Subject: The Examiner Story on the Weber County Commission Meeting, Aug. 7,2007
Andy, I was disappointed in the story written by Jamie Lampros. I agree that citizens should not try to manage a story like this, but when there is an obvious lack of research and many basic facts are missing or in error in the story, it demonstrates that some reporters may do a questionable job.
The problem starts with the headline. It is obvious that this reporter did very little research into the issue, and did not research several major facts. If your reporter would have demonstrated the basic investigator's skills, these facts would have been in the story.
"Summers won't pursue approval for rock crushing" is inaccurate.
Mr. Summers petitioned for two issues. The first was to get a new ordinance for a MV-2 Heavy Industry ordinance in Ogden Valley for the rock crusher. There is no provision in the existing General Plan in Ogden Valley for such heavy industry. Mr. Summers was trying to change that. His effort to do so was denied previously by The Ogden Valley Planning Commission, 7-0. He then appealed this to the Weber County Commission. On Tuesday night the Weber County Commissioner's voted 3-0 to deny Mr. Summers appeal. The rock crusher issue cannot be appealed any further.
The Weber County Commission has the final word on this issue.
This was a major victory for the citizens of Ogden Valley. Passage of this MV-2 ordinance would have established an unwanted precedent for future heavy industry in Ogden Valley. The story as written mixes the two separate ordinances and it does not explain the heavy industry MV-2 ordinance implications clearly. The MV-1 ordinance was a conditional use change to the existing MV-1 ordinance. The MV-1 ordinance change was passed 2-1 to allow the small Cement Batch plant, but was secondary to the rock crusher issue, yet your reporter had it as the primary issue.
The reporter also chose to ignore that 335 citizens from Ogden Valley had signed a petition against the rock crusher and this petition was submitted to the Weber County Commission prior to the meeting. The petition was mentioned during the meeting and is on the public record, yet your reporter did not have any information about it in the story. The significance of the petition is that 335 people, many of them friends and neighbors of Mr. Summers, along with many others from all over the Ogden Valley, took a collective stand for the first time with those signatures against this MV-2 rock crusher issue. The petition is available on the blog: www.ogden-valley.blogspot.com.
Your reporter also chose not to report that Mr. Summers was provided a forum on the above named blog to state his case for a rock crusher in Ogden Valley. He did provide such a document for posting to the blog, which was posted last week, several days prior to the Commission meeting without comment, change, or editing. This information was read into the public record at the meeting on Tuesday night, yet ignored by your reporter.
Your reporter also provided Mr. Summers with a forum to appear magnanimous when it was reported that he may not pursue the MV-1 cement batch plant even though it was approved 2-1 by the Weber County Commission. If indeed he chooses that path, The VCRD (Valley Citizens for Responsible Development) and most Valley citizens will be pleased.
In summary, the Standard Examiner and the paper's reporters have been provided with previous access via the Ogden Valley Forum blog and contact information that clearly indicated the concerns of many citizens in Ogden Valley over this issue. You yourself said that it was a worthy news story, yet this reporter choose not to research the details of the zoning issues listed above or interview anyone that could have provided those facts.
Sincerely,
Larry Zini
