Newly-elected county officials sworn in

Newly-elected, as well as reelected, county officers were sworn into office by Judge Lyon Hazleton at the January 5 meeting of the San Juan County Commission.
Newly-elected Commissioner Rebecca Benally had invited participation by tribal members to make it a memorable ceremony for all involved.
The Martin sisters, Tawakeedah and Dachuneeh, who recently completed service as Navajo Princesses, gave the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the National Anthem in Navajo. Tawakeedah is twelve and Dachuneeh is eleven years old.
The opening prayer was offered in the Ute language by Malcolm Lehi of the Ute tribe. Also present were Davis Filfred, the newly elected representative to the Navajo Nation from five Utah chapters, and Elsie Dee, who is beginning her third term on the San Juan School Board.
A large group of family and friends attended the ceremony and congratulated the elected officials.
In the business portion of the Commission meeting, Administrative Officer Kelly Pehrson went over the list of commission assignments.
A few changes were made, but most areas of service remain the same for Commissioners Phil Lyman and Bruce Adams, with new assignments made for Benally to replace Commissioner Kenneth Maryboy.
The Chairperson of the Commission was changed as Bruce Adams, who chaired the commission for eight years, said he felt that it was “time for a change.”
The new commission chairman is Phil Lyman. Rebecca Benally will serve as Vice Chairman.
Paul Sonderegger was named to fill an open position on the San Juan Health Service Board. There has been a need for an at-large board member to serve on the board since Burton Black asked to be released after several years of service. Two applications were received by community members willing to serve.
A request was made by Tammy Gallegos, from the Area Agency on Aging, to replace the wall furnace in the large meeting room in the Blanding Senior Citizen Center. The furnace has malfunctioned on several occasions recently and had actually caused some health concerns for patrons who were in the building at the time of the malfunctions.
This expense was anticipated and was included in the budget. It was therefore approved unanimously.
Charles Delorme presented a $3,500 grant request for the Bluff Balloon Festival. It was approved.
Clerk John David Nielson read a list of five businesses located in the county that have requested a renewal of their beer licenses for the new year. All were approved.
They include Shirt Tail Corner, Sunrise Convenience Store, Canyonlands Needles Outpost, Mexican Hat 7-11 and La Sal Store.
Commissioners decided to pursue funding from the Community Impact Board (CIB) to secure D road easements throughout the county. The process has recently been completed on all B Roads in the county, and the D Roads are the next step.
A building permit was approved for a warehouse in Spanish Valley on Tangren Lane. This had been discussed previously because several residents of that area had voiced concerns.
Commissioners had studied the proposal and said the land owners are well within their rights to request a building permit. The request was approved.
Staff writer Roma Young contributed to this story.