Breaking News: It Appears That The Infamous Snowbasin Ski Patrolman Has Been Reassigned

This breaking news just in.  Enjoy and Have a Happy New Year from the Ogden Valley Forum.

Via Adv365 from the Standard comments section:

Ski patrolman, Tim Taylor, has since been reassigned to another Earl Holding property and is now a lifeguard at the jacuzzi at the Grand America in SLC.

Snowbasin Video Goes Viral

Not the PR they would hope for.

We hope your Christmas was Merry and we at the Ogden Valley Forum wish you and yours a Happy and prosperous 2012.  We have been taking a well deserved literary break for the holidays, but could not pass up on a video that has been making the rounds in the backrooms of Facebook and beyond.

Harassment at Snowbasin from Garden Stories. on Vimeo.

To set up the video, a local Snowboarder from Layton is stopped by a Snowbasin Instructor and Pro Patroller on what appears to be the speed trap known as Bear Hollow.  Without so much as a warning, the patroller pulls the season pass of a teen who, to us, didn't seem to be going all that fast or out of control.  In fact, he was able to stop abeam the Instructor with ease.

The teens politely queries the patroller, who at one points tells the second teen to "Shut the F--- Up."  He then threatened the second teen would lose his pass too if he didn't shut up.  

Of course, Barney Fife didn't know that the local kids were wearing a Go Pro and that they had captured the entire exchange on video.

We are guessing Barney should be walking the unemployment line.  What is your take? 

UPDATE: 12/28/11 @ 9:44 PM 
Fox !3 is running the story tonight. 
And from KSL.com 

And The Standard Examiner has this story.

European Experience Trip with Ralph Rowley Pre-Trip Seminar December 14

A pre-trip seminar for the "European Experience" trip escorted by Ralph Rowley is planned for December 14th.  The seminar will be held at the Roy City Weber County Library located at 1950 W. 4800 S. in Roy (just west of 1900 W. on the north side).  The seminar will begin promptly at 6:30 pm in the auditorium and anyone who would like to learn more about this trip of a lifetime is invited to attend.

The trip will be in June 2012 for a duration of 2-4 weeks, depending on your chosen trip options.

Ralph Rowley is a retired Weber High School German teacher who has taken thousands of guests on this fabulous trip over the years.  This is his 40th and final year.

The minimum enrollment of 45 has been met and a limited number of openings remain.   The early enrollment discounts have been extended for those who enroll soon.  This means substantial discounts. 

To ensure adequate seating at the seminar, please RSVP by leaving a message at 801-458-0945.  You may also send an email to rsor@msn.com  Be sure to include "Europe Trip" in the subject line and list your name and number of attendees in the message.  If you would like more information or a brochure, then please include your mailing and email addresses.

Elk Processing Facility Land Use Permit Rescinded

Weber County Planners decide to "comport with the Ombudsman's opinion

In a surprise move, the Weber County Planning Department has rescinded the Land Use permit that allowed the Elk Cutting Facility to operate in Liberty.  The permit is rescinded effective December 6, 2011.

Click here to view the letter from Weber County to the petitioners.

What say ye humble readers about the county's decision to head the Ombudsman's recommendation?

OGDEN VALLEY Planning Commission Meeting Tonight @ 5 PM

Their are a few of items of interest on tonight's agenda of the Ogden Valley Planning Commission:

1. STA 2011-02 Discussion and action on an amendment to Chapter 4 (Subdivision Improvements Required) of the Weber County Subdivision Ordinance
2. Policy Discussion and action on Submitting Information to a Planning Commission Policy 

Later:

5-2. Legal Counsel’s Remarks: Therapeutic Schools

The meeting begins at 5:00 and will be held in the Weber County Commission Chambers, Weber Center (2380 Washington Blvd)

Click here to view the agenda 
Download a full copy of the Ogden Valley December 06, 2011 packet, in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), here. Packets are available only for the current agenda and approximately thirty days after that date.

We invite our expert readers to review the packet and comment on the proposed improvements.  Are they truly improvements or changes meant to make it more developer friendly?  That is the $100 question.

OGDEN VALLEY PLANNING COMMISSION VOTES ON HELIPORT ISSUES

A Final Resolution of The Heliport Issue Should Be Near

Guest Post by Lee Schussman, Eden

On Tuesday, November 22, 2011, the Ogden Valley Planning Commission (OVPC) met and voted unanimously on a number of changes in the Weber County zoning ordinances. These changes will have a dramatic, positive effect in helping to maintain the life style that we enjoy in the Ogden Valley while at the same time providing for the proper siting of commercial heliports in the Valley.

The OVPC voted unanimously to:

1- Remove “heliport” from the CV-2 zoning areas. (All CV-2 areas are on the Valley floor.)

2- Place “heliport” in the zoning ordinances in F-40 (40 acre “forest” areas) and DRR-1 (ski resort) zones.

