The speed camera on Ute Pass Avenue in Green Mountain Falls has become another tourist attraction in the town known for hiking trails and good food. 

“We wrote 815 tickets last month,” said Marshal Sean Goings, speaking to Mayor Todd Dixon and the trustees at the meeting Aug. 4. The marshal attributes the increase to tourist traffic.

To date, of the 815 violators, 473 have paid the fine, resulting in a check to the town from Meta Traffic for $6,500, Goings said.  Meta Traffic handles all the details for the marshal’s office and splits the revenue with 60% for the town.

But there’s a dark side to the marshal’s attempt to halt the speed demons.

“We were vandalized,” Gongs said “Somebody unscrewed the power cords. But we have a backup system in place, so it didn’t really affect things for us. We were able to repair those issues.”

In the effort to put a halt to the vandalism, Goings laid a trap.

“There are people trying to get rid of those cameras,” he said. “So we put cameras on our camera.”

In other business, Caleb Patterson, the town manager, reported that the owner of Rocky Top Motel, across the highway from the town, expressed an interest in being annexed to the town. In response, trustee Sean Ives requested the marshal to check on the number of calls for service from the motel.

Dixon and the trustees passed a resolution proclaiming the week of Sept. 26 through Oct. 4 the 13^th annual Creek Week.