Important Weber County Commission Meeting Tuesday - Heliport and Ski Lake Special District

Heliport and Ski Lake Special Service District on the agenda.


Another important meeting is scheduled for Tuesday:


Commission Chambers of the Weber Center
2380 Washington Boulevard, Ogden, Utah
at 10:00 a.m. 
Tuesday, the 5th day of April 2011.

Click here to view the agenda 


We will highlight two important items:

2.           Request for approval of a resolution of the Board of Commissioners of Weber County establishing an Administrative Control Board for the Ski Lake Special Service District.

              Presenter: Commissioner Zogmaister

4.           Consideration and/or action on an appeal of the Ogden Valley Planning Commission decision denying a conditional use permit (CUP 2010-04) for a private heliport located at the Red Moose Lodge in Eden, located at 2547 North Valley Junction Drive.

              Presenter: Ben Hatfield

Our humble readers will remember some issues related to the Ski Lake Sewer.  For more details, search the Ogden Valley Forum for "ski lake" and "Ron Catanzero" using the search box on the right sidebar.  [Blogmeister's note: we would typically provide a simple to use link to the search item, but we are posting from a country that has banned access to the Forum.  Thus, you will have to do some of your own simple research.]

As for the heliport issue, we suggest you do the same to get up to speed on the issue - search "heliport" using the search box on the right side bar.

Regular readers will recall this issue has been ongoing for the last two ski seasons.  After a falling out with Powder Mountain, where Diamond Peaks Heli-sking had operated for years, the ski helicopter operator was flying out of the Red Moose Lodge during the 2009-10 ski season without the county required permits and approvals.  The county ordinance official gave the operators a cease and desist order but County Commissioner Jan Zogmaister exercised a rarely used emergency action to allow Diamond Peaks to continue through the 2010 ski season.

The petitioners recently went before the Ogden Valley Planning Commission to request a conditional use permit (CUP 2010-04) for a private heliport located at the Red Moose Lodge in Eden.  The request was ultimately denied and the petitioners have appealed to the County Commissioners.


It should be noted that Diamond Peaks has been operating out of Snowbasin this year, so the denial has not prevented Diamond Peaks from flying - it has only stopped them from flying out of the Red Moose Lodge Property.  In fact, from the Facebook Page "Keep Diamond Peaks Heli-Ski Adventures in the Ogden Valley," this was posted on March 16, 2011:

Diamond Peaks Heli-Ski Adventures is proud to say that we are now operating out of Snowbasin. They have treated us very well and we look forward to excellent mutual business together for the remainder of the season and seasons to come.

We at the forum applaud this new development and feel this is a win win situation for all - Diamond Peaks, Snowbasin, their guests and Ogden Valley residents.

We have heard rumors that the out of state owner of the Red Moose Lodge has the property for sale on the real estate market.  The last thing Ogden Valley needs is another precedence being set.  In this case, a heliport that would transfer and be grandfathered to the new owner, even though the original user (Diamond Peaks) has moved on and has properly found a new suitor.  Congratulations to Diamond Peaks.


Your attendance at the Tuesday meeting is crucial, but it is even more important that you contact the commissioners now to provide them input on these important issues.  If you wait to contact them on Tuesday, it will be too late.


We have included the email addresses for the County Commissioners.  Now it's time to send them a clear message.
Craig Dearden cdearden@co.weber.ut.us
Jan Zogmaister jzogmaister@co.weber.ut.us
Kerry Gibson kgibson@co.weber.ut.us