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New road to ease truck traffic through Ferron
Ferron residents will be sharing the road with a few less big trucks after Nielson Construction finishes development of a roadway that will allow its gravel trucks to completely bypass city streets.
The construction company maintains a gravel pit that has for years required drivers to travel down Center Street and then down 8th West to access and load rock products the company uses for its operations. During the winter months the Huntington based company devotes a large number of trucks to hauling gravel from Ferron to Huntington in preparation for asphalt operations in the spring.
The problem has been that the city streets of Ferron are not built to handle such heavy truck traffic and the end result has been ruts in the road that needed to be repaired. Just last year the construction company, the city and the service district worked together to repair the roads.
Nielson Construction management, aware of the problem in Ferron, had long wanted to develop an alternate route to its gravel pit to not only avoid the trucks damaging the city streets, but also to reduce the number of big trucks that travel through the city. The development of a new road to the pit will alleviate both problems.
The road is currently being built north of Ferron and will lead to the Nielson pit. According to Eric Luke of Nielson Construction, the company hopes to have the road complete and in use by the end of April.
When complete the road will divert as many as 60 trucks a day from traveling through Ferron on SR-10, according to Guy Black, trucking manager for Nielson Construction.
State Senate candidates rally support
James L. Davis
As the summer months approach, those seeking local and state political office are striving to make their voices heard as the presidential campaign continues to draw the interest, and frustration of the voting public.
In the race for State Senate District 27, three candidates are vying for voter support. Republican candidate David Hinkins of Orangeville, Democratic candidate Brad King of Price and Constitution candidate Robert J. Armstrong of Spanish Fork all hope to swing voter support their way for the District 27 seat.
A fourth candidate, Republican Richard Moss of Spanish Fork told The Emery County Review he was planning to withdraw from the race and support Hinkins’ bid for the state senate.
In listing their individual priorities for the district seat, all three candidates have one issue in common, namely SR-6 and the need to improve the road. All three want to see state funds funneled into widening and making one of the most dangerous roads in the country a little safer.
A brief synopsis of each candidate and their priorities include:
Robert J. Armstrong
Armstrong has lived in Spanish Fork for the past five years. A doctor of chiropractic, he and his wife, Kaylene, have eight children.
Issues Armstrong wants to address in District 27 include what he sees as a need for a “One subject at a time act,” that will prevent a piece of pork or an unpopular bill from piggy backing on another bill.
“We need a ‘Read the Bill Act.’ This means that if members of the legislature have not read a bill, then they will not be able to vote on it. If they have not read a bill then they should not vote on it. Will this slow down the speed of government, and hence its growth? Absolutely, and what’s wrong with that? We need a web site where people can go and instantly find out which bills are in the process of being brought up for a vote. And this needs to be done right from the start of a bill being introduced so that people and email their house representatives and senators and make their views known on a timely basis. This needs to be made available for both the state and federal office holders from the state of Utah.
He also believes that the state needs to have posted on a web site the voting record of all representatives and senators. On SR-6 he wants to see more highway patrol troopers on the road to slow down motorists and wants the state to begin looking at ways to make the highway safer, such as with cut-outs for runaway trucks, wider roads and fewer curves.
David Hinkins
Hinkins is a native of Orangeville and is the owner of Industrial Electric. Hinkins married RueLane Nielsen in Sunnyside in 1975 and together they have four children and five grandchildren, with one on the way. He is a supervisor on the San Rafael Conservancy District working on salinity projects and was reappointed to the board of trustees at CEU, where he works to foster development of Western Energy Training Center.
Hinkins said there are three primary reasons why he is running for state senate.
“I would like to see more work put into SR-6 and SR-10. In 1973 I lost my sister and her husband on highway 6 and the traffic is getting worse, not better. It’s also a business corridor. Until it is developed Emery and Carbon counties remain undeveloped. I want economic development for our area.
