It was a year that saw some new businesses open and some old businesses close. Area tourism continued to boom, while coal and everything related to it went bust. This year we learned that the Navajo Generating Station would indeed be closing at the end of 2019. The Navajo Nation said no to the Grand Canyon Escalade and Pres. Trump shrunk the Grand Staircase-Escalante.

January

The Page Soup Kitchen re-opens.

After being closed for about nine months due to lack of staffing the Circle of Page’s Healthy Meals program re-opened its doors. It has remained open ever since and still thrives thanks to a tireless staff, volunteers and donations of food and money from Page businesses and organizations.

Stray dog finds new home in Amsterdam

It was a story that got a lot of attention last year. A tourist from Amsterdam, named Lindsay Claus, found and rescued a stray dog she found at Horseshoe Bend. The dog, named Cliff, was cared for by Pageites Shelly Johnstone, Tom Nelson and Sharon Nelson while money could be raised to send Cliff to Europe. Page resident, Martin Stamat, started a GoFundMe account and raised $500 which paid for Cliff’s flight to Amsterdam, while in Amsterdam Claus raised 1,000 Euros, which paid for Cliff’s other travel expenses. At the end of January Cliff had a new home in Amsterdam.

February

True GRIT returns to action

Officials at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area brought back the True GRIT (Graffit Removal and Intervention Team) program back to Lake Powell. The program was begun several years earlier as a way to combat the large amount of graffiti that occurs on the sandstone walls of Lake Powell every year.

The program utilizes volunteers who spend five days aboard the True GRIT houseboat. The volunteers spend their days scrubbing graffiti off the lake’s sandstone walls and their evenings relaxing on the boat and enjoying the lake.

Canyon Club raises money to rebuild aging livestock stalls for Page 4-H

The new facility was unveiled in mid-February, a month ahead of schedule. Two 14 by 80 foot stalls used for raising pigs, chickens and other livestock were constructed with funds raised by Page’s Canyon Club. The old stalls had been in a state of disrepair and 4-H members use the location to raise livestock during the spring and summer that they show at auction at fairs in northern Arizona.

Page High School’s Skubal and Whitehorse named coach of the year

Both of Page High School’s head basketball coaches – Russ Skubal and Ryan Whitehorse – were named Coach of the Year at the end of the regular basketball season.

Skubal has been the boys head basketball coach for three years and it was Whitehorse’s second year as girls head basketball coach.

Lady Sand Devils finish second in state finals

The Lady Sand Devils pushed the pushed the no. 1 team in the state to the brink in the Class 3A state championship game losing 41-40 to Valley Christian. The game capped an amazing 25-4 season. It was their second trip to the state championship game in three years.

Glen Canyon, Rainbow Bridge visitation up 29 percent

A report released in March 2017 showed that visitation to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Rainbow Bridge National Monument increased 29.3 percent in 2016. 2016 saw 753,000 more visitors to the parks than the previous year. Total visitation reached 3.3 million which marked the highest number of visitors since 1993. Of those visitors 1.4 million stayed the night in Glen Canyon. Some of the increase was attributed to 2016 being the National Park Service’s 100^th anniversary.

Dogs learn how to sniff out quagga mussels at Lake Powell

A group of dog handlers and several dogs visited the shores of Lake Powell where they trained the dogs how to sniff out quagga mussels. The dogs and their handlers were from Alberta, Canada.

The goal was to teach the dogs how to detect quagga mussels while their still too small to see, and before they become attached to structures, so they can be removed before they can become attached to structures and cause damage.

April

Carl Hayden Visitor’s Center celebrates grand re-opening

The ceremony marked the first full redesign and replacement of all of the visitor’s center displays since the facility was originally opened in 1968. The new informational and interactive displays were updated with the science and data and applied the latest educating techniques focusing on STEM careers.

Rainbow Bridge gains Traditional Cultural protection

The National Park Service designated Rainbow Bridge a Traditional Cultural Property, listing its historic and continuing cultural significance to six Native American tribes. At the same time they also added it to the National Register of Historic Places. It’s the first place in Utah to receive such a distinction.

The Hopi, Kaibab Paiute, Navajo, San Juan Southern Paiute, Ute Mountain Ute and Zuni nations all have cultural associations with Rainbow Bridge that date back before recorded history.

