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Show The Park Record D Section A Page A2B Thursday, April 1,1993 Eye on Park City House sends Leavitt's school construction bill to Senate H m - r, f rssfe. ' - ;.7s ' "v.. ', . i ' ilk v '.- ' . ; . 1 " ' , ! by ANDREA MATHER Record staff writer . At a special session held on March 31, the Utah Legislature was pouring over Governor Mike Leavitt's plan to fund school construction. As of press time, the House had amended the bill and sent it back to the Senate. The Senate voted 25 to 3 for Leavitt's option. On March 23, Leavitt vetoed Senate Bill 199 that called for Park City and other school districts to contribute to the state's redistribution re-distribution program, which would fund construction in poorer districts. Under the plan, Park City would have given $500,000 to the state. The governor's new bill would replace the current law, which was Elliott to be normal legal tender by G. G. Lidia Recording this time In a move that caught many by surprise, United States Treasurer Catalina Vasquay Villelpanto announced April 1 that in honor of The Year of he Woman, the treasury would be releasing a commemorative one dollar bill-featuring bill-featuring a woman on the paper currency for the first time ever in the country's history. The treasury is currently taking Festiva Joan Peat-Moss, Executive Director of the ChamberBureau announced today the Sundance Film Festival would moving the date of the annual event from January back to December. "We listened to the complaints from this year's huge successful event and weighed the concerns and decided to move the festival to coincide with Christmas vacation. It just made sense. As long as the town is going to be nuts let's take it to the limits. One more time." Festival officials said they have already started to package the changed dates with such slogans as "This year put a star Sixty-lane Citing lower than expected sales and the desire to help fulfill Snyderville Basin residents recreational desires, Mart officials announced Thursday they were throwing in the towel and calling it quits. "We just haven't been able to make it work," said one official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Heck, no matter how many Super Specials we have, it doesn't make any difference we haven't been able to sell a darned thing. So, we might as well help people have fun." How? By converting the building into a 60-lane mega bowling alley. "We know you people (Snyderville Basin residents) have been achin' for ball fields and stuff. We figured this would be a good way to give back to the community," he said. Tentatively called Meadow Lanes, the new bowling complex is scheduled to open by mid-summer. According to officials, the store will shut down in the next few weeks to allow renovation work to begin. Though the building will still be owned by the store's parent company, the newly-appointed Snyderville Basin Recreation Board, along with Park City Leisure Services Director Bob Johnston, nicknamed the "Robin Hood" bill. While Utah school districts would continue to contribute five million dollars to the state's program by levying a .0001 tax rate, the amount would not be increased each year as scheduled under other plans, said the governor's Deputy of Education Jay Taggart. According to the governor's initial summary of his bill, Park City's total contribution for the fourth year of the program would be $151,000. Under the SB 199, the school district's would have paid $605,000 in the fourth year. While under the current law, Park City would pay $81,000 for the fourth year. Superintendent Burke Jolley said the bill would save Park City taxpayers a significant amount of property tax and also identifies new funding sources for education. applications from women who would like to be considered for the honor. The field will be narrowed to ten, after which the future Georgettes will be interviewed by such noteworthy women as Sydney "Diddle" Barrows, and Rona Barrett. In an interview Thursday, Park City Council Member Sally Elliott said she plans to, in a manner of speaking, put her money where her mouth is. "You know the United States is moves to Dec. underneath your tree," and the counterpart, "Light a light and watch the stars come out all eight nights." "We have long wondered what the maximum capacity of the town was, that is to say at what point will critical mass be achieved. This way we can fill every bed and put heads on every pillow and couch and living room floor and see where people will park when all the legitimate spaces are gone. We will test the limits of police, fire and waitresses. And if there really is a need for a second market in town this will be an opportunity to highlight the bowling a Sixty lanes of action-packed will run the new facility. Cindy Johnson, chair of the seven-member Recreation Board, said news of the decision had come as a surprise to her, but she is excited by the possibilities. "This new law will start to address new sources of revenue that haven't been used before . . . Anytime we can get new revenue for education other than the traditional sources (such as property tax money) is positive," said Jolley. This new legislation will provide $20 million in funding for capital outlay, which means construction costs, property purchases, equipment equip-ment and debt payment This is the same amount Senate Bill 199 was expected to raise, said Taggart. The money will come from eliminating some tax exemptions, some of which were already repealed. The Tax Review Commission will review 35 sales tax exemptions including pollution control new manufacturing equipment, equip-ment, according to a summary of the bill. one of the only countries not to remember their prominent women on their legal tender," she said. "England's had Elizabeth on their Pound notes for years. And while I'm not queen, I am mayor pro tern." In order to help promote her bid for the bill, Elliott plans to doff her glasses and cut her hair like George Washington's. She added she has been practicing his pursed expression on the front of the dollar by "biting my lips." 1 iv ' f ) problem." The final awards party is slated for New Year's Eve and will be held once again in the Racquet Club. Individuals showing their locals card will be admitted free to the champange celebrity-studded celebrity-studded bash. Festival officials say its just their way to thank the local community for making the holidays brighter this year. ey coming bowling are on their way to Snyderville. "All of our surveys show people want places to play softball, but bowling can be almost as good," she said, "and besides, their giving us this thing for free." Meadow Lanes is not the first h 7va--J yJ... l A ' V 'J ft y k A, f' i I j ; .P i- f (Ik iff I l " ;';I'V,.S; : ft! ii ,1 1 , t if J! ' 1- V ' -V immmi . i County to by SENA. FLANDERS Record