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Show Utah - Thursday, April 22, 2004 - Page 2 Pleasant Grove ReviewLindon Review New Opinion m Caring for eggs, chicks and chicke Don't imitate King George One of the founding fathers' complaints against the British crown, as listed in the Declaration of Independence, was convening colonial legislatures "at places unusual, uncomfortable and distant dis-tant from the repository of then-public then-public records." King George III did it to force the colonists to bend to his will. Official meetings of the Pleasant Grove City Council in St. George, during the Utah League of Cities and Towns' mid-year convention, have virtually the same effect. St. George is both unusual and distant, making public participation participa-tion impractical. The council conducted con-ducted two meetings Friday one to discuss economic development in the Gateway area and the other to discuss the municipal budget. We'll save for another day the discussion on whether it was really real-ly necessary for a quorum of the council to take a St. George junket. jun-ket. For now we merely observe that holding a City Council meeting meet-ing there amounts to an end-run around Utah's Open and Public Meetings Act. For what it's worth, the city did comply with the letter of the law by providing at least 24-hour notice of the meetings. Utah law allows the council to meet at places other than its chambers at city hall. But how can a meeting be called "public" when it is convened more than 250 miles away from the people who have a direct stake in the deliberations? Did the council or city staff honestly expect residents to drop their plans for the day and drive to St. George to attend? While there are a few die-hard residents who will sit up at any hour for a council meeting, few, if any, have the luxury luxu-ry of giving up a day of work or family time to attend a meeting at the other end of the state. "It's a de facto closed meeting," said Tim Smith, a Salt Lake City attorney who handles open government gov-ernment issues. "It does not comply com-ply with the spirit of the law." Government Gov-ernment is simply not supposed to conduct business far from the view of its constituents. Surely no issue was so pressing that it couldn't wait until officials returned to town. We suggest that the council convene con-vene a meeting in Pleasant Grove to go over the discussion it had in St. George, giving the public a chance to hear and comment on the issues raised. This episode should signal the Legislature that it needs to revisit the Open Meetings Act and close this loophole. Governing bodies should be required to conduct meetings within city boundaries, just as elected officials are required to live within their districts. dis-tricts. Perhaps an exception could be made if a governing body provides pro-vides for public participation through some form of electronic conference, but otherwise they should stick close to home. Nobody should be forced to drive hundreds of miles just to find out what their local government govern-ment is up to. Only King George would approve. This editorial was published in the Daily Herald April 19 edition. - - rfnff i , -n. ' IMHI I Going to the Prom Sometimes - not often, but sometimes some-times - I am profoundly grateful to be old. IH take the graying hair, the creaking joints, the blurring eyes, the midnight potty jaunts and . . . well, I can't remember the other thing I was going to say, but 111 take that, too. Ill take it all gladly when I look at some of the stuff with which kids today have to deal. Like going to the Prom. It's entirely possible that my memory is getting hazy on this, but I seem to remember that going to Prom required a corsage, a shirt with a ruffle, a dinner reservation and a date - not necessarily in that order. Going to a Prom today requires logistical planning on the order of D-Day, enough financial derring-do to make Donald Trump tremble and intense relationship counseling - for both the students and their parents. Take the task of asking the girl out, for example. Thirty years ago the toughest thing about asking a girl to the Prom was getting her phone number, and bracing yourself for the possibility of the wrong answer (I could handle "no" - it was the hysterical laughter that really got to me). Today, however, asking a girl to the Prom is a major production, produc-tion, often involving elaborate props, subterfuge, counterintelligence and - occasionally - barely legal degrees of breaking-and-entering and vandalism. van-dalism. My nephew, Michael, was recently recent-ly asked to a school dance by a girl who came to his home and asked his mother if she could "decorate" his bathroom. The girl filled the bathtub bath-tub with water and dumped about 50 live goldfish in it, and posted a bunch of sea-going decorations and a big sign that said: "Of all the fish in the sea I choose you!" The family spent most of the rest of the evening scooping goldfish out of the tub as they died. Thankfully, there were still a few goldfish living when Michael finally came home. Otherwise Other-wise he would have missed the full effect of the invitation, not to mention men-tion the nasty visit from PETA. Oh, and it's not enough to extend an elaborate invitation. Apparently, you have to also respond