Information center building takes shape

By PATSY STODDARD Editor

A new building is taking shape on Castle Dale’s Main Street. It will be an information center along with an ADA compliant bathrooms which will be open all the time.
Castle Dale Mayor Danny Van Wagoner said the information center will be staffed as much as possible by volunteers. Part of the information center will be a small store where local products can be sold.
Artists and craftsmen are encouraged to have their items on display to sell to visitors and tourists who come to the area. Those with items on display will also staff the building.
The information center is at the fairgrounds and park. Mayor Van Wagoner hopes the location will be highly visible to traffic driving by and will welcome visitors into our area. There will be brochures and magazines promoting the attractions of the area available at all hours.
One feature of the building is the outside is being completed with bricks saved when the old Co-op store building along Castle Dale Main Street was torn down to make room for a new Castle Dale City building which will also house the Castle Valley Special Service District and the Emery Water Conservancy District.
Mayor Van Wagoner said the outside back wall of the information center will have a small climbing wall for everyone to try out. Emery County is known for great boulders and climbing is a popular activity among visitors.
Larry Sweeten has done the dry-wall work on the information center. He has sculpted the interior wall to look like a petroglyph panel. The Castle Dale City crews have done a lot of work on the building.
Super volunteer and also Castle Dale city councilman Joel (Party and Pretty) Dorsch has done the exterior wiring of the building free of charge. Dorsch works each year to help plan the annual Castle Dale Days celebration.
He helps to take care of the Blue Sage Arena and helps with scheduling of events there. He is a volunteer at the fair and rodeo. He puts in countless hours for Castle Dale City. He along with his wife Susan have been working on the information building and also cleaning up the fairgrounds and doing landscaping projets there. Dorsch helps keep Castle Dale a fun place to live by organizing the Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween and Christmas party each year for the city.
Terry Lofthouse completed the interior electrical work.
Garold Burke has been working on the masonry for the building. He also crafted the new entry way into the Castle Dale cemetery. His company is Astound Mammoth Masonry and he’s based in Castle Dale.
He does all types of masonry work. He has worked on fireplaces and retaining walls and patios. He does some work for Stilson Construction. He said he has enjoyed working with the old adobe bricks for the new information center. “You really have to work fast because the bricks soak up the mortar really quickly,” said Burke.
He enjoys the various shapes of the old bricks, they will add contrast and different color to the building. He’s been working with two-three different kinds of bricks, some with old paint on which he thinks will add character to the building. Burke’s son Landon is also helping him with the masonry.
The mortar he is using is tinted red to blend in better with the bricks.
He cuts the bricks to fit and also places brick ties every 16 inches to hold the bricks in place.
Burke calls Castle Dale home but is also renting a home in San Juan County because his wife works there. He was raised in the Montezuema Creek area in San Juan County.
He and his wife have five children, His wife is Megan Allen originally from Blanding. Burke is very proud of his children, one just graduated from BYU Hawaii and one recently went into the army reserves.
Burke’s number is 435-749-9417 if you would like to know more about the masonry services he offers.