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Show BM&T makes deal: Geneva Steel Plant opens By Cathe Owens An old book was closed and a new one opened Monday in the history of the Geneva Steel Plant when USX formally for-mally transferred ownership of the idled Geneva Works to Basic Manufacturing and Technologies, now renamed Geneva Steel of Utah. BM&T failed to meet two previous deadlines for the sale when financial backing fell through, but at a press conference at the Salt Lake Marriott Hotel Monday, Joseph A. Cannon, president of Basic Manufacturing, Manufac-turing, announced that he had handed hand-ed a check for the amount required to purchase the Geneva Works to Frank P. Adams, vice president-accounting and financing for the USS Division of USX. The final transfer was a relief to Utah Valley steel workers who have been unemployed since a labor dispute 13 months ago. When the dispute was settled, USX Corp. announced an-nounced that it had chosen to permanently per-manently close the Utah Valley mill. USX workers were scheduled to begin permanent closure of the facility facili-ty if the August 31 deadline passed without a deal, but instead, 60-70 recalled Geneva workers returned to work at 12:01 Tuesday morning to start the process of re-opening the plant. Orders are scheduled for the Geneva Works for the rest of the year, and beyond, and Geneva officials plan to recall approximately 1,000 workers. The amount of the purchase has Candidates line up for Orem political season By the deadline last Tuesday 14 candidates had filed for the three vacated city council seats. Primary elections October 6 will see six of those candidates elected to run in the general election November 3. Three will be elected at that time. It was a last minute decision that Councilman Harley Gillman chose-not chose-not to run again for re-election. He has served for 24 years. "There's lots of good people running," he said. "It's time for me to leave." Other council members whose term expires ex-pires are Richard Jackson and Stella Welsh. Each has served two terms. The remaining three council members mem-bers will have each completed their f ' fe Old friends get together. Former Orem High principal and chemistry teacher Clifton M. Pyne, and Wes Barry, former band teacher, meet with a former student, Eric Benson, to help celebrate his 41st birthday along with Eric's mother, Thelma Benson. A 1962-63 Tigerama yearbook helped bring back good memories. Courageous young man greets another birthday with By Jeanne Thayne Two former school teachers were special guests at the 41st birthday celebration of Eric Benson. Eric could not rise to greet his surprise guests nor could he speak the usual pleasantries, but a handshake and a wide grin were eloquent enough for former Orem High chemistry teacher and principal, Clifton M. Pyne, and Wes Barry, popular and renowned former band teacher. Both recently retired from education. Eric listened as the pair reminisced about the old days sparked spark-ed by a 1962-63 OHS yearbook. They pointed to pictures of Eric with the state A wrestling champs. They also talked of his talents on the trombone with the school band. "Those were the golden years," said Barry. They truly are golden memories for Eric whose life changed drastically drastical-ly since then. After graduation he continued con-tinued to study trombone and studied electronics at Utah Technical College. But his once bright future dimmed dimm-ed in a blinding collision between a car and Eric's motorcycle leaving the young man paraplegic and more dead than live. He was 19. not been disclosed, but officials did announce some of the financial backers, including Washington Square Inc. and ITT, Credit, both Minneapolis Min-neapolis institutions as the primary lenders. Mr. Cannon also announced that USX Corp. is not a lender, and will have no equity in the Geneva plant. It was also announced at the conference con-ference that Ezra "Bud" Patten will be executive vice president, and will ; be in charge of production at the newly new-ly opened plant. "We plan to be making coke on the 12th of September and to be producing pro-ducing iron from the blast furnace sometime around the 16th of September," commented Patten and continued saying that they plan to produce steel from the open hearth and roll slabs on the primary mill by September 16. BM&T previously announced that it planned to run the Geneva Works at a lower scale than under USX, with about one-half as many workers as USX employed at the mill. According to BMT, the lower scale operation would mean