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Show Page 2 JUNE 4, 1986 Davis lCofltvv -Jouriial Published weekly by Clipper Publishing Co. Inc. 96 South Main, Bountiful, Utah 84010 Weekly newspaper published at Layton, Utah every Wednesday, in the interest of Davis County and colonies formed by former residents. Address all correspondence to 197 North Mam, Layton, Utah 84041 Subscription rate. 25c per copy, $6 50 per year, mailed in county. $7.50 per year outside. , John Stahle, Jr. Pres.Manager Vice President Lucile S. Stahle Noel C. Stahle Advertising Manager Tom Horaldsen NewsEdltor Keith Duncan SportsReporter Commercial construction on increase i CLEARFIELD - If commercial construction activity around the county is any indication, contractors, carpenters, and the like should be plenty busy these days. A score of construction projects are under way, mostly in north county, says Jack Bailey, Job Service manager at the Clearfield -- office. Work is on schedule for opening of the new Syracuse Junior High School in late August. In addition, bids should be let shortly for a second elementary school in Clinton and a new Antelope Elementary in south Clearfield. number of commercial projects are also under way, Mr. A It was too good A short newspaper article last Sunday jogged the memory of a reader. ..And similar memories were jogged throughout Davis County. It was some six years ago, the reader told me, when he first heard of a investment program. The investment revolved around diamonds, but these shimmering hunks of coal were to be profiiable, not worn. The story was that a young man had made amazing profits in diamonds, recalled the reader, and that the man, a convert to the LDS Church, wished to share his good fortune with other church members. The profits were incredible: Several of my friends reported receiving 33 percent dividends within a month. In other words, if a man invested $5,000 in the diamond program, he would receive his initial $5,000 back within only three months--anhe would still have a $5,000 investment collecting incredible interest." The investor would not see the actual diamonds; rather, the stones were supposedly placed in a special account. All the investor would see were the soaring profits. It w'as the old maxim: Buy low, sell High--an- d spend your waning years on a tropical island. I knew the deal was too good to be true, said the reader, but it was succeeding. I spoke to several other investors, all of w hom were reaping tremendous profits, and I arranged to meet a Centerville man who was acting as a sales agent for the company. When I asked him about the company's solvency, he told me to visit the companys bank. He visited the bank, a branch office in Salt Lake, and was told account. by a bank official that the company had a Our reader made up his mind. I decided to join my friends and invest $2,000! He drove back to Centerville and entered the sales agent's office with checkbook in hand. It was while sitting in the foyer that he had a change of heart. A large black Lincoln Continental pulled to the curb and two large men in dark business suits entered carrying huge satchels, he recalled. Both men were strapped with pistols. They opened the satchels for the agent who placed thousands of dollars in cash and checks into the bags... It was right out of the gangster movies. I didn't know if these guys were gansters, but I didn't like the guns. I quickly slipped out of the office, taking my checkbook with me. As I look back now, the arrival of these carriers saved me $2,000. Sure, I knew something was funny about 33 percent monthly interest- -I wasn't born yesterday. But at the same time I knew that all of us have a little larceny in us. All of us dream of a scheme. Our reader didn't invest. ..But 3,300 other Utahns did. That was some six years ago. ..Last Sundays Salt Lake Tribune carried a brief story. The dateline was Draper and the story reported that Jon C. Vasilacopulos, 28, would be paroled from the Utah State Penitentiary in 1994. He had earlier pled guilty to three charges of theft by deception as a result of a $7 million diamond fraud. Upon the guilty plea, 17 ' other charges had been dismissed. The pardons board ordered him to pay approximately $7,042,4287 restitution as ordered by the courts, read the story. The exact amount will be set by the courts later. The board ordered him released on Aug. 9, 1994 to intensive parole supervision, affirmed a $20,000 fine and ordered he not be while on parole. His parole officer will monitor all his business dealings. Our reader never met Jon C. Vasilacopulos. But he had met g associates. several of his And hes glad he did. then-popul- ar d six-figu- re self-employ- gun-totin- County still grows Continued from page one four Davis residents is in elementary or secondary school. The school district projects this fall's enrollment at 50,000 or slightly