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Show Eteiisiiinii Prejifst lids Readied By MARK D. M1CKELSEN BOUNTIFUL A state-sponsored state-sponsored study on Utah growth until the year 2000 shows an approximate population popula-tion increase of 65,000 people over the next two decades. THE FIGURES were given to the Wasatch Front Regional Council Thursday as an incentive incen-tive from the state's planning and coordinating committee. Brad Barber, assistant state planning coordinar, told the council that they must start thinking about how to handle excessive growth, and that the state's study and projection ideas are available for their discretion. dis-cretion. Mr. Barber said the sate's projections have been divided into two categories, the first, called "baseline projections," he said, "which are a continuation continua-tion of the same kinds of growth experiences the state has been living with." The growth in this category, Mr. Barber noted, has been phenomenal, pheno-menal, especially along the Wasatch Front. N MANY OF the same types of growth patterns will continue throughout the state, according accord-ing to Mr. Barber, but other areas "have not experienced the magnitude of growth," that the Wasatch Front has, and he said it is unlikely that they will increase as much in the next 20 years. The second category, "high development," is said by Mr. Barber to include "the big power projects, the MX Missile Mis-sile system, extension of oil shale development, and other energy projects," but he emphasized to the.council that . the question of development is not as 'sure a thing' as the baseline projections. The projections pro-jections will be accurate only if the industrial developments occur. "THE HIGH development projection for the Wasatch Front," Mr. Barber said, "does not vary a great deal from the baseline projections, but the area would experience additional growth from energy development elsewhere in the state." This would include the MX project, according to him. Increased development on energy-related projects may cause more extensive growth, though, and Mr. Barber believes be-lieves it is a definite possibility. possi-bility. f72"WENEED then to look at the implications of this growth," he said, asking "what kinds of policies need to be developed to deal with this kind of growth? What do we do to prepare ourselves tfor this growth? Mr. Barber also told the council that the 65,000 population popula-tion figure is only an approximation approx-imation and not necessarily a prediction of what will happen. "They (predictions) are simply simp-ly to stimulate some thought about what could happen," he said. "THE STATE agencies have reviewed the projections of growth and have responded to how they feel they would affect their individual programs," prog-rams," Barber noted. Some of the agencies have responded with the idea that they will need more staff, he added, "to continue the same types of activities they have been undertaking, to provide the same kinds of services." Other agencies, he told the council, would require a total revamping of their programs due to the population increase. "The simple fact is though," Mr. Barber said, the projections projec-tions have stimulated a start again Other agencies, he told the council, would require a total revamping of their programs due to the population increase. "The simple fact is though," Mr. Barber said, the projections projec-tions have stimulated a lot of thought within the state agencies, agen-cies, for them to start thinking about the future and how growth can be dealt with. "WE WOULD like the same kind of response from the Regional Re-gional Council," he said, "in terms of how they feel that that ., kind.of growth, either baseline or high development, would incluence or affect their programs." prog-rams." Urban and rural policies regarding re-garding the expanded growth have, according to Mr. Barber, been set up by his committee to deal with specific action to be taken by all of the agencies with regard to the increasing populance. HE EMPHASIZED that the major state agencies have already given their input and "many of them" Mr. Barber added, "make decisions which influence development patterns, pat-terns, land use and new highways, high-ways, the location of new schools and sewer systems, and so on." "Apparently these prog- ; rams are administered," Mr. , Barber urged, "with little re- gard to future land-use impact, and the coordination of these programs to focus on some kind of policy is necessary so that these kinds of activities are all heading in the same direction." MR. BARBER also told the council that they are not required re-quired to accept the proposals and projections. The system is set up, he told them, not to dictate to the local governments, govern-ments, but rather to arrange by a cooperative effort, the direction direc-tion in which the state must go to handle the growth. "For the plicies to be relevant," re-levant," he said, "and work for everyone, there has to be a partnership between state and local government." To get a response from the WFRC, Mr. Barber and the state planning committee prepared a questionnaire ques-tionnaire to be distributed to each of the council members. MICK CRANDALL, a representative rep-resentative for the council, emphasized to the Thursday gathering that the state agencies agen-cies are instrumental in many decisions that affect the rest of the counties, but that local governments now have a chance to have input as well. He noted the surety of future fu-ture problems with waste water wa-ter treatment facilities, garbage gar-bage landfills and public safety, safe-ty, just to name a few, adding that as the residents 'spread out,' so must the services. "AT SOME point you have to reach a limit," Crandall said. "And then you have to change the way you are operating." oper-ating." Samuel Lower, Weber County representative, told Mr. Crandall that the reason the Wasatch Front cannot handle growth now is because harsh taxing situations are placing too much w eight on he local citizens. "If we look at the tax problem." he said, "and work it out for the people, peo-ple, the governments won't have to expand to take care of the additional people." HE COMPLAINED that the current tax structure w ill not support the future grow th and encouraged Crandall and Barber Bar-ber to push for some stipulation stipula-tion to deal w ith the problem." "You have to look at hard- . line local problems first." Lower told them, emphasizing a need for planning for future housing and services "in the smaller towns." THE REGIONAL Council, has agreed to look at the projections pro-jections and take some kind of group action when their feelings feel-ings are finalized. |