Pet project a pet peeve for some
Alpine won't take action against alpaca ranch
The rest, as they say, is history.
Now, eight years after getting their first alpaca, the Bergmans care for 26 of the animals on their ranch in Alpine.
"I raised seven children, and you would think I would want to do something different than this," said Jill Bergman. "But if you love animals, alpacas are wonderful."
While the Bergmans' alpaca ranch has become well-known in the tony Utah Valley community, a neighbor who wants to develop nearby asked city officials to look at whether people would want to buy homes next to fields full of alpacas.
Carl Pack, the neighboring property owner who plans to develop some of his land, was concerned about how the area would look for the houses that will be constructed.
"If you are going to have the alpacas, I guess you have to do what you have to do," Pack recently told the Alpine City Council, "but my hopes were that it would be a nice back yard and not see pens for animals. That is my concern that it's not blending in with the development."
The council heard the concerns in a meeting this week. And council members also took the time to review what the city's arrangements were with the Bergmans.
But with the ranch being in alignment with all of the city codes, including the number of animals that are allowed on the property, the council refused to take any action on the alpaca ranch. "I think it is important that we allow individuals the right to do what they want with their property unless it puts a hardship on the neighbors," said Mayor Hunt Willoughby.
Bergman was happy with the support of the council of a city that she feels is becoming development-friendly.
"A lot of people moved to Alpine for the rural nature of it," said Bergman. "I know that is why we came here. But it is becoming less and less rural and more built up."
The Bergmans allow community groups to visit their ranch on a regular basis. They also do their annual shearing in June and invite the community to see the process that leads to a luxurious fabric.
"They are produced for their fleece, although the market for that in the U.S. is just developing," said Rebecca DeMasters, the Bergmans' daughter and ranch manager. "The fleece production has developed in South America, but it's real small here."
While the ranch is really just a personal hobby for the Bergmans, they have their fleece developed into material that makes soft, warm blankets, hats, sweaters and gloves. In association with a group of alpaca owners, they even sent alpaca socks to soldiers in Iraq, and have received great feedback.
Recent comments
Jill Bergman said it best in this article. "She and her husband moved...
Pulling the fleece over your eye | March 17, 2008 at 11:33 p.m.
Where does it state in this article that Mr. Pack is a money hungry...
The final word | March 17, 2008 at 8:11 p.m.
So is the Alpaca ranch a hobbie or a business? Quite an expensive...
The rest of the story.... | March 17, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
- Odd Fellows Hall move 6:13 p.m.
- Man charged in child sexual assault 5:43 p.m.
- Jazz in back of line for free agents 5:36 p.m.
- Dining out: Ruth's Diner 5:04 p.m.
- Tactfully bring up plastic surgery 5:04 p.m.
- Malden's craft made good movies 5:04 p.m.
- Megan Joy looks forward to Utah 5:04 p.m.
- Movie listings 5:04 p.m.
- Box office 5:04 p.m.
- Weekend calendar 5:04 p.m.
- Blazers may offer Millsap a contract
- Utah's top 10: Wealth of recreation
- MWC, WAC rushed into BCS
- Restaurant burns in 3-alarm fire
- O'Connor unhappy Fes not with team
- Send Boozer to the Bulls?
- Keeping golf light on the wallet
- Teen injured in fall from waterfall
- Fatigued Jazz no match for Pacers
- River flow marks birth of sanctuary
- Bronco collecting a galaxy of recruits
138 - Letters: Palin mistreated
136 - Teachers struggle with district cuts
134 - Blazers may offer Millsap a contract
117 - 'Tea party' protesters unhappy
107 - Fairness of BCS debated
81 - Stadium of Fire lights up the 4th
79 - Chaffetz eyes challenging Bennett
72 - Millsap not franchise player
70 - Services bids farewell to Jackson
70
As more and more dads are put out of work in this economy, I've been...
The night was balmy though buggy at SPOC, the Stansbury Park Observatory...
No conservatives writing about missile "Kumbaya?" Tell us how weak Obama is...
The number of cosponsors is up to 250. Sorry for the mistake.
Enlighten us, what else does this bill do? Whether or not these...
it happened from 1pm - 3pm
An ancient proverb states: he that giveth to the rich shall surely come to...
Not politically correct and also pretty ignorant, but I've come to expect...
9:23 a.m Paul Krugman disagrees with you. When he advocated for the creation...
More greed for more entitlements! Who will pay for this greed? Our...
Thomas is great shot blocker. I love his intensity and determination in every...
American Legion has some great talent, dont take anything away from them...