in kind. Which is why Michael said "yes" by going to the grocery store, buying a huge salmon (you know, with the head arid eyes and fins and everything every-thing still attached), unwrapping it and leaving it on the girl's doorstep, with a note tacked to it saying: "Of all the fish in the sea I choose you too!" (Michael's mother, Julie, would like me to make it clear that he did this completely on his own, without any parental input, and that as soon as Michael told her about it she called the girl's mother to warn her that there was a dead fish on her doorstep - and why. And according to Julie, the girl thought Michael's response was wonderful. Go figure.) The Prom date itself is similarly creative, including a daytime activity, activi-ty, dinner, the dance and a post-dance post-dance activity, sometimes lasting into the next school year. For us, going to the Prom meant . . . well . . . going to the Prom. And sure, we always hoped for a little "post-dance activity" - but that took place on the doorstep, under a way-too-bright porch light and usually with little brothers and sisters peeking through the curtains, watching. And then there are the dresses girls are wearing - or almost wearing wear-ing - these days. The only places that are covered by fabric are places that a well-trained young man wouldn't touch. So where do you put your hands while you're dancing? All of which runs into a small fortune for-tune for those who wish to participate. partici-pate. I have it on good authority (a young friend of mine at church named Ryan) that to do a Prom right you'd better plan on spending at least $400. That's enough to keep me in thyroid medication for 10 years. And another reason I'm profoundly pro-foundly grateful to be old. Should Arts Councils be a department with full time stajfin 4th class (AF, PG, Lehi) cities? Yes 6 No 94 nf v,a manv components that combine to form a healthy economic eco-nomic development program, which is the most important? Many Utah Economic Development Develop-ment professionals would at least boil the process down to three vital parts - business recruiting, business expansionretention and product development. Like a mother who has been asked to identify which of her children she loves most, it is nearly near-ly impossible to put a finger on one of these economic development develop-ment factors as the most important. impor-tant. Like chickens, chicks and eggs - you can't have one without the other two. Business recruiting will always be the most visible and headline-worthy headline-worthy of the three components. The attraction of major Utah projects such as Micron and eBay brings much media attention, visits vis-its from dignitaries and hefty government incentives. New business locations can provide a vital stimulus to a local economy and attract other spinoff spin-off benefits. Business retention and expansion expan-sion (often referred to as BEAR) is the quieter but more valuable companion to business recruiting. Experts will attest that in most local economies, 80 percent of new jobs and capital investment result from the expansion of local existing businesses. A perfect example would be the headlines in this week's Utah Valley Val-ley newspapers announcing the creation of several hundred new jobs by the expansion of MyFami-ly.com MyFami-ly.com - an announcement of an equivalent number of new jobs from business recruiting is rare in our valley. But if BEAR is the quiet economic eco-nomic component, product development devel-opment is downright invisible. Both recruiting and BEAR require suitable, prepared sites or buildings to house growing businesses busi-nesses - but sites and buildings don't spontaneously appear on the local landscape. They are the result of weeks, months and years of quiet, consistent, consis-tent, focused work. In a recent panel discussion of six leading Utah economic development pro- fessionak ,i, 1 Product devoL ", rf Davis, WeberCfe Uth e four ln the state. & SwruchoftwTheLi PonentsistHeJialorg Pleasant Gr0Ve7:;pingPe we-retr best P and product dev6i;Lld see-initelyco-equai;f uer one hi . 17. 1. " 'llenge Bib' a combing . . Uenge eveloDrUW j i development. f area while si"1? ? sites when flW Announcements t;Coypy both areas will ai P4 thus summers local : in n :Pa,BW;, oft; Economy A'proi tonf Erector fasClu tlty; In1uirs cc.-ocallj citys economic kins Ch gram can be sent fc eting a City Hall, by phoney iona' via e-mail at -hrese. hancemsn.com decent ortuni Reader's Forum rnty. Help keep The Grove alive Editor: Pleasant Grove is about to lose a real jewel on Main Street. As chronicled in recent news stories, The Grove Theater is in serious financial jeopardy and will soon close its doors unless something dra matic happens. As a resident resi-dent of Pleasant Grove, I would hate to see this happen. The Grove's production, produc-tion, "Tony 'n Tina's Wedding" Wed-ding" brought 1,100 patrons to the theater. A significant number of those attending were from outside of the area. This exposure for our city and the surrounding businesses is clearly invaluable. I am hoping that the residents of Pleasant Grove and the surrounding surround-ing areas will recognize the value of The Grove and support it in its time of need. This can be done by buying a ticket for a show at The Grove or renting