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Show u pr ess ssociatioa 467 East Thl ftAili Salt Laukft Residents Want Stop Signs piease turn to page : Svrritii: nwricun Fork, Mp 'uw and Highland Vol. 4 No. 28 Thursday, July 29, 1982 20 Cents Single Copy (Canaan ClaniM Body Found at Point of Mountain A Ufe The body of a 27-year old resident of the Utah State Training School was recovered Monday from the murky waters of the Provo River Water Users Canal (commonly called the Murdock Canal). The search for Jack Cook ended shortly after 2 p.m. when three employees of the Bureau of Reclamation saw the body of a man as they walked by the grate over the siphon at the Point of the Mountain. The drowning is the third in North Utah County in the past month and the second in 10 days. Initial identification was made Utah County Sheriff Mack Holley said it is unknown how long the man had been in the water. The Murdock Canal runs through the north edge of the training school campus behind Men's Homeliving where the victim resided; however, spokesperson for the school said the canal is fenced all along its course through the school grounds. The body was taken to the state medical examiner's office, as required by law, and it is hoped the autopsy will determine how long the victim has been in the water. by the Utah County Sheriffs Office from laundry marks on the victim's clothing. This was later confirmed by staff members from the training school. The man, described by training school officials as being moderately retarded, had been missing since July 18 when he walked away from the training school campus about 3 p.m. It was believed he may have been trying to reach home of his parents in the Vernal area. An all-points bulletin was put out by law enforcement officials at the time. Majestic Mount Timpanogos : A Friend or a Deadly Enemy? f . ' TV ,' , . ... V... V Beck: 'Cover Canal' JACK COOK "I think the time has come that the Murdock Canal needs to be covered," American Fork Mayor Malcolm H. Beck stated Tuesday after learning the canal had claimed another life. The canal, over the years of its existence, has taken the lives of many unsuspecting children and adults - individuals who either accidentally slipped into the hurrying waters or who went swimming in it, believing themselves them-selves stronger than the canal currents. The canal is owned by the Federal Bureau of Reclamation and operated by Provo River Water Users' Association. The most recent victim is 27-year-old Jack Cook, a resident of the Utah State Training School, whose body was recovered from the canal near Point of the Mountain Monday. "Canal officials over the years have had the attitude of saying 'let the people teach their own kids to stay away from the water, it's not our concern,'" Mayor Beck said. "I disagree. There is no reason to run open canals through here (the populated communities) now, but there has never been an attempt to cover it or to fence it in all its existence." "I feel the time has come when those concerned have to look at the facts of life, and have to look at covering it," Mayor Beck said. He emphasized those wanting the canal covered are "not attempting to take the water rights from any users" as has been argued. Water users could still put in head gates as there are now, and the water could still be taken out, the mayor said. In fact, there would be more water available than there is now if it was put in a concrete, covered ditch, because there wouldn't be the water going into the ground that there is now, he added. Mount Timpanogos - majestic to look at, a challenge to conquer for many, and a deadly enemy to the unwary or unrespectful. This is evidenced by the fact nine have given their lives to the mountain and its nearby ranges on the Uinta National Forest so far . thia ye, nd, ovl othejaJY ... been seriously injured. Four died in a Memorial Day crash of a small plane near the Squaw Peak Trail in Provo Canyon; one died of hypothermia; two died in hiking accidents on the Timpanogos trail; one of other causes; and the latest, a nine-year-old boy who drowned in American Fork Canyon. "The mountain looks easy - but it can be deadly," said Kent Traveler, assistant ranger for Uinta National Forest. "People get off the trail, hike on ledges with loose shale, and don't wear proper hiking shoes and other apparel." "I'd send my 9-year-old boy up there if he stayed on the trail. The trail is safe. It's off the trails where the dangers are," the ranger said. "You can hike safely if you will just take certain safety precautions and use common sense," he said. The Mt. Timpanogos Trail is one of the most popular recreation attractions on Uinta, Mr. Traveler said. Over 200 people a day traverse its trails during the summer months by actual count of electronic monitors planted on both the Timpooneke and the Aspen. Grove trail heads. There are still great accumulations accum-ulations of snow on the mountain because of the amount that fell during the winter months and because of the cool spring. "The temperature may be 100 degrees in the valley, but that isn't always so on the mountain," he said. As a result, it may not be safe to leave the trail and hike the snow fields. You can go through the top crust of snow and fall into holes caused by water undercutting the snow pack and going into the natural ravines. Many of these are deep. Hikers planning to make the climb to the top of the mountain, or anywhere on the mountain for that matter, are urged to use winter mountaineering techniques. "Travel with a companion, and let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return. Beware of unstable conditions such -as snow bridges, waterflows and falls, rocks bounder fields, shale ' ledges, and crevasses, all of which may not be visible on the surface, forest personnel say. These hazards are especially