that they would create less pollution, and use less of the allotted allot-ted amount of pollution permit, allowing allow-ing for other industries to enter the valley. The re-opening of the Geneva Works comes as good news to Utah Valley, which has experienced economic slow-down since the closure of the plant. New hope is awakening even as workers begin to re-staff the plant. first term in office by January 1, 1988: Keith Hunt, Joyce Johnson and Paul Washburn. Candidates for this political season in Orem City are: C. V. "Skip" Anderson, 724 East Bowl Drive; Rod Bullock, 121 North 600 East; Benjamin N. Christensen, 133 East 1750 North; Kelvin C. Clayton, 953 East 880 North; N. Lee Crabb, 39 North 580 East; Jim Evans, 801 East Heather Road; Gary R. Herbert, 692 West 580 South; Larry L. Johnson, 977 West 520 South; Dan Lunt, 1571 North 250 East; John McGinn, 723 South 630 East; Nick Webb, 1026 East 680 North; Norman K. "Woody" Woodhouse, 11 North 800 East. "Somehow he pulled through," says his mother Thelma Benson. "He's had more than 20 surgeries ... I don't even know what all for. . .some were tests." She said the doctors frequently fre-quently gave him up and said he probably pro-bably won't live. "But he's just stubborn," stub-born," explains his mother-nurse-interpretor-entertainer. When she speaks of him she smiles gently and the pride shows along with the pain. The first years probably were hectic ones for the Bensons learning to care for Eric. When the accident happened, Eric's father was recovering recover-ing from back surgery. He died of a heart attack five years later. Ar first Eric used his time perfecting perfec-ting chess skills, putting puzzles together and joining in a church study group at his home. But muscles and coordination deteriorated over the years. Now he seldom speaks and can't use his hands much. Two young men come in to bathe him but most of the nursing care is up to Thelma. The neighbors and ward members are wonderful, she says. "Different bishops see to different things," she says. "When I was at the hospital during one of Eric's stays, 1 1 1 1 i i I -i i i wL !r -rid - : 4 4 I 1 -t-:3 IMJL iiiiHii ii I I " " ... TMmTSwmmmmt-t , " ' . ,, A- 4 Vehicles in this Geneva parking lot Tuesday morning were an obvious sicn of the eood news Volume 57 Number 35 City eyes By Jeanne Thayne "We see a real need for an 18 hole golf course. It would be beneficial for business and everything else," Doug Marriott told Orem City Council and city staff members in a work session last Tuesday. Marriott was chairman of a Citizens' Golf Advisory Committee Commit-tee assigned to study the feasibility of the development of such a course. He said Orem has been in a deficit situation in providing golf course services to its citizens for the past 15 to 20 years. At the current time Cascade Fairways, a nine hole golf course, is serving the City. The Citizens' Golf Advisory Committee feels strongly that Orem has a population popula-tion base and the interest to support a full 18 hole course in addition to Cascade. Marriott said it would be important impor-tant now to have a professional market and feasibility study to analyze what could be done and smile the ward came in and put in a sprinkl-, sprinkl-, ing system for me. That has helped so much," she says. The Benson's living room is more like a hospital room says Thelma as she looks around at the special bed and cot for herself, and care equipment equip-ment that make life easier for Eric. "It used to be such a pretty room." But it still is very pleasant with soft peach valences over the white sheers and family mementos everywhere. Someone came in and added pretty wallpaper borders on the upper part of the walls. What does Eric do each day? "He enjoys having me read to him," says Thelma. "Scriptures, biographies and stories about presidents. Now we're reading 'The Hiding Place'; he doesn't like fiction much." After all, Eric's facing life's realities every day. He meets the challenges the same as all great people, peo-ple, with grit, courage, tenacity and a resignation to the knowledge that when you can't change things, you can only change yourself to adjust to those things. Another birthday, and life goes on for Eric Benson. that met local steel workers Mon- Sty u s A 'iliif and Mi8g Wednesday September 2, 1987 land for should be done. The committee enhanced their findings with the services of two professionals pro-fessionals in the field of golf course development: Bill Neff, Golf Course Architect, and Johnny Miller, PGA Professional and Golf Course Developer. The