The Wayne & Garfield County Insider February 11, 2021

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The

Insider

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, February 11, 2021

Torrey P & Z Commission Meeting

January 20 & 25 by Torrey Planning and Zoning Commission TORREY Torrey Town’s Planning and Zoning Commission met on January 20 and January 25 to receive public comments about a proposed zoning ordinance and to review those comments. Commissioners present were Carrie Torrey, Tracy Potter, Richard Jensen, Don Gomes, and Mary Bedingfieldsmith. When the commission finished its regular business on the 20th, it opened a public hearing. Approximately 25 people attended the meeting in person, and another 25 or so attended via an online meeting platform. In total, the commission received 96 sets of comments regarding the proposed amendment to the zoning ordinance. Commission chair, Mary Bedingfieldsmith, gave opening remarks to create a context for understanding the change to the ordinance. She explained it has taken two years of work to create a more detailed zoning ordinance for Torrey. The purpose of the proposed ordinance amendment is to support the town in expanding its business district and accommodating the needs of its residences, while protecting itself from the negative effects of expansion that have plagued other national park gateway communities. She explained that all ordinances evolve over time, depending on the wants and needs of the town as it Torrey P & Z Cont'd on page 2

LOVE STORY A Wayne County True Love Story of Over Fifty Years by Jillian Fahey

Wayne County Commission February 1

DWR is looking for a Fish Culturist to join the DWR hatchery team, as well as looking for funding from the legislature to rebuild the springs at the Loa Fish Hatchery by Amiee Maxwell

Courtesy Jillian Fahey

Marsha Chappell holds a photo of her and husband Don Chappell on their wedding day. They were married for fifty-three years before Don sadly passed away five years ago. WAYNE COUNTY Wayne County has many love stories like the one enjoyed by Marsha Lynn Taylor Chappell and Don Chappell. They were both raised as Wayne County farm kids. Marsha grew up with her parents and a younger sister in Loa. Her family farmed cows, had a potato crop, and all of them loved music and dancing. The largest gift she can remember was the piano her parents somehow managed to afford for her eighth birthday. She used it well and learned to play piano for Primary and other church and family events. Don was named for an uncle who fought in World

Intermountain Healthcare Laboratories Process More Than One Million COVID-19 Test Results Since Beginning of Pandemic

Courtesy Intermountain Healthcare

Intermountain Healthcare has surpassed a medical milestone of more than one million COVID-19 tests results processed as of January 28, 2021. MURRAY - Intermountain Healthcare has reached a unique COVID-related medical milestone: the health system just surpassed more than one million COVID-19 test results processed—a milestone reached nearly a year after the virus was identified in the United States. “This milestone highlights the important role laboratories have played in combating COVID-19 and keeping the public safe,” said

Issue # 1396

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Karen Brownell, assistant vice president of laboratory services at Intermountain Healthcare. “I’m so proud of what our caregivers have accomplished,” said Brownell. “From our curbside caregivers who collected samples in triple digit heat and the freezing cold, to our lab caregivers and scientists across the Intermountain Healthcare sysMedical Milestone Cont'd on page 8

REGIONAL WEATHER FORECAST FOR SOME BUT NOT ALL REGIONS REPRESENTED IN OUR NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AREA

THURS. FEBRUARY 11 - WED. FEBRUARY 17

Some snow showers return to the forecast for this week, with 40-50% chances of snow on Friday and Sunday. Otherwise, partly cloudy with highs in the high 30s to low 50s; lows in the teens and 20s. Winds variable from 10 to 15 mph.

War II. His father died when he was just three months old, and his mother remarried when he was five years old. The blended family had an overflowing house in Bicknell. With twelve children, there was plenty of work to go around. Don spent summers hauling hay for other farmers for spending money. Don and Marsha got to know each other when they both entered high school in Bicknell, which included 7th 12th grade. The middle school in Bicknell now stands where the old high school was located. They had a small, close knit group of friends and did almost everything together. Everyone participated in ev-

