Show Watkins Sites Grand County Case in Congressional Hearing In a hearing held this Monday Mon day before the House of Representatives subcommittee on General Gen eral Education Senator Arthur V. V Watkins of ot Utah addressed the congressmen relative to extending extending ex tending Public Laws and Congress which provide for school construction operation and maintenance in Federally impacted impact ed areas The IM extension of these two laws is a big factor In financing schools in Grand county The county has received a total of under under un der the two since they were en en- acted In the Presidents President's budget message message mes meso sage this year the following was said in regards to retaining the bills The Government has provided grants since 1950 to help build and operate schools in districts where enrollment is swelled by Federal activities Legislation Is proposed to continue this program program pro pro- gram but with financial assistance being gradually reduced over a period of years so that it ultimately ultimately ultimately ulti ulti- would cover only instances es where Federal personnel both live and work on Federal property proper proper- t ty ty y Senator Watkins' Watkins address Monday Monday Monday Mon Mon- day constituted a detailed study of the effects of the aid in the state of Utah He stated In In Utah I should point out we have had the experience of being one of the most Federally- Federally impacted States in the Union With the solitary exception of our neighbor Nevada no other state is so much owned by the Federal government Excluding trust properties as of June 1955 a total of per cent of our State was federally own own- ed Of our acres acres cres only are State In Utah acres are owned owned own own- ed ad by the Federal g government an area greater than the whole state of North Carolina and nearly so of Georgia Thus obviously ob- ob the the ef effect of any Federal Federal Federal Fed Fed- eral Impact in Utah and ana like Uke States 1 IS proportionately much greater In Utah th therefore even l R 1 relatively small Federal stone dropped Into our State pool produces produces produces pro pro- duces an immediate wide and arid deep ripple Used as a cause for tor Federally impacted areas the Senator ator brought out the development of strategic materials such 81 U uranium ura ura- and oil def activities end and construction on 00 Federal Feder Feder- al d dam M building activities lifting li Grand tand county as a test cas case tase Senator ator Watkins said According According Ac cording to the January 1958 Research Re search Bulletin of the tha Utah Ed Ed- Association Orand Grand county coun I Ity ty school district in tn 47 1946 had hai only 1 children enrolled This southeastern southeast M Utah county th then the Was as a rell rel large and Jy Iy y settled d semi-arid semi region largely Ty dev devoted l' l ld d to stock raising and l d. like activities In the 1950 1050 Census it Showed owed only a total O of t 1903 of whom 1274 lived In the county seat of Moab and the remaining were divided through the county at large Then came the uranium boom and nearby oil discoveries largely or entirely Federally Inspired With this came a host of problems for I county school officials among I Ithem them how to provide suddenly wholly unexpected f fa facilities a c I 1 I I t tIe I e s a sand and operational costs for daily dally increasing numbers of students By last year Grand School Districts District's fist Dist enrollment of school students students students stud stud- almost entirely a result of at becoming a Impacted Federally area had Increased nearly times three-times-over within ten years with nearly 1400 students for whom provisions h Had d to be made on various levels ranging from the elementary grades clear through high school Anyone who has ever served as a school board member In a I rural county can Imagine the planning and taxation headaches posed by such examples of Uncle Sam suddenly coming to town towns with his progeny right behind behind behind be be- hind him Fortunately the Federal program program pro pro- gram was administered with attention at at- to just such counties and Grand county Utah since 1950 has received to meet building costs for new schools under Public Law and 99 for operations and m maintenance ance under Public Law a total of Of course cours this sum for construction costs was not ample for more than a relatively relatively rela rela- few new class rooms class rooms but the people of Grand county at least know from these figures that Uncle Sam just did not move in on them become a star boarder without at least offerIng offering offering offer offer- ing to pick up a part of the check In summarizing Senator Watkins Watkins Wat Wat- kins said I trust that this sum total of experience will be richly rewarding to the Subcommittee in making its recommendations concerning the advisability of of extension extension ex ex- I tension or and/or the amendment of Public Laws and I |