two professionals evaluated several sites independent of each other. They included: Cascade Golf Course and private property located to the east and west of the course and the City-owned property immediately immediate-ly to the north of the course, known as the Cook Addition, the LDS Church Welfare Farm located off 1600 North just to the west of the Timpanogos Research Park, and the Canyon park property located in Provo Canyon. Both professionals as well as the committee members concluded that the best site is the LDS Church Welfare Farm Property off 1600 North based on size and ability to control con-trol development costs due to its " reasonably flat contour. They also said a golf course there would be a marketing benefit to the neighboring research park. Expanding Cascade Fairways also is possible with acquisitions of orchard or-chard ground immediately to the west and east but would be expensive property. pro-perty. Property to the north is an unlikely choice, according to Miller, because of UP&L easements, lack of a water system, and high development develop-ment costs associated with the rugged rugg-ed terrain. Neff agreed. Both agreed the Canyon Park property would not be practical. In addition to the problem of purchasing pur-chasing ground, is the major issue of financing. Jerry Ortiz, Director of Recreation and liason to the study committee, said, "Municipal courses Temporary site plans approved to aid expanding businesses By Jeanne Thayne The rapidly expanding WordPerfect Word-Perfect Corp. nudged the City Council Coun-cil into approving an amendment to the city ordinance allowing Temporary Tem-porary Site Plans. At the present time, temporary site plans are not permitted in the PC Zones, the approved amendment will allow temporary site plans in the PC-1 and PC-2 Zones in limited circumstances. cir-cumstances. This will allow WordPerfect Word-Perfect or other growing businesses to bring in mobile units to serve the company while new facilities are under construction. The Planning Commission did not recommend the amendment and expressed ex-pressed concern about breaking the tradition of not allowing temporary buildings except under very limited circumstances for a brief time. Councilman Coun-cilman Paul Washburn, who also sits on the Planning Commission, asked Fall Clean-up October 17-31 The Fall Clean-Up for the City of Orem is scheduled for October 17, 1987 through October 31, 1987. The Landfill Land-fill will be open (free of charge) to all Orem City residents, with proper identification, for this two week period. There will be NO curb-side pick-up. Please remember to have your loads covered or tied down or a $2.50 charge will be assessed at the entry of the Landfill. Beginning November 2, 1987, the Landfill will return to winter hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. I day. Basic Manufacturing obtained the financing and closed the deal ourchasins the Geneva Steel Works. cathe ow, Phou 18 - hole golf course are difficult if you look at paying bonded indebtedness and operating costs." He added, however, that Hobble Hob-ble Creek and Spanish Oaks have made money and both are operated by municipalities. Council Richard Jackson said the Springville mayor reported making $45,000 this year, but did not include indebtedness in the figure. Craig Peterson, a member of the committee, suggested going to a referendum vote to give the people a say in the matter. He also suggested funding with a bond and no tax burden. However, Daryl Berlin, City Manager, said, "If we do it we need to consider a tax with it so we can pay for it." Other ideas included a joint venture ven-ture with Provo at the mouth of the canyon but Berlin said when Provo was approached with this idea several years ago they said they'd be happy to have Orem buy it and build it and let Provo use it. Whatever way it is funded, it is estimated an 18 hole golf course would cost about $5 million or approximately approximate-ly $25 per year per resident. Another barrier confronted the council immediately following the work session. First item on the council coun-cil agenda was to approve an LDS Chapel on the very site preferred by the committee for a golf course. Asked Ask-ed by the council if he could delay action ac-tion on the chapel, the developer said bids had been let and it is fixed and ready to go. Acquiring another piece of land would take up to a year, he said. The council had no option but to approve the church site. However, the City intends to follow through now. As Ortiz said, "Where there's a will there's a way." the council