May

Five students share valedictorian honor at Page High School

Molly Redman, Kylee Hoffman, Theresa Wilmes, Danielle Solomon and Sofia Vine shared the honor of being named Page High School valedictorian. All five students had 4.0 GPAs as well as completed several other high-tier core courses.

June

Page opens its first farmer’s market

Page held its first community farmer’s market in June. The market featured 11 vendors, and roughly 80 people turned out for the event, which Chamber Page/Lake Powell Director Judy Franz deemed a success. The farmer’s market continued until fall and will return to the park in summer 2017.

Antelope Point’s Fun Run raises $67,000 for charity

Antelope Point Marina’s Spring Fun Run raised more than $67,000 for the American Heart Association last weekend.

As part of the marina’s annual poker run challenges, the “Spring Fun Run” is the newest addition, with its inaugural year taking off last year. 33 boats in total took part in the run this year.

The original Lake Powell Challenge is traditionally held every fall, and often raises upwards of $100,000 each year for the JDRF — a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to funding type 1 diabetes research.

Page Hospital earns prestigious award

The Banner Health Page Hospital received a Bronze Designation from Planetree International in June. The designation marks them as a facility going far above and beyond its standards of patient care and treatment.

It’s a very prestigious federally-recognized designation. Page Hospital is the only hospital in Arizona to be designated bronze status by Planetree International. Only four hospitals in the U.S. and six in the world have been designated such a high honor.

July

NGS signs lease extension agreement

Navajo Generating Station received a second lease on life last July after the owners agreed to an amended replacement lease to keep the plant open through the end of 2019.

The replacement lease will protect 700 jobs at NGS and the related Kayenta coal mine, provide hundreds of millions of dollars to the Navajo Nation and will guarantee all NGS employees will be offered positions within Salt River Project, one of the owners of the plant and the operator of NGS.

Golliard Park gets a facelift and new equipment

Last July newly refurbished and upgraded Golliard Park officially opened to the public. The improvements included new, state-of-the-art playground equipment with a wide sun cover and a larger dog walking area. The improvements made at Golliard Park mark the first of many upgrades and improvements coming to Page city parks.

Navajo committee rejects Escalade

Last July the Naa’bik’iyati Committee, a subcommittee of the Navajo Nation Council which consists of the chairs and vice chairs of the council’s various committees, voted 14-2 to reject the Grand Canyon Escalade, a proposed billion-dollar entertainment complex that would be located on the western edge of the Navajo Nation. If approved the Escalade project would include hotels, restaurants, shops, and a cultural center on the Grand Canyon’s east rim. The Grand Canyon Escalade project was rejected by the Navajo Nation’s Budget and Finance Committee 3-1 last March.

The most controversial part of the development is a tram system that would transport 4,000 to 10,000 visitors a day from the rim down to river level at the spot where the Little Colorado River joins the Colorado River, where visitors would find an elevated walkway, ampitheater and another gift shop.   The confluence is considered sacred by the Navajos, Hopis, Zunis and other Indian tribes native to the Grand Canyon region. 

Grand Canyon restores river unit

Grand Canyon National Park officials drafted a new plan for how they plan to restore its river unit after they were forced to disband it in 2015 following a federal sexual harassment investigation.

The new plan created a new administrative position — river operations manager — who would work directly with the river operations unit and report directly to the park superintendent.

The idea behind the new organizational structure is that it will give the river unit a very short chain of command between it and the superintendent. If problems arise again, the short communication chain to the top will help eliminate the chances that complaints and other issues will get lost along the way. The Grand Canyon river unit was disbanded in March 2016 after reports of rampant sexual harassment from male members of the river unit to their female underlings.

August

Zion National Park considering limiting visitors, adding reservation system

Zion has seen record visitation for four of the past five years with more than 4.3 million visitors entering the park in 2016. Visitation in 2017 was nearly as high as the 2016 visitation. Visitation to Zion has increased 60 percent since 2007.

The result is overcrowded trails, traffic congestion on the roads and an overburdened infrastructure. Witnessing the overcrowded, overburdened park and its facilities has the park superintendent and other park managers considering capping the amount of visitors they allow into the park each year, which could result in the park moving to a reservation or lottery system.   

Sadler resigns from city council

City Councilman Scott Sadler resigned from the council Wednesday, creating a vacancy the council will have to fill. In his resignation letter, Sadler did not list a specific reason for his decision.

