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Show Page 2 AMERICAN FORK CITIZEN Thursday, April 17, 2008 NEWS AND NOTES TO KEEP YOU : Post office receives Star Status from OSHA BarbarChristiansen NORTH COUNTY STAFF There's a new star in the galaxy, or at least a new flag on the flagpole. The American Fork Post Office has received Star Status, the first post office of-fice in Utah and only the sixth business in the state to have the designation. It was given by OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Adminis-tration, in recognition of the department's voluntary efforts to improve safety conditions. OSHA presented a flag to commemorate com-memorate the effort; it is now flown at the post office. The honor is relatively rare. "OSHA is on the brink of recognizing the 2,000th site in the nation," said Dean Lillquist, VPP Representative for OSHA. VPP is the Voluntary Protec-ton Protec-ton Program. "You are only the sixth site in Utah. You are demonstrating to the state how successful this effort can be." Paul Strong was the VPP coordinator for the American Fork Post Office. He said the decision to improve safety conditions con-ditions and go for the honor were a group effort. "We all discussed amongst ourselves whether we wanted to try for VPP star status," he said. "It would have to be an effort on all of our parts." When the group agreed to try for the honor, they went on a search. "We started the Safety Search program," Strong said. Center Continued from Page 1 of service and do a better job of customer service." He also said it would help improve the cleanliness of the.facility. "We can get new faucets when we need them and keep the lights replaced," he said. Patrons have complained about a lack of parking , at least conveniently located, around the center. LeBaron said the city was working on that, although the additional fees would not help much in that effort. "The raise in prices obviously obvi-ously won't help the parking problems," he said. Rykert said the city had been exploring options to create cre-ate more parking at the center. NorthCounty NEWSPAPERS ' 399 E. State St. Pleasant Grove Marc Haddock 443-3268 North County Editor mhaddock heraldextra .com iTTiX'TTTTl Cathy Allred 443-3262 Lehi, Saratoga Springs, PI. Grove callredheraldextra.com Barbara Christiansen 443-3264 American Fork, Alpine, Cedar Hills bchristiansenheraldextra.com Mike Rigert 443 3265 Orem, Vineyard mrigertheraldextra.com Beky Beaton 443 3267 Sports bbeaton heraldextra .com Josh Walker 443-3260 Advertising Account Executive jwalkerheraldextra.com Volume 135 American Fork Citizen Dairy Herald Edrtion USPS 018-580 a vweMy newspaiw published at 399 E State St., Pleasant Grow, Utah 84063 Periodicals Postage Paid at Pleasant Grew, Utah 84062 and additional mailing ottices Poetnuntar: Send address changes to the American Fork Owen, PO, Bon 7, American Fork, UT 84003-0007, Published Thursdays by Loe Pufctations. which s a division of Lee Enterprises, Inc.' Mwnbar: Audit Bureau ot Circulations ',:.' f1 LL -, . - -. M 1 s mn 1 I Jared Christensen sorts mail at "It gave us something we could all participate in." In that program, the employees employ-ees look for things that could become safety problems. When they started becoming more aware, the numbers increased dramatically. "All last year we had only one suggestion of something to be fixed," Strong said. "Then we came up with the Safety Search and as of today we have about 41." One example of those items is electrical cords which are frayed, he said. "They bring things to our attention and say how they would abate them," he said. "Everybody started looking for things. It really shows a There is a lower lot at the corner cor-ner of 400 North and Center, which is often not filled as patrons pa-trons have been seeking closer spaces. "I am working with the city engineer, Nestor Gallo and he is developed six options for parking," Rykert said. "We will present them and get staff input, then take a recommendation recommen-dation to the City Council. It is something they are seriously ready to address. They want to look at options and pricing." "In the meantime, employees are parking at alternate locations," loca-tions," he said. Rykert said the staff would encourage the swim team members to use the lower parking lot. Last year the center cen-ter operated an entrance from that side of the facility for people peo-ple to pay their admission fees, Phone: 756-7669 Fax: 756-5274 DAILY HERALD PUBLISHING CO. DUE Jennette Esplin 756-7669 Office Manager Julia Fullmer 344 2570 Protect Coordinator, DesignerCopy Editor Allison Davies 344 2570 DesignerCopy Editor Ashley Franscell 344-2585 Photographer Issue 16 