Friends of Virgin, Inc.
P.O. Box 790005
Virgin, Utah 84779-0005
www.friendsofvirgin.com
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Our Purpose:
To promote the continued health, safety, security, beauty, and viability of the town of Virgin, Utah, through the combined efforts and talents of the individuals and entities herein known as the Friends of Virgin.  Though the Friends of Virgin differ dramatically in viewpoint and political affiliation, they unite here to assist in informing and educating local residents and decision-makers; promoting openness in the town government and free access to its records; and encouraging public input as well as its serious consideration by officials.
Board of Directors:
Lee Ballard, president
Adele Pincock, secretary
Sandra Grow, treasurer
Linda Collet, director
DRD Properties South, director
Jan Walker, director
MEETING WATCH
Planning & Zoning, 2/4/03:  	
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm. Although the Planning Commission had recently requested verbatim minutes from the clerk, after reviewing many pages in this form the board decided that discussions should be summarized.  Approval of the January minutes was tabled. 
The commission was next to address the legality of a rental trailer at Virgin Goods, but members decided that the question rightfully belonged before the Town Council, and went on to  discuss the adoption of a town excavation permit.  It was agreed that dust control, safety, time limitations, and the exclusion of agricultural uses should be covered by the associated ordinance.  The item was tabled to allow board members to gather and review copies of sample excavation permit ordinances from La Verkin, Springdale, Leeds, Enterprise, Toquerville and Hurricane.  
The next item called for the commission to begin work on commercial zone revisions and creation of the new industrial/commercial zone, as instructed by the Town Council at a previous meeting.  Members and the audience talked about which, if any, residential uses should be allowed in commercial zones; which uses should be permitted and which conditional; which uses should be prohibited in commercial; and the location and uses most desirable for the new industrial/ commercial zone.   The item was tabled to give members time to study.  Items from the floor included questions concerning Southwest Stone, an out-of-state company hauling rock from the BLM quarry on the Sheepbridge Road.  No real solution has yet been found to mitigate the impact of this traffic on the road, which Virgin is responsible to maintain. 
COMMENT
	Hurrah!  After a short review by Town Attorney Russ Gallian and a handful of minor revisions, the Town Council voted unanimously to pass the new Congregate Living Facility Ordinance at their January meeting.  The final ordinance is now available on our website (www.friendsofvirgin.com). Since it is a mere 10 pages, and fairly simply written, it is not as frustrating to read as some such things, so we encourage all who want to know how the regulation of group homes will affect their own neighborhoods to take a look.  
Although the new Congregate Living Facility ordinance has no effect on non-residential business in any of Virgin’s zones, its strength depends to some degree on careful designations of permitted, conditional, and prohibited residential uses in the Virgin Uniform Zoning Ordinance.  The CLF committee presented the new ordinance along with a recommendation that residential use be removed from the commercial district.  Fair Housing laws require that a municipality’s zoning ordinance must provide that a residential facility for the disabled “…is a permitted use in any zoning area where similar residential dwellings…” are allowed.  The CLF ordinance attempts to protect Virgin’s valuable highway commercial area from filling in with large residential facilities that would interrupt the flow of commerce without contributing much to the tax base.  This is an either/or situation.  Judging by past court decisions, if, for instance, an apartment building were to be permitted along the highway, then the town could be forced to allow other large group residential facilities.   Thus, residential use should be eliminated wherever large group homes would be inappropriate.  
The Town Council has now adopted a resolution giving notice to all permit applicants that the Commercial Zone regulations are under revision, and that all new projects in that district must comply with new amendments which are now being designed by the Planning Commission.  Planning and council board members seem eager to take the opportunity presented by this resolution to review all of the uses in the commercial zone.  Considering the diversity of suggestions made in recent meetings, input from property owners and residents on this question could be very useful to planners over the next weeks.

GOINGS ON
Last month we reported that a trial would be held for Noelle Higbee on January 14th.  We apologize for the confusion.  In fact, it was not a trial, but an arraignment which took place that day.  A January 22nd Spectrum article reported that the two- to three-day trial, the jurors for which will be chosen from a pool of sixty, will not take place for another three to four months.

HISTORY
Virgin, circa 1908
Anyone thumbing through early issues of the Washington County News (sadly defunct, but only since the late 1980’s) might observe that media attention to Virgin is nothing new.  The discovery of oil attracted interest from all over the state, and drillers from all over the West.  During the flurry of exploratory activity in 1908, not only did Senator W. A. Clark announce plans to bring the railroad to Virgin, the town became the site of a working printing press.
On July 13th, 1907, oil was struck a mile and a half west of Virgin Town in a 610 foot ‘discovery well’. By 1908, her oil fields were booming; frequent front page articles and regular correspondence columns of the News informed the public which of a dozen-or-so companies had drilled to what depth, or who was on his way to L.A. to buy replacement parts for the drilling rig.  The result of a laboratory test of the oil procured was reported by the Salt Lake Tribune that year:  petroleum expert David T. Day said, “It is evident that though a satisfactory illuminating oil can be obtained from this Utah crude petroleum the yield is comparatively small and the oil is better suited for use as a fuel.”  
The Tribune reported that, because of its composition, the Virgin crude was preferable to its Texas counterpart for use as fuel.  One column from the News recounts Tom Hewitt’s story of a promising new well which produces overpowering fumes, and gas so strong that it “keeps the oil boiling.” (A local man, who worked in the oil fields much more recently than 1908, reminisced for us this week about the revolting fumes emitted from any automobile whose owner was loyal enough to fill his tank with gasoline made from the Virgin crude.)
For a while, Virgin was home to a small newspaper.  Robert Graham purchased the plant used by an earlier journal in St. George and, in 1908, began publishing here as editor of the new Dixie Advocate.  The Washington County News reported that “the people who have acquired land near Virgin City to start a new townsite are behind the paper, which will be used to boost the property”, and praised the professionalism of the first issue.  Judging by later columns, however, a falling out between the editors of the 
two journals followed.  The argument seems to have begun over an issue as hot today as it was then:  where street and road funds are to be spent.  
The News published a letter signed by thirty-seven Virgin residents asking to be dissociated from Mr. Graham’s ‘personal fight’ with the rival paper’s editor, the County Officers, and the Post Masters.  The News editor called the Advocate a “disgrace to decent journalism,” its editor “below contempt”, and apologized to readers for devoting so much space to a “reptile”.  Unfortunately, we have not yet tracked down the other side of the story. Issues of the Dixie Advocate are proving tough to find.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Town Council Meeting; 2/25/04 at 7:00 pm (6:30 pm work meeting)
Planning & Zoning Meeting; 3/3/04 at 7:00 pm (6:30 pm work meeting)

FRIENDS OF VIRGIN
PO BOX 790005
VIRGIN, UTAH
84779

BOXHOLDER
VIRGIN, UTAH
84779