3- Stipulate that, in those F-40 and DRR zones, all heliports must be located above 6200 feet elevation.

3- Establish setback and building conditions to help mitigate the noise and dust problems and to improve safety issues when CUPs are granted for commercial heliports in those F-40 and DRR-1 zones.

These changes will remove all commercial heliports from the Ogden Valley floor, place them in the most appropriate places (forest or resort areas), and do what is reasonably possible to mitigate the negative effects of their use on the surrounding areas.

The processes for these zoning changes began over 18 months ago. There were, at first, contentious, emotional, and even angry public comments and debates. These were followed by many months of hard work on the part of our OVPC, Mr. Sean Wilkinson, Planner in the Weber County Planning Office, and Ogden Valley residents. This work resulted in a number of well-thought-out compromises and policies.

Ogden Valley residents owe our OVPC (Commissioner Kevin Parson, Chair; Commissioners Laura Warburton, John Howell, Penton Hollist, Dennis Montgomery, Ann Miller, Greg Graves-–all of whom serve voluntarily) and Mr. Sean Wilkinson of the Planning Office our sincere thanks and appreciation for tackling and solving this very complicated issue.

In the near future, the Weber County Commissioners will need to consider, hopefully accept, and then vote these changes into the zoning laws. When they do, it will complete a process that will allow the legitimate use of commercial heliports while balancing that use with the good of the community.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Ogden Valley Friends, 

Happy Thanksgiving from the Ogden Valley Forum!

This holiday season, we are thankful for YOU and your support of responsible development and the sustainable use of natural resources (water, land, wildlife and air) in Ogden Valley.

Ombudsman sides with Liberty Neighbors

In the case of the Liberty neighbors vs. the Elk processing plant, the Property Rights Ombudsman has rendered his opinion in favor of the neighbors.

The Ombudsman was asked tasked with two issues:

1)  Is a custom butchering and meat packing business a prohibited use in the county's AV-3 Zone? and
2)  Does the Weber County code authorize the planning staff to serve as the land use authority in this matter?

Click here to read the document: Office of the Property Rights Ombudsman Opinion

The eleven page document is an interesting read while sipping your cappuccino during commercials of X-Factor, but it boils down to the issue of who is authorized under county ordinances to decide if a use is permitted: planning staff or the planning commission.

We think the planning department should always err on the conservative side by sending any questionable use to the planning commission for review, and the ombudsman apparently agrees.

The Ombudsman concludes:

The County Ordinance language, as it presently stands, prohibits certain agricultural industry or business in the AV-3 Zone.  The business undertaken by the landowners, guided hunting with cutting and processing wild elk off the lot, is inescapably of that type and prohibited in that zone.

It now appears that the ball is in the County's court.

The Future Is Now!

The Future is Now!

If you feel a little tremor once in a while, it is the development engine starting up again in Ogden Valley.

The citizens of Ogden Valley should be aware and prepared to respond

to the development forces that are always at work to use the land

and water in our Valley to further their view of progress.

The Valley Citizens for Responsible Development (VCRD) does not view all growth or development as negative. However, we do believe it should be accomplished within the guidelines set forth by the existing zoning and subdivision ordinance guidelines in place to protect the ambiance and unique qualities of Ogden Valley.

On November 22, 2011 both the Weber County Commission and the Ogden Valley Planning Commission (OVPC) will review several issues that may have serious impacts on how developers operate within Ogden Valley, and how well developers and the two Commissions communicate with the residents about proposed development plans.

It appears the OVPC may be intent on taking some “short cuts” by recommending changes to provisions of the subdivision approval process that may not be in the best interests of the citizens of Ogden Valley.

It is our understanding from the most recent GEM committee minutes that the OVPC is considering a change in the review process that would move the requirement for the OVPC and Weber County Commissioners review/approval from 3 units to 10 units in a subdivision, and also eliminate the notification to nearby landowners of such developments. While this would probably speed up the approval process, it will exclude the impacted neighbors from providing public input, eliminate the critical review process of both commissions and may erode the respect that citizens should have for our elected or appointed representatives.

We suggest to you, the Valley citizens, that the most effective way to engage and influence the decision makers on the OVPC and the Weber County Commission is to have a strong, effective participation by the residents in Ogden Valley. We ask that you contact these decision makers and let them know how you feel about the impact of accelerated growth in the Valley. All contact information for both the OVPC and the County Commissioners is available on the VCRD web site at www.vcrdutah.org

We also ask that you join the VCRD to receive e-mail and blog updates to keep your informed on the development activities of the Weber County Planning department and our elected or appointed officials.

The motto of the VCRD says it all:

“Speak up for what you want, or take what you get”.

Join the VCRD or renew your membership for a $10 yearly individual fee. The VCRD web site has been updated.

Send your membership fees to:

VCRD

PO Box 115

Huntsville, UT 84317

The VCRD is a nonprofit Corporation and your dues and any contributions are tax deductible.

