OCR Text |
Show Pagt2 OREM GENEVA TIMES Thursday, June 16, 2005 NEWS AND NOTES Oirem to ask voters about RAP tax City Council to put question on ballot in November Reva Bowen Orem has taken the next Step in asking voters whether or not they want to have a RAP (Recreation, Arts, and Parks) tax The Orem City Council voted Tuesday to give notice to Utah County of the city's intent to put the question to Orem voters in the November election. If enacted after a majority ma-jority vote, the RAP tax would establish a citywide sales and use tax of 0.1 percent to fund recreation and the cultural arts in Orem. "I want some guidance from the citizenry," said Council-woman Council-woman Karen McCandless, who noted that the Issue is one that continues to be discussed, with opinions both for and against Utah County has 60 days to respond to Orem's notification by either passing a resolution stating that the county does not intend to impose a county-wide county-wide RAP tax, or by giving the city written notice that the question will be submitted to county voters Should the county opt against having a RAP tax election, elec-tion, Orem can proceed with one. Anticipated revenue from the tax, which would raise Orem's sales tax rate from 6.25 to 6.35 percent, is $1.6 million annually. The tax would be in place for eight years, then would have to be renewed by voters again The Orem City Council would Irresponsible Ir-responsible to enact an ordinance ordi-nance establishing how RAP tax revenues would be distributed distrib-uted Mark Robinson, chairman of the city's Cultural Arts Advisory Ad-visory Commission, submitted a report to the council outlining outlin-ing RAP tax funding priorities. priori-ties. The commission favors remodeling re-modeling and expanding the existing SCLRA facility to create a cultural arts district. The district would house a performing per-forming arts center, children's museum, visual arts gallery, and the Orem Heritage Mu- NorthCounty 69 West Wain Amencan Fort Phone:756-7669 Fax:756-5274 Kirk Parkinson 756 7669 Vice PresdentPutilishe' 'fcparVmson herald tr a com Marc Haddock 766 7669 North County Editor ' mhaddoct erabe'ta com Cathy Allred 76 7669 Lehi, Saratoga Springs. PI Grove callredheraltra com Barbara Christiansen 756 7669 American Fork, Alpine Cedar Hills bchristianspntieralci')itra com Landon Olson 2251340 Orem, Vineyard lolsonheralcJext.ra com 03eky Beaton 756 7669 Sports bbeatoriheral1e'tra com r.u'iUiHi.'EE Lane Dubois 756 7669 Advertising Account Executive Idubasarieraldextra com NEWSSTAND PRICE: $0.50 SUBSCRIPTION RATE 1 year (in Utah County) - $36 40 Sunday, Thursday and holiday deliveries (which includes the week ol Easter plus Memorial, Independence, Pioneer, Labor. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day). 1 year (outside Utah County) - $45 40 1 yaar (in Utah County - Thursday only) - $36 40 USS 411 711 'ro.jiC irww')rrC''f"' TO KEEP YOU INFORMED AND INVOLVED P Playin' in the rain Members of the Orem High School Band play during the rainy Summerfest parade in Orem on Saturday. seum. The commission's report suggested that 65 percent of R AIM ax revenue be directed toward the development of such an arts district. Under the commission's recommendations. 20 percent of revenues would go to recreation rec-reation for the development of trails and bike paths in Orem. while 15 percent would provide grants for arts groups and organizations and support new and ongoing programs such as city -sponsored festivals festi-vals and art in public places. CITY NOTES I Consolidated Plan for CD6G adopted The 2005-2010 Consolidated Plan for Orem's Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) was adopted by the Orem City Council Tuesday after a public hearing. The planning document out DAILY BUILD PUBLISHING CO. Jennette Esplin 756 7669 Office Manager John Taylor 756 ?669 Graphic Designer Landon Olson 344 -2558 DesignerCopy Editor MarkLaRocco 344 2570 DesignerCopy Editor Leah L Culler 344-2561 designerCopy Editor Kent Davis 756 7669 Photo Technician h4'.H Poitmaiur: ic 2 , W -, , f f if V J tx, . ' "' Zri . I -ft rp ' .-v f J " "A j."-" . . - i lines priorities and strategies for meeting the needs of low-income low-income residents and special populations in the community, said Charlene Mackay, Community Com-munity and Neighborhood Services Ser-vices manager. . A memo from Mackay outlined the CDBG objectives as: funding projects and services ser-vices addressing the needs of low and moderate-income residents; stabilizing older residential neighborhoods and decreasing substandard housing: hous-ing: encouraging commerce and industry to provide quality qual-ity employment for the unemployed unem-ployed and underemployed; removing re-moving architectural barriers to make the community more accessible; and participating in programs to assist all individuals individu-als and families in securing decent, safe and affordable housing. The memo stated that specific spe-cific priorities to further the objectives include economic development assistance for job Town celebrations highlight