Escalante City Council: City Council Met on January 18th. During the Personal Comment section of the meeting, in which citizens are invited to share thoughts, ideas and concerns, the gentleman who spoke at the last meeting about initiating a walking trail project in and around town provided an update. He has been contacting private landowners about permission to establish a trail along the river and has received generally positive response.
Planning and Zoning described an upcoming meeting with attorney Justin Fischer regarding legalities of subdivisions. Elaine Lott expressed appreciation to Vicki Schulkoski and Stephanie Steed for their assistance in making up folders for the new ordinances.
The City discussed and passed a motion to raise the filing fees for subdivisions. This action will be referred to Planning and Zoning where an ordinance will be written and referred back to City Council for final approval. It is expected that the cost will increase to $200. Lori Coleman, previously an alternate to Planning and Zoning, will assume a regular position due to the resignation of another member of the board. One building permit was passed for a fence.
Highway 12: John Holland gave his annual Report on National Scenic Byway Highway 12. In the past year, the Highway 12 Committee has been replacing route signs along the road. All 60 new signs are to be replaced again because of a defective adhesive that delaminated under ultraviolet light. The signs were under warranty, so replacement monies are unnecessary. Six additional signs, mostly in the Bryce Canyon area, will be added. Highway 12 Committee has also been replacing the older route guides, typically given away at travel shows or in businesses and visitor’s centers.
Mr. Holland stated that the counties would be funding route guides. A joint grant with the Dixie National Forest to replace the restrooms in Red Canyon and, possibly including interpretive paths and landscaping, may be in the future. Future issues facing the Highway 12 Committee include a decision to extend the existing paved bicycle route or construct a pavilion in Cannonville. Mayor Taylor asked if extension of the bicycle path across the county was being considered. Mr. Holland replied that the Garfield County Commission is interested in paving to Bryce Canyon National Park and possibly through Tropic. Henrieville has not weighed in on this issue. Torrey is enthusiastic about a bike-pedestrian path.
Russian Olive: Representatives from the Escalante River Watershed Partnership provided an information session and a PowerPoint display regarding one of their premier projects. This project involves the removal of Russian Olive, often considered a noxious weed, from the Escalante River. The partnership has spent much of its time in the past two years on planning for and removing Russian Olive from the river.
It is clear that Russian Olive is taking over the river environment, choking out access by animal and man, displacing native plant and animal habitats and disrupting farm and rangeland. Ten years ago, an Escalante resident spearheaded Russian Olive removal in the lower Escalante. During the past two years, Russian Olive removal has been accomplished in parts of Boulder, adjacent to the Escalante-Calf Creek junction and near the Main Canyon turnoff west of Escalante.
As the project evolved, “Best Practices” for the removal of Russian Olive have been developed. Simply cutting the trees down is ineffective because the root system of the plant is massive relative to the visible part of the tree. Once cut the vigorous roots waste no time in sending up new shoots, thus ultimately worsening the problem and increasing the potential for further seed production. Systematic observations of tree removal results have yielded what seem to be the most effective procedures for elimination of the plant.
The partnership now has funding for Russian Olive removal on private land located primarily to the west of town. Landowners in the designated area have been contacted and most, if not all, have agreed to participate in the project. The partnership anticipates hiring local residents as part of this year’s project as well as for the future monitoring that will be needed to insure that the plants have been eliminated.
Mayor Taylor described his involvement in previous Escalante River Watershed Partnership meetings and made clear the fact that the city has influence only over land that lies within city limits. The next meeting of the Partnership will be held on Tuesday, the 25th of January in the conference room of the Richfield Quality Inn from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The meeting is open to the public.
Additional information about the Watershed Partnership will be available in a future edition of the Escalante Newsletter.
Spice: Barry Huntington, Esq. has contacted the city regarding a new manufactured drug called "spice." The drug is a marijuana-like substance and is so new that no laws currently exist regarding manufacture or possession. Mr. Huntington suggests that the city be proactive in establishing ordinances against "spice." A model ordinance has been written which may be adopted. "Spice" will likely be one of the first items to be addressed by the state legislature when it meets in the forthcoming weeks. The City Council approved a motion to adopt the ordinance at the next City Council meeting.
Odds & Ends: Councilman Allen reported that the airport project will be starting back up on the 1st of March. Councilwoman Torgersen expressed gratitude to those who helped with the seasonal lighting along Main Street.
Christmas Train: There are few places outside of Disneyland and Disneyworld where a person can experience the nighttime magic of a lighted train. The City of Escalante and the Escalante Newsletter would like to thank the Wilson and Shurtz families: Lenza Wilson, Zack Wilson, Dale Wilson, and Susan Shurtz for the wonderful Christmas train. The family put in many hours creating one of the very special aspects of living in Escalante. Thank you.
From the Mayor’s Desk: Mayor Taylor is unavailable this week. Look for his comments in the next edition.
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