present in the activity known as -glissading, or sliding down a snowfield. . "Use your best judgment and never take chances," officials said. Stay on the maintained portion of the trail while hiking. Short-cutting trails increases your chances of having an accident while hiking. Initially when someone takes a shortcut off the maintained trail, the vegetation underfoot, is trampled and eventually destroyed. The topsoil is exposed and compacts from continuous use and the eventual result is gullies which take the trails and parts of the mountainside with them in the event of a heavy rain, with subsequent loss of property and life. a Timpanogos : Friend or Foe? College Gets Tentative Council Approval Mayor Appoints Mall Committee By SHARON MORREY A future community college in American Fork got city council blessing Tuesday evening as Dr. Neil Hopkins came to ask for council support and written endorsement of the basic concept of having a college here, Council members, on the recommendation recom-mendation of Mayor Malcolm Beck, voted unanimously to approve the college concept and assist Hopkins in any way he needed to put the college into exisU nee. Councilman Steve Sowby made the motion following a briefing by Hopkins for council and citizen benefit. Hopkins noted that he is seeking incorporation this week and needs verbal and written council support so he could seek funds for the college. Hopkins anticipates the college will be operating as early as next fall -1983. "It will be difficult but I think we can meet the challenge," he said. He informed council members and Continued on page 2 School May Become Permanent Historical Site By SHARON MORREY The old American Fork High School - now more commonly known as the "old junior high" may get a new lease on life if the city planning commission and city council have their way. Councilman Ted Barratt recommended recom-mended to the city council July 13, that they accept the proposal from the planning commissioners that the property be officially put onto the Historical Register and retained as "perpetual open space" for American Fork. In council meeting July 28, Barratt announced that negotiations are now underway between the Pageant of the Arts committee and Alpine School District for the Pageant to purchase the building and property. Barratt quoted 118,000 as the price offered per acre. "Hopefully they will accept, as the Pageant is continuation of the educational process we originally designated for that area," said Councilman Barratt. "They seemed very receptive." Alpine School District currently holds title to the property - title given by the city 67 years ago on condition that it always be used for educational and civic purposes. The property has been public space buildine for student use. and fur thermore cannot safely continue to for 80 years, originally city owned. planning commission. "We need to Manv itiliMiu aunnrvuiniiul Ihol maltP VPfV pffnrt tf CPS that this use it for classroom instruction, it tne district now no longer wants tne precious community space is not may be sold and end up in residential "We have too little open space lost " lots or as a commercial development. now," commented Jess Green of the . .t.V . li nwfir 1 n I I HMCMNiar r -umr. t wii tsx i ; . 1 III iTIjiihiiilT lt I'? IB EC. -11 Uk- By SHARON MORREY In business conducted Tuesday evening, Mayor Malcolm Beck appointed ap-pointed a committee headed by Councilman Ted Barratt to "sit down and bring back a recommendation" for a company to conduct a feasibility study on the downtown mall project. Beck further said the committee's job would be to decide whether an outside consultant is necessary or if the city can handle planning decisions "in-house." He asked Councilman Arden Edwards, Ed-wards, and Kent Evans to serve on that force, along wth Downtown Development Chairman Dick Bate -representing downtown businessmen. Councilman Barratt will serve as chairman. Beck's assignment comes after a storm of controversy broke loose following an offer from former American Fork planning commissioner com-missioner Sandra Western to assist in the project development. Mrs. Western recommends the city use a company called Questor Associates for a feasibility study and market analysis. Opinions varied widely on whether or not to accept Mrs. Western's offer, since she took the initiative to approach ap-proach the city first and no one else has. The city could accept the proposal, present the job offer to the general consulting community for bids or use existing expertise within city government to put the mall together with no consultant at all. Beck asked the new committee to meet as soon as possible and return in two weeks with a definite recommendation recom-mendation for the city council to vote upon. Beck noted that with interest rates coming down the development agency needs to move quickly. The council unanimously accepted the mayor's committee appointments. ap-pointments. Councilman Janice Mayne noted that the committee has a "heavy assignment" to accomplish in just two weeks' time. Hearing Slated on Hospital Old American Fork Jr. High: Planning Commission Recommends Historical Status Bonneville Health Systems (BHS), represented by Lewis Garrett, is attempting to obtain a state certificate cer-tificate of need for a 60-bed, $300,000 nursing home to be located in the old American Fork Hospital. The State Department of Health wants to know how citizens of American Fork feel about a nursing home in the town and have con- sequently scheduled a public meeting August 3 at 3 p.m. in the Senior Citizens' Center, 54 East Main, American Fork. Appearing before city council Tuesday, July 28, Garrett said the certificate is taking longer to obtain than his company had hoped but they are still optomistic that the state will grant them the document. Continued on pag i |
