For the week of June 3 thru June 9, 1998  

 

Carey eyes larger zone of impact


By CHAS MORRIS
Express Staff Writer

The Carey City Council convened for its regular monthly meeting in May to discuss city policy and responsibilities.

One of the first items of discussion was the proposal from the planning and zoning commission to extend the city’s zone of impact.

A zone of impact acts as a buffer between the city limits and land governed by the county that requires services from Carey.

Within the zone, the city has the right to control or allow subdivisions, among other things. The zone of impact is important to keep county developers at a distance from the city’s borders, especially for commercial projects.

One possible drawback to the proposal to extend the zone is that property owners within the area can not vote for members of the city council, one of two bodies that governs developments there.

The city council approved the motion, however, and planning and zoning can now begin negotiations with Blaine County to increase the zone.

Another item reviewed at the meeting was the tremendous success of the city’s cleanup day.

LaNeta Hansen and the Boy Scouts were congratulated for their efforts on this project. During the event, 600 tires, 124 batteries and more than 70 cars were disposed of over the cleanup period.

If a buyer for the scrap metal can be found, it would make the effort monetarily rewarding and a free dump day might be scheduled each month.

One hot topic at the meeting was the passage of the speed limit decrease from 35 mph to 25 mph through the core of the city. Although there was a majority of public opinion supporting the change, some were not pleased that other traffic-related problems were not being addressed first.

The other problems included the lack of organization in parking along Main Street, deliberate ignorance of the stop sign at the intersection of U.S. Route 20 and Highway 93, and lack of pedestrian crossing zones.

There was also an announcement of a Gem Community meeting on June 10 and 11. Representatives from communities around Blaine County will be attending.

An application to finalize this process will be sent to the state soon. Benefits of the Gem designation include accessibility to state and federal funding.

Also noted at the meeting, the acquisition of a liquor license by Walter and Sam Peck allows the Loading Chute on Main Street to serve hard liquor, as well as beer and wine. The restaurant and bar opened on May 23, seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Only two liquor licenses are available in Carey. The Carey Sport Shop holds the other license.

At the end of the council meeting, public comment by Carey Planning and Zoning revealed that a north-county business is interested in relocating to Carey if the city could offer the owner tax incentives.

The wholesale distribution operation would provide between eight and 15 jobs. No further details of the plan were made public and the name of the business was withheld.

The Carey City Council will address this issue in more detail at its future meetings.

 

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