Stansbury Days photo recap See B1 TOOELETRANSCRIPT S T C BULLETIN S TUESDAY August 20, 2019 www.TooeleOnline.com Vol. 126 No. 23 $1.00 UDOT talks future road projects with county COG Funded projects: overpass bridges at Black Rock, Lake Point; extra lane for I-80 and Mid-Valley Hwy. STEVE HOWE reconstruction of two railroad STAFF WRITER overpass bridges at Black Rock A Utah Department of and the highway overpass Transportation representa- bridge at Exit 99. The project, tive spoke with members of which has been underway the Tooele County Council of since early 2018, also includes Governments, detailing future the creation of a third south- construction projects and bound lane on SR-36 from studies during its meeting last Hardy Road to Sunset Road. Thursday. The $3 million I-80 west- Students at Vernon Elementary recite the Pledge of Allegiance as school begins on Monday. The Tooele County School District Grant Farnsworth, UDOT bound auxiliary lane will run started classes for first through 12th grade on Monday with kindergarten classes starting on August 26. Region 2 planning manager, from the state Route 201 ramp handed out an informational to the SR-36 interchange, sheet containing construc- which will improve weaving tion projects and performance from vehicles getting onto the measures for the county at interstate, according to UDOT. the COG meeting. He said the The project is funded and in Back to School sheet has also made the rounds the design phase, with con- throughout the state, including struction set to begin in 2020. 114-year-old Vernon Elementary greets students for the last time at the state Capitol. The Mid-Valley Highway, Funded projects on the hori- designated state Route 179, PHOTOS FRANCIE AUFDEMORTE zon include completion of the will connect from I-80 to state Black Rock and state Route 36 Route 138 near Sheep Lane. overpass bridges, the creation The $75 million project was TIM GILLIE of a westbound auxiliary lane recently put out to bid and a EDITOR on Interstate 80 and the Mid- 425-day contract was awarded Monday morning marked the end of summer vacation Valley Highway. to Ames Construction of West for over 16,000 students in the Tooele County School The $45 million bridge District. replacement plan includes the SEE UDOT PAGE A3 ® In Vernon, 21 first- through sixth-grade students showed up for the first day of school. A class of six kinder- garten students, all boys, will join them next Monday. This should be the last first day of school for the Vernon Elementary school building, according to Steve West, the school district’s director of operations. The school district will soon release a request for bids to build a new Vernon Elementary just 20 feet north of the current building, he said. If all goes according to plans, when next year’s students New gates on return for their first day of school, they will be greeted by a new school building. Students at Vernon Elementary started showing up as early as 7:30 a.m. Monday. They hung their backpacks popular trail on hooks in the hallway. Some students ate lunch in the school’s multipurpose room. add fuel to SEE SCHOOL PAGE A3 ® heated dispute TIM GILLIE owner. EDITOR The Leo Ault family owns Tooele County much of the property north of Commissioner Kendall Thomas Ophir Canyon. said his phone has been light- Last year the Ault family ing up with people complain- was successful in getting the ing about gates that are block- 3rd District Court to declare ing popular all-terrain vehicle Serviceberry Canyon Road trails on the Jacob City Loop would remain closed to all Trail and Ophir Canyon areas. motorized traffic until the “The county commission court hears the Ault’s claim believes that these gates are that the road is private. Tim Atherly and not legal,” Thomas said. “As a Serviceberry Canyon Trail Morgen Brown (top left) ring commission we are resolved to is popular with ATV rid- the bell. Brielle open up these trails.” ers because it connects the Adams (above One of the property owners county’s Jacob City Loop Trail right) gets in the area admits they have with campgrounds in Ophir school supplies erected the gates, but asserts Canyon. The campgrounds are out of her back- they are on private property also near the trailhead for the pack. Ms. Jalynn and block trails that are not Lion Hill Loop Trail. An open Livingston’s public. Serviceberry Canyon gives class (left). There are a few new gates ATV riders access to both trails on private property that the from one campground. Jacob City Loop Trail runs The Serviceberry Canyon through but those gates are Road lawsuit may not be heard unlocked, according to a rep- resentative of the property SEE GATES PAGE A3 ® INSIDE BULLETIN BOARD B6 CLASSIFIEDS B4 Nitro wows