Bryce Canyon City Town Council February 4 by Kadi Franson BRYCE - Mayor Syrett facilitated and Sydney SyrettLamas took the minutes. The Bryce City Council Meeting began with a prayer followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Morris Peacock, a CPA from the Hinton Burdick Accounting Firm, provided an overview of the Bryce Canyon City financial audit. He spent some time familiarizing council members with the various sections of the report. In general revenue trends, Peacock mentioned that resort taxes were up and sales taxes were down. Most of the revenue comes from sales tax, resort tax, and unrestricted earnings, he said. He praised Town Clerk Sydney Syrett-Lamas for her bookkeeping skills, saying that it is rare to find zero errors when conducting audits for small communities. He concluded that the town is doing great. Mayor Syrett provided an update on the process of migrating the town council’s digital content to Google Workspace and changing email address endings. The workspace is up and running, Bryce Council Cont'd on page 8

erything; sports, drama, music—they did it all. Marsha says, “There weren’t enough students in the school to be picky. The boys would do the sports, the girls were part of the Pep Club and FHA,” and all of them would pitch in with the band and plays. Dancing was immensely popular, so there were a lot of dances. An important yearly dance was the Gold and Green Ball that was held annually. Everyone went, even if they didn’t have a date. Whole families participated. Other dances were regularly held in A Love Story Cont'd on page 3

WAYNE COUNTY - After a prayer for more snow and the Pledge of Allegiance, Kevin Bunnell, Southern Region Supervisor of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), provided an update on Wayne County related wildlife happenings. He first provided a staffing update, noting that the DWR has eight full-time employees in the county. He then introduced Julie Sabattis, a new DWR law enforcement officer, and Levi Watkins, new Wayne County wildlife biologist. They are currently looking for a Fish Culturist to join the DWR hatchery team, and the commissioners requested that this position be filled by a local resident. Bunnel then informed the commission that the DWR is asking for funding from the legislature to rebuild the springs at the Loa Fish Hatchery. “Fisheries that have good water sources are very valuable to us,” said Bunnell. He then mentioned that a predator management bill passed by the Utah Legislature last spring has allowed them to be more aggressive at predator removal. They’ve harvested over twenty mountain lions from Boulder Mountain this past year. There was also talk of a delisting proposal for the prairie dog and sage grouse, aspen regeneration projects, and the

need to channelize Bicknell Bottoms. Trent Wilde, Utah State University (USU) Extension Associate Professor, then discussed the USU Cooperative Agreement for 2021. Wilde gave a quick history of the land grant university system (federal land was sold to build universities for agricultural research with the purpose of sharing research with rural areas) and explained that this process requires an agreement between local, state, and federal entities. The commissioners approved this agreement for the next year and will consider adopting a multi-year agreement in the future. Colleen Allen then presented a subdivision request for Adrian Ruger. Ruger is asking that two one-acre lots be divided from one of his current parcels. He also requested that part of this parcel be incorporated into his home parcel. This request was reviewed and approved by the commission. Kelly Chappell, Design Engineer at Ensign Engineering, then asked the commission to sponsor a semi-regional water system study. This study would be fully funded by the state; no Wayne Commission Cont'd on page 3

Capitol Reef National Park Seeks Comments on Orchard Rehabilitation Project

NPS/Travis Lovell

Capitol Reef National Park is seeking comment on a rehabilitation project of historic Fruita orchards, which is set to begin the fall of 2021. CAPITOL REEF N.P. Capitol Reef National Park is seeking public comments on an orchard replanting project to begin in fall of 2021. The project will initiate longterm rehabilitation of several historic Fruita orchards. To provide comments and learn more about the Orchard Rehabilitation Project, visit the Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) site at: https://parkplanning.nps. gov/careorchardrehab. The orchards of the Fruita Rural Historic District are one of the largest in the U.S. Na-

Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly. —Langston Hughes

tional Park System and are significant to the park’s history and cultural heritage. They provide valuable fruit harvest and educational opportunities that can be enjoyed by all visitors. Several orchards have lost most of their original trees and with continued losses expected, replanting is needed to maintain their historic integrity. “Many orchards are in decline due to old age, disease, and other factors. It is essential to begin sustained replanting of park orchards to maintain the integrity of the Fruita historic landscape” says park

Horticulturist Fritz Maslan. Work planned for 2021 will focus on the Guy Smith and Cook orchards and will consist of removing remaining trees and then regrading and amending soils to revitalize orchard soil health. In 2022, historically appropriate saplings will be planted. Lessons learned from this project, including input from the public, will inform upcoming orchard projects that sustain this precious resource into the

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Orchard Rehab Cont'd on page 2

PRE-SORT STANDARD PAID RICHFIELD, UTAH PERMIT No. 122


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The Wayne & Garfield County Insider February 11, 2021 by Wayne & Garfield County Insider - Issuu