The Emery County Commissioners heard from Suzanne Anderson in their February meeting. She explained the Emery County Archives and what they do for the county. She said the archives began as a pilot program in 2001. The state decided it would be important to have repositories throughout the state to make storage easier, instead of having to send it up to Salt Lake. There are 11 repositories in the state of Utah. The first archives director was Shirley Spears followed by Dottie Grimes, Shirley Begay and now Suzanne Anderson.
The archives is an important repository for artifacts and resources for the county. The county took over sponsorship of the archives, the original sponsor was the BLM.
Anderson passed out a photo album donated by Mervin and Gayle Miles. They have been taking pictures of historical sites around Emery County for years. They have expressed interest in donating their collection to the archives. Anderson said they need more space so they can add to their collections. Mervin has many binders and photos. If these items are located in the archives they are more accessible to the general public.
The purpose of the archives is to process, preserve and make available records to the public. It’s also a place to keep vital and central records. The archives provides a variety of services to the public. They have microfilm readers, printers, copiers and internet access. The staff at the archives is trained and knowledgeable. They handle government records as well as private records. The archives contains family histories, mining, farming, ranching, co-op, churches and service organization records. There are many photographs at the archives including historic photos from each of the communities in the county. There are minutes from meetings and records. Anderson said all the items in the archives provide information on the life of the community.
They are currently working on a project with Washington, DC where they are collecting the oral histories of veterans. They will be conducting interviews with veterans from 17 conflicts. They are seeking a grant to help with this project.
Anderson said their special collections area is full. She asked the commissioners if additional storage space becomes available they can use it. In the library room the ventilation is lacking and the old books need air. Some are starting to deteriorate. She said the archives has been there for 16 years, but there are still people who don’t know about it. They are hoping to get the word out about the archives so people can donate to the facility and can come and see the collections. Archive hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from noon-5.
Dixie Swasey and Evelyn Huntsman approached the commission about waiving fees at the museum for the Historical Society and their activities. They also said in the original plans for the Museum of the San Rafael, they were supposed to have a storage room at the museum. The historical society donated funds to help build the museum.
Huntsman said it is a wonderful society which hosts anywhere between 40-100 people at their meetings. They discuss and have guest speakers on various historical topics and in the summer they take treks to see historical sites.
Commissioner Keith Brady said the county and the historical society should consider having a memorandum of understanding so they don’t have to come back every year to ask for a fee waiver. County Attorney Mike Olsen said he would look into preparing an MOU.
Maegan Wilberg the museum director said while the Smithsonian exhibit is at the museum, the meeting room won’t be available.
Joey Birch was approved as Castle Dale Libraries March STEM Contract partner.
Mary Huntington explained the agreement with UAC for Unemployment Cost Management Services. She said the county currently handles its own unemployment claims. UAC is an employer advocate in unemployment claims and for $1,200 per year they will defend the county for unemployment claims. The commissioners voted to utilize the service for a year and see if it works out.
The board approved the contract between Emery County and Dory Peacock for Comedian Performance at the 2017 Emery County Fair.
A contract between Emery County and Ethan Williams for a Magician Performance at the 2017 Emery County Fair was approved.
The contract between Emery County and Ethan Williams for the Murder Mystery Performance of ‘Murder at The Swell Casino’ scheduled for February 25 was approved. This event will be held at the old Castle Dale City Hall building. Participants are given an identity as they arrive and they have dinner. Then they try to solve a murder mystery. Commissioner Keith Brady said he recently attended a similar event and it was fun. It’s kind of like a live action Clue game.
Sheriff Greg Funk explained the county will receive a time extension and additional funding from the State of Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice for the Emery County Jail Risk and Needs Screening Diagnosis and Assessment project. The county has contracted with Dalen Johnson from the Emery Medical Center for the evaluations. Sheriff Funk said the state reported they saved $25 million and have only reinvested $11 million of that. The legislature is considering a JRI for juveniles. Sheriff Funk said he will be heading up to the legislature to voice their concerns over these issues and the liberalization of the justice system in general
Commissioner Keith Brady said he would like to hear from citizens if they have any concerns about bills at the legislature. He reported the forest service plans to widen some of the trails on the forest to accommodate larger ATVs.
The board approved Museum of the San Rafael, director Maegan Wilberg, to get a county credit card.
Out of state travel for Sheriff Greg Funk to attend the Western States Sheriff’s Association Annual Conference in Reno, Nevada was approved.
Bret Mills will attend the 2017 National Translator Association Annual Meeting and Convention in Denver, Colo.
Kip Allred was promoted to an Equipment Operator/Driver II.
Sterling N. Drage was selected as a part time Mechanic for the Road Shop. Korene Merrell has been selected as a part time Assistant Librarian in Cleveland.
Tina Carter from the travel bureau will attend the Go West Summit in Nevada from Feb. 20-23.
The commission reappointed Joshua Rowley as an Eastern member of the Travel Bureau Board.
Maegan Crosland was given a 3 percent wage increase for successful completion of her six month orientation period.
Gary S. Wilson and Ethan Migliori were appointed to the Career Service Council to fill the expired term of Judy Scott and the unexpired term of Randy Jensen.
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