Let’s stay ahead of the development surge and try to maintain our

Valley’s charm and beauty as much as we can.

Your VCRD Staff

Weber County Planning Unveils New Tracking System Called Miradi

Guest Post by Ron Gleason

Wanted to make sure valley residents are aware of a new facility on the Weber County Planning web site.  The planning group has implemented a system called 'Miradi' and the home page for the system describes it this way:

Miradi is a collaborative electronic reviewing and project tracking solution for Weber County which means 'project' in Swahili. Miradi treats everything as a project. An ordinance amendment, building permit, subdivision, board of adjustment appeal, and business license are all examples of different types of land use activities and permits. At an abstract level, each example is a project involving many unique properties, aspects, people, and reviewing agencies.

Interested residents can access the system off the plannings group home page at  http://www.co.weber.ut.us/mediawiki/index.php/Planning or directly at http://miradi.co.weber.ut.us/

.   To get maximum benefit folks should establish a userid.

I believe this is a great facility and will allow Weber County residents to stay abreast of activity within the planning, engineering and compliance groups. 

Bravo to the planning group for getting this done.

Elk-processing operation in Ogden Valley upsets neighbors

 An Elk Processing operation has Liberty neighbors upset.  While we have heard bits and pieces of the issue, this Charles Trentlemen article spells it all out as only Charles can do.

From the 10/25/11 Standard Examiner:

Elk-processing operation in Ogden Valley upsets neighbors

Here is an excerpt from the article:

Garet (Jones) said his grandfather actually owns the 6.15-acre plot, but put his children's name on the deed to make inheritance simpler. He said Rulon, his father, has no connection with the butchering operation.

Garet and Lance say their butchering meets all health and zoning codes and qualifies as agricultural use in an agricultural area.

(Sandi) Tuck, who lives two houses north, has been vocal that the cutting operation is not legal.

Tuck said she has served on local planning councils for years and disagrees that the cutting operation fits the definition of "agricultural."

"They are not connected (to the adjacent ranch), and that makes them totally illegal," she said Friday. "That makes them a commercial meat-cutting business in the middle of a residential agricultural district.

"Their side yards, their front, everything is totally illegal. They do not have parking."

(Bret) Barry, the neighbor immediately north of the Jones property, said the situation just doesn't look right to him.

"This is a residential neighborhood -- you know, with children -- and I don't believe what they've applied for or the way they've applied for it is within the ordinance," he said. "As far as I know, they've applied for family use and have begun commercial slaughter."

In a legal brief about the dispute filed with the Utah State Property Rights Ombudsman, Barry's attorney, Jodi Hoffman, states that the meat-cutting operation violates zoning, will create noise and smells and is "contrary to the public interest."

The Weber County Planning Commission approved the use in September. Early this month, the commission approved its business license.

Expecting trouble

Weber County Planner Scott Mendoza said he knew the case had potential for dispute when Garet Jones' request came in.

"It would certainly be a commercial use if he was opening up a butcher shop," Mendoza said, but the Jones family also raises elk on that parcel.

"So he wanted to continue raising elk and be able to cut the elk meat," Mendoza said, but the elk would actually be killed somewhere else.

"To be honest, I looked at that and said, 'This is one I'm going to sit down with the entire staff and talk about it.' "

What the staff decided was that the county's zoning ordinance definition of "agriculture" was so broad, they needed to narrow things down.

In the Utah State Code, Mendoza said, agriculture is defined as "the science and art of the production of plants and animals useful to man including the preparation of plants and animals for human use."

Further definitions show that "preparation" includes cutting and grinding meat from livestock. "Livestock" includes domesticated elk.

Mendoza decided that fit what the Joneses were doing, but said he also knew it was a matter of reading definitions.

"We also looked at it from the other point. What if we didn't issue? These things can be turned around ... " and the Jones family could challenge him.

"So you can see the county was in a bind," Mendoza said.

(Attorney Jodi) Hoffman, representing Barry (a neighbor), said the county did "results-oriented" research, meaning it wanted the answer to favor Jones and looked for a way to justify that outcome.

"I think the county clearly fudged in favor of the applicant," she said. "They kind of grabbed definitions that fit their purpose."

Hoffman said the county planners interpreted broadly and in favor of the Jones family, when the planners clearly should have defended the neighbors instead.

 Here's your chance Ogden Valley.  To Butcher or Not?  That is the question.

Update on the Heliport Issue in Ogden Valley

--OVPC Appears to be Near Completion of Its Work

Tuesday evening October 4th (in a work session limited by lack of a quorum) the Ogden Valley Planning Commission (OVPC) continued its work toward establishing a rational policy for the permitting of helicopter landing sites in the Ogden Valley. Since a quorum was not present, no official decisions (nor even “official” discussions) could occur; however, Mr. Robert Scott (Director of Planning), three OVPC commissioners, Mr. Sean Wilkinson (County Planner), Mr. Cobalt Stromberg (Director of Planning for Snow Basin), and valley citizens Dave Holmstrom, Steve Clark, and Lee Schussman had a productive, informal discussion of some of the important aspects of the heliport issue.