Hinkins said he is also concerned about the mine commission. “Mike Dimitrich was the representative on the commission that represented the mining community. I believe we need to have a representative of the mining community on the commission. I have worked in mining and with the mining community for 32 years. Industrial Electric provides for much of the communication paging systems used underground. I want to make sure that the mines can continue to operate. Safety should be the number one issues, not unnecessary regulations. We want to have zero accidents but we don’t want to over regulate them to the point that they can’t continue to operate.”
Lastly, Hinkins said he wants to see the state develop its energy resources that are available in the area. “With gas prices the way they are we have got to start using natural gas. I like natural gas because it is an Eastern Utah product. The last time I looked it was 79 cents a gallon. It’s a Utah product and the state needs to give some incentive to gas stations to set up for natural gas. I want to develop our natural resources. We need people pushing that way.”
Brad King
King, a state representative, resides in Price. He and his wife, Tami, have three children. He is currently the vice president of Institutional Advancement and Student Services at the College of Eastern Utah. In his career he has been an elementary school teacher, and at CEU he has been director of College Relations, Student Activities and the Dean of Students. Politically he has served as minority leader and minority whip at the Utah State House of Representatives and has been minority caucus manager at the House. He has been on the Education Appropriations Committee for six years.
“Most of you know that my roots run deep in Emery County. My father is LaVell King from Huntington and my mother is Mayzell (Mortensen) King from Cleveland. I have enjoyed my opportunity to serve parts of Emery County as their state representative for the past 12 years. I believe that my seniority in the legislature and my familiarity with both the people and the process will serve the people of Emery County very well. I have strong relationships with representatives and senators from both parties. These relationships will continue to allow me to be effective as a new senator,” King said.
King said his priorities will continue to be education, transportation (SR-6 and SR-10 and SR-191) and economic development.
“We have made a tremendous amount of progress on Highway 6 and there is much still to be done, which I would like to continue working on.”
The ‘Bear’ Facts
Josie Luke
Though screaming would normally be discouraged during a school assembly, it was actually encouraged by the mascot of the Utah Jazz when he visited Castle Dale, Cottonwood and Huntington Elementary schools on April 10.
The Jazz Bear frequently interrupted Luke Larsen, who performed the speaking role in the presentation, raising his arms above his head, to the delight of students, who responded, cheering loudly. The Jazz Bear, with Larsen’s assistance, encouraged the students to stay healthy, by saying no to drugs, alcohol and cigarettes, eating healthy and exercising.
The visits were initially organized as an incentive for students participating in Castle Dale Elementary PTA’s “Be Excited About Reading (BEAR) Program”. Tammy Allred, a PTA member who is over the K-3rd grades, invited the Jazz Bear, and suggested that while he was in the area, he might also drop by a couple of other schools.
“The whole goal of the BEAR reading program is getting the kids excited about reading and showing students and parents that literacy is everywhere. We need to imbed in them a love for reading,” Allred explained, “Having the Jazz Bear come just made it more fun and exciting.”
Elmo celebrates new town hall
Judi Bishop
Elmo celebrated the grand opening ceremony for the new town hall and fire station on April 12.
Mayor Kirt Rasmussen welcomed all who attended and explained how the funding for the project had been acquired with the help of Bevan Wilson, former county commissioner and present board member of Community Impact Board; Mayor Joe Piccolo of Price, Mike Milovich, Carbon County commissioner; and Stilson Construction; who built the building.
After going through many designs, the existing building proved to be the choice to serve the needs of the town and fire station best. Rasmussen then turned the ribbon cutting ceremony over to Clark Atwood, Elmo fire chief and councilman, who did the honors with the fire department’s jaws of life.
Refreshments had been prepared, set up and served in the fire station and the mayor thanked everyone for coming out and supporting the project.
Elmo Councilman Ryan Jensen explained that the facility had a sound system that could be used for town events and would prove to be a huge asset for Horse and Buggy Days.
Elmo has progressed from holding its town meetings in private homes, to the library to a town hall that residents can call their own.
“We will now be a functional town of the 21st century,” Mayor Rasmussen said.
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