summer ne of the highlights of my summer sum-mer is Cedar Fort's 24th of July celebration. It's a very small-town affair because Cedar Fort is one of our smallest towns. Therein lies the charm. The parade is short and contains no fancy floats from local banks. It is mostly home-decorated trailers. ORVs and kids of ai sizes on their own ponies. It doesn't last long, but it has a higher candy -per -spectator ratio than any other parade in the area. After the parade there is an afternoon after-noon of simple games and a lunch of sloppy Joes and corn on the cob. It just doesn't get any better than this. The simple hometown celebrations capture the best of our communities. From the Summerfest in Orem, which concluded on Saturday, through Lindon Days and Alpine Days in mid-August, almost every week our communities take turns marching in parades, hosting host-ing rodeos, holding carnivals and displaying dis-playing our best quilts. The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers museums open their doors all day long, and everybody comes out to play. I've been attending these events for more than 20 years, often taking photographs photo-graphs for the newspaper, always having fun. Here's my take on the best our north Utah County communities have to offer in the way of city celebrations. At the top of the list is the Lehi Roundup Miniature Min-iature Parade. It's the one parade we try to never miss. This year it takes place on June 24 at 6 p.m. and again on June 25 at 10 a.m. Lehi is one of the Last cities to hold two parades. The parade has the usual elements high school marching hands, commercial and city floats. But those entries bookend the rniniature parade. There is no way to adequately describe these, but I'll try. The miniature floats are designed and built by local LDS wards on platforms about the size of the bed of a pickup truck. The floats are colorful often fanciful and are designed to illustrate illus-trate the parade's theme. The floats cannot be motorized and are pulled by a group of young men. Young children, dressed in colorful costumes, ride on the float. The children are generally about age. although I've seen toddlers creation, code enforcement, housing rehabilitation, interim assistance, public services, and public facilities. "We feel it's a good plan," Mackay said, "and it meets HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) requirements" re-quirements" I Stop sign request Orem resident Dennis Lisonbee, 62 S. 980 West, approached the Orem City Council in the personal per-sonal appearances segment of the meeting Tuesday about traffic problems in his neighborhood, neigh-borhood, including a blind intersection at 100 South and 1000 West. The city is already planning plan-ning to install sidewalks in the area, which should help alleviate allevi-ate some of the dangers, but Lisonbee requested that the council also consider approving approv-ing a stop sign for 100 South and 980 West. I Rezone Property at about x t Marc Haddock THE EDITOR'S COLUMN 3 to 6 years of riding on them. summer, and FRANK BOTTNorth County 1329 S. 800 East in Orem was rezoned by the Orem City Council Tuesday from the medium-density residential R7.5 to the commercial CI zone. The property connects to existing ex-isting CI zoning on the north. The rezoning request was consistent with Orem's General Gen-eral Plan, because the designation designa-tion on the subject property had been changed in February of this year from medium density den-sity residential to community commercial. A concept plan shows the property being developed and incorporated into the existing Temple View Terrace office complex. Mayor Jerry Washburn noted that the concept plan expands parking and moves the access away from the busy intersection of 800 East and University Parkway. "We would certainly hope that we improve the safety of access onto 800 East," Washburn Wash-burn said. A large group of older children, also in appropriate appropri-ate costume, walk in front of or behind the float. The effect is magical. The miniature floats often turn up in other parades pa-rades throughout the summer, but they never have the same impact as at Lehi, where the whole neighborhood neigh-borhood rums out to make it work. Second is strawberries and cream at Pleasant Grove. We always stop at least once to buy some during Strawberry Days, and this week will be no different. I don't know if it's the thick, sweet syrupy dairy product they use for the cream, but strawberries won't get any better all year than they will be in Pleasant Grove this weekend. Third is the Steel Days parade. It's usually usu-ally hot and always long. But this is my current hometown parade, and I know almost everyone riding in it, or their parents par-ents or and I really hate to admit this their grandparents. I hope you feel the same way about your own parade. Besides, it's the one parade where you know you can see the American Fork High School Marching Band, and I wrote a column recently about how I feel about that. Fourth is Cedar Fort, as I mentioned at the start