above. The district's enrollment usually grows by 1,500 or enough to fill two or three elementary schools, per year. As far as individual city gains, Layton has continued its heavy construction pace lead for the past several years. A score of commercial and residential projects are currently under way, there, although Bountiful has some potential for new residential growth in its southeastern sector. Construction is picking up there, as well, thanks in part to the Redevelopment Agency projects getting underway. Layton Chamber meets LAYTON - The Layton Cham- ber of Commerce meeting to be held Thursday. June 15 at noon at the Valley View Golf Course should be both interesting and informative. Guest speaker will be James M. Young, District Manager of the Davis County Solid Waste Management and Energy Recovery Special Service District. This organization which consists of all Davis County cities except Layton. Bountiful and Clearfield, is responsible for the waste to energy (burn) plant that is now being constructed on county property near the east border of Hill Air Layton's Ed Kenley Ford has announced plans for a new 33,000 square foot dealership at 1900 N. million facility is Main. A $1.5-$L- 8 planned for the 8.5 acre site with potential for 15 new jobs. Construction is in full gear for a it retail shopping center new in south Clearfield. Just north of Antelope Drive on 1500 S. State, the 20,000 square foot project should see completion within the next two months. High Line Enterprises is backing the center. A second JBs Big Boy is planned for Davis County. This one will be built at the Layton Hills Mall and should include 7,000 square Being a teacher far from easy, educators stress Editors Note: This is the first in a series of articles that will examine the role of the teacher in todays classroom. Subsequent articles will discuss teacher salaries, good and had teachers, and a psychologist's view of the classroom. By JUDY JENSEN Are teachers overpaid and underworked? According to a group of Davis District elementary teachers this is the image the public has of teachers today. Originally this same group was asked to respond to the question How I Spent My Summer Vacation. Most said they would be working, others were going to college and a few had family vacations planned. Of this group none wanted to have their picture in the newspaper for fear that the public would say, See, we told you teachers are overpaid. The group explained they would like the public to know just what being a teacher is all about. None of the 10 teachers interviewed wanted their names to appear in the newspaper. One said, The district doesn't want you to make waves. They want everything to look like smooth and calm. its Another There has never been such a low morale among teachers, the amount of stress is incredible. All of the teachers agreed that they spend an average of 50 to 60 hours a week doing school related work. They agreed one of the problems with their public image is that everyone thinks they work six hours a day, but thats just not true, it really does consume your whole life, said one. added, At that moment a young teacher entered the room and was invited by the others to stay, I'd like to, she said,, but Ive got someone helping me move to a new classroom and Ive got to get going. When asked if that was unusual the teachers explained they are always required to do their own moving, including desks, equipment and books. As one put it. We obviously like what we do or we wouldn't do it. Another major concern of the teachers is the student-teache- r ratio. One explained she has 34 students in a classroom designed for 25. Another said this class overload translates into frustrations for the teachers and the children. Everyday I have little children tug on me and say mommy, 1 know they mean teacher but thats the kind of relationship we have. I want to be able to say, what do you want honey, but instead I have to say, sit down and be quiet, Im busy. 1 want to be able to get closer to them and to know them better." She added that she wondered how many people in the private sector would teach even a 45 minute lesson to a group of 34 children in an overcrowded classroom. The teachers agreed it used to be easier to deal with larger classes because all of the children were normal" children. In today's classes there are many children being mainstreamed" who require additional time and attention. Another fact creating a problem with increased numbers of students is that teachers are no longer required to teach only reading, writing and arithmetic. Today's classes study a minimum of subjects weekly which requires a great 1 Other construction under way is putadjoining the mall. Wendys a new on touches finishing ting drive-i- n restaurant that should emem80 full and part-tim- e about ploy Also ployees, Mr, Bailey says. new under construction there is a Chi Chi's Mexican restaurant that should seat upwards of 200. Another small shopping center has been approved by the Layton City Council. To be located at 1200 inW, and Antelope Drive, it will coof feet clude 167,000 square vered shopping. Thats about the size of the Layton Hills Mall. The new center will be situated on a 16 acre site. is one-four- th The high level of commercial construction follows a trend of in- creased overall activity. Permit valuation of $21.6 million in comprojects mercial or was far above the January-Marc- h $15.3 million of a year ago. That was nearly 10 times the construction earmarked in Weber County for the period. Permits totalling only $2.6 million were cleared there, down slightly from . T. . 