Orangeville City council hears report on Joe’s Valley

By Phil Fauver
Staff Writer

This months Orangeville City Council April meeting was held under the direction of Mayor Roger Swenson to discuss the following items.
Malone Moss put in a request to the City Council for a donation. He needs help paying his $375 registration fee to Boys State. Malone plans to attend Boys State at Weber State College June 12 through June 15. A $100 donation was approved. Malone was then notified they expected him to return and report on his Boys State experience.
Jay Mark Humphrey of the Emery Water Conservancy District came to the City Council to get the council’s support in negotiating with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Federal Government for the title to the Joes Valley Project and the water rights.
In 1962 the EWCD borrowed money from the Bureau of Reclamation to build the Joes Valley Dam irrigation project. That loan has been paid off but the Bureau of Reclamation refuses to turn back to EWCD title to the project. Jay said without that title the EWCD cannot borrow the money needed for a required two to four year maintenance and repair project.
The Bureau of Reclamation tells the EWCD they have no money available to loan the EWCD. But at the same time they tell the EWCD that we have to repair our reservoir. In the near future the EWCD will hold a public hearing on this subject.
The mortgage has been paid off and now the EWCD wants a transfer of the title from the United States back to the Emery Water Conservancy District.
As with nearly all reclamation projects the local water users association is responsible for the care, operation and maintenance of the project. They were also responsible to pay off the federal government for the construction costs. Once paid off the federal government is to deed the project and its water rights to the local water users. By law, the federal government’s only interest is to simply get repaid. The EWCD recently paid off its 50 year mortgage obligation for the Emery County Project.
The project now needs some repair work and the EWCD needs to borrow money for that work. Without the title to the project facilities and water rights, EWCD has no ability to borrow the needed money. By the Bureau of Reclamation’s own count some two dozen similar projects have received title transfer. Title transfer requires an act of Congress which may take a few years.
The City Council approved sending a letter of support of title transfer from the Bureau of Reclamation to the EWCD.
Jay Humphrey discussed the early warning system in place on the Joe’s Valley Dam to warn of a disaster if the dam broke. That message goes to the Bureau of Reclamation and EWCD would be the last to get the message. He said if Joes Valley Dam broke a third of Orangeville would be gone. If the dam broke suddenly the water would take 40 minutes to reach Orangeville. But earthen dams usually do not suddenly break they usually start with noticeable seepage and cracks giving several hours for evacuations.
Jay then discussed breaching the canals so the water from storms will go down the ravines around Orangeville. When the canals go away some houses will be in jeopardy of flooding. If you put a house on the edge of a wash it is risky. Phil Fauver’s house on a drainage could get some water when we have a rain. The drainage south of the cemetery could get some water if it rains. Placing debris basins in the drainages could provide some protection. Debris basins are costly to build and costly to maintain.
McKette Allred reported to the Council about the Meridian Mentoring Youth Home on Orangeville’s Main Street. The home currently has six girls in residence. The home’s maximum occupancy would be 16 girls. These girls are getting a six month educational and physical exercise program and they go for five mile hikes in the evening. Therapy is also available for the girls. Each day there is a schedule of school classes and programs for the girls. These girls range in age from 16 to 17 years of age.
Moms and dads may come for weekend visits. She said we may keep the girls for a longer period based upon their progress.
The first service project completed by the girls was on the outside of the Orangeville Public Library. They next will be doing a service project at the Orangeville Cemetery.
The school does have a Christian based non denominational service available for the girls.
McKette said, The majority of these girls are low risk and non-violent who have had problems with their parents. So far the program has gone reasonably well.
Melody Hoffman of the Orangeville Public Library asked for a donation for the summer reading time program. The theme this year will be “Build A Better World” This program is to encourage children to keep reading during the summer. This year they will include science, technology and engineering. The library wants to buy some “Little Bits Kits” for the library. The kits that have pieces have magnets that hook with other pieces. With the pieces the children can make many things such as fans, lights and catapults. A $100 donation was approved for the library.
Telma Peacock and Vicky Sharp came to the City Council to register a complaint about too many people having keys to The Daughters of The Utah Pioneers room in the Orangeville Community Center. Mayor Swenson said the Community Center locks have been re-keyed twice. The city does limit the number of people that have keys. When people rent the Community Center for an event they are given keys to use for that event.
Other people have occasionally used the DUP room during an event. The DUP has posted a sign that food or drink should not be in the room.
Vicky Sharp pointed out that someone has broken into the locked closet that they have in the room.
This room was promised to the Daughters of Utah Pioneers by former Mayor Thayne Cox and all fees for the use of that room by the DUP are waived.
The DUP room is about 15 X 15 feet square and the interior has been nicely decorated by the DUP. There are rugs on the floor, decorative quilts and pictures hanging on the walls. Drapes have been hung over the window of the west door that exits to Main Street. The door in the north east corner exits into the kitchen, into the main meeting room and for access to the restrooms. Both doors are kept locked.
Councilman Kent Wilson pointed out that this room is handy for a caterer when he is moving food from the street to the kitchen without disturbing people in the large meeting room of the Community Center. He asked if he could negotiate with the DUP to have access to their DUP room.
Mayor Swenson said, this room is a city donation to the Daughters of The Utah Pioneers for their use. The DUP use the room for meetings the first Monday of the month nine months of the year. The rest of the month and during June, July and August the room is not used by the DUP.
The Animal Control Officer will be getting a salary starting April 1. The utilities will be going up 2 percent starting July 1, 2017. Notices will be put up stating that there will be no overnight parking in the city parks.