of this column. After that, I'll take any celebration that comes along. I like the family -friendly nature of the Cedar Hills parade on July 24 and 25 this year. The Highland Fling is so close to my home it almost feels like it's in my neighborhood. And Alpine Days has a parade so long and a parade route so short that folks in the parade can almost watch themselves march. It reminds me of the parades in my old hometown home-town of Montpeber, Idaho, where trie route was so short the parade would go up one side of Main Street and down the other so parade watchers could see both sides of the floats, and those in the parade didn't have to worry about getting back to their cars because they finished in the same place they started. Whether our hometown celebrations represent a tradition like that, or if they are the beginning -of new traditions, like Pony Express Days and the Saratoga Splash, these are days that we can remember, along with our children and grandchildren, grand-children, all our lives. So take advantage of your city celebration this make a few memories Budget Continued from Page I and caretaker are necessary to protect the city s invest- , ment in the multi million-dollar park, with its isolated location. Mayor Jerry Washburn asked Reams about the possibility pos-sibility of using a trailer for the caretaker's home instead. Reams responded that a trailer would detract from the amenities of the park, and that after a higher initial investment, a permanent structure could be maintained for less. A trailer would be "a temporary investment we would regret," he said. Other funds will pay fa-new fa-new lights at SCERA, Cherry " Hill, and Westmore parks; the" purchase of a new fire brash truck; and the replacement of -a structurally unsound pavilion at Sharon Park that has been demolished The city will build a new Public Works facility, paid for mainly through the sale of the existing site to developers, develop-ers, if the sale goes through. Reams said there are a number of outstanding needs the city has that are not being met right now, including the remodeling of Firestation 2; renovation of the City Council chambers; acquiring offices for the city's legal department depart-ment after a current lease expires; ex-pires; having additional Public Safety officers, library staff, and information technology and parks workers; and staffing staff-ing for a new fire station to be built on the west side of Interstate 15. "We just want to make you aware," Reams told the council, coun-cil, "that we're not trying to do all things at once. We are setting priorities." No water, storm water, garbage, or street-lighting fee increases were proposed, but a major challenge in the 2006 fiscal year budget is the sewer fund, Reams acknowledged acknowl-edged There is a fee change from $5 to $6.50 per month, and a usage fee adjustment from $1.13 per 1,000 gallons to $1.30 per 1,000 gallons. Reams estimated the financial finan-cial impact on the average household will be the $1.50 base rate increase per month, plus another $4 per month for the usage fee. : Revenue to the city f or sewer service has gone down from about $5.1 million in 2001 to $4.3 million for 2005, due to decreased water use and more accurate readings of actual usage. Pedersen explained that the city is not trying to recover that lost revenue, but needs to have enough money to cover expenses and fund vital capita projects. Orem resident Bob Wright spoke in opposition to the sewer rate increases. "Please consider the burden being put on the citizens of Orem," he said "Economic good times are not being felt in our households yet." Another looming budget issue is that of retiree health insurance, where changes are going to have to be made, Reams said An ad hoc committee com-mittee will be created from city employees and retirees to discuss options. Reams said city officials -are "very happy" about the 64 percent approval rate voters vot-ers gave to a general obligation obliga-tion bond that win be used to construct sidewalks that are close to schools, and to reconstruct recon-struct roads such as Sandhill Road 2000 North, and 800 East. Soup Continued from Page 1 "If I had to count them, it would take the rest of my He,": : Anderson said "She is very close to me." ; Hergrandrnotherhasan -; excellent long-term memory, :: McKowen said and she often : ' tefls her stories from her past ; While her husband Andy I' was fighting in World War IL ' Anderson said she worked ; with the babies at the Pay son -! hospital as a volunteer. "I felt that way I wasn't just sitting at home worrying." Andy was in the Air Force for more than 20 years, Anderson Ander-son said He fought in World. War II and the Korean War. When Andy was at war, Anderson said, she worried about him "You're always aware that there is danger that they're facing fac-ing constantly," Anderson said "There is nothing you can do about k, and that is very hard to accept. It's not the knehness. It's that there is nothing that you can visually see Andy passed away in 1385 when he was 61 years old POOR |