to be careful about passing pass-ing the amendment and asked that it be brought back for a more complete study. His concern is that the amendment amend-ment would allow new businesses to also bring in temporary buildings. He wants to see strict regulations and limitations. Ed Stout, Director of Developmental Services, said other cities are more liberal than Orem has been in such matters. WordPerfect representatives said they can't build or lease buildings fast enough to keep up with their rapid growth. Allowing them to bring in temporary facilities and set up near construction sites would benefit them greatly. The amendment passed unanimously. The change also will allow golf courses as a conditional use in all zones. Due to Labor Day, September 7, garbage pick-up will be one day late through September 12. The Landfill will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Garbage pick-up will be on schedule all week October 12 to October Oc-tober 17 and crews will not take a holiday holi-day on Columbus Day. If you have any questions concerning concer-ning the Fall Clean-Up or the schedule for garbage pick-up, please call the Public Works Department, 224-7118. Any questions regarding the Landfill, please call 224-7150. 1 PRICE TWENTY-FIVE CENTS He said it's too bad the City hasn't set aside sufficient lands in the past. "If we fail to act now there will be no land left in the City of Orem." He agreed that no community can afford to obligate itself beyond the citizens' ability to pay. However, "the cost is MOST expensive through lost opportunity oppor-tunity and the familiar refrains of 'we should have' or 'we could have' plague the citizens who come after us," said Ortiz. So if anyone knows where about 130 acres are waiting to be developed, the City has a golf course in mind they'd like to put in it. That is, if they can pay for it. Lions Pavilion to be moved By Jeanne Thayne The Orem Lions Pavilion will be removed from its present location adjacent ad-jacent to the City Center and will be constructed at a site at approximately 300 East Center Street in the City's Arboretum. Removal of the pavilion was necessitated by a need to expand the City Center parking lot next to the new court building. Council member Stella Welsh said she'd approve the change on condition con-dition a through street will go in behind the court building. Mayor S. Blaine Willes commented, "That would be the most popular thing we've done all year." Jack Jones, Public Works Director, Direc-tor, estimated that putting in the through street would cost about $5,000. The original through street directly east of the City Center was eliminated when the court building was constructed because it was put in to accomodate library and City Center patrons but instead was being used mainly as a drive through. "With all the foot traffic and young people using the library it became a hazard," said City Manager Daryl Berlin. The City will study the possibility possibili-ty of putting in a 20-foot strip behind the court building to accomodate through traffic. The motion to expand the parking lot passed with one nay. The motion to move the pavilion to 300 East Center passed with two nays. Councilman Coun-cilman Harley Gillman said the pavilion isn't needed as there are pavilions being put into planned new parks. Jones said all the existing pavilions are well used and in heavy demand. Gillman also was reminded that the pavilion to be moved belongs to the Lions. "This is where they want it along with a plaque commemorating the original site," said City Manager Daryl Berlin. LIGHTING DISTRICT In other action the council passed pass-ed requirements opening the way for Special Improvement Lighting District 15 to begin October 6, 1987, replacing District 12 and to be effective effec-tive until October 5, 1997. BID AWARDS Stephen R. Frisby was awarded a bid at $12,259 to install two handicapped han-dicapped showers at the Fitness Center. Flexible System, Inc. won the bid to provide all television inspection equipment specified by the City in an amount up to $66,456. The equipment will replace and upgrade the television televi-sion equipment used in the sewer inspectionmaintenance in-spectionmaintenance program. PLATS APPROVED. BretonWoods West Subdivision, Plat A, at 40 North Palisades Drive was approved. The developer said all 14 lots were spoken for as well as a parcel to construct an LDS Church. A Conditional Use Permit was granted to Sandstrom and Associates to construct an LDS Church at 1600 North 50 East in an R-l-8 Zone. The Site Plan also was approved. v.. |