IP?' INFORMED AND : BARBARA CHRISTIANSENNorth County the American Fork Post Office. team effort." They have done things like move a fire extinguisher because be-cause it kept getting blocked by items put in front of it. Another change involved putting up a mirror so employees could see others coming around a corner in time to avoid a collision. Gov. Jon Huntsman sent a congratulatory letter. "As Governor, it is my pleasure to congratulate your team, not only for the daily service ser-vice you provide to your fellow citizens, but particularly for your incredible achievement in qualifying for Star Status in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP)," he wrote. "Approval and acceptance in the VPP is OSHA's official but it was only open during certain hours. "This year we would have the gate open almost all operating oper-ating hours," Rykert said. "It is a lighted lot. It would keep it safe." 1 LeBaron said the employee parking was one of the short-term solutions to the parking problems. "We are also encouraging patrons who are able to use the lower parking area," he said. ' j " For the long1 term, the city has looked at available space to the north of the center, cen-ter, perhaps relocating the Pony ball field, or building a parking garage. The group has also considered a shuttle system. LeBaron was; also optimistic the council would reach a deci- Grand building dreams lost I '---."N ulldozers are clean-I clean-I j 1 ing up the rubble that I J-J used to be a miniature Sgolf course near the Water Garden Cinema 6 in Pleasant Grove. It's been about two years since it served as a golf course. Its demise leaves only the movie theater, the-ater, which entered the north Utah County scene with a bang in 1997. When the development was first proposed, it was with some fanfare. North Utah County had been without a first -run theater for decades. It was supposed to be an actual water garden, with lots of pools, fountain and walking paths. Once the theater opened, soon to follow was a steak house, which would be the first of five major restaurants in the development. The fact that the miniature golf course was built gave some hope that the development had the momentum to drive the building of at least one of the restaurants. We even took the kids there early on to play miniature golf and walk around the grounds. The pools were there, and some walking paths, and lots of promise. Of course, the plans for Pleasant Grove's Water Gardens were never fully realized. Maybe some day a steakhouse will be built on the site, but right now the pile of rubble is just one more reason why we have become skeptics skep-tics when someone announces the next big thing for north Utah County. " To be sure, we've seen a lot of neat stuff come along in recent years. Thanksgiving Point seemed like an unrealistic unre-alistic dream when Alan Ashton and Johnnv Miller first stood on the dry dirt Fox Farm and announced they would build a world class golf course and world renowned gardens on the spot. The saving grace for that particular project was that it was the brainchild of people who had both the money and the perseverance to make a dream a reality, rather than rely on investors in-vestors to come up with the necessary cash. But even Thanksgiving Point has had disappointments. dis-appointments. I remember going to a high blown press conference where developers announced an-nounced plans to build a huge shopping center around a theme of great ports of the world. INVOLVED . , i recognition of the outstanding outstand-ing efforts of employers and employees who have achieved exemplary occupational safety and health." Congressman Chris Cannon also sent a commendation letter. let-ter. Representatives of Sena- tors Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch also congratulated the American Fork Post Office. American Fork Mayor Pro Tempore Dale Gunther also commended the workers. "You have been a team," he said. "You are looking out for each other." Postmaster Brent Little-wood Little-wood told about one interesting interest-ing change that came about because of the Safety Search program. "Two years ago when I came to American Fork, the wall was full with plaques, representing rep-resenting the excellence you had achieved in operations," he said. Those plaques have since been removed, not because Littlewood did not appreciate them, but because they could cause a safety problem. The employees are planning in replacing the plaques in a safe manner. Strong said the group is facing fac-ing another challenge. "Now we have to keep looking look-ing and trying to improve every ev-ery year," he said. COMMUNITY NOTES Contract awarded The American Fork City Council, Price Comparison AF Now AF New Lehi Orem Provo Daily $3.50 $4.00 $5.00 $3.50 $3.00 Youth (4-17) 3.00 3.50 4.00 2.50 2.50 Senior (60) 1.50 2.50 3.00 2.50 2.50 Track only 1.25 1.50 .50 1.25 Senior track .75 1.00 free 1.25 Yearly family pass 310 390 . 