staff writer In an effort to fast-track the approval process for new businesses locating in the Silver Creek Commerce Center, the Summit County Planning Department has been asked to determine what types of businesses are most .appropriate there, and examine if the approval process is fair. Commerce Center representative Marty Volla met with the Board of County Commissioners Monday to ask if county codes could be amiended to expedite the approval of new businesses in the center. He wzis accompanied by Bob Sammons of Piper Impact, and Des Barker of the Park City ChamberBiureau, who helps recruit new businesses to the county. After discussing the matter, the Commission asked Community Development Director Bruce Parker to review what types of businesses would be desirable in the center, and also to look at other areas of the county where light industrial uses might occur. Volla said the present code has an unduly cumbersome approval process where the Commerce Center is concerned, and he said it may discourage potential new tenants from locating there. The present code requires that two public hearings be held, one before the Planning Commission and another before the Board of County Commissioners. He said since the industrial park was designed to houise light industries, the approval process should be as to Snyderville Basin ill, - I Coming soonl $ Coming soonl 1VieQCJOly, (Lqqcs 60 high spd tanas Snack bar, h shot rental Oosnlng Summer 1993 tf- retail facility to be converted into a bowling alley. According to officials, the practice is quite common, "Our stores make great alleys," Martha Brown, Realtor of The Year, is flanked by her two favorite primates, a couple of wilde and crazy guys. study Commerce Ctr simple as obtaining a building permit, similar to a homeowner building a house in a platted subdivision. "If it's light industry, why can't it be treated like a residential subdivision?" he asked the Commission. "The park was originally created to get employment and increase the tax base for the county ...I don't want to be- scaring someone away." He added that the sooner it fills with tenants, the sooner the county's bonds will be paid that funded the construction of the center. .Regarding the potential impacts new businesses might have on the community, Volla said there is ample water and sewer service for any new tenants, and he said the impact on schools would only be positive. Parker told the Commission, "We need to spell out what the appropriate and permitted uses are in the park," and also determine which should be excluded. But he said he felt the current process was not undue. "I don't think it's an inordinate process. Two or three months to establish a major industrial business I don't think is a delay." The current approval process is three-pronged: it examines a concurrency issue to see that existing infrastructure and services can support the new development, then the potential business is examined to see if it conforms with the Snyderville Basin general plan. The third point is : site planning and the issuance of a building permit, Sammons, whose Piper Impact is the second and most recent new one manager explained. "The floors are smooth as glass, usually unscuffed, and always clean and spiffy. The only hard part is putting in those nifty underground-conveyer-belt-things that shoot the balls back to the customers." He added that nearly 75 former stores already have been converted into bowling alleys nationwide. Summit County Commissioner Ron Perry said that from a county perspective, the decision was a good one. "Basically, I'm just tickled pink about the whole thing," Perry said. "Bowling is big time stuff where I come from. This is really going to be swell." The only public opposition so far has come from Park City resident Todd Gabler. Gabler, who chained himself to a bulldozer last spring in an effort to block construction of a large retail facility in the area, threatened to chain himself to the building's first bowling ball should the project move ahead. Gabler refused to say why he opposes the project. League antTrecreational play will begin as soon as the new lanes are completed, The 1970s hit show Bowling for Dollars has already expressed interest in using the facility as the site for a future show. V j business to locate at the center, said the time spent in an approval process "is an economic issue to us," especially if it means not being able to build during the summer. He and Volla noted that while it's possible to build during the winter, the price is higher and the quality is lower. "We are not trying to circumvent anything or hide anything," said Sammons. "But we need to be flexible so that when a customer says they need something by a certain date" we can deliver it, "If we miss that window, then we maybe have to go to a different area to build." Volla-added, Volla-added, "Nobody's trying to pull the wool over the public's eyes." In discussing the matter, Commissioner Sheldon Richins asked why public hearings should be held. Commission Chairman Gene Moser responded, "I don't see anything wrong with them...You might learn some things." Parker added that adjacent property owners may want to comment about potential impacts a new development might cause. To conclude discussions on the issue, Commissioner Ron Perry recommended that the planning staff review the approval process and appropriate uses for the center. Any code amendments will be made in July. Parker said his department would also look at other areas of the basin where light industrial uses may be appropriate, in case some businesses can't afford to locate in the Commerce Center. SR224 closed partially State Road 224 from Park City to ParkWest will be be closed to all two-wheel drive vehicles beginning April 1, officials from the Utah Department of Transportation and Harper Construction announced Monday. Speaking at an outdoor press conference held in honor of the erection of a new "pardon our bumps" sign, officials said the road had become too rough for vehicles other than the tougher four wheel drives. "It's just gotten too darn bumpy," said Harper Construction project manager Joe Wooley. "We've seen a couple small cars nearly get lost in some of these potholes." What's more, he said, the dips and bumps have become so big that they are beginning to cause , serious damage to cars' chasis and axels. . Wooley explained that biger four wheel drive cars and trucks should not have any problem negotiating what's left of the road. "They should be able to handle it," he said. "The vehicles are built to take it and the drivers are usually a little more adept at handling the rough stuff." Wooley said owners of smaller cars and those who are just "too wimpy" to tackle SR224, should plan on taking U.S. Highway 40 and State Road 248 into Park City. The new road should be finished sometime this decade. V |