SL Trib: Thumbs Down to NEVCO/Sevier Power

The Salt Lake Tribune published an editorial Saturday calling for NEVCO/Sevier Power to withdraw its incomplete and unapproved application for a controversial coal-fired power plant.

The Trib editors believe that Sevier County residents will not (should not?) trust the company enough to allow its revised plans for a natural gas-fired power plant to go forward, until the coal plant is “off the table.”

Indeed, many residents are murmuring their fears that NEVCO is trying to sell their incomplete plans for a coal-fired and gas power plant, so the mythical buyer could build whichever it chose, unhindered by restrictions already imposed upon the project. NEVCO officials recently refused to cancel their incomplete coal plant application in order to protect their “rights.”

Proposition 1 was passed by a large majority of voters which makes construction of any coal-fired power plants subject to a referendum of Sevier County citizens.

THUMB DOWN: A lump of coal » Many people in Sevier County have raised their voices loud and clear in opposition to a coal-fired power plant near Sigurd. After years of effort, an initiative petition and a couple of Utah Supreme Court rulings, they forced approval of the plant onto the ballot. Perhaps as a result, Sevier Power Co. has asked for approval of an alternative plant fired by natural gas. That would make a lot of residents breathe easier, but they can’t until Sevier Power withdraws its application for the coal-fired facility, which it refuses to do. If the company wants to make peace with the neighbors and the community, it should take the coal plan off the table. That might create a bit of good will and allow the debate about the pros and cons of the gas-fired generating plant to go forward with a modicum of trust. If the company clings to coal, however, that will never happen.

New Restaurant, and Bakery, and Sandwich Shop in Downtown Richfield; Enlarged Movie Theater Opening Soon

New Restaurant coming to Downtown Richfield

A new restaurant is coming to the old commercial bank building in the heart of downtown Richfield. Curtis Decorating is currently vacating the premises, and Milo Garcia is opening a new restaurant in its stead.

The Richfield “Bank & Grill” will be open for lunch and dinner, and will offer a cafeteria-style meal of the day to enjoy, alongside a variety of fresh salads, sandwiches and hot grilled hamburgers. Milo Garcia is the new owner.

The restaurant will also offer a retail location for local chocolatiers, CocoMotive Chocolates.

Buffet and cafeteria style restaurants are enjoying growing popularity across the country, as social gathering spots, and a place where people can enjoy delicious, healthy foods each day. Many similar locations offer meal tickets, to make it easier for people to dine each day. The Bank & Grill is sure to be a welcome addition to our dining options here in Sevier County.

New Sandwich Shop, Movie Theater to Open Soon

As reported here previously, a new sandwich shop is said to be opening within the next few weeks in the old Parsons Bakery building, just around the corner from the Huish Reel Theater in downtown Richfield.

Both businesses are completing their remodeling projects and are expected to open soon.

New Bakery Opening in Downtown Richfield

Just two doors north from the new Bank & Grill restaurant will be a new bakery and ice cream shop opening in the coming weeks, in the former home of Be-U Boards and Body Wear.

The new bakery will be baking bread on the premises.

This will bring the total number of dining establishments in the Richfield downtown area to seven — including the Little Wonder Cafe, the new Mexican restaurant in the Days Inn, and the lunch-time sandwich counter at Sevier Valley Health Essentials.

Along with the tri-plex movie theater and enhanced downtown area, Richfield may soon develop increasing foot traffic and a growing business climate — including evenings — in the downtown area.

Voters Ask about County Commission Candidates

Local voters are becoming excited about the upcoming Republican Primary Election on June 22. Voters seem especially concerned about the run-off between Tooter Ogden and Kimball Poulson.

Ideal Living has been asking people around the valley informally what they think about the upcoming vote. We’ve received some interesting responses about the candidates:

– Nearly every person we talked with thus far has said that they liked County Commission candidate Tooter Ogden personally.

– When pressed for their reasons why, most explained by saying, “Everyone likes Tooter!” We have now heard this opinon dozens of times from local residents.

– When pressed further, voters tell Ideal Living said: they believe Ogden to be a good and honorable man; they believe he is someone knows just about everybody; and who is easy to reach, and talk with about their concerns. They generally concluded with their belief
that they believe Tooter Ogden will listen to “the people,” and act as their voice in local government affairs.

In contrast, Ideal Living received a wide divergence of responses about County Commission candidate Kimball Poulson.

– Some did not recognize the name. They said they had never met him, or couldn’t place the name. This is a common problem for most electoral candidates.

– Several people responded that his father had worked for the local government and observed that Poulson was once on the Richfield City Council.

– Others polled voiced concerns regarding whether Mr. Poulson might have his own agenda and also used other less polite terms. When pressed, these voters brought up concerns such as a perceived “arrogance” in local government, concerns that the “people’s” views
are being “ignored,” frustrations about the proposed coal-fired power plant, or similar issues. In the minds of many voters, it appears Poulson could represent a continuance of such problems at the county level.

Ideal Living is seeking more specific information from you — why these strong opinions? If you have questions or concerns about the upcoming election, or news tips about any local issues, please send in your confidential comments to ideallivingmedia@gmail.com.

To vote in the Republican Primary, which may have an enormous impact on the November election’s outsome, residents must be registered as a Republican by Monday, May 24, 2010 — one week from today — in order to vote during the early voting period or on election day, Tuesday, June 22.

Alternately, voters may register as a Republican by June 7, 2010 to vote on the day of the Republican Primary on June 22.