The Grove for your business busi-ness or civic function. Direct donations can also be rn;-' t The Grove' tion of Were nity Bani.. '"' also open - investors, ie fro The GrL fellov jewel forle e Grove. EcL-iarks keep it Llnal d www.groTi a she for morein-gg16 -Yethe U p;;jFore 5hao wi o cess ' DUgh t ALPINE The Alpine City Council has approved funds for the installation of longer-lasting striping of crosswalks cross-walks near Alpine Elementary School. To increase the longevity of the crosswalks, the city will have the work done with a plastic sealant form of striping. The decision to improve the crosswalk is for the safety of the students. Parents and PTA leaders are concerned about the speed on some of the main roads their children must cross. In addition to the crosswalks, the city is also considering installing stop signs at a few key intersections and placing large cones at the crosswalks cross-walks during school hours. Drivers in the areas are asked to pay extra attention to the school zones. AMERICAN FORK A campaign to raise funds for trees and benches in American Fork parks has raised $2,000 in donations in its first month, according accord-ing to American Fork Community Foundation spokesperson David Rodeback. The campaign began in earnest in early March, when almost 7,000 American Fork households house-holds received a flyer advertising the campaign in their monthly water bills. AMERICAN FORK "Catch the Collage Fever," a watercolor class, is being offered by the American Fork Fine Arts CouncilVisual Coun-cilVisual Arts Board for ages 12 and up. This class will be taught on three consecutive Saturdays beginning begin-ning April 1 7. All classes will be held in the Veterans Memorial Hall, 53 N. Center, from 10 a.m. to noon. The cost is $20 and some materials will be furnished. Dawn Harward is the instructor. Those who wish information about supplies and registration reg-istration may call Sydney at 756-3738, 756-3738, Wendy at 756-1 1 65 or the Art Council office at 763-3081 . CEDAR HILLS Cedar Hills residents are invited to participate in Family Focus Days, April 23 and 24 at Timberline Middle School, on 500 W. Canyon Crest in Alpine. Each evening starts with door prizes at 6:15 p.m. Dr. James J. Jones is the featured speaker on Friday, and the Arbinger Institute is featured on Saturday. CEDAR HILLS The City Council approved an interlocal agreement on April 6 that provides for the' 911 Emergency System. After a state legislation change last summer, the Spanish Fork office that responds to Cedar Hills' emergency calls was not receiving its funding. The funding comes from a fee attached to phone service, and was previously sent to the 911 offices by the phone companies. Legislation changed the routing of the fees, which caused some confusion. The interlocal inter-local agreement authorizes the 911 system to receive each city's fees directly. EAGLE MTN. The Eagle Mountain North Well will be down for preventative maintenance main-tenance and to install a Cathodic Protection System for the well. If the work is not completed by May 2, the city and specifically the Ranches Ranch-es Golf Course would be short on water this summer according to the city. HIGHLAND Ron Peck told the Planning Commission he will allow a trail easement through his property in Mitchell Hollow south of 9600 North. The trail has been master planned through that area but because Peck's property is still in the county the Sierra Hills subdivision subdivi-sion adjoining the Peck property had been required to put in the trail. That project received a recommendation recommen-dation for final approval at the April 13 Highland Planning Commission meeting with the condition details are finalized for the trail easement with Peck before recordation. HIGHLAND Final approval for the Chambery Hills subdivision located above 11800 North was continued until details can be worked nut ovn,, where the open space will be located. locat-ed. Developer Gordon Croft asked the commission to allow some of the landscaping in back of the Utah Power and Ughtsfc included in the deve:: p relocated. The 1 side against trie ru seen so it would be & money for addition' where it can be better he said. inano ommi a wi it $2 n reti es wi' LEHI jjve p Lehi City is taking syey a private landfill There aries. The City Coin: rjtah , the Lehi commissi7 Qro dation and voted to for ( reauests on April K owned by John Had" ; west Lehi, is a ccu: rounded by the city-any city-any island must be a" the city. The major Commission was becoming the c'5 ;etthe Hadfield has bonded $150,000 for the recia-s - land. It is money ;nstea process is not conrun years unless the s.ooo an extension. The l d amended the comrnrse h mendation and eie for requirements for H' years. ?he 1 ) dec LEHI p,T's American Legion r. lecting names for ajds tl ing those who servefl :for t wars - the wars will be an honor pW'j An the Veterans Memo incil 55 N. Center SW'jter, would like to submit'", c0lu veteran or active-M . an sonnel who have it." Desert Storm forKVC: Carl Harris, 768 J its Moore, 768-9897. We a tom SARATOGA SPBl Jms. At the April 6 P' Je sion meeting, F , Academy, a boyst. , located at 7916 was approved sud 1 , e engineering repoj ,gt issues addressed W ings. The propos V c house around f 28-39 ac;eoa4noi art security no m |