Official discussions and decisions will have to wait until the next OVPC meeting later this month. However, these are some of the key items that were discussed by the above individuals and about which there seemed to be consensus:

1. Heliport designation should be removed from CV-2 zoning.

2. Heliports should not be placed in any locations on the valley floor. It was initially proposed that establishing a minimal elevation of 6200 feet could accomplish this, but it was then discussed that 6300 feet would likely be a better minimum elevation.

3. The Weber County Commissioners are not able to set or enforce limits on either helicopter flight paths or numbers of flights. However, Weber County is responsible for and is authorized to issue CUPs so as to carefully and wisely site heliports.  

4. In order to mitigate safety and noise issues, all heliports should be located away from dwellings and other sensitive areas.  Toward this end, helicopter landing sites should likely be limited to F-40 or RDD-1 zones.

We have come a long way in the last 18 months. (Please see previous articles on this web site re the helicopter issue.) All valley citizens should be aware of and appreciative of the large amounts of work that have been put in by the OVPC and by the Weber County Planning Office (especially Mr. Sean Wilkinson).

The OVPC is now very close to recommending to the Weber County Commissioners a rational, well thought-out policy. That policy appears to be one that would allow CUPs for helicopter landings and take offs in select sites only in F-40 or RDD-1 zones above 6300 feet. Hopefully that policy will be finalized at the next OVPC later this month.

Lee Schussman
Eden, UT

Police identify boaters in Pineview fatality

Thursday's Standard Examiner identifies the three men in the boat that police say killed a Pineview swimmer on August 21.

From the Tim Gurrister article,

Weber sheriff’s deputies have seized the boat believed to have struck the woman. The recently unsealed affidavits have identified its owner as Skyler Shepherd, 21, of South Ogden. In the boat with him were Colton Raines, 22, and Cole Boyer, 29, both of Ogden, the affidavits state.

In an Aug. 30 interview at the sheriff’s office, Shepherd told investigators Raines was piloting the boat when it struck Fujimoto, according to the documents.

Deputies were told all three men were seen consuming alcohol in the hours before the collision with Fujimoto, and Raines and Boyer were smoking marijuana. The search warrants covered the boat, as well as the blood of Raines and Boyer.

The warrants were executed and the blood samples were taken from the two Aug. 30, the documents said, noting that traces of marijuana remain in the human body for up to 30 days after ingestion.

A witness who lives adjacent to the area where Fujimoto was swimming heard a woman scream and went to the water’s edge to see a boat occupied by three males with a woman floating in the water near the boat, according to the affidavits.

“The witness heard one of the males call out, ‘Hey lady, are you alright, are you alright?” reads the document.

The witness then rowed out to the scene as the powerboat with the three males departed. “He was easily able to tell that Fujimoto was severely injured and bleeding and told the 911 dispatcher that ‘her insides were coming out.’ ”

 The article goes on to state:

A witness who was with the three men at Pineview said he observed Raines and Boyer smoking marijuana in the afternoon on the boat before the early evening collision with Fujimoto, according to the affidavits.

Weber County Attorney Dee Smith said Wednesday the case is still under investigation with no timetable on a decision on possible charges.

Nearly 6 weeks have passed since the Sheriff's office identified the boat's occupants yet no charges have been filed.

A September 16, 2011 Standard article informs us that two of the men are represented by high power Salt Lake attorney Greg Skordas:

Salt Lake City attorney Greg Skordas represents the two men who have not talked with detectives, at his request.

"I've asked my clients not to make statements until I'm present and can go over the case," said Skordas, who didn't identify his clients.
"If the sheriff's office thought a crime (had been) committed, they should have charged (them) awhile ago. Asking my clients to talk about a crime that didn't occur doesn't make sense."

What say you Ogden Valley faithful.  Did a crime occur?  If so, what should be the crime and punishment.

Valley Elementary Fundraiser Friday and Saturday

EDEN -- Valley Elementary PTO is hosting its annual Bulldog Boutique from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

The event at the school, 5821 E. 1900 North, showcases more than 30 vendors selling all sorts of goods, including holiday and baby items, home decor, jewelry, gourmet cupcakes, glitter toes, hair accessories, toys, books, candies, baked goods and a children's shopping corner.

Proceeds will go to provide Valley students with field trips, special learning opportunities, classroom aides, teaching and learning materials and more.

For more information, call Jori Torman at 801-814-1352.

Reminder of Tonights meeting along with a report of findings from the Hydrogeologist that was presented to the state on the well protest.

