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Show HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS Citizens speak out ByErmaJeanI.ee "Let's use public services and public facilities to their fullest." "We need greater cooperation between city and county zoning, land-use, and planning commissions." "I don't want to live in a hodgepodge." "We need local control and to get big government out." "Drinking water has to be our highest priority as far as water resources are concerned." "We have to face our teenage pregnancies and do something about them." "With growth and booms come bad check writers. Can't something be done?" "We need a rest home for our elderly." "The library needs to be expanded." "We need a four year college, or at least a two year college in Vernal." "We're presently looking for a building and money to house vocational training for local people in the oil and energy fields, and for expanded vocational education here in Vernal." "We need a year around school, at least for our elementary students." These and many other comments were made at the "town meeting" held Wednesday night of last week. Topics discussed were human resources, public facilities, natural resources and taxation. These were introduced and moderated by Elouise Turner and Gayle McKeachnie, and most speakers had either a well memorized speech or a prepared statement on the subject of their choice and interest. One young man, a Colorado student at Utah State, asked the question of whether we wanted growth. He felt that all things are inter-related and that what we decide now will affect the future a lot. He felt Utah is a great place for solitude, but if we choose a lifestyle of growth, we will have to give up some of our solitude. If we want growth we should plan for it rationally and begin now so that shanty towns will not spring up in developing areas. A man in Jensen felt we should ask the man on the street if he wanted growth, but it seemed that growth is here whether we want it or not, so we should use wisdom in preparing for it. A lady speaking as a taxpayer desired better planning in our recreational and park facilities so they would be more adequate to our present needs. She, too, emphasized better use of public buildings such as schools and city and county space. The Arts and Cultural activities group spokesperson said that Vernal really needs a facility for art and cultural exhibits. She said that many smaller areas have them already. Art doesn't pollute, art doesn't commit crime, she said, but art stimulates people in their leisure while bringing out their best qualities. Symphony, art and other cultural activities make a community a better place to live and grow. (True.) The principal who wanted a year around school explained that many teachers go out and get other jobs, and that right now he felt many elementary children were ready to go back to school. Another man felt school buildings could be used all year long, but he did not want to teach all year. (Perhaps different teachers could be used during summer months? ) I did not speak at the meeting but I would like to now. In our neighborhood, the children soon got tired of planned activities, movies, social reading hours, playing records, riding bikes in the neighborhood, and even playing. They have some home duties but do not want a lot of work. These kids are good kids, yet we have had windows broken, some accidental, some on purpose, and they find it hard to keep busy several hours of the day in a constructive purpose. It soon becomes hard for parents, too, to think up new things tor the children, and how very much some of us wish for a longer school year with only a month or two weeks off, more or less, so our children would have constructive, con-structive, planned things to do, with teachers or other adults to supervise who are skilled in this type activity. E.V. Lucas said "Few women and fewer men have enough character to be idle." What about children who aren't mature enough to think up adult means of filling leisure time? If it's hard for men and women, isn't it harder still for our children and youth to fill three months of solid leisure? No wonder we have crime. No wonder we have vandalism and other mischievious acts, which may never have been intended to hurt or destroy but were to fill up excess time. Dr. L.J. Peter said that the best intelligence in-telligence test is what we do with our leisure, but unless people, and children too, are trained in using time constructively, con-structively, how can they use it with intelligence? How can parents spend all their hours overseeing children during summer months when we have work that needs to be done? I'd like to hear from other parents with solutions. In the upcoming growth period of Vernal we must certainly consider uses of leisure time, otherwise, our taxes can only go up to take care of distructive tendencies of those who don't know what to do with their idle hours, v , , ,. |