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Show r v i v i i ir 1 " Press soc w zoo s SUITE 5005 ST LAKE Ciry, tr r i -v s 84101 m' The folks at Diamond's Greenhouse in Springville are ready for spring which is scheduled to arrive Friday, March 20. Since January, there have been many, many days that felt like spring, and although a little winter returned Tuesday and today, warmer temperature are expected Thursday and for the next ten days. Diamond's employees have been very busy planting and getting ready for their busy season ahead. Photo by Marcia Conover 0 0 4 L) (j a O C:. r n n r Cs o I n LJ o D o o o v Volume One Hundred Three SPRINGVILLE, UTAH 84663 - March 18, 1998 Price 500 Number Eleven ' by Laurel Brady The Nebo District School Board faced down critics again last week, this time being charged with keeping the public in the dark, conducting business illegally and failing to respond to information requests under the Government Records and Management Man-agement Act. District officials denied the charges, responding they take pains to assure all public business' is conducted in open public meetings, and even invited members of the public to get more involved in its affairs. "We have not held any meetings meet-ings in secret," Superintendent Denis Poulsen assured the crowd. Speaking at the close of last ; weeks's regular board meeting, Lynn Crook1 stated, "I believe : most board decisions are made outside of public meetings. It appears the board is breaking the law, either because of ignorance or arrogance." Claiming his input to the board has been ignored. Crook also complained, "When you discuss something important in your meeting, you have information packets which you discuss among yourselves with no explanation to the public. We have no inkling what you're talking about." Crook said he had twice written to the board president presi-dent asking for explanations and been ignored. : "You should be more open to the public. There should be no more secrets or secret board meetings." Board president Kaye West-wood West-wood told Crook the district's everyday business is handled by the superintendent and staff, but all public business is conducted in advertised open meeting. "There are committee meetings. n M PTA meetings, etc. But board decisions are not made there. You see them here. They are on the agenda. Business that must be public, you see it happen here." But Crook and others maintained main-tained the public is given little or no information about issues. The result, they said, is even business discussed in the public meetings remains a mystery to those present. pres-ent. And they claimed not only is the public kept in the dark, but board rSeetings offer "no chance for input." , Board members answered patrons need to take responsibility responsibili-ty to educate themselves on issues is-sues under discussion, either by raising their hands and asking questions or by adding their names to the district's mailing list so an information packet can be mailed to their home prior to the n meeting. Crook responded, "I heard no invitation tonight to janyone to raise their hand. There Is no encouragement for input or Suggestions on how to get more nformation." Poulsen reminded the audience, audi-ence, however, the board's meetings meet-ings are "meetings held in public, not public meetings. Participation in them is at the will of the board." But Poulsen stressed the board has tried to be open to audience iieeds and when request- ed, has always Stepped to answer questions. Longtime critic Dorothy Bryson asked when curriculum issues have been discussed by the board. "Over the last five years, we have collected information on curriculum in Nebo classrooms that causes us a great deal of concern. I have never heard curriculum discussed in this meeting. The public should be in meetings where this is discussed." disc-ussed." Bryson also charged the district dis-trict has not been forthcoming with information pertaining to grant monies obtained and "what you promised to do to get it. We have been kept out of meetings where we could have picked up information." She also questioned why the public is required to pay to receive information though GRAMMA requests. "",We;i what it will cost in time and effort," Westwood answered, "And we have the right to charge a reasonable amount for the costs to provide information, especially if it takes time away from our responsibilities." . Poulsen told Bryson he had answered "in the neighborhood of twenty two" of her GRAMMA rnmwm requests. He noted the particular request she claimed went unanswered unan-swered asked for information on about four hundred accounts. To provide it, he would have to assign someone to generate a report that does not currently exist. For that, Bryson wold have to stand the cost. Bryson responded, "People are very concerned. We have good reason to believe (grant money) is being moved from one account to another." Crdiii- XiioA ted'.'asked'' months ago for the superintendent to begin taking time at each board meeting to inform the public about "changes, grants, and committees." He said the board's practice of allotting time to student demonstrations could better be used by the superintendent superinten-dent "to tell what's happening in the schools." PJ1 LIU The 1998 Miss Springville Pageant will be held on Saturday, March 21, at 7 p.m. in the Springville Sprin-gville High School auditorium. ' Doors open at 6, and tickets will be available then for $5 per person. Twelve talented young women will compete for the title of Miss Springville and the opportunity op-portunity to represent Springville at the Miss Utah competition next year. The pageant program will be hosted by the reigning Miss Utah, Mary McDonough, and the current Miss Springville, Summer Folster. The 12 contestants will compete in both talent and evening eve-ning wear competition the night of the pageant. They will compete com-pete in the swimsuit portion and the judge's interview earlier in the day. The contestants are: Erika 1 - Brooke Eastman Jennica Erickson Scholz, daughter of Kevin and Brooke Scholz of Springville, who will sing "On My Own" from "Les Miserables;" Jennica Erickson, daughter of Kent and LuAnn Erickson of Springville, who will perform a character dance to the James Bond theme; Nicole Welch, daughter of Dave and Pam Welch of Mapleton, who will play a piano solo, "Pra-eludium "Pra-eludium in E Minor. Alesha Revoir, daughter of Trisha Graves Randy and Terese Revoir of Mapleton, who will perform a character jazz dance to "If I Wanted To" by Melissa Ethridge; Nita Worwood, daughter of Scott and Cynthia Worwood of Mapleton, Maple-ton, who will sing "Lost in Your Eyes;" Becky Stansfield, daughter daugh-ter of Russell and Darlene Stansfield Stan-sfield of, Mapleton, who will dance a gymnasticsjazz routine to "Drowning Man." Brooke Eastman, daughter of if Shauna Greer Brian and Diane Eastman of Mapleton, who will play a piano solo, "Prelude in C Minor," by Rachmaninoff; Julie Widdison, daughter of Jack and Jane Widdison Wid-dison of Mapleton, who will perform a character dance to "Luck Be a Lady;" Trisha Graves, daughter of Dave and Shellie Graves of Springville, who will play a piano solo, "Flight of the Bumblebee. " iV Amberly Parker ir i v -' Shauna Greer, daughter of Dodd and Kathy Greer of Springville, Spring-ville, who will perform a modern dance she titled, "The Jungle;" Amberly Parker, daughter of Rod and Connie Parker of Springville, who will play a piano solo, "Tarantella;" "Tar-antella;" and Anna Roberts, daughter of Chris and Shanon Roberts of Springville, who will perform a modern dance to music 'from "Titanic." Alesha Revoir s, ,1 Anna Roberts Erika Scholz Rebecca Stansfield Nicole Welch Julie Widdison Nita Worwood RCOPY |