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Show 1521 E 3900 SSte 100 Salt Lake City UT 84124-1550 T H E O N E T H A T ' S R E ^ ^ The Spanish Fork News VOL. 4 / NO. 27 J L L O C A L L Y O W N E D A N D O P WEDNESDAY, E R A TJULYE 8,D2009 50^ SPANISH FORK. UTAH District holds open house Lindsay B. Wolsey STAFF WRITER The District v Office building for Nebo School District is now open, and district employees couldn't •be happier about moving into the newly remodeled building. Amidst a brightly lit building with the scent of new paint, Nebo Employees greeted friends and visitors 'as they toured the facility at -an open house held Wednesday, July 1. A few projects are still to be completed, but •for all intents and purposes the District headquarters is back in Spanish Fork. 1 When the original building was built in 1977, Nebo School District served approximately 12,000. Today •Nebo has approximately 28,000 students, with a 'growth rate of around 1,000 new students every year. :*• While the district offices were under construction, District headquarters were located in the Westside School building in Spring•yille. The main feature of 'the project is the new Board Room which features seating for over 200 people. The previous Board Room maxed out around 50 people. .- "In the old room, this half of the room would be standing, and most of the rest of you would be in the hallway." said Board President Dean Rowley. "We'd have people coming to see their children perform, or see a spouse get an award, and they'd say 'it would be nice if we could be in the room.'" Superintendent Chris Sorensen is pleased that the building is done, and is happy the district was able to save money on the project. "The new addition and remodeling bid was $6,315,903. To build this building new would be $9,785,000. The school district saved approximately $3.5 million by constructing the addition and remodeling the two existing structures." Sorensen said. "This facility is the office for the fifth largest employer in Utah County. We hope this building will be able to serve us for at least another 30-40 years." Many visitors to the open house were impressed with the cherry wood cabinetry and mill work. They were surprised to learn that they are laminated plastic, not actual hardwood. The walls of the building are decorated with framed art from students in the district. Each section of the building has its own conference room. "It's great because you can pull people in for a Lindsay B. Wolsey / Spanish Fork News RIBBON CUTTING: Superintendent Chris Sorensen, left, and School Board Member Debbie Swenson, right, assist Miss Spanish Fork Ginger Christopher in cutting the ribbon for the new school district offices as other board members look on. meeting, and not end up having to use the couch in the bathroom," said Board Member Debbie Swenson. The new server room in the basement has a 20-minute battery back-up, and after 5 seconds a generator kicks on. Superintendent Sorenson is quite taken with the new room, and is pleased that the days of data loss due to power outages is over. Miss Spanish Fork 2009, Ginger Christopher was quite taken with the new offices. "I love how open it is," she said. District employees love the openness of the building as well, but know that as the district continues to grow, the offices will fill up. The building now features energy saving lights that automatically go on or off when someone enters or exits a room. As employees settle into the offices and get down to business, they will adjust to the new lighting, as well as air conditioning that actually runs through the whole building. Learning about tasers Train fire Christy Hardman STAFF WRITER In light of the recent death of Brian Cardallfrom Hurricane, Spanish Fork and Salem Police Departments address the community about the benefits and risks of tasers. "There's going to be controversy whenever people die," Salem Police Chief Brad James said. "If I* thought it was not a good tool, my officers would not be carrying it. I think it's saving a lot more lives than it's risking." ; James explained that the term "taser" is short for the brand name Taser International for an Electronic Control Device (ECD). "We started carrying [ECDs] in March of 2004, and since then, I've only had one officer actually deploy his taser," James said. "I want our citizens to understand we're not out there shocking people. It's been sjx years, and we've only deployed it once. That tells me my officers are using a lot of their other skills to take people into custody." , In both Spanish Fork and Salem, the officers have to go through training in order to carry a ECD, and part of that includes being shot by one, "so they know exactly what the effects will be when they deploy it on someone else," James said. - James explained what an ECD is, and what affect it has on someone. He said it fires two small dart-like electrodes, and they are connected to a main unit by a conductive wire. The projectiles connect to the main unit through a wire, and they are propelled by a compressed nitrogen charge. He said it is similar to what you get with an air gun or single sjiot paintball. The ECD can't be shot again until