“My decision to end my term early is not without a lot of personal reflection,” he wrote. “My involvement on the council has always been about working to help make the city of Page a great place to live and raise a family. The city of Page has a bright future ahead, (but) it is not without its challenges, so please keep that bright future moving forward. It has been my honor to serve the citizens of Page.

September

Three Glen Canyon rangers help Texas flood victims

Last  September the National Park Service established a national strike team to help with rescue and relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area responded by sending three of their park rangers and one of their boats.

Lance Mattson, Jonathon Jackson and Nicholas Klakulak, all law enforcement rangers with Glen Canyon, responded to the call last Wednesday. They brought with them a 16-foot Zodiac. They were paired with local law enforcement who were familiar with the terrain and the neighborhoods in which they worked for the next five days.

They went door to door looking for anyone who remained in their homes during the storm. They had a second objective of rescuing pets that got left behind.

Improvement at Horseshoe Bend get underway

In the past few years, Horseshoe Bend has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, atrtracting about 1.5 million visitors a year, many of whom struggle to find parking and struggle as they walk to and from the overlook.

Several upgrades and changes will occur to the site between now and completion of the project. The first thing future visitors will find will be a monument sign at its entrance. They’ll next find more parking and a parking lot that’s easier to navigate. Eventually the parking lot may have as many as 170 parking spaces and 10 bus parking spaces.

Next, visitors will find the trail no longer goes over the hill as it does currently, but will go around it instead, which they believe will lessen heat and fatigue-related emergencies. The new trail will also comply with guidelines with the American with Disabilities Act. Two shade structures will be added along the trail. The main viewing area will include safety railing.

Microburst does extensive damage in Page

A brief but violent microburst carved a path of destruction on the Manson Mesa and injured several people on Lake Powell when it ripped through the area last September. The damage included trees falling over in City Park, as well as near residences on Date Street, Elm Street and Morgan Road. The gusts also ripped apart a hangar at the Page Municipal, as well as several trailers at the Chapman Mobile Home Village.

Park Service also reported serious injuries and capsized boats throughout The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

McNutt chosen to fill vacant council seat

Darby McNutt was appointed to fill the vacant Page City Council seat left by the resignation of Scott Sadler. The 4-2 vote secured McNutt one year on the dais before his position is up for election in the Nov. 2018 elections.

October

Glen Canyon rafting contract awarded to Aramark

The National Park Service announced last week they have chosen Aramark as the concessionaire that will provide Colorado River rafting trips from below Glen Canyon Dam to Lees Ferry. The contract will take effect Jan. 1, 2018 and is scheduled to last 10 years.

This decision was not made locally; but came from the NPS intermountain regional office, to avoid possible local bias.

Colorado River Discovery has been the Glen Canyon rafting concessionaire since January 2006.

Football team crowned 3A north section champions

The Sand Devils football team defeated the Chinle Wildcats to finish the regular season 8-2. They were also 5-0 in their section, which earned them the title of 3A north sectional champions.

Edwards named Humanitarian of the Year

Judy Edwards was named Humanitarian of the Year during the 2017 Best of Page Awards. She was given the award for her ongoing role in numerous charitable and volunteer capacities.

November

Axlund named Chief Deputy

Coconino County Sheriff Deputy Bret Axlund was selected to fill the position of Chief Deputy. Axlund has served the sheriff’s office since 1996. He’s been involved in programs and public education initiatives that include boating safety classes, drug impairment training and active shooter response training.

December

Trump shrinks Grand Staircase and Bears Ears

In December Pres. Trump signed an order that will shrink Bears Ears National Monument from 1.35 million acres to 201,000 acres. It will shrink Grand Staircase Escalante national Monument from 1.9 million acres to 1 million acres.

Eight conservation groups have joined forces in a lawsuit to block Trump’s proclamation.

Lake Powell Pipeline passes first hurdle

In December the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accepted the state of Utah’s application to construct a pipeline that will pump water from Lake Powell 140 miles to the Sand Hollow Reservoir above St. George, Utah. The cost of the project is estimated to cost between $1.1 to $1.8 billion dollars.

Audit shows Page’s finances are positive and growing

For the fifth straight year the City of Page reported that their revenues were larger than their deficits. The surplus money is being set aside and will be used to pay of the city’s bond debt by 2021, however the city expects to have the necessary money to pay the bond debt by 2018, which will allow them to move forward with its ambitious capital improvements projects.