www.tooeletranscript.com TUESDAY TOOELETRANSCRIPT Cowboys, Buffs reach for region baseball victories. See A10 BULLETIN April 5, 2005 SERVING TOOELE COUNTY SINCE 1894 VOL. 111 NO. 90 50 cents Planned landfill worries ranchers by Karen Lee Scott STAFF WRITER Ranchers and nearby neigh- bors expressed their concerns last night about some grazing grounds being transformed into a large landfill near US Magnesium. photography / Mike Call At a public hearing hosted A photo of Pope John Paul II was placed on a table to greet members of St. by the Tooele County Health Marguerite’s Parish who gathered Saturday to celebrate the life of the Holy Father, who died earlier that day. The Mass was led by Father Matthew Department, the future of Wixted (shown in the other photo) after celebrating Easter Communion with some 3,200 acres of School and the pope in 1992. Father Wixted was also invited into one of the Vatican’s Institutional Trust Lands was dis- private chapels for a one-on-one visit with the beloved pontiff. cussed. Most of that property is cur- rently being used by a number of different ranchers for cattle graz- ing purposes. But if all goes well Tooele parish for Allied Waste/BFI, some 460 acres in the same area will soon be fenced off to become part of a Class 5 landfill. Dirt from other mourns passing portions of the property will be used to backfill completed waste cells. Only 50 acres of the fenced of adored pope area will be used at first and Darin Olson, environmental man- St. Marguerite’s priest recounts personal encounter ager for Allied Waste, said that by Mary Ruth Hammond minutes, Pope John Paul II stared the area could be viable for the from his bed at the window of his next 25-30 years. STAFF WRITER Kory Coleman, District The mood was solemn and lots airy, sparsely furnished Vatican Manager for Allied Waste, said of tears were shed — but more bedroom, looking toward the the entire fenced-in area could importantly a feeling of hope, crowd gathered below in St. collect waste over the next 50-60 gratitude and calmness fell over Peter’s Square and whispered, years. Tooele’s Catholic congregation “Amen.” A Class 5 permit allows Allied as Father Matthew Wixted led On Saturday, Father Wixted Waste to accept commercial and members of Saint Marguerite’s reminded members of St. household waste from local and parish in a Mass Saturday eve- Marguerite’s parish that Pope distant entities but not toxic or ning celebrating the life of Pope John Paul II accomplished much hazardous waste. John Paul II. The Holy Father lost during his lifetime. “But above In addition to adding fences his struggle with ongoing health all else was the Holy Father’s around the site, Allied also plans problems earlier that day. tremendous love for the church photography / Mike Call to expand and delete some near- It was reported by the Annamaria and Billy G. Cochran were among the hundred or so members of St. Marguerite’s Parish of the by railroad crossings. Associated Press that in his last SEE POPE ON A12 Roman Catholic Church who gathered for Holy Mass Saturday in remembrance of Pope John Paul II. The original design of the landfill was approved by state’s Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste on Jan. 5, but because new Baseball players sentenced in THS sex scandal blue prints for the facility were created (thanks to new owner- by Mary Ruth Hammond Court. lines of sexual battery, a class A days of incarceration were sus- were sentenced last month by ship), a modified permit must be STAFF WRITER Matthew Gomez and Shane misdemeanor. pended and both young men will Judge C. Dane Nolan in Tooele’s issued. This has yet to happen. Two 18-year-old former Tooele Leonelli, who were both 18 at If Gomez and Leonelli suc- be allowed work release while Juvenile Court. Three of the Meantime, the Tooele County High School baseball players the time of the incident, each cessfully complete terms of a being held in the Tooele County younger ballplayers spent two Health Department is conducting involved a videotaped sexual pleaded guilty to one count of 12-month probation, their crime Detention Center. Gomez and days in a detention center. The its own review of the plans. encounter with a 15-year-old dealing in harmful material to will be reduced to a class B mis- Leonelli were further ordered to fourth teen, who has turned 18 Some concerns about grazing female from northern Utah dur- a minor, a third-degree felony. demeanor. write a letter of apology to the since the crime, spent two days