Insider
The
y p p ! a r a H Ye w e Serving Wayne & Garfield Counties, Utah N
LOA • FREmONT • LYmAN • BICkNELL • TEASDALE • TORREY • GROvER • FRUITA • CAINEvILLE • HANkSvILLE PANGUITCH • PANGUITCH LAkE • HATCH • ANTImONY • BRYCE • TROPIC • HENRIEvILLE • CANNONvILLE • ESCALANTE • BOULDER
Thursday, December 26, 2019
Wayne County Commission December 16
by Veronica egan WAYNE COUNTY Commissioners Harward, Blackburn and Wood were present, as well as County Attorney Mike Olsen and Felicia Snow, who was taking County Clerk Ryan Torgerson's place. Following the prayer and Pledge of Allegiance, the agenda and December 2 minutes were approved. The first appointment was John Spendlove of Jones and DeMille Engineering, provided an update on the scheduled runway repairs at the Wayne Wonderland Airport. Construction is scheduled to start on May 1 and be completed in 80 days. It involves resurfacing of the main runway, as well as crack sealing and striping on the apron. The project will be advertised for bids during January 2020, and the bids will be opened in early February. The entire project will cost approximateWayne Commission Cont'd on page 3
Winter Evenings of Wonder and Joy
Garfield County Commission December 16
insider
Lenza Wilson’s Christmas Train gasses up at Cottam’s 66 in Escalante, getting ready to thrill the town with his fantastic parade of lights. ESCALANTE - As each winter approaches, the locals wonder and hope, “Will he do it again this year?” And when Lenza Wilson’s “Christmas Train” plies down the street—this year first sighted on Thanksgiving—it is a
Garkane Refunds Highest Ever Capital Credit Allocation Of $1,100,000 To Its Members
courtesy garkane energy
CEO of Garkane Energy Dan McClendon holding a check representing Garkane’s largest capital credit retirement in its history. LOA - Garkane Energy Cooperative is returning $1,100,000 to its members. This amount is the highest amount ever retired. Garkane members, who had accounts with Garkane in 1989, 1990, and 1991, will receive this cash back. Members who receive a refund will see their patronage capital returned in the form of a check or a credit on their December bill. In a given year, whenever revenues exceed costs, it is considered an operating margin. Garkane allocates operating margins back to its member-owners, which becomes equity on the cooperative’s books. For example, if Garkane had a net operating margin of $500,000 in
Issue # 1339
1989, that “margin” would be credited (allocated) to all the members who used power in 1989. That margin would then be paid back to the members sometime in the future. Garkane is currently working toward a 20-year rotation cycle, which is standard in the co-op world. Instead of borrowing money for construction, cooperatives use allocated cash to fund new transmission/distribution facilities rather than add more debt. This capital structure is one of the hallmarks of cooperatives. It effectively helps keep the rates as low as possible and is one of the reasons that electric cooperative rates are often conGarkane Refund Cont'd on page 5
REGIONAL WEATHER FORECAST FOR SOME BUT NOT ALL REGIONS REPRESENTED IN OUR NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AREA
THURS. DECEMBER 26 - WED. JANUARY 1
Chances of precip decrease, with sunny and partly cloudy skies. Highs maintain in the 30s; lows range from single digits to the teens. 10-20% chance of precip at the beginning of the week. Winds variable from 4 to 7 mph. Happy New Year!
hope fulfilled. The sight spreads joy and glee, even in crotchety old adults. Wilson added yet another trailer this year, so he’s up to seventeen. He estimates the train has 50,000 individual lights from nose to tail. An eve-
Pilot Canyoneering Permit System at Capitol Reef N.P.
CAPITOL REEF N.P. Capitol Reef National Park will begin a pilot mandatory Canyoneering Permit System starting January 1, 2020. Permits will be free of charge and require self-registration located at the Capitol Reef National Park Visitor Center or online on the park website. These permits will be required for all canyoneering and climbing activities within the park. Capitol Reef National Park staff have observed a substantial increase in canyoneering and rock climbing activities in the park in the past ten years. The pilot permit system will allow managers to track use and determine levels and locations of activity. Regulations are listed on the permit and on the park website. No personal information is required, and there is no limit to the number of permits given. Capitol Reef manages backcountry camping with a similar permit system. Permits are free of charge and while there are limits to the number of people in a group, there are no limits to the number of permits given at this time. Backcountry permits are still issued at the visitor center, not online. These efforts help park managers understand visitor use and recreation and the impacts to park resources, which provides valuable information when making management decisions to preserve and Permit System Cont'd on page 5
ning’s outing requires about fifteen gallons of gas, and an additional five or six gallons of diesel to run the generator. Wilson's been running the train, almost every year, since 1994. We know that each year it is a monumental effort for Len-
za to get the Christmas Train ready. So why does he do it? “I enjoy it,” says Wilson. Watch for Lenza’s light train on Christmas Eve, the following Saturday, and again on New Year’s Eve. —Insider
GARFIELD COUNTY The most obvious takeaway from the last Garfield County Commission meeting was the size of the audience. Compared to the usual scant attendance, this meeting filled the commission chambers for the duration of the two-hour session. What was the draw? Five public hearings were scheduled, including two for the county budgets, a plat map adjustment, a Zoning Ordinance update, and authorization for partnering on Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for affordable housing projects. In addition, there was regular business to be conducted. In a nutshell, the public hearings were followed by these commission decisions: 1. Final approval on 2019 Budget adjustments was tabled until December 30, allowing the legal amount of notification and availability of complete documentation. 2. Final approval of the Garfield Commission Cont'd on page 5
Emergency Planning— Episode 27: Wrapping it up for 2019 by Bonnie Mangold
WAYNE COUNTY - Another month, another Local Emergency Planning Committee meeting—actually a very interesting one, including a presentation regarding Utah’s safety protections for its working citizens. But first, a couple of other matters, including the description below (taken from a press release provided to the participants) of a very harrowing course attended by four of our local emergency personnel. “Wayne County Emer-
gency Manager Jeanie Webster, along with Darci Elmer, Taunee Ellett and Zach Taylor all from WCHC recently completed Hazmat Operations training offered by the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, Ala. … the only federally-chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) training facility in the nation. The CDP develops and delivers advanced training for emergency response providers, emergency managers, and other government officials ...
focusing on incident management, mass casualty response, and emergency response to a catastrophic natural disaster or terrorist act.…Their Hazmat Operations course culminated at the CDP’s Chemical, Ordnance, Biological and Radiological (COBRA) Training Facility. The COBRA is the nation’s only facility featuring civilian training exercises in a true toxic environment Emergency Planning Cont'd on page 8
DWR Announces Changes to State Fishing Records
Matt sMiley
Matt Smiley set the catch and release record for lake trout on May 4. The fish was caught at Flaming Gorge and was 48 inches long. SALT LAKE CITY Anyone who goes fishing knows how thrilling it is to catch a fish, especially if it is a large, potentially recordbreaking one. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is making several changes to the state's fishing records in 2020, including adding several new
Many years ago, I made a New Year’s resolution to never make new year’s resolutions. It’s been the only resolution I’ve ever kept! —D.S. Mixell
record categories for cutthroat trout. The DWR began tracking records for harvested fish in the early 1900s. The record fish program has since been expanded to include catch-and-release records and records for fish caught
using alternate tackle, like spearfishing, archery and setline. There are currently thirty-three catch-and-keep angling records, thirty-four catch-and-release records, twenty-one spearfishing re-
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Record Changes Cont'd on page 6
PRE-SORT STANDARD PAID RICHFIELD, UTAH PERMIT No. 122