thePyramid We A r e S a n p e t e . c o m
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We A r e S a n p e t e . c o m Thursday, October 1, 2020 • Vol. 129, No. 40 • 75 cents
Fountain Green council gets heated BY MARCY CURTIS
FOUNTAIN GREEN—Tempers flared at the September 17 Fountain Green City Council meeting with nearly 100 people in attendance. Mayor Scott Collard, who was sworn in just prior to the meeting warned participants that anyone who didn’t stay under control would be removed. The first item on the agenda after the approval of last month’s minutes was the appointment of a new fire chief, Todd Robinson. As the announcement
was made outbursts from citizens began. Fountain Green resident Abby Ivory asked the council, “How was it decided?” To which Collard replied that the “appointment was made by the city council and the mayor.” Jess Baily followed with, “What happened to the bylaws? Is there no one in the fire department that can step up? I have been a member of the fire department for 21 years and I never heard a thing.”
As things heated up those in attendance were told that it wasn’t a matter that was up for a debate and that if they had questions they could call the city hall. From there the council moved on to other business. Eddie Hanson, Lamb Day Chairman, was there to talk about next summer’s Lamb Day celebration and address the changes the city council had suggested at a previous city council meeting. Hanson read a letter that was drawn up by Lamb Day committee members.
The letter stated that Lamb days has been run by volunteers for over 50 years and has always worked. Back in 2015 some changes were made that allowed the Lamb Day committee to use the city’s tax exempt status but also allowed the committee control of how Lamb Day funds were managed. The city also funds insurance for the festival to protect those involved. Please see COUNCIL, Page A6
DWR research center one of a kind BY KEN HANSEN
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is the second in a three-part series that looks at the efforts that are going into minimizing the damage caused by wildland fires in our area, what it takes to begin the process of restoring the land after a major fire, and where those resources come from. Many may not know that Sanpete County and its innovative businesses were on the leading edge of range-restoration technology. The same businesses have helped shape western range management and the way it is used to repair fire damage and to create improved wildlife habitat at the same time. EPHRAIM—Tucked back on an Ephraim side street on the far west side of town is an inconspicuous brown building. The front has a patch of sage brush, which makes it blend in to the rest of Sanpete’s scenery. The only sign that it is different from others in the area is the greenhouse near the road. Passersby may be surprised to know how important its contents really are. The Great Basin Research Center and Seed Warehouse, operated by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources was constructed in 2004 and in 2010 it was expanded to its current size. The building is temperature controlled. A cool night air exchange system is used, where cooler air is sucked in during the night and then shut things down during the day. “Even during the heat of the summer we usually keep it around 70 degrees,” said Kevin Gunnell, project leader at the research center. The main warehouse can hold roughly 1.2 million pounds of seed while the refrigerated section can hold another 150,000 pounds. Depending on the year, they look to collect seed from 100150 different species and varieties. The facility plays a vital role, especially in excessively hot, dry summers like we have had this year. The warehouse provides seed for mainly two types of projects. One that is important in years like this is fire restoration, or stabilization of soil in burn spots left by wildland fires. It is the primary supplier of seed for both federal and state projects in Utah. “For proactive work we have around 800,000 pounds of seed that we are anticipating to mix. We just got our fire needs and the estimate is somewhere around another 1 million pounds for fires this year,” said Gunnell. “So the total this year will be in the area of 1.8 to 2 million pounds that will get mixed through the facility. Please see RESEARCH, Page A6
PHOTO BY KEN HANSEN
Kevin Gunnell, project leader at the Great Basin Research Center and Seed Warehouse explains the process of mixing batches of seed for individual projects.
COVID-19 update MT. PLEASANT—According to the last numbers provided to The Pyramid by the Central Utah Public Health Department, there have been 609 COVID-19 cases reported in the Six County area—an increase of 54 since last week. Of those cases 40 have been hospitalized with three deaths. According to an email sent out to parents of students attending Ephraim Middle School at least one case has been reported in the school and additional students have been quarantined. The CUPHD did not respond to a request for further information. The CUPHD reported 20 active cases and 136 total cases in Juab, with 113 recovered, one death and two current hospitalizations; Millard, 31 active cases, 190 total cases, 157 recovered, no deaths and two current hospitalizations; Piute, two active cases, eight total cases, with six recovered, no deaths, and no current hospitalizations; Sanpete has 31 active cases, 216 total cases, with 181 recovered, one death and three current hospitalizations; Sevier, 15 active cases, 111 total cases, with 95 recovered, no current hospitalizations, and one death; Wayne has had two cases reported both of which have recovered. There has been one case reported in the less than one age group; 50 cases in the 1-14 age group; 141 cases reported in the 15-24 age group; 212 in the 2544 age group; 176 in the 45-64 age group; 72 in the 65-84 age group and 13 cases in the 85+ age group. There have been no new deaths in the Six County area. The CUPHD reported 15,758 people have been tested for COVID-19. Testing capabilities for COVID-19 have increased dramatically since the beginning of the pandemic. Currently, anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms (which include fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, muscle aches and chills, or decreased sense of smell or taste) should be tested for COVID-19. To find a testing location, visit centralutahpublichealth. org.
Ephraim Granary Arts set to open multi-cultural exhibits BY GLORIA ALBRECHT
EPHRAIM — Granary Arts is welcoming two new exhibitions starting Oct. 7, 2020 and running through Jan. 22, 2021. “Facing Home”, presented by Nancy Rivera and Denae Shanidiin, and “Pan Para Mi” by Steven Stallings Cardenas will expose gallery visitors to a multi-cultural experience. “Facing Home … considers notions of home, displacement, and memory as they relate to a multicultural identity. Through soft-sculpture PHOTO BY KAMILLA EARLYWINE installation and photography-based works, both artists Installation of the “Facing Home” exhibit by Nancy Rivera and Denae Shanidin at the Granary Arts building. reveal complex and malleable
ideas of self that convey a desire to probe and preserve the cultural experiences that mold them.” Rivera was born in Mexico City and immigrated to the U.S. with her parents. She draws from government-issued immigration documents, a small collection of family photos, and photographs taken during visits to her hometowns in central-Mexico to construct works that trace her experience as first-generation Mexican-American. Rivera is now an arts administrator based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Shanidiin, whose work span her cultural ties of Korean and indigenous ancestry, explores balance and harmony in a cruel world. Her work offers personal identifiers of the softness and resilience she embodies—both spiritually and materialistically. She says she expresses her bond to motherhood that is Please see EXHIBITS, Page A6
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