1985. Not all the news is positive, though, Mr. Bailey notes. Hercules Freeport Center has recently reduced its work force by about 60 employees. That comes as a result of the shuttle program slowdown. Theres no free lunch - When school FARMINGTON opens next fall, students will notice an increase in the price of school lunch. The Board of Education on May 20th approved a proposal to increase elementary lunches from 70 cents to 75 cents, junior high lunches from 80 cents to 90 cents and senior high school lunches from 90 cents to one dollar. Adult meals will go from $1.40 to $1.60. The increase is a passthrough" cost to cover increases in the school lunch program which is in- dependent of other school programs and which is , . , : Many of the materials used in the classroom are purchased by the teachers. The teachers interviewed said their average et expenses were $300 yearly, other estimates range as high as $700. The district does not require them to spend the additional money, but the teachers feel it's necessary to enrich the classroom. If you want a child to see a seed grow you have to provide each child with a container, top soil and the seeds, explained one. Another said she decided to do a unit on magnets and it cost her $28 for supplies to provide the children with the experience. When salaries became the topic of conversation the teachers all had strong opinions. One said she feels the fault lies with the legislators not the administration. She said the administration is doing an excellent job. They are moral, competent and caring. Another said that latest statistics show Utah to be the lowest of all states in the amount of money spent per pupil on education, The governor of Utah ought to be qshamed, she said. They felt local representatives needed to work harder for education. Teachers are no longer re- spected members of society, according to the group. One told of a male teacher who had confided he was embarrassed to say he was a teacher because everyone knows how poor teachers are. Another said, Were tired of being looked down on. Were not fairy godmothers who can make everything okay, said one of the long time There has never been such a low morale among teachers, the stress is incredible. Force Base. Mr. Young holds a masters degree in public administration from BYU. He is the former city manager of Riverdale and a former personnel assistant in Provo. Mr. Young currently resides in South Weber where he serves as a city councilman and planning commissioner. He is the chairman of the Weber State College Council on Youth Corrections and a member of the Davis County Aging Services Inc. Future Chamber of Commerce activities include the annual golf tournament to be held July 17 and deal of time for preparation, the steak fry on Aug. 7. dmg according to the teachers. L Bailey notes. teachers. She explained that parents and teachers should form a partnership to be sure the children are educated. She continued that many parents no longer support the teachers in their disciplinary actions. She told of having a young boy stay in from recess due to his misbehavior which meant I couldnt leave the room either to get a drink or go to the bathroom. The boys mother called the next day to say, Dont have my son stay in at recess, it upsets him. The teachers agreed that parents Utah are going to have to decide to make an investment in time and money and concern if they want their children and grandchildren to have a good education. Because of their poor public image, the teaching profession is no longer attracting the best and the brightest college students. According to one of the teachers, the best teachers Utah has, will be retiring in the next five to ten years and in then Utah will see a dramatic cline in the ACT scores. de- They all agreed there are some bad teachers who need to be weeded out of the system. They feel that teachers need to be held accountable and police themselves more closely. They explained they are parents too and they want their children to have the very best teachers also. The children become very valuable to you and you want to see them grow. You become very pro- tective of them, said