www.tooeletranscript.com THURSDAY Passion for Buick Grand Nationals turns to profit, See B1 TOOELETRANSCRIPT BULLETIN April 7, 2005 SERVING TOOELE COUNTY SINCE 1894 VOL. 111 NO. 91 50 cents Toxic study puts county Board appoints Johnsen close to top as school superintendent in Rockies By Mark Watson Board President Gary Gowans said. district. He possesses strong leader- STAFF WRITER On March 5, Superintendent Larry ship skills,” Jefferies said. “We looked An educator with 37 years expe- Shumway informed board members at all of the parameters and felt very, by Karen Lee Scott rience working for Tooele County he would not seek or accept an addi- very fortunate to have somebody with STAFF WRITER School District will now guide the tional term for employment as super- his qualifications lead the district.” When it comes to toxic pol- affairs of the district as its superin- intendent. Since that time the board The board voted 6-1 in favor of the lution, Tooele County is among tendent. has met in three closed meetings appointment. Board member Debbie the worst — at least that’s Tooele County School Board and three open meetings to discuss Chapman voted against the appoint- what results of a study done by appointed Michael C. Johnsen Tuesday their options in finding a successor to ment. “I think he has great credentials Colorado College indicate. night as its new superintendent. Shumway. and will be a good superintendent, The county ranked third high- “After taking careful evaluation of Board Vice President Carol Jefferies but I felt we could have negotiated a est in a study, entitled “The where we’re at in the district: break- said the board is impressed with lower salary,” Chapman said. State of the Rockies,” which ing down all the important issues; Johnsen’s heritage, his lifelong com- The exact salary is still being nego- included 61 metropolitan coun- looking at growth issues, bonding mitment to education and his genuine tiated, but pay for the position is ties in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, issues, and testing levels that we are concern for students. listed between $97,000 and $100,000. Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, proud of; we are ready to appoint “Mike is a man of unfailing integrity Utah and Wyoming. Nez Perce photography / Troy Boman Mike Johnsen as our superintendent,” who has shown great loyalty to this SEE JOHNSEN ON A4 County, Idaho ranked first and Mike Johnsen Salt Lake County ranked sec- ond for concentration of toxic releases to the environment. But the rankings don’t neces- sarily indicate human or envi- Rainy weather could Grantsville ronmental threat or reflect spe- cific industrial or federal facil- ity practices. According to the delay SR-36 project upset over study, the results, “are based by Karen Lee Scott days or even weeks, depending only on the amount of various on Mother Nature’s coopera- toxic chemicals emitted to the STAFF WRITER developer’s tion. air per square mile.” Phase two of the state Route As construction crews await The rankings simply, “high- 36 project is still on schedule, less soggy soils, Easton said light those counties with the but last week’s wet weather mail tactics other aspects of the project greatest need to study these may throw off the “end of sum- (such as the installation of issues.” mer” finish mark of the $20 mil- sound walls near Stansbury Data from the Environmental lion undertaking. by Mary Ruth Hammond Park and Overlake) can still Protection Agency’s Toxics Nile Easton, a Utah STAFF WRITER move forward. Release Inventory (TRI) was Department of Transportation Even though a proposed 64- He also mentioned that gathered by the college for each spokesman, said while the unit multi-family apartment com- UDOT is currently working on county. Then the college cal- endeavor is about 50 percent plex between Country Haven and coordinating the traffic signals culated the pounds per square complete, drier weather is Orchard lanes in Grantsville may at Tooele City’s 1000 N. and mile of six different groups of required before more major never be approved, it appears 1280 N. The plan is to make the toxic chemicals released into paving work can start. photography / Troy Boman would-be developers may be going two lights work together to bet- Juan Nara and Jose Argona (l-r) install sound barriers along SR-36 near the county’s air, water and land This means the completion behind city leaders’ backs to receive Stansbury Park. Other sound walls are being placed near the Tooele as reported to the EPA by indus- date could be delayed by a few funding for the project. SEE SR-36 ON A2 City overpass as part of the highway’s reconstruction process. trial and federal facilities. Dennis Vanderhieden, represent- The six chemical groups were ing a group called Grantsville Family dioxin and