Monticello Council rescinds political sign ordinance

Campaign signs are sprouting up around Monticello after the City Council rescinded an ordinance that restricted signs to 45 days before an election.
The city had recieved complaints that since the ballots arrive by mail 30 days before the election, voters may have already voted by the time candidates put up their signs.
Council members said the city should be “election friendly” because elections and voting is an important part of our freedom. The 45-day restriction was rescinded by a unanimous vote at the August 26 meeting of the Monticello City Council.
In other matters, the city will seek a new member of the city council after Scott Shakespeare announced his resignation.
Shakespeare is in his second term as councilman. In recent months, he has split time between his work in Monticello and members of his family in the St. George, UT area.
City residents willing to serve on the council should apply by September 17. The council will appoint a replacement to fill Shakespeare’s term, which ends in December, 2015.
City officials report that the new community center, under construction at the Hideout Golf Club, is making good progress.
The contractor was given a fixed budget of $2 million to complete the joint project between the city and San Juan County. It is reported that they are under budget, so the “design-build” project approach is working well.
Jackson Excavation and Sonderegger, Inc. are providing bids for site work, including storm drains, curb and gutter, and parking lot. The goal is to have site work done in October, so construction can continue through the winter. The new building should be finished by March, 2015.
City officials report that a new well near the Monticello Airport is expected to produce around 100 gallons a minute. Pump tests are scheduled this week.
Funding to drill the well was provided by an emergency appropriation by the Utah Community Impact Board (CIB). Another well, which was funded by the CIB, at the Hideout Golf Club is creating problems with a high iron content in the water.
A test for iron content showed 6.75 milligrams of iron per liter. The Environmental Protection Agency says levels above .3 milligrams per liter are high.
The City plans to run the well for several days and then retest. Regardless of the results, it is clear that there is high iron content.
City officials outlined two options to deal with the issue.
Option #1: Pump water to the ponds above the treatment plant. The cost to run pipe to the ponds is about $350,000.
Option #2: An Iron Stripper is a little treatment plant at the well site at a cost of about $250,000, plus a $4,000 replacement cartridge every five years.
It is reported that Loyds Lake currently holds about 850 acre feet of water, or 23 percent of capacity. One culinary pond, which feeds the secondary system, holds 40 acre-feet of water, or 35 percent of capacity.
A second culinary pond, which does not feed the secondary system, holds 80 percent of capacity. The secondary pond holds 16 acre-feet, or 47 percent of capacity.
With current secondary water useage, officials estimate that there should be enough water in the secondary system to last the rest of the year without having to pump from Loyds Lake. The secondary water is set to shut off in about seven weeks.
The council amended the “curb appeal” incentive that was approved on August 12.
Instead of stating that the incentives are for properties on Main and Center streets, they are for properties within city limits on Highways 191 and 491. This eliminates incentives for the residential properties on Center Street, west of Main Street
The planned September 9 council meeting is canceled so officials can attend a Utah League of City and Towns meeting.
Joette Langianese, Executive Director of Friends of Arches and Canyonlands, invited the council to the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the creation of Canyonlands National Park.
A key event is a commerorative program in Needles Squaw Flat Campground on September 12.
More information about the event can be found on canyonlands50.org. Langianese said they expect about 450 people to attend the event.