Just a reminder about the meeting tonight,
Oct. 6, 2011
at the Huntsville Library
at 6:00 pm,
regarding an update on Green Valley Academy.
Please come out and get the lastest on the issue.
Also here is the attachment of the report of findings from the Hydrogeologist that was presented on our behalf to the state on the well protest.
Thank you all....

Ogden Valley Protection Counsel

Click here to view the report

Community Meeting Thursday

Click here to view a related article that appeared in the 9-15-11 issue of the Ogden Valley News.

Alabama county cuts deal of debt

We spotted an article in the September 30, 2011 issue of “The Week,” a national magazine, which reminds us of Ogden Valley's own Mountain Valley sewer fiasco.

Jefferson County, Ala., has avoided “what could have been the 
biggest municipal bankruptcy filing in American history,” said Mary Williams Walsh in The New York Times.  Officials in the county, which includes Birmingham, have reached a deal to restructure $ 3 billion in debt, which grew out of a sewer system revamp plagued by flawed accounting and corruption. Under the proposal, the county’s Wall Street creditors would forgive about $ 1 billion of the debt, but residents would face higher bills for sewer service.

Does this sound familiar?

Lt. Phil Howell, Weber County Sheriff's Office Ogden Valley Commander loses battle with Cancer

We received a couple of notifications regarding the unfortunate and untimely passing of  Lt. Phil Howell of the Weber County Sheriff's Office and will post them below:

Hello; we were just informed that Lt. Phil Howell, Weber County Sheriff Ogden Valley Commander, has passed away.

We want to recognize his loyalty and service to the Valley, and appreciate all he has done.

He was instrumental and supportive in the organization of Neighborhood Watch groups, community meetings, and patrols. He was always the calm in any situation.

We will miss seeing him around our neighborhoods; and thank the current officers stationed up here for protecting us.

Ruthann Halay

Also, we received this from the www.HuntsvilleTown com email blast: 

It is with a  heavy heart that we pass on the news that Lt. Phillip Howell from The Weber County Sheriff's Office lost his valiant battle with cancer on September 6, 2011. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and co-workers.

About three years ago, Huntsville officials were disappointed to hear that, due to a restructuring within the Sheriff’s office, our Community Resource Officer, Mike Chatelain, would no longer be patrolling in Huntsville.

While we still miss Deputy Chatelain, Phil quickly became a great friend to all he associated with.  Phil was the Upper Valley Precinct commander and spent a great deal of time in Huntsville.  He was a first class individual and a great cop with an old school attitude.  He preferred negotiation, communication and education to citations.

Phil loved his island upbringing and spoke Hawaiian fluently, prefacing every conversation with aloha and humbly offering thanks with mahalo.

Phil left Hawaii for Utah in the early ‘70's to play linebacker for the Weber State College football squad.  After football, he had a distinguished 20+ year career with the Ogden Police department, where one of his biggest personal accomplishments was the large role he had in ‘cleaning up’ 25th street.

Phil took a short break from law enforcement to help with the family business in Hawaii before returning to Utah to attend BYU, where he received his Masters degree.

In the late ‘90's Phil returned to the career he loved when he was hired by the Weber County Sheriff’s office.  Prior to being named Commander of the Upper Valley Precinct, Lt. Howell worked in many areas within the Sheriff’s department: Investigations, accreditation, professional standards, and SWAT negotiations.

Phil will be missed in Huntsville, and we offer our sincerest condolences to his family.

Green Valley Academy Update - Your Help Is Needed

Click Below to Enlarge

Boat seized, suspects ID'd in death of U. scientist at Pineview Reservoir

An update to the tragic accident we reported August 23 and August 26.

The boat that was allegedly involved in the accident has been found and seized by authorities, and the three men on board the boat have been identified.

click here to see the Fox 13 video.

Valley Citizens For Responsible Development To Meet This Week

The Valley Citizens for Responsible Development (VCRD) will hold their membership meeting:

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

7:00 PM

Weber County Library, Ogden Valley Branch in Huntsville

Members, prospective members and guests are urged to attend.

"Speak up for what you want, or take what you get!"

Weber deputies seeking several suspects in boat hit-and-run

UPDATE TO OUR AUGUST 23, 2011 POST
From the Standard Examiner

HUNTSVILLE -- Authorities are looking for several suspects who were on a boat that struck and killed a woman in Pineview Reservoir over the weekend.
ABC 4 reports (http://bit.ly/p6ikog ) the Weber County Sheriff's Office believes the boat's driver stopped and talked to the injured woman in the water before fleeing.
Weber County authorities say 49-year-old Esther Fujimoto of Ogden died after she was struck around 8 p.m. Sunday while swimming in the reservoir.
Deputies say a bystander heard her screaming and came to her aid in a row boat. Fujimoto later died of her injuries.
Friends and colleagues say the woman was a University of Utah scientist seeking a cure for cerebral palsy.
Officials are asking anyone with information about the accident to contact authorities.

