OCR Text |
Show Cyan Magenta Yellow Black 75¢ A5 First Presbyterian Church celebrates 130-year birthday GUNNISON VALLEY EDITION www.sanpetemessenger.com VOL. 84 NUMBER 13 MANTI, UTAH • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2005 Contentious sewer project finished WEA THER EATHER Wednesday 67/36 Sunny By Tery Robertson Thursday - 74/41 Staff writer Sunny Friday - 62/34 Cloudy w/showers Saturday - 57/27 Mostly cloudy Last Week’s Weather (Courtesy Ted Olson, Snow College) Date Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar. Apr. Apr. Max. Min. Prec. Snow 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 61 57 45 40 47 63 69 24 24 33 30 25 24 25 .10 .08 .18 - - AT A GLANCE LLOYD CALL / MESSENGER PHOTO GUNNISON—The Gunnison sewer project is finally wrapping up, ending years of contention between the City, its residents and the Central Utah Correctional Facility. Except for minor cleanup, construction has been completed. On Wednesday, March 30, representatives from Gunnison City, Franson-Noble Engineering and Terry Larsen Excavating met for a final walkthrough and discussion on the sewer system more than a month earlier than scheduled. Terry Larsen, owner of Terry Larsen Excavating, attributes the early completion to the attitude of the people of Gunnison. “People around here have been very considerate,” he says, “and normally you wouldn’t get that.” Gunnison City Council member Steve Buchanan says he is pleased about how smoothly the project went, and that it is finally finished. “We created a win-win situation with the prison. They are the only ones who will be connected to the sewer—at least for a long while and so they have almost a dedicated line there. That means that the citizens of Gunnison won’t have the problems that they’ve had in the past so everyone will be happy.” One of those problems included residents’ homes being flooded with sewage overflow from After final hookups were made from the Central Utah Correctional Facility, the sewer upgrade moved into its final phase. Pope John Paul II Local Catholics experience loss and expectation By Kathy Lin Eggleston EPHRAIM—Catholics in Sanpete County held a special service Sunday April 3 attended by almost 400 people honoring the Pope John Paul’s life, leadership, stand for human dignity, and his defense of minorities. The gathering at St. Jude Catholic Center sang the Pope’s favorite songs, including “El Amigo,” (“The Friend”) in reverence for the parishioners’ loss and in expectation of having a new pope as good as the last, Father Hernando Diaz, pastor of St. Jude, said. “Our Latino community was very attached to Pope John Paul and followed his leadership,” said Diaz. “His death is a big loss.” Pope John Paul’s funeral will be Friday at 10 a.m. at the Vatican with most world leaders in attendance. It will be nationally televised. St. Jude’s youth education program is Saturdays from 3-6 p.m. Sunday mass is held in English at noon and in Spanish at 1:30 p.m. Father Diaz is at St. Jude, 160 E. Center St. in Ephraim, each Saturday and Sunday. He can be reached at in Ephraim at 283-6242 or in Richfield at 896-8527. INSIDE Opinions ........ A4 Lifestyle ......... A5 School ........... A8 Sports ............ A9 Business ...... A11 Classifieds ... A13 Utah Press Association General Excellence winner 1999 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 (See “Sewer” on A2) Mt. Pleasant facility opens new options for treatment APRIL FOOLS TAKE TO THE AIR ... Search and Rescue raises about $25,000 By Suzanne Dean Publisher LLOYD CALL / MESSENGER PHOTO South Sanpete School superintendent James Petersen is being put in “Coke Jail,” in Manti, as part of the Search and Rescue’s fundraising efforts last April 1. Petersen had to sell 20 cases of Coke products (at $5 a case) to post his bail. LLOYD CALL / MESSENGER PHOTO Taking over the KMTI Radio station in behalf of Sanpete Search and Rescue on April 1 are (L-R) Rick Howe, Kerry Nielson, and Wally Buchanan. KMTI News and Sports Director Mike Traina (R) can’t believe what they are doing to his radio station. MT. PLEASANT—Addiction and Psychological Services Inc. (APS), a Wasatch Front treatment operation that is branching to Mt. Pleasant, is opening up new drug, alcohol and mental health treatment options in Sanpete County. The company, which currently employs 12 therapists and 10 other support staff at offices in South Jordan and Orem, is opening a clinic at 199 N. State St in Mt. Pleasant. Each year, scores of people are prosecuted in 6th District Court for drug offenses ranging from cultivation of marijuana to distribution of methamphetamines. But up to now, treatment options have been limited. Local courts frequently (See “Center” on A12) Vandalism serious problem at Gunnison Park GUNNISON—Spring brings a lot of activity to Gunnison City Park. Not only from passers-by but from our local people as well. It is used for family reunions, family picnics, and parties, as a place where young mothers gather to let their children play with friends. It’s a place where skate boarders can develop their talent, and it’s a place for young adults to meet, to talk, and listen to their music. However, there is another type of activity—vandalism—that has Gunnison City maintenance worker Blaine Prisbrey concerned that the park will become unpleasant or—at worst—a safety hazard. Prisbrey reports that during the last year the drinking fountain at the back of the rest rooms has been broken off the wall twice. Local LDS stakes observe Joseph Smith’s birthday By Kathy Lin Eggleston Staff writer EPHRAIM— The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Smith. Local members are preparing for their part in the worldwide commemoration on April 6, the historical day the church was organized 175 years ago. Six local stakes: Mt. Pleasant, Mt. Pleasant North, Moroni, Ephraim, Manti and Gunnison will participate in the Sanpete Region Joseph Smith Commemoration Night Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Snow College activity center. “This has been an exciting year for the youth of the LDS church,” Ruth Christensen, Gunnison Stake Young Women President said. “The youth in every state has held their individual ward and stake celebration within the last few months.” Over 500 youth were in attendance for the dress rehearsal last Thursday night. Youth from every stake will perform. Elder John Yardley, the LDS Area Authority Seventy, will address those in attendance. “All stake and ward youth leaders and every youth in the entire region should attend this once-in-a-lifetime event,” Christensen said. “Families and others are invited to attend.” Graffiti has been sprayed on the skate ramps and on the walls of the rest rooms. Toilet paper has been stuck to the ceilings in clumps or stuffed down the toilets clogging the plumbing. Shingles have been torn from the roof and human feces have been found in the doorways. Locks and regulation signs have been removed from the skate park several times. The tables in the boweries have been used for dancing, roller blading, skate boarding, and doing bike tricks. Also, fluorescent lights have been taken from the boweries on several occasions and shattered behind the restrooms and in the sand of the play area. Prisbrey said he is very concerned that those tiny, unseen shards of glass could cause a deadly infection if they cut someone. One night last summer someone left deep gouges in the park lawn where someone drove through the park and spun doughnuts. Two trees were destroyed during the crime. (See “Park” on A2) Gunnison Library begins $8,000 improvement project By Karen Prisbrey Staff writer KAREN PRISBREY / MESSENGER PHOTO Councilwoman Jerolyn Young (left) and library board member Annett Allred are beginning to pack up books prior to the Gunnison library renovation. GUNNISON—What began as a project to simply replace the carpeting in the Gunnison City Library has become an $8,000 renovation project, according to City Library Board member Jeff Oliver. When considering the project, Library Board members felt that as long as the whole library would need to be stripped to put down carpeting, they ought to go ahead (See “Library” on A3) |