one of the teachers. But, she continued, If some changes aren't made it will be the children who suffer and we wont raise a strong nation with weak children." Next weeks article will deal with teachers salaries. Shades of Kelly Green is both an issues and answers column featured weekly k Clipper and the Weekly Reflex. in The Davis County Kelley is happy to answer your questions, and will also contribute y columns on issues and events found in our world and in living. We welcome reader questions and hope to create a uniquely Davis County forum herein. Send your ideas and question to: Clipper Publishing Co. P.O. Box 267 Attn.: Kelley Greene Bountiful, Utah 84010 ZZZIZIIH Send your questions today and watch for Kelley each week. Enough is enough! favorite childrens story has a line which goes something like this. ..hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats... My children and I have chuckled over the plight of the old woman who spent her days taking care of billions of cats, without it ever occurring to us that this could be a real life situation. As I was visiting a friend a few days ago, our conversation was interrupted by what we first thought was a cry for help. After lisening for a few moments, we realized that cats were fighting and yowling in her yard. With disgust in her voice, she related her story. It seems that some years back, a couple moved into the vacant house next door, bringing with them two kids and several cats. How many cats, no one knew. The count was never the same because they kept multiplying. Last sum- mer, the number reached 16, as close as anyone could judge. The neighbors became concerned, so visited with the offending cat owners about the problem. In response, all they got was a vague look indicating surprise that anyone had even noticed the animals. The neighbors explained that they had no objection to pets, within reason, but felt that sixteen was beyond a reasonable limit. The cat owners simply didnt try to understand their concerns. My friend then went on to explain that the cats are constantly in all of the neighborhood yards, leaving behind a remembrance of their visits. Children as well as adults, slide in the mess left behind as they are trying to play or walk. Digging up the garden spot becoms a smelly, unhealthy chore, which some have aban- doned. In addition, the cat population in the neighborhood has become so large that they roam in a pack, more wild than tame. It is impossible to care for such a large number of animals, so they are not domestic nor humanized. They are not used to being around people, and their fur flies at anyones approach. In the wintertime, cold and underfed, they sit on neighboring porches, waiting to dart in the minute someone opens the door. I know of another neighborhood where dogs roam in packs, frightening children and adults as well. The dogs roam through neighboring yards, pausing long enough to leave their mess and d then move on. A for, domesticated animal as a pet is one thing, but a wild, untended, animal is another. Responsible pet ownership indicates not only a responsibility toward he animal, but also a regard for others living in the One persons rights as a leave off where anothers rights begin. Having to abandon a gardening project or throw out the childrens sand box in favor of a visit by the neighborhood pets is an infringment of those rights. The county has an ordinance against more than two dogs per dwelling. If more than two are desired, one must apply for a kennel license. No such stipulation is made about cats. Con- ceivably , one household may have an unlimited number of these furry friends running about. In the case of my friend, there are somewhere between 0 cats (admitedly not billions, but stil too many) which roam her yard at will. The cats nest in her shrubbery, and regularly produce new litters in the homes created among these shelters. The owners prowl about her yard calling, Here kitty, kitty" while holding tuna-fissized cans of food with which to entice them out. They then set the cans down on her lawn or garden with narry a thought as to who will dispose of them after the cats finish supper. The cats are not only a nuisance, out a health hazard as well. Many of them have eye infections, and who knows w hat kind of bacteria is contained in the manure they leave be- hind. The city ordinance does state that if constantly you can detain them, the animal control department will send someone to pick them, up, but no one wants to risk being clawed or scratched. It seems inconsistent to have laws controlling dogs, but not cats. All domestic animals, particularly if they are allowed to roam, should be bound by some law. How do you feel? Does anyone out there have a similar problem? A j ... ::: v : 7 j' ! . , : c : s: : 7 ; ; ' ' ' 7 well-care- V roam-at-wi- ll .. pet-own- er . 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