Weekend Ogden Valley Tragedies Leave Two Dead

Experienced Swimmer and Motocross Rider Both Killed

An experienced swimmer was hit by a boat and killed Sunday evening on Pineview reservoir.  The boat that allegedly hit Ogden resident Esther Fujimoto, 49, left the scene.  The boat is described as  white and blue with three males riding inside.

From Fox 13 news, we share this video,  Woman killed at Pineview Reservoir identified as U of U researcher

And from the Standard Examiner:

  
Boating victim was familiar with waters, says colleague

Weber County Sheriff's Office Lt. Lowther encourages anyone who might have been in the area to contact the sheriff's office. They especially hope to hear from three individuals in a blue and white boat who were sailing in the area, to share any information regarding what they might have seen.

On Thursday, during practice at the Powder Mountain Motocross, 16 year old Dylan Perkins of Surprise, AZ was killed.

Teen rider killed at Powder Mountain motocross practice

 Dylan is the second death in the Powder Mountain Motocross three year history.  In 2009, 16 year old Tanner Krahenbuhl, from Henderson, Nevada, was killed when the motor home he was riding in lost control and rolled over on the Powder Mountain road.

Ogden Valley Arts Heritage Festival This Weekend

Guest post by Narlene Allen Story

It all starts tomorrow

We are getting closer... It all happens starting tomorrow....

Everything is in place for the kick off concert tomorrow night at 7 pm at the Hearthside. Tickets are on sale online at www.ogdenvalleyarts.org or at the door! It's going be an amazing evening.

Then, Saturday.. What a line up we have!
Join us for games, food, vendors, and Music... music... music!

Festival opens at 10 am
Music starts at 11 on two stages: The Hearthside and the Montessori are.

Kids games start at 11am.

Vendors will be there as well as artists!

Bring the kids.. the Eden Fire Engine will be there for the kids to climb on.

We also have Horse drawn buggy rides going on all day!

Oh.. and don't forget LUNCH! The Hearthside is catering lunch from 12 noon to 2 pm and it's all HOMEADE! Lunch tickets at $7.00 for an awesome home cooked meal so bring the kids.. grandma and grandpa and enjoy a weekend with the family!

For a complete schedule of events check us out online at www.ogdenvalleyarts.org


We hope to see you there!

Ogden Valley Forum now listed on Utah Top Blogs web site

We are excited to be included in the new site www.utahtopblogs.com.

The UtahTopBlogs.com is a local blogs aggregator that republishes the titles of new posts from selected local blogs and presents them to visitors in a simple and convenient manner.

The Ogden Valley Forum was chosen among many other local blogs, and you can see our posts along with the posts from many other popular blogs and forums at UtahTopBlogs.com.

Tour of Utah Passing through Ogden Valley Wednesday

Be sure to plan your travel as the Tour of Utah Bicycle Race will be passing through Ogden Valley Wednesday, August 10, 2011.  Riders will depart Ogden at 11 am, traverse North Ogden Pass and descend into the Valley, passing through Liberty, Eden and Huntsville while continuing down Ogden Canyon.  The race is scheduled to end between 3:45 and 4:30 PM.

Ogden Valley Arts (OVA) Heritage Festival August 19-20

•  While staying off the busy Ogden Valley roads tomorrow, be sure to watch the Noon News on KUTV 2.
  Tune in to hear all about the Heritage Festival - happening Aug. 19th & 20th in Old town Eden!
  
  You can read more about it online by clicking here.
  
  Tickets on sale now for the Friday night concert!

North Divide Open Now!

Effective immediately, the North Divide

Road is open. Drive Carefully.

Ogden Valley Forum

Planning Commission Meeting Tonight

 The Ogden Valley Planning Commission will be having an important work session tonight.

Here are the details:

The meeting will be held in the Weber County Commission Chambers, Weber Center (2380 Washington Blvd). The meeting will begin at 4:00 p.m. in the order listed below.

 Agenda Items

W1. Discussion:

Z011- 1 Work session discussion on a proposed text amendment to the Weber County Zoning Ordinance by amending the definition of “school”, adding the definition of “Therapeutic School”, establishing facility requirements, and to include “Therapeutic School” as a conditional use in the F-5, F-10, F-40, AV-3, FR-3, and CV-2 zones (Fred Smullin, Applicant)

Adjourn to convene a combined Ogden Valley and Western Weber County Township Planning Commission agricultural tourism field trip to Sand Hill Farms

Download a full copy of the Ogden Valley August 02, 2011 packet, in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), here. Packets are available only for the current agenda and approximately thirty days after that date.

Lakeview Water and Mountain Sewer owner bugs out under investigation pressure.

It was learned recently from Melvin Smith, Ron Catanzaro’s attorney

in the Ogden area, that Catanzaro has left the State of Utah for Nevada.

