Dear Editor:
I was born in Moab more than 50 years ago. I did some growing up there and most of the time I wish I never left.
By leaving, I learned just how big our country is and I saw more human population growth than I could have realized had I stayed isolated in the paradise we call Moab. I’ve also seen, every time I visit family, more visitor accommodations in town than most could ever have guessed would have been reasonable for “our” isolated oasis.
With few exceptions we are all responsible for what Moab has become — we tell our friends/acquaintances how awesome Moab is and highly recommend it for vacation as we believe all should experience the magic as we have.
Moab has many problems associated with tourism. I feel the worst of them include outdoor restroom use, people not picking up after their pets and garbage, especially the yellow nasty plastic containers and diapers along the roadways.
Blame it on who you want but we are all in it together … Enter commercial transportation.
As a community, Moab has a responsibility to accommodate the needs of traveling public — professional, recreational and local.
The existing facilities provide acceptable accommodations for tourism and locals. There are severely lacking services for commercial transportation. Large buses and trucks parked along the traffic ways invite safety concerns that are escalating to levels of risk to pedestrian and vehicular traffic that local officials should be nervous about being at least partially responsible for.
If a trucker or bus driver that couldn’t find a place to park somewhere in the Moab area falls asleep while driving through and there are damages and or injuries, now, Moab officials can be considered at least partially responsible. There is much more to that concept but space is probably limited.
As an obvious aside: When one buys property, one is responsible for knowing and/or being OK with zoning laws in the area. If you bought property next to commercially zoned property, you must be prepared for what is coming. Maybe a pig farm.
People have children and all of the resulting population need a place to go, live, visit, rest, observe and conduct business. Truckers, et cetera, need better accommodations in the Moab area. Local officials have a responsibility to address this. Their responsibilities do not include lobbying against a legal entity who can provide a professional, necessary service to the traveling public.
Love’s is a large entity that has the ability to address many of the concerns voiced by individuals who oppose a “truck stop.” Let them have a chance.
Drugs, hookers, exhaust fumes and crime in general already exist in Moab.
I’ve used many Love’s locations in the United States. I didn’t see as much crime in any of those as I have seen at Moab’s parks, a retailer in Moab, Moonflower Canyon, behind the dump and a variety of other places.
The people are coming. New tourists and truckers are born every day. Moab does not belong to the ignorant ones who think they can hold back progress.
If you want sanctuary, go for a (long) walk. You should have done something when the orchards and fields were being razed. If you are worried about water, what are you doing about local fracking practices and “desalination” wells?
And to the commissioners of Grand County: You have plenty of problems to remedy in your own jurisdiction. Let South Moab grow as it will. There are people in charge of that area that you should let do their own job.
