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Show ILDING COMMUNITY IN OREM AND VINEYARD Oreni MIS 'tr.-. ; p EDIT 4; i THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2008 50 CENTS BU n. MM P) SCHOOLS: New Drem High construction TOWN HALL: Home construction , econ. boost SPORTS: O'Connor chosen as Orem hoops coach BUSINESS CUSTOMERS FLOCK TO SPANKY'S OPENING Ms CoynDciD presemits wish list Reva Bowen NORTH COUNTY STAFF "We are an action-based council. coun-cil. We believe in Orem, and we believe in the arts," said Ronda Walker Weaver, chairwoman of the Orem Arts Council, in presenting its report to the Orem City Council on Tuesday. The written report outlines the Arts Council's ideas and recommendations recom-mendations for immediate, mid-range, mid-range, and long-term priorities for the arts in Orem. One of the immediate priorities priori-ties that appears to be well on its way to becoming a reality is the construction of a performance perfor-mance stage at City Center Park. Cultural Arts and Recreation Enrichment tax funding for the facility was approved by the City Council this spring. "The city needs a physical presence of those CARE grants," Weaver said. Gayla Muir, an Arts Council member who has been working work-ing with the city on the project, said surveying on the site is now being completed. Input will be received on architectural options for features of the stage, and a final design will be done. The project is expected to go out for bid in October. Depending on weather, an estimated es-timated four weeks of construction construc-tion will take place sometime between November and March, with mid-April set as the anticipated antici-pated completion time. The Arts Council plans to have the month of May filled with events and performances from local high school arts programs to debut the new facility. Another short-term Arts Council Coun-cil priority is to establish information infor-mation areas throughout Orem, where materials can be collected and distributed regarding the arts. The Arts Council also wants to make the electronic means for accessing its Web site available avail-able throughout the city, and aggressively update and enhance the Web site, according to the report. The Arts Council also recommended recom-mended supporting the Hale Center Theater Orem in finding a new home near the SCERA Center Cen-ter for the Arts to create a theater the-ater district, and supporting the planned renovation of SCERA to establish Showhouse One as a performing arts center. The Arts Council also ad-See ad-See ARTS, Page 2 DEALING WITH CONGESTION -i . " v n r WT .- -vi. ' V' 0if! fr;ifv',3 : i. ' ' 'J ....... V-.. A MARIO RUIZDaily Herald Traffic along 400 East in Orem in front of Orem High School gets congested as construction continues at the school. 0HS area coping under new school construction Michael Rigert NORTH COUNTY STAFF With a $26 million project to construct a new Orem High School in the existing school's main parking lot fully underway, traffic and parking at times can be precarious but everyone is managing, officials say. Traffic congestion is an issue is-sue at most Utah Valley schools during peak morning arrival and afternoon departure times, but Orem High officials knew a great deal of planning and coordination would be required to conduct classes and school activities in close proximity to backhoes and bulldozers. Joel Perkins, an assistant principal at Orem High, said school administrators met earlier ear-lier this summer with Orem city transportation and contractor representatives to iron out plans to ensure pedestrian and motorist motor-ist safety in and around campus. Of particular concern is the .400 East corridor where buses, cars and pedestrians converge as they come and go from the school. In addition to eliminating perpendicular parking slots in front of the school on the east side of 400 East, school and city administrators agreed to move the crosswalk north closer to 200 South. They've also added new sidewalk, curb and gutter along 400 East and fenced in construction construc-tion zones to protect those on campus. "We feel fairly confident that we've crafted the best solution we can," Perkins said. "We haven't seen any problems with traffic at all." Residents along Campus Drive to the school's east had expressed some concerns earlier ear-lier this summer when initial construction activity produced dust and paving machines created cre-ated noise. Water trucks were dispatched to suppress the dust. Despite the annoyances, Perkins said the school is doing See TRAFFIC, Page 2 Beetles down by S5 percent from '07, state says Michael Rigert NORTH COUNTY STAFF Well into its second year of a multi-year attack plan, the state's Japanese beetle eradication program pro-gram in Orem appears to have the tenacious bugs in full retreat. Clint Burf itt, an entomologist with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, reported earlier this week that the latest trapping figures indicate significant signifi-cant reductions in the beetle populations popu-lations in west-central Orem. "We've seen a 95 percent decrease de-crease in population in relation to last years numbers," he said. "If we got a report card it would be tan Aj which is pretty good since this is not an easy thing to get rid of." Specifically, a year ago 2,152 Japanese beetles were caught in traps throughout the Orem treatment treat-ment area. To date this