As reported in this blog, Mountain Sewer Company has been the subject of a Formal Complaint and investigation by the Utah Public Service Commission (PSC) regarding operating problems and billing questions regarding both Mountain Sewer and Lakeview Water Corporations.

Our information is that Catanzaro turned over most or all of his assets to the owner of A-1 pumping pending approval of the Public Service Commission. These assets include both Mountain Sewer and Lakeview Water Corporations. Word on the street is that Mountain Sewer owed A-1 pumping and other vendors substantial unpaid bills for services.

At the pre hearing conference on July 19th the Public Service Commission law judge indicated that a complete audit of Mountain Sewer as requested by the complainants would be one of the first orders of business, and the parties would reconvene in about a month to to discuss the audit results and set the date for the Formal Hearing. It appears that Mr. Catanzaro did not want to face the PSC audit results and examination of his operating procedures detailed in the formal complaint, so he decided to sell out and leave the area.

An initial meeting between the prospective new owner of Mountain Sewer and Lakeview Water corporations and the Ad hoc committee of utility users that filed the formal complaint against Mountain Sewer was held on July 28th. The purpose was to air out some particulars about the sale and transfer of assets and responsibilities and to have some utility customers meet the new owner so they could get to know each other. The new owner committed to working with the users to resolve current outstanding issues and he promised to stay in communication with the utility users on the operations and plans for the future for both corporations. A check with the PSC staff indicated the normal timeframe for approval of an uncontested sale of a PSC regulated company is from 45 to 60 days.

It is not clear as of this writing how this transfer of assets will affect the pending PSC formal complaint or what the reaction of the possible sale is from the Weber County Commissioners who have been the body politic for oversight for Mountain Sewer for many years.

Update on Lakeview Water and Mountain Sewer

A correction to the initial post: The new owner of Mountain Sewer and Lakeview Water is the father of the owner of A-1 Pumping.

WOLF CREEK CANYON TRAIL SATURDAY

WOLF CREEK CANYON TRAIL SATURDAY JULY 30 8 AM - Noon

Please come and help keep

our Weber Pathways Trails clear of Dyers Woad.

Bonus!!: Daypass to Powder Mountain !!! (1 / person)

Meet at the trailhead on Powder Mountain Road (State Route 158), some early birds are starting at 7:30 am so come earlier if you prefer) The trail is in bad "woad shape" and yes it is late in the year, but if we cut and bag it, it will prevent thousands of seeds from washing down into the forest. Some kind of group has don the first 200 yards, but the woad continues up the trail into the Canyon.

Please come and help beat the Woad. Questions: Miranda Menzies

Cell 513-368-4356 Home (Thurs pm onwards 801-745-2793.)

Pre Hearing Conference - Mountain Sewer Formal Complaint

On Tuesday, July 19, 2011, the Public Service Commission Administrative Law Judge, David Clark, conducted a pre hearing conference to lay out the  procedures regarding the Formal PSC Complaint filed by a group of Ogden Valley residents served by Mountain Sewer Corporation.

Judge Clark stated that since there would soon be a request from Mountain Sewer for a rate increase, and a possible sale of Mr. Catanzaro’s water and sewer properties, the complainants request for a complete, independent audit of the utility's accounting books and operating systems by the PSC staff will be one of the first items to be addressed.

When the audit of Mountain Sewer is completed, all parties will again meet to discuss the results of the audit and determine the next step in the complaint process.

The Weber County Commission, who is the designated body politic for Mountain Sewer, chose not to send a representative to the conference today, but sent a letter to the Administrative Law Judge stating their position regarding their responsibilities for oversight of Mountain Sewer.

The Ogden Valley Forum feels the non-participation by Weber County is a disservice to Mountain Sewer customers, especially those in the Lakeside Village Town homes, and is a continuation of Weber County’s inconsistent oversight record regarding Mountain Sewer operational problems. Many of the Lakeside Village town home owners have suffered multiple sewage flooding incidents (the latest March 16, 2011) due to the functional problems of Mountain Sewer’s lift pumps. These town home owners have found a mixture of storm water with raw sewage in their homes during numerous flooding incidents dating back several years.

The Forum urges the Weber County Commissioners to step up and fulfill their responsibilities regarding Mountain Sewer instead of pushing the problems off for future meetings of the Special Service District  board.

Dyers Woad Eradication Event Saturday

Representative Gage Froerer is hosting a Dyers Woad Eradication event Saturday, July 16, 2011.  We just received this reminder and thought it was important enough to pass on.

The event starts at 8:30 am at Snowcrest Junior High.

Representative Froerer and his office will generously provide lunch afterwards.

Click here for details.

The Community is Invited to a Celebration Paying Tribute to Tommy Lee - Outgoing Principal of Valley Elementary

On Sunday, July 10th from 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm, the  community is invited to a family celebration being held in honor of Tommy Lee. After eight years as Principal of Valley Elementary, Tommy is heading off to another school.