400 355 195 (For residents) Nonresident 410 450 440 468 270 sion about parking soon. "I think in the near future there will be some action taken," tak-en," he said. "Perhaps that will be within four to eight weeks." Marc Haddock THE EDITOR'S COLUMN of the former 1 on April 8, voted to approve $3.6 million for a distribution package for its pressurized irrigation ir-rigation system. The contract went to RAM Constructors. This is the next phase in the construction. Mayor Heber Thompson told the council that the bid had come in 16 percent below the estimate previously given by the city engineer. Engineer Andy Spencer explained ex-plained the reason, "It has been quite acompeti-tive acompeti-tive winter," he said. I In a related matter, the council coun-cil approved selling up to $38.7 million of bonds to finance the system. City budget officer Cathy Jensen said the city expected ex-pected to sell the bonds in May. City purchases property On April 8, the American Fork City Council voted to purchase 1.8 acres north of the public works office building at 275 E. 200 North. This will be used for an expansion of the public works building. The cost was $530,000. Council awards bid for fire station The City Council voted to award a bid for Construction Con-struction Monsters, Inc. of Provo to build sleeping quarters quar-ters at the American Fork fire and rescue station. The firm will finish sleeping quarters for three employees for $15,869.38. Those quarters will be used for personnel to stay at the station to provide 24 hour a day coverage cov-erage for the fire and rescue department. He said the decision would not be an easy one. "There are problems with every option," he said. "It is a balancing act." The centerpiece of the project was a man-made river where shoppers could travel by gondola from one country to another, sort of like an Epcot Center Cen-ter on the water. Funding for that fell through, and supporters were left up their artificial creek without a paddle. Similarly, plans to create a world-class world-class commercial-residential center on the bones of Geneva Steel ran out of steam about six months after a development devel-opment group announced them. Other efforts are underway, and Vineyard seems posed to explode any time now, or maybe once the current housing crisis has sorted itself out. When I first moved to American Fork in 1982 there was talk about a massive shopping center in the west part of town, with talk about a major developer develop-er and a ZCMI you remerriber ZCMI don't you? as. an anchor. It was 20 years before The Meadows became be-came a reality, anchored by Wal-Mart. It's proof that sometimes these developmental developmen-tal dreams come true, although not exactly as elegant as the original plan may have been. But just as often, it seems, the dreams die from lack of funds, or vision. So don't blame us if we wait for the heavy equipment to start preparing for a foundation before we celebrate the nine-story hotel John Hammons says he is going to build in Pleasant Grove, or the proposed Frank Gehry project Brandt Anderson claims north of Cabela's. What we are learning now is that just digging dig-ging a hole may not be enough. Many thought SunCrest was foolhardy when it was first proposed, and local communities commu-nities refused to participate, so the developers found a willing accomplice in Draper City. Now the developer has declared bankruptcy, and we are learning those same individuals may prove to be right. And the unfinished north tower of Orem's Midtown Village, brought to a standstill by a shaky economy, threatens to become a bight yellow monument to unrealistic expectations. At the Water Gardens, they are burying the evidence of optimism, and in the process, teaching us all that, in the future, skepticism may be the best policy. Musicians Continued from Page 1 touched their instruments for 20 years." Not only do they brush up on their musicianship, they have had other benefits. "It builds camaraderie among the band members," Miller said. Trombonist Bob Lee agreed. "That camaraderie is important," im-portant," he said. He and his wife Penny lived in the San Diego area until a few years ago. While there, they played in an adult band for 20 years. The band members became close and have even gone on a "playing" cruise to the Mediterranean together, on which they performed. Lee said there have been occasions when the members of Wasatch Winds end up playing together in