year, only 100 beetles have been trapped in a scaled back treatment area. The smaller treatment zone is roughly within the boundaries of 700 North, Orem Boulevard, Center Street, 900 West and small section within 800 North, 890 West, 570 North and 1200 West. And that is after state officials increased the number of traps in the treatment area this year by 40 percent for a total of 1,200 traps, Burfitt said. Beginning in late June, Tru-green Tru-green ChemLawn crews sprayed a series of foliar pesticide treatments treat-ments over a 470-acre treatment zone. They also added two more 77 : ' yT v.. ...v . ) MARIO RUIZDaily Herald The Dooillia ianonica. or Japan beetle, has been found in flowers See BEETLE, Page 2 and gardens in Orem. -ommu Briefing FEDS GREENLIGHT 1-15 EXPANSION IN UTAH COUNTY The federal government has given its blessing to the most expensive road project in Utah history. his-tory. The U.S. secretary of Transportation has signed a "record of decision," which is the final approval of the environmental review of Interstate 15 reconstruction through Utah County. State officials are now allowed to begin right-of-way acquisition, design and construction. "Now we really have a project," said Nile Easton, spokesman for the Utah Department of Transportation. "We're on target for spring of 2010. That's when construction con-struction will begin." For $2.6 billion, the residents of Utah will get several things: The project will widen 1-15 by two lanes in each direction between American Fork and Spanish Fork, a 50- to 66-percent increase in capacity. Many of the interchanges will be rebuilt or reconfigured, reconfig-ured, as will many bridges. Some of them aren't up to height standards, the result being that they're occasionally occasion-ally clipped by semitrailers. I Utahns may not know that the project has broader implications. It is part of an 840-mile route connecting San Diego to Salt Lake City that was chosen last year as one of six "Corridors of the Future" by the U.S. Department Depart-ment of Transportation. 19TH ANNUAL TIMPANOGOS STORYTELLING STORYTELL-ING FESTIVAL - An Orem autumn tradition, the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival begins today and runs through Saturday at Mt. Timpanogos Park in Provo Canyon. For years the festival has enthralled audiences that numbered over 25,000 last summer. Thursday workshops are held at the Orem Public Library and "My Favorite Stories" and "Laughin' Night" are held at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theater. For tickets, schedules and information go online to www.timpfest.org, by phone at 229-7436, in person at the Orem Public Library, 58 N. State Street in Orem, or at the festival. CITY COUNCIL PROCLAIMS SEPTEMBER "THE BIG READ MONTH" IN OREM - A proclamation designating September as "The Big Read Month" was approved by the Orem City Council Aug. 26. Orem is one of 117 communities in the nation chosen by the National Endowment for the Arts to participate in "The Big Read" program, where the entire community focuses on reading literature together. The book selection for Orem is Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird." Special events such as lectures and book discussions are planned in conjunction with The Big Read. Free copies of the book are available at the Orem Library's Li-brary's general reference or fiction desks. One copy per household is recommended in order to allow as many people to participate in the program as possible. "Let's have a hand for all of us who are going to read together," said Mayor Jerry Washburn to applause after the proclamation vote. UDOT ISSUES WALKING AND BIKING SAFETY TIPS FOR BACK-TO-SCHOOL -With high fuel costs and school districts cutting back on bus service, it is anticipated more students will be walking and biking to school this fall. UDOT, through its Student Neighborhood Neighbor-hood Access Program, issued walking and biking safety tips for Utah's students today, encouraging children to get in the habit of safely walking and biking to school. SNAP Safe Walking and Biking Tips I Walk on the sidewalk. If you have to walk on the road, walk facing traffic. I When crossing a street at a crosswalk, look left, then right, then left again before stepping into the road. Walk across the street and keep looking for cars while you are crossing. I Learn basic traffic rules, signs, signals and markings. I Always wear a helmet when riding a bike. Make sure the helmet has a safety certification and that it fits properly. I Wear bright clothing, especially when you ride bicycles, to make it easier for traffic to see you - or tie a bright handkerchief around your backpack. I Never walk or ride with headphones. They are distracting dis-tracting and keep you from hearing the traffic. For more information about SNAP and Safe Routes to School, visit www.udot.utah.govSNAP EARLY DEADLINE - Because of the Labor Day holiday, holi-day, the North County Newspapers will have an early deadline for celebrations, including weddings, missionaries, mission-aries, birthdays, anniversaries, and Scouts. They are due Friday at 2 p.m. to appear in the Sept. 4 edition. The deadline for public notices remains at 10 a.m. Tuesday and for obituaries it is 11 a.m. Tuesday. Classified Classi-fied ads are due at 3 p.m. Tuesday. The North County Newspaper offices are at 399 E. State, Pleasant Grove and may be reached at 756-7669. "61055" 0005011" 8 NY |