  

The celebration will be held on the patio of Harley & Buck’s at 3900 North Wolf Creek Drive.  There will be live music by Dizzy DeSoto, playing fun 50’s and 60’s cover music.

Please join faculty, friends and students for this special event. For more information, please call (801) 745-2060.

OVPC Makes Good Progress on the Issue of Heliports in the Ogden Valley

Guest post by Lee Schussman, Eden

On Tuesday evening, June 28, 2011, in a marathon-length session that lasted the full three and one half hours allotted for such meetings, the Ogden Valley Planning Commission (OVPC) tackled the problems associated with commercial helicopter landing and takeoff sites (“landing zones” or LZs) in the Ogden Valley.

Newly elected Commission Chairman Kevin Parsons and Commissioners Graves, Howell, Montgomery, and Warburton fully upheld their previous commitments to accept public input and to devote time and effort to the heliport issue.

At the meeting, Sean Wilkinson of the Weber County Planning Division reviewed the last 18 months. During that time, commercial helicopters have operated out of the Ogden Valley without the necessary Conditional Use Permit (CUP), there has been much public concern and discussion on the issue, an emergency CUP has been issued, a subsequent heliport CUP application has been denied, an appeal to that denial has been filed, and an application to remove heliport from CV-2 zoning has been filed. (For more detailed history, please see previous postings on the Ogden Valley Forum under “heliport.”) Mr. Wilkinson stated that the use of helicopters in the Ogden Valley is believed to be desirable in appropriate locations. Given that assumption, he went on to recommend that the OVPC needed to define “heliport” and “helistop”, and he outlined four possible options for the OVPC to consider regarding helicopter LZs:

1. Remove heliport as a designation in CV-2 zoned areas (all of which are currently on the valley floor.)
2. Allow heliports only above 6200 feet in elevation.
3. Allow heliports only above 6200 feet in elevation and only in DRR-1 zoned areas (the zoning for some ski resorts).
4. Allow heliports in any ski resorts (regardless of the resorts current zoning) above a certain elevation.

Ogden Valley residents David Holmstrom (who had started the process and financed the applications to change the text of the Weber County CV-2 zoning ordinances), Steve Clarke (who is head of the Ogden Valley Gem Committee), Ron Tymcio, and Lee Schussman had all variously presented at OVPC meetings, met with County Commissioners, obtained input from many dozens of Ogden Valley residents, and met with many business people from the Ogden Valley. At Tuesday’s meeting, their input was repeatedly welcomed by the OVPC, and vigorous discussions ensued.

Among the many issues discussed were:

1. Definitions need to be established. Likely the OVPC definition of “Heliport” would include permanent infrastructure facilities for such things as fueling, maintenance, parking, and other customer services at the site; and “helistop” would simply be a landing pad with no other permanent facilities.

2. The desirability of keeping LZs off the valley floor.

3. The need to continue to address safety and noise considerations.

4. The possibility of placing a limit on the minimum elevation for helicopter LZs—likely 6200 feet.

5. A need to decide on the CV-2 zoning issue: “Heliport” can be continued as a conditional use in CV-2 until other plans for helicopter LZs can be made, since no CUPs would be granted now until the issue is resolved. (If a minimal elevation is established as 6200 feet for LZ’s, it may be a moot point to remove heliport from CV-2, as all current CV-2 sites are on the Valley floor.)

6. The desire to accommodate and promote legitimate business interests in Ogden Valley.

7. The need to include possible future roles of helicopters for uses other than heli-skiing. Activities such as sight seeing, hunting, cross country skiing, and access to back country areas were all discussed.

8. The need to decide in which zoning areas heliports and helistops should be allowed so as to not discriminate in granting CUPs to one business over another.

9. The possibilities of having zoning in some areas for helistops (e.g. F-40, Forest Zones) and in others for heliports (e.g. DRR, resort) zones.

10. The fact that “airports” are already in the F-40 zoning ordinance could make it logical to also include “helistop” there.

11. The potential for any legitimate business to plan and place helipads in F-40 zones should help create a development-friendly accommodation for such future LZ areas.

12. The possibilities (or lack there of) of placing conditions (such as altitudes and flight paths) on helicopters.

13. The desirability of establishing fair, enforceable policies now to avoid repetition of the last 18 months and future problems.

The OVPC concluded the planning session by requesting that the staff:

1. Create formal definitions of heliport and helistop.
2. Report back with a process that would keep heliports and helistops off the Ogden Valley floor by establishing a minimum elevation of 6200 feet for LZs.
3. Report back with a process that could place “heliport” in the DRR zone and place “helistop” in the F-40 zone.

These are HUGE steps in the right direction. Proper siting of heliports is a complex and specialized issue, and the OVPC deserves MUCH appreciation and thanks from all Ogden Valley residents and businesses as it continues with the very difficult tasks necessary to protect the interests of both Valley residents and potential Ogden Valley businesses.