Meet the Candidates Night: Wednesday, May 26

A meet the candidates night will be held on May 26 from 7 to 9 p.m., downstairs at the Sevier County Administration Building, 250 North Main in Richfield.

Candidates from the Sevier County Commission and Sevier County Sheriff will be there to answer important questions about the future of our valley.

The meeting is sponsored by the Abigail Adams Project (www.abigailadamsproject.org). For more information, contact Sandy
Caruso at (435) 896-4283.

La Casita del Osi Offerring New Specials!

Hungry? Monroe’s Mexican restaurant, La Casita del Osi, is now offering new daily deals.

The restaurant, located behind the Monroe City building at Main and Center, continues to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, and offers a wide variety of delicious and authentic Mexican specialties on Monday through Saturday.

La Casita del Osi, which is planning to expand to a nearby location, already offers daily specials of specific dishes, each served with rice and beans: Chile Verde (Tuesdays), Red or Black Chile with Pork (Wednesdays), Steak Mexican Style (Thursdays), Two Tamales (Fridays), and Chiles Rellenos (Saturdays).

Now, added to these specials, are new daily deals, such as buy one taco, get one taco FREE, or buy one meal, get a second at half price. The deals change daily.

And don’t forget their fresh baked chocoalte chip cookies, free fruit punch for students, and your free meal on your birthday. For delicious and authentic Mexican foods, be sure to check out La Casita del Osi!

Elaine Bonavita Schedules Town Hall Meeting

Elaine Bonavita, a candidate for Sevier County Commission Seat A on the November ballot has scheduled a public Town Hall Meeting. All are invited to attend. Bonavita is a Constitution Party candidate going up against Republican incumbent Gary Mason. She plans on scheduling “Ask The Candidate” session thoughout the Valley up until the November election, while Republicans battle it out among themselves prior to the June 22 primary election.

In Richfield, Bonavita will host meetings on May 12th and June 9th in Richfield at 5pm Room, in room B22 at the Sevier County Administration Building. The May 12 meeting will run immediately prior to Sevier County Planning Commission’s public hearing on the proposed gas-fired power plant, which begins upstairs in the same building at 6:30 p.m.

Sigurd to Annex NEVCO/Sevier Power Property

Recently, the group of owners of NEVCO/Sevier Power requested that Sevier County Commissioners issue a waiver on their properties to prevent the Town of Sigurd from annexing their property within the town’s limits. That request was denied at the Sevier County Commission meeting on Monday, after Sigurd announced that they had already begun steps to annex the area within the town’s limits.

Town of Sigurd officials have repeatedly stated that, after conducting a door-to-door survey, local residents do not want a power plant built within a couple miles of 186 homes in the town. Local residents believe that the large industrial structure would devastate local property values, decrease public health by greatly increasing pollution, and would reduce (and possibly contaminate) local water supplies.

Town officials are, in fact, already well on their way to do so. A primary requirement of annexation — which would allow the town final approval on any projects constructed within their city limits — is to submit plans and maps to the State of Utah announcing their intent. Apparently, the town had filed those papers in 2004, and the map of intended annexation is now legally recorded and binding. The former mayor of Sigurd had passed on tragically some years ago, and it is unclear if the current town officials were fully aware of the plan which was already set in motion years ago.

Sevier County attorney Dale Eyre, who is running for re-election this year, agreed with the plant’s detractors, stating that even if the County Commissioners approved the NEVCO waiver, it would be overruled by Sigurd Town’s annexation proceedings.

Regardless, it appears that NEVCO/Sevier Power will either need to work together with Sigurd residents and officials, or forego their plans for a power plant — be it coal-fired or natural gas.

New Oil Exploration Project Ready to Roll

Wolverine Oil is preparing for another oil exploration project, set to run over the next few weeks. The project will bring numerous jobs to the area.

Tooter Ogden, the Sevier County Commission candidate who helped supervise over 200 employees during a previous oil exploration project said, “This is exactly the kind of positive job growth that we need more of here in Sevier County. We have wasted eight years pursuing another project, while other opportunities passed us by. We need to be focused on helping local businesses expand, and bring in other businesses that can help us responsibly create more jobs for local people, to preserve and increase our quality of life here in the Valley.”

The Future of Snow College Richfield to be Decided; Public Feedback Sought

The Snow College administration has scheduled a public meeting to gather input from Sevier, Wayne, and Paiute Counties residents as Snow College develops long-term plans for the Richfield Campus. Sevier County and the Sevier School District are co-sponsoring the meeting.

The meeting will be held in the Sevier Valley Center’s Atrium on the Center’s east side, ground level. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday May 13, 2010. Light refreshments will be served.

The leadership of Snow has been completing an extensive review of its mission and programs and has reached the point where input from the Sevier County community would help refine its analysis.

The College has seen strong growth in the last year as more students attend Snow to start their higher education experience. Snow College offers a full range of educational programs along with career and technical training in a supportive academic setting.

“Meet the Candidates” night set for Wednesday, May 26

Sevier County Commissioner candidates will be squaring off at a “Meet the Candidates” night to be held Wednesday, May 26 on the bottom floor of the Sevier County Building, at 250 North Main in Richfield. The event will run from 7 to 9 p.m. All are invited to attend.

The event is being sponsored by the Abigail Adams Project. Candidates will answer questions, which they will receive just prior to the event. More information can be found at www.abigailadamsproject.org or by calling Sandy Caruso, Sevier County Coordinator of the Abigail Adams Project, at 435-896-4283.

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