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Show Woods Cross wants business out Salvage yard to be junked by city By JUDY JENSEN Managing Editor WOODS CROSS South Bountiful Auto Parts and Wrecking may go, but it wont go quietly. An ongoing dispute between the company and Woods Cross City may soon come to a head. The city recently gained approval from the Council of Government on its request for Community Development Block Grant funds to relocate the salvage yard. The $225,000 will be used by the city to assist in the relocation reloca-tion of the business. City Administrator Bret Wahlen said the city is working toward the goal of moving the business out of Woods Cross. "We anticipate an-ticipate signing for the grant in June, and hope the funds will be available then to begin ' the relocation." Not so fast, says South Bountiful Auto Parts and Wrecking owner Frank Branch. "I haven't heard from anyone from the city. They don't talk to me anymore since we have our high priced attorneys." . - - Branch said he was at one time willing to "handle this like gentlemen. But last year they told me they were going to foreclose on me and we stopped being gentlemen. I thought, 'Look out Myrtle, we're headed for the pea patch,' ' he said. The problem as Branch sees it, is not relocating. The problem is that the city is not willing to pay what the property is worth. "I can't even get the cost of relocation out of them," he said. Branch has been offered $110,000 by the city for his business and the eight acres of property it occupies. "It's sad. They want me to go, but they don't want me to get even a dime on a dollar," said Branch. SEE SALVAGE ON PG. 2 Salvage CONTINUED FROM PG.l "It's like I've been invited to a ball game, but we're playing by different rules,' ' he added. The company which deals in salvaging vehicles and their parts, has been at the same location, 847 W. 1500 S.. for 50 years. Branch has owned it for the last 20 years. Branch said the city has done "everything in its power to shut me down. They've spent $65,000 to $100,000 to find me in violation of something with the EPA," he said. He added that the city has paid " about $3,000 each of taxpayers money for three appraisals to get the numbers they wanted." r Branch said he is not opposed to relocating his business if he can get fair market value for it. "They (the city) tell me it's not valued as a business, it's only valued as property proper-ty they want to put houses on. It's a business to me. Seven of us make a living here. Seven families rely on the income from it," The city's attempts to find a relocation spot in Davis County have failed. The business would have to be moved out of the county. "I've never refused to move, relocate or sell out But this is my life. I can't just give it away," said Branch. He said the ball is now in the city's court and he will wait to see what happens next. "I can't accuse them of murder until they commit it," he said. Wahlen said he hopes the city can reach an agreement with Branch Bran-ch in the near future. |