Culvert on Cottonwood Wash following December 2010 flooding.

On Thursday, January 19, 2012 NRCS announced the receipt of a substantial amount of money that has finally been appropriated to the Southern Utah area for flood control measures largely due to the flooding event of December 2010.  Enterprise City officials met with Lance Smith of NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) on Friday to discuss plans to assist in the Enterprise area.  It is expected the area on Spring Creek near the City well at 300 W. 200 S. where the flood waters breached the banks previously will be the primary area of repair.  Some additional work will be done at the Cottonwood Wash crossing near 775 E and 150 N.   These important repairs are expected to be completed in the next few months and will enhance our ability to deal with high stream flows like we have seen in the past few years.   Our goal has been to protect the health and safety of our residents and we are excited to partner with both NRCS and Washington County to enhance our flood control measures.

The City had already expended a modest amount of money opening both of these channels from accumulated debris and sediment just within the past few weeks.  The new project will expand and enhance the work already done.

In addition to other needed repairs in Washington County, a substantial amount of money has also been allocated to address the Holt Canyon drainage problem near Enterprise in Iron County.

The City of Enterprise is currently accepting nominations for the position of Planning Commissioner.  There are (2) positions open for appointment.  One is a 3 yr term to replace Jared Bollinger who was recently elected to the City Council, and the other is a 5 yr term to replace Kim Thomas who has completed his term of service.  If you or someone you know is interested, please fill out a nomination form available at the City Office.  If you would like one emailed to you, please contact me.

The Mayor makes the appointment with the advice and consent of the City Council.  Planning Commission meetings are usually held once a month on a Tuesday evening, and could last 1 hour or more.

The Planning Commission is a review and recommendation body for the City Council, with some limited decision making authority in the area of land use.  Some of the responsibilities of the Planning Commission are: review of subdivision requests, conditional use permit applications, zone change requests, annexation applications, review business business license applications, and review of the Enterprise General Plan

This is a great opportunity for a civic minded individual to have an influence on the future growth of our community.  You may self nominate or encourage friends, family, or neighbors.  If you are interested, please apply by Monday December 12, 2011

mayor@enterpriseutah.org

The State Engineer of Utah has scheduled a special meeting to discuss plans to implement a Groundwater Management Plan for the Enterprise / Escalante Valley area.  The meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 9th at the Enterprise High School auditorium at 7:00 PM.  The State Engineer is expected to present a draft plan that calls for a significant reduction in depletion of underground water in the valley.  Enterprise City has significant interest in any plan as most of our municipal water rights are from underground wells.

Every resident who drinks, flushes, or irrigates with water could be affected by a Groundwater Management plan.  Please come and get the facts about our declining groundwater table and the ideas presently being considered to find equitable solutions to this problem.

The City Council created a utility assistance program to help needy handicapped and disabled individuals with their city utility bill.  The program has been in effect about a year and has accumulated a modest fund that will now be used to provide some limited assistance in the future.  A small committee has been established to evaluate merit and begin dispensing the money.  Strict guidelines ensure that donations and funds are separately tracked.  Only individuals with financial need and significant long term handicap and/or disability can receive assistance.  This program is funded through your donations.  How Can You Help?

If you would like to donate on a monthly basis, the City can add a line item to your monthly utility bill.  For example, if you would like to donate $5 per month, your monthly City utility bill will then include a separate line item for that set amount.  One time donations for this program can also be accepted at the city office.

Our municipal elections are approaching in November and we have 3 Council Member seats that are to be filled.  There are 6 candidates that have filed for these 3 positions. 

A “meet the candidates” event has been scheduled for Wednesday night, October 19th at 8:00 PM at the EHS auditorium.  We would encourage all residents to attend this opportunity to hear from the candidates and become acquainted with some of those who will make important decision affecting the City for the next 4 years. 

Please bring your family, friends, and neighbors and become involved in this important process.

Perhaps you have noticed some initial activity on phase 1 of the City park project on the City property near 400 East and 400 South.  The City contracted for some initial site preparation and grading that is nearly completed.  In the very near future, an underground water and sprinkling system will be professionally installed that will accomodate this phase as well as future phases.  It is anticipated that this area will be seeded with grass in the early spring as it is developed into a baseball, softball, and soccer field. 

There are conceptual plans for the ultimate development of the entire park project that are available for inspection at the City office.  We appreciate those who have volunteered with various aspects of this project and look forward to proceeding on future phases as it becomes financially feasible.

I would like to remind our residents that it is important that their homes be properly identifed with the correct street number assignment.  This can be critically important in the event of a Fire, EMS, or law enforcement response.  We ask that numbers be posted in a manner that would make them easily readable and visible from the street.  In some cases, there has been some confusion about the correct number for a home.  If there is any question, please contact the City Office to confirm or verify the assigned number for your respective home.

At the regular City Council meeting held on Wednesday, September 28th Councilmember Dana Truman presented a special flag and placque on behalf of SSG Mike Cobb.  The placque reads:

Operations

  Iraqi Freedom / New Dawn

To Certify that this American Flag flew on 11 September 2011 over Camp FERNANDEZ-LONG-PLANK, Irag, an American base used for the Global War on Terrorism.  As this flag flew, it symbolized the soverign power of the United States of America and the unshakable resolve to keep our country safe.  You are presented this flag as a token of appreciation for your patriotism and service to our great Nation.

Presented by SSG Mikel L. Cobb

We accepted this thoughtful gesture on behalf of a grateful community and express our sincere appreciation for the many men and women who put their lives in harms way to defend the freedoms that we hold so dear.  This special presentation is on display and available for viewing at the Enterprise City Offices.

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Last week while attempting to resolve a power outage caused by a lightning strike on our power transmission line, we made a disturbing discovery.  Someone has deliberately stripped the copper grounding wire from many of our utility poles leading from the silver mine substation to our municipal substation on 100 North.  Not only did this contribute to the difficulties of restoring power, but has presented us with a costly challenge to repair and replace the theft that has occurred.  With copper prices at an all time high, this is not an uncommon occurance with power utilities.  Unfortunately, we all ultimately end up paying for this kind of burglary.

We would ask for your help and interest in keeping our utility infrastructure intact and operating safely.  Please help us by watching for any unusual behavior or suspicious activites related to any of our City services and report that to proper authorities at once.