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Show tofPraffifT Porm Pflrp PplfMpf EfiW iffFt ,vGARY R- BLODGETT oUNTIFUL - Gov. . ,tt Matheson brought Pitiful Area Chamber of " Amerce members up to 11 ' on "activities in Davis ? but then deflated eeo somewhat with a 'y outlook for the 1980s. T)E GOVERNOR began . ended his talk with refer- eS about his childhood in Lan. He opened by telling n his childhood and early ..s of law practice in the 'Jlihern Utah community. He closed by telling the group that our style of living may some day revert back to "Aunt Barbara's days" of simple sim-ple living. "BUT WHAT'S wrong with that, he said with a grin "I enjoyed my childhood days with Aunt Barbara. It was a simple life, something we can all adjust to if necessary." The governor then talked about Antelope Island, the Syracuse Road interchange an update of the liquor store controversy, and plans for commercial development at 500 South and Interstate Highway High-way 15. "WE ARE IN the process of condemning Antelope Island as a state park but there appears to be some difference of opinions between the landowners land-owners and the state as to what is actually being condemned," the governor said. "The judge hearing the case indicated, at least to our understanding, under-standing, that we (state) could take immediate occupancy of the island. It appeared as though we had won our case. "BUT ISLAND owners maintain that the purchase of the island would mean that the state would have to purchase the mineral rights that go with the island. We don't want to do this, but it might be that we'll have to in order to gain possession posses-sion of the entire island." The governor then jokingly admitted that a staff of about 15 attorneys have been trying fto figure out the status of the state in connection with the island is-land since the recent court ruling rul-ing and because of the confusion confu-sion two separate orders are being prepared. (J REGARDING THE Syracuse Syra-cuse Road interchange proposed prop-osed for Interstate Highway 15, Gov. Matheson said the Utah Department of Transportation Transpor-tation is "having a problem with the design" but that bids for the project should be let within two months. "If we don't get the bids out by the end of August, we will have to wait for new federal appropriations in October," the governor said. "But one way or the other we are pressing press-ing for an early completion date." HE ALSO emphasized that a committee is working diligently diligent-ly to locate an alternate site foi the DOT sheds presently located lo-cated at 500 South and 1-15. "As soon as a suitable site is located, a site that the DOT can operate from without interference, in-terference, the state will sell its present location for future commercial development," he said. EARLIER, IT was announced that an international internation-al hotel chain is considering the 500 South and 1-15 site as a major hotel, restaurant and convention complex. Gov. Matheson praised the Bountiful research committee, headed by Mayor Elmer W. Barlow, for its efforts to locate a suitable alternate site for a proposed State Liquor Store in the Bountiful area. THE COMMITTEE presented pre-sented six alternate sites to the State Liquor Commission a couple of months ago and bids were opened June 20. Gov. Matheson also spoke strongly about the proposed MX-missile program which is earmarked by the Carter administration admi-nistration to be located along the Nevada-Utah border. "I AM OPPOSED not only to the location, but the MX program in general," said Gov. Matheson. "I believe the proposed MX system is not feasible and would be outdated before the first ten missiles are ready in 1986." The governor jokingly said that "he is fast becoming an expert on the MX program" and said he would much rather see tax money spent for upgrading up-grading of the Minuteman-3 missiles and .the present sites used for deployment of the missiles if necessary. "WE'VE GOT to be prepared pre-pared now, not several years down the road as is proposed in the MX program," the governor gov-ernor emphasized. "We should improve on the Minuteman-3 system for immediate use and then use the Minute-man Minute-man missile sites for the MX missile when the latter is ready. He noted that the Russians in a few years could improve their missile capabilities to "zero-target" which could wipe out an entire MX complex com-plex with one blast. THE GOVERNOR also criticized cri-ticized the cost of the MX program which has risen from $33 billion to $56 billion in onlv a few years. "We (Utah) would be willing will-ing to take our share of silos as part of the overall defense system, sys-tem, but I don't feel that the administration should dump everything they have in the MX program in our backyard," back-yard," he said. THE GOVERNOR also expressed ex-pressed concern about private and government expansion during the time of construction if the MX site is located in west central Utah. "Sure the government will take care of most expansion during the time of construction, construc-tion, but what happens to the facilities schools, houses, etc. after the project is completed?" com-pleted?" he asked. 7 THEN HE answered his own question by citing the example of a community in Washington, Washing-ton, an entire community that was built to accommodate the development of a submarine missile, which is now all but a ghost town. "They have the schools, but no population and no teachers for what students remain in the area," he said. THE GOVERNOR also noted that Utah is a state heavy in energy-saving materials, mate-rials, yet the administration in Washington wants Utahns to conserve and develop energy resources while, at the same time, constructing an MX Missile Mis-sile site. "I don't know how they expect ex-pect us to do both in the same time frame. Somebody back there (Departments of Energy and Defense) didn't compare their notes," the governor concluded. |