Stansbury Premier HOMETOWN B1 crowds at UMC soccer Invitational OBITUARIES A6 See A7 out scores Cross Country OPEN FORUM A4 Taylorsville See A7 SPORTS A8 See A7 A2 TOOELE TRANSCRIPT BULLETIN TUESDAY August 20, 2019 STANSBURY KIDS TRIATHLON FRANCIE AUFDEMORTE/TTB PHOTO Gabi Bergantz (left) competes in the Kids Triathlon on Friday. Jaxon Allen (center) grabs his bike, hurrying to get on the course as Jessica Sharp (right) begins the 3.2 mile bike course. Fires burns two homes in remote Gold Hill STEVE HOWE While the fire was active, sion platform, a state of Utah STAFF WRITER it damaged a permanent resi- fire engine, a fire investigator A fire caused by an unat- dence, a seasonal residence, and a Tooele County Sheriff’s tended burn barrel burned two two historic buildings and deputy. homes and an outbuilding last an outbuilding, according to The cause of the fire was Thursday in Gold Hill, accord- Walton. One person was dis- determined to be an unat- ing to fire officials. placed as a result of the fire. tended burn barrel and the The fire in the remote com- Resources from the responsible party was cited for munity northeast of Ibapah Wendover City and Ibapah reckless burning with no burn was first reported at 3:20 p.m. fire departments, along with permit, according to Walton. on Aug. 15 at 7121 N. Main engines from the Bureau of The estimated fire suppression St., according to Tooele County Land Management and U.S. costs were $20,000, while the Fire Warden Daniel Walton. Forest Service responded to cost of damaged infrastructure The blaze grew to 5.5 acres on the fire. Also on scene were a was unavailable at press time private land before it was ruled helicopter and two water ten- Tuesday morning. contained at 8:15 p.m. ders from BLM, an air supervi- [email protected] Something Location Wendover On Your Grantsville 138 of Gold Hill Tooele Tooele County Mind? in Tooele 199 Write a Letter County Vernon graphic / to the Editor! John Hamilton Tooele Transcript Bulletin P.O. Box 390 Gold Hill Road Tooele, UT 84074 [email protected] Gold Hill s Trail Expres y n TOOELE Po TRANSCRIPT Ibapah Road BULLETIN Pony Express Trail ADMINISTRATION Scott C. Dunn Publisher Ibapah Joel J. Dunn Publisher Emeritus OFFICE Bruce Dunn Controller Chris Evans Office Manager Vicki Higgins Customer Service Patricia Cook Circulation Manager Deep Creek Mountains EDITORIAL COURTESY OF TOOELE COUNTY FIRE WARDEN DAN WALTON Tim Gillie Editor An arial image of the Gold Hill area before and after Thursday’s fire. David Bern Editor-at-Large Darren Vaughan Sports Editor Francie Aufdemorte Photo Editor Steve Howe Staff Writer Mark Watson Correspondent ADVERTISING Grantsville City building damaged in Aug. 11 fire Clayton Dunn Advertising Manager Keith Bird Advertising Sales STEVE HOWE Firefighters with coming out of the DPW build- is working with insurance the Grantsville City Council Dianna Bergen Advertising Sales & STAFF WRITER Grantsville City Volunteer ing and a fire was found in adjusters and investigators to meeting on Wednesday at 7 Classified Advertising Manager The Grantsville City Fire Department were dis- the kitchen area. determine the cause of the p.m. at Grantsville City Hall. LAYOUT & DESIGN Department of Public Works patched on a smoke investiga- Everything inside the blaze and if the building is [email protected] John Hamilton Creative Director building at the intersection of tion, according to Grantsville building was ruled a total salvageable or not. Liz Arellano Graphic Artist Main and Cooley streets was City Fire Chief Rob Critchlow, loss, according to Grantsville An agenda item to discuss Correspondent Mark PRODUCTION damaged in a fire on Aug. 11, at around 8 p.m. When crews City Public Works direc- the fire in the public works Watson contributed to this Perry Dunn Pre-press Manager according to city officials. arrived on scene, smoke was tor James Waltz. The City building is on the agenda for story. Fred Feinauer Production Manager Dan Coats Pre-press Technician SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $1.00 per copy; $40 per year delivered by carrier in Tooele, Grantsville, Erda, Stockton, Lake Point and Stansbury Park, Utah; $45 per year by mail in Tooele County, Utah; $77 per year by mail in the United States. After 48 years of serving OFFICE HOURS: Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closed Saturday and Sunday. the community, CLASSIFIEDS DEADLINE: 4:45 p.m. day prior to publication. PUBLIC NOTICES DEADLINE: 4 p.m. day prior to publication. COMMUNITY NEWS ITEMS, BULLETIN BOARD, ETC.: 3 p.m. day prior to publication. Sun Lok Yuen OBITUARY DEADLINE: 10 a.m. day of publication. Publication No. (USPS 6179-60) issued will be closing twice a week at Tooele City, Utah.