rights were raised by local ranch- ing a tournament held in St. Tooele County Deputy Attorney Judge Randall N. Skanchy victim and pay a $750 fine. in jail. Each of the four younger ers at last night’s hearing but a George last March were sen- Gary Searle recommended the sentenced both defendants Four younger ballplayers US Magnesium employee, Tom SEE PLAYERS ON A6 tenced Monday in 3rd District teens be sentenced under guide- to 365 days in jail. All but 14 involved in the same incident Tripp, expressed other concerns. He said as soon as the site becomes operational, some 50 Merchants begin collecting tax for parks, arts, rec large garbage trucks are expect- ed to come and go each day the money to bring performing with more trucks being added By Mark Watson as time marches on. Tripp said STAFF WRITER artists to the city, such as bringing in the Utah Symphony,” he said. that’s a lot of traffic to add to the A slight increase in sales tax in remote Rowley area and noted Tooele City will help build public The mayor said citizens’ com- mittees would be organized to there really hasn’t been any “bad parks and provide money for arts accidents” in that vicinity. He and recreation projects. find the best possible uses for the money. Tooele is the first city worries about the impact of the Starting April 1, merchants in landfill on US Magnesium and its Tooele began collecting an addi- in Utah to make use of this tax, according to Roberfts. employees as “they will be our tional 1/10 of 1 percent sales nearest biggest neighbor.” tax on all taxable transactions. Salt Lake County has used the tax for several years to help build The landfill was originally a The city should generate about project of Wasatch Regional Solid $300,000 annually because of the parks, golf courses and swimming pools. Several cities in south Davis Waste Management Corporation, tax. It is called the PAR (Parks, but the venture was recently sold Arts, Recreation) tax, and cannot County formed an alliance last fall in an attempt to build a new rec- to Allied Waste for an undisclosed be used for any other purposes. amount of money. The tax means customers will reation center in Bountiful with this type of tax. Voters narrowly Allied currently handles nearly pay an additional one cent for one-third of all the waste pro- every $1 worth of goods. defeated that proposal. Weber County voters approved duced in the Salt Lake Valley and “We won’t use any of the is the second largest household money the first year, but one of the use of this recreation-arts tax in their county. waste company in the nation. the first projects will be develop- Because the landfill will sit ing England Acres Park,” Mayor Tooele City first tried to make use of this tax two years ago, but on school trust lands, anywhere Charlie Roberts said. “The city from five to nine percent of its owns 26 acres on the northeast was not granted approval from the county. Finally, the City received gross receipts will go toward side of town to be used as a park. public schools. We’ve already developed five of permission to place the tax pro- those acres. Along with that proj- photography / Troy Boman SEE TAX ON A6 ect, some have mentioned using England Acres Park in northeast Tooele will be expanded with money from a slight increase in sales tax. SEE LANDFILL ON A6 WEATHER OPEN FORUM A4 DOINGS B2 INSIDE Mostly clear tonight. Lows in the OBITUARIES A8, A9 TV LISTINGS B4 Dog injured in skirmish 30s. Mostly sunny and warmer with roving mountain lion. Wednesday. Highs in the 60s. SPORTS A10 CROSSWORD B4 See A2 Complete Forecast: A2 HOMETOWN B1 CLASSIFIEDS B6 A2 TUESDAY April 5, 2005 ETCETERA ... Dog trees lion lurking in Tooele neighborhood News Briefs By Mark Watson STAFF WRITER Open burn window from clothing placed the over-packed The Cahoons have a pet March 1-May 31 munition in a larger air-tight con- dog they call “Chester,” but on tainer for continued storage. The current open burn window Sunday it acted more like a The earth covered storage for residents in the North Tooele “Hero.” structure is filtered and no vapor County Fire District is from March Chester, an 80-pound 8-year- escaped to the environment. There 1, 2005 through May 31, 2005. You old boxer dog, which belongs was no danger to surrounding can obtain a burn permit by call- to Burton and Patricia Cahoon communities, according to a press ing between the hours of 8 a.m. to of Tule Circle in Tooele, treed a release. 5 p.m. week days at 882-6730 or mountain lion, which was creat- The U.S.