it's reloaded. "Once it connects, it gives a five second electronic burst to the individual," James said. According to James, when the ECD strikes someone, his muscles seize up involuntarily. "You can hear and see, but you're locked up and can't do anything," he said. James said his officers are trained to look at every situation where they might have to use force, and to understand that any force could potentially cause death. "Force could be defined as just an officer being there, a verbal command, use pepper spray, an impact weapon, a fire arm or an electronic control device. It's just another tool to bring that combatative person under control," he said. Any force, according to James, can cause injury or even death. "If you're wrestling with them, and they're out of shape, that could cause them to have a heart attack and die." James said that the ECD can be a kinder method of force than other choices. "The second that you turn it off, you're done, the shock is over," he said. "With pepper spray, it keeps burning, and when you shower, you feel it again," he said. James reiterated that his officers are very cautious when it comes to using force. "It's our goal and purpose to save lives, to take people into custody that risk their own lives, my officers or other citizens, and to use the least amount of force necessary," James said. Lieutenant Carl Johnston of the Spanish Fork Police Department said the officers do not have a use of force policy describing how the different tools of force are to be used. "We don't have to go through a particular procedure before we can use force," he said. The officers are trained to recognize and react. Johnston said the controversy surrounding CardalTs death is due to a lack of understanding from the media and the public. "I think the public in general will benefit from spending a little more time learning the facts," he said. "A taser doesn't kill. Does it hurt? Yes. It is a pain compliance tool. If I whacked someone on the leg with a baton, under certain conditions it might cause a blood clot and kill him. Every time we use force, there are risks." He said that as police officers, they arc trained to recognize certain conditions that the general public, and the media would not see when they represent a case study. Johnston explained a series of symptoms that were red flags for him when he heard about what happened to Cardall, all of them leading to the diagnosis of a condition called excited delirium. "It is very evident to me what has occurred in the Cardall case," Johnston said. The condition of excited delirium has been documented as far back as 1849, and can be recognized by common symptoms, including acute onset delirium with agitation, bizarre behavior and violence. Victims often strip off their clothes due to spiking core See TASERS • A6 I Courtesy photo TRAIN FIRE: A refrigerator car at the end of the line of Union Pacific trains that have been stationary for months near Benjamin caught fire Tuesday, June 30, 2009. Spanish Fork firefighters responded to the call at 10:52 a.m. and quickly extinguished the blaze. According to reports, the train car was "totalled," but there was no other property damage and no individuals were injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Bond and leeway pass Officials of Nebo School District are pleased to report that after tabulating the Bond and Voted Leeway Election Ballots from the Tuesday, June 23, 2009, election the $160 million Bond and the Voted Leeway propositions were both approved by Nebo School District voters. "The results of the election come with mixed emotions," said Nebo District Superintendent Chris Sorensen.''We are sensitive to and aware of how difficult a time this is to be asking people to extend the life of our current tax obligation to include this additional $ 160 million dollars of debt. At the same time, we are thrilled that we will be able to provide schools for the students of our district. The fact that we are able to address growth by bonding with no tax rate increase is one of the main reasons we proposed the bond at this time. The results of this election demonstrate the serious commitment that the majority of our patrons have when it comes to providing a high quality education for the children of Nebo School District." Over the next five years, the district plans to use bond money to build five new elementary schools, two new junior high schools, and do improvements and renovations to several existing schools throughout the district. The leeway money will be used to open and operate the new schools. "Certainly the need for the elementary and junior high schools is great," said Sorensen, "but I am also very pleased that we can now proceed with some critically needed work in Springville, Spanish Fork and Payson High Schools." School Board President Dean Rowley said, "We thank the citizens of Nebo School District for passing the Bond and the Voted Leeway. Over the past several years, Nebo School District has been one of the fastest growing districts in the state. We can now continue to house and provide a quality education for the thousands of students entering the district in the next five to 10 years." |