dioxin-like com- Associates, presented a plan to the pounds, persistent bio-accumu- Mormon cricket control won’t eradicate them all city’s Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission March 10 to build a lative toxic chemicals, metals by Karen Lee Scott ing to Ed Bianco, an entomolo- poisoned bait goes, adult crick- prohibited from growing, thus 64-unit low- to moderate-income and metal compounds, and car- gist with the Utah Department of ets usually pass it up because of preventing the cricket’s insides cinogens. All are toxic chemi- STAFF WRITER housing project in Grantsville. The When it comes to battling Agriculture and Food (UDAF). a slower metabolism. However, from growing normally which cals or hazardous air pollutants. apartments would be situated on Mormon crickets, timing is Last night at a cricket con- new crickets tend to gobble it eventually causes death. Each county was ranked on a 7.17 acres of land in the above everything. trol meeting in Rush Valley, up because of their high metab- Bianco said there is only a composite score of its air, water location. While the crickets can be com- he explained that because a olism and die just minutes later. small window of opportunity for and land releases of each chemi- About 70 residents living in that bated with spays and poisoned mature cricket’s exoskeleton is He said that when pesticides the pesticide to work and that cal group for the most recent area attended last month’s meeting bait, attacks are only effective so strong, pesticide sprays don’t are sprayed on younger crick- year (2002) and for its yearly to voice opposition to the plan. Since on newly born offspring, accord- work against them. As far as ets, the insect’s exoskeleton is SEE CRICKETS ON A3 average from 1998-2001. the meeting was not designated as Tooele County’s total toxic a public hearing, comments were releases in pounds per square not taken. But even without hear- mile in 2002 were 2,032 to air; ing from the neighbors, Grantsville 0 to surface water; and 925 to City Attorney Ron Elton and the land. The average of the other Did Ron Riff P&Z commissioners explained that metropolitan counties involved a planned unit development (PUD) in the study was 183 to air; 2,182 has already been adopted for that to water; and 4,095 to land with do it? THS area of the city. median values of 22 to air; 0 to Three condominiums have water; and five to land. already been built on Country Haven The report included data jury lets Lane. Under terms of the PUD, the from a number of the county’s remaining land in that area should private and government facil- be reserved for larger lots and more ities such as US Magnesium, him loose upscale houses or condos. Elton Clean Harbors, Dugway Proving By Mark Watson told Vanderhieden that it is “very unlikely” the city would change the Ground and Deseret Chemical STAFF WRITER Depot. A 17-person jury unani- PUD and allow the apartments to The report also compared the mously found Ronald Riff not be built. amount of toxic pollution in the guilty of first-degree burglary Still, letters started arriving Rockies region to the nation as Wednesday in a Tooele court- this week addressed to several a whole. It showed that in 2002, room. Grantsville City administrators, 63 pounds of toxic chemicals Riff had been charged with the Tooele County Chamber of were released to the Rockies’ burglarizing a grocery store in Commerce and even the Tooele environment per capita, com- Minnesota. Transcript-Bulletin. Margo pared to 15 pounds per capita The jury came back with a Swedberg, owner of Gar-Mar in the entire United States, and verdict in favor of the defense Associates in Auburn, Calif. wrote 1,263 pounds of toxic chemicals after a long day of testimo- the letters that asked for help in per- were released in the Rockies per ny and cross-examination in suading the USDA-RD Guarantee square mile, compared to 1,043 Tooele Junior High’s audio- Rural Rental Housing Loan Program pounds per square mile in the visual room. to grant money for the apartment entire United States. If the 17-person jury sounds project. The letters state, “We need About the State a bit unreal and the name your favorable comments ...” Ronald Riff sounds a bit ficti- Swedberg’s letter further noted of the Rockies Project that one requirement of the USDA- The Colorado College State of tious — it is because the trial was unreal. RD loan application is that letters the Rockies Project is designed from local leaders indicate they Students, however, prepared photography / Troy Boman to provide a thoughtful, objec- personally feel there is a need tive voice in regional issues “Defense attorney” Cory Dawson grills a witness during Wednesday’s mock trial held at the junior high SEE TRIAL ON A4 school by Tooele High educator Bill Gochis’ criminal law class.