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Show B-10 The Park Record Saturday, January 27, 2001 mB Reliurani Cafe mlauranl Hut g Jack Johnson follows lien with suit Proposed resort faces lawsuit from local engineers trying to collect past dues BOISE. Idaho (AP) A Utah engineering firm which filed a $1.3 million lien against the proposed WestRock resort on Lake Cascade followed through with a lawsuit in federal court to back it up. In the claim filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Boise, Jack Johnson Co. of Park City contends it performed a range of work for the resort between June 12, 1998 and Nov. 20, 2000, and now is owed that money. "We provided not only engineering engi-neering but land-planning services and environmental studies," said Jack Johnson, the company princi ple. "I really don't want to file a suit, but the reason is to collect the money owed to me." The firm with about 80 employees employ-ees alleges WestRock made a breach of contract and profited from their services without paying the bill. It also contends claims against WestRock by Capital Salvage and Gold Mountain Financial Institution of California are junior to its interests. The company filed the lien in December in Valley County. "There was a period of nine to 10 months where we went without any payments from them," Johnson said. "I think our office kept the project afloat for that time." Jean-Pierre Boespflug, chief executive officer of WestRock Associates LLC, earlier said the lien has everything to do with the value of work Jack Johnson Co. provided and nothing to do the project's pro-ject's ability to pay. Boesflug said some of that work was worthless to WestRock so he offered to pay for services beneficial benefi-cial to the project, but the engineers refused. The Frenchman has overseen the scaling down of WestRock, including the number of residences, resi-dences, ski lifts, golf courses and commercial-retail space in the shops. WestRock in November announced the role of lead engineer engi-neer for the resort was being shifted shift-ed from Jack Johnson Co. to Toothman Orton Engineering. the lawsuit contends Jack into two letters of agreement under which the developers promised to make monthly payments, but they fell behind to the tune of about $1.3 million. Boesflug said he invited Jack Johnson Co. to do the wastewater engineering, a substantial job, but the firm again declined the offer. "We were promised a lot of work, but it just sort of got picked away over time," Johnson said. "Finally there was a bone at the bottom and that was wastewater." Johnson said he remains convinced con-vinced the project site is a good location for a ski hill with snow remaining there until late in the spring. "I dont have any problem with WestRock," he said. "I'm support ive of Westrock. The area needs a Johnson and WestRock entered shot in the arm." ITS NOT JUST COOL STUFF FROM MEXICO ANVMORE! 2855 S. Highland Drive, SLC 801.474.1240 Delta Center less than perfect for Oly skating SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Olympic organizers are trying to make the best of their figure skating skat-ing venue despite problems that obstruct views and leave skaters feeling as if they are performing in a deep pit. "It's been a very big issue for us," Mitt Romney, president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, said Wednesday. He wanted to move the skating at the 2002 Games from the Delta Center to a suburban arena but says the International Skating Union vetoed the move. Romney was responding to former for-mer Czechoslovak and European figure skating champion Jozef Sabovcik. the latest to join the criticism criti-cism of the Delta Center. Returning to his native Slovakia for the European Figure Skating Championships, Sabovcik said the Delta Center - home of the Utah Jazz puts spectators too high and far from the ice, eliminating the intimacy between fans and performers. per-formers. "The original Olympic atmosphere atmos-phere will be lost a bit," said Sabovcik, now a Salt Lake City resident. res-ident. He won a bronze in the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics. "I have performed there several times and the arena is really well equipped for basketball, but not for figure skating. Even the acoustics are not good." U.S. champion Michelle Kwan complained about the Delta Center when it played host to the U.S. Make the career change you'll never regret. Get your Real Estate license right here in Park City! Rotating classes YOU CAN START ANY TIME Classes available 6 days a week Contact: Karen Evans karenewardleygmac.com Call: 435-649-9200 1880 999-7355 nationals in 1999. So, too, have many other skaters. Because figure skating requires a much large ice sheet than hockey, several rows of the terraced Delta Center seats are removed. That leaves the first row of seats hanging 15 feet above the action, "so you have to look over a cliff down to the ice," Romney said. It's hard for skaters to make eye contact with the audience. And for nearly all spectators, skaters drop from view in corners and along sideboards. Organizers wanted to swap figure fig-ure skating and hockey venues, sending skating to the E Center in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Valley City and bringing hockey to the Delta Center. But the International Skating . Union prefers the larger Delta Center and its downtown location, Romney said. So organizers looked at installing a platform to raise the ice sheet 6, 8 or 12 feet above the Delta Center floor. They rejected that move not because of the cost more than $700,000 but because camera tests showed that lifting the ice that much would have little effect and could leave the ice susceptible to cracking, said Cathy Priestner-Allinger, Priestner-Allinger, the organizing committee's managing director of sport. Instead, organizers plan to spend $1 million to install four giant video screens inside the Delta Center. The ISU gave its approval for the first use of video screens inside an Olympic competition. "So anytime a skater goes into a blind spot you'll see huge video from your seat," Romney said. Spectators may find turning from live action to video screens distracting. So organizers warned buyers of 78,000 tickets about the viewing problems, and seats sold for as little as $35. Ut. reporter has new post SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Robert Gehrke, a newsman in the Salt Lake City bureau of The Associated Press, has been appointed Four Corners regional reporter based, in Washington. The appointment was announced Wednesday by the chiefs of bureau in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Gehrke will report from Washington on issues that are common to the Four Corners area and track key legislation and major action from lawmakers from those states. Gehrke, 27, is a native of Salt Lake City. He joined the AP in Salt Lake City in 1997 after earning earn-ing bachelor's degrees in communications commu-nications and political science from the University of Utah. He covered the Utah Legislature, state politics and environmental and prison issues while in Salt Lake City. In town to ski our fabulous snow? We are the luxury ski property specialists in Salt Lake City! Are you considering acquiring a home in Salt Lake City to indulge your passion for powder? Let us show you how easily your dream of a spectacular vacation ski home can become a reality. We represent six of the area's finest brand new condominium communities, com-munities, all of which are just minutes from the greatest snow on earth. Seven world-class world-class ski resorts and the year-round amenities of Salt Lake City have proven a irresistible irre-sistible combination for discriminating people from around the world. 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