st. ESCALANTE - Painter Shawn Miller will be the featured artisan for the September 1 First Friday gallery event at the Made In Escalante Art Market. Shawn was first drawn to landscapes as a child growing up in the Black Hills of South Dakota and his art has been influenced by the unique settings of the many places he has lived. Moving his family to Southern Utah 14 years ago inspired Shawn to create landscapes using acrylics. Combining bright colors with his own distinct technical style, he shares his love of this special area through his art and through his guiding business,
Escape Goats. Shawn’s appreciation of the natural patterns in rocks, geology and plant life can easily be seen in all of his paintings. “Paint what you feel, not just what you see.” Meet Shawn and learn more about his influences and creative process from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, September 1st. The Made In Escalante Art Market is located upstairs at Utah Canyons Outdoors, 325 W. Main St., Escalante, Utah. The store is open Thursday through Saturday noon to 6 p.m. Follow Made In Escalante on Facebook: www. facebook.com/MIEUtah. —Made in Escalante
So Bright, We Gotta Wear Shades
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Eclipse viewing at the Escalante Outfitters with Nate (welding helmet), Kris and Maria (back) and Gus, who has the glasses on upside down because, why not.
History of Art in our National Parks Workshop at Capitol Reef National Park
samples of new artwork created during her tenure as Artist-in-Residence at Crater Lake, Acadia, Glacier and her fourweek residency at Capitol Reef. Kit Frost has been an Artist-in-Residence at many national parks and monuments and conducts photography workshops throughout the west. She draws inspiration from the works of Thomas Moran, Ansel Adams and Georgia KIt Frost O’Keefe, relating to the Capitol Reef National Park in the setting sun. monumental aspects of TORREY - Artist-in-Res- ground amphitheater. Kit will the American landscape. idence Kit Frost will present a show examples of artists whose Sharing the artist experione-hour evening program on work inspired the formation of ence with others is a key comthe History of Art in our Nation- our National Parks and conponent of the park’s Artist-inal Parks on Monday, August 28, temporary events in progress Residence program. 2017. This program will start throughout the National Parks. —Capitol Reef at 8:30 p.m. MDT at the camp- Kit’s slideshow will include National Park
Expectation is the mother of all frustration. —Antonio Banderas
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