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Show Community center p cld lb D d (S Ihelp ".Nothing more is going to happen to create a community center for higher education unless there is a local ef- fort " ReP- Gayle McKeachnie told , Vernal Area Chamber members at Heir Tuesday meeting. Rep. McKeachnie has completed a legal agreement to be presented to local entities in Uintah County to form a board whose main objective is to foster the community center concept. The importance of a community center for higher education that also provides a public meeting area, and possibly a recreation facility, was demonstrated by Rep. McKeachnie from a survey conducted in 1981 of a percentage of county population atten-! atten-! ding institutions of higher education. "Of the major counties in the state, Uintah County has the lowest percentage percen-tage of people attending institutions of higher learning," McKeachnie said. Other counties which have, or are dose to state universities and colleges have higher percentages attending colleges or universities: Weber County, 4.6 percent; Davis County, 4.6 percent; Iron County and 5.7 percent. Uintah County has .18 percent of its population that is attending institutions institu-tions of higher education. "This has been a major problem that we have struggled with for 12 years," McKeachnie said. Twelve years ago the State Legislature authorized a junior college in Roosevelt, but the project was never funded. Later, the Uintah Basin Area Vocation Center and Utah State University Extension programs were offered. "As we look to the future, the number of students available to institutions in-stitutions of higher learning is projected pro-jected to double. Financially the budget should double, but the state doesn't know where to get the money," McKeachnie said. With the community center concept, promoters are looking to technology as the answer. A grant has been approved approv-ed by the state, and work has begun to link the Uintah Basin to the state-wide television system which could ultimately be used for telecommunications. The way the system would operate in the educational realm, would be to have two-way television between teachers and classes. "Instead of flying teachers from Logan," McKeachnie said, "one time they could be in Delta, then in Salt Lake City. They would always be available for questions. There are great possibilities." McKeachnie said he and others have lobbied for such a program on the state level, and the state is enthusiastic en-thusiastic about the idea. "But we need grass root support of the idea," he said. In Cedar City the townspeople proudly pro-udly tell of their effort to get a college in the area. The people went out and cut some logs and built the first building which was owned by the LDS Church and later by the state. Now they have a 4-year college, Southern Utah State College. "If we are to move forward, we have to do something similar to Cedar City," Ci-ty," McKeachnie said. Where the cost per student is high for small colleges, the cost per student at the UBAVC is half of what the others average. That's where the community communi-ty center idea comes into play. The state supports expenditures for teachers and programs which are efficient, ef-ficient, but not for buildings. The community center concept has been spearheaded by the school district, but really no entity has the responsibility for higher education. A board involving all entities, as being proposed, would provide such a body. Continued on page 2 I JWMjTfj -v I tatk., ' . w i v n I sr. rr x . ' i - ( r 4 & . v- i . . : " i If X - I . - t x -;- ' ' u- - ,i 1 ', ' ! x, FRE CHIEF Dale Slaugh, Floyd Workman and Henry Schaefermeyer examine new vemal City-Uintah County fire truck which became operational tnis wee. - truck has a 50-foot aerial ladder. Center... Continued from page 1 McKeachnie used Meeker, Colo., as an example of a city that has im-plimented im-plimented the community center concept. con-cept. The public library, kitchen facilities, cultural affairs and health classes all take place in the center which was donated by a prominent citizen of the community. There doesn't have to be a large grant of money to start the community communi-ty center, McKeachnie said. If all entities en-tities in the community would funnel their support, the building could be provided without additional cost. The impact of 2(K) professors (like in Cedar City) and their living expense, not including the students, would greatly benefit the community business sector, McKeachnie said. McKeachnie urges members of the community to attend city and county meetings where the proposals for the community center will be presented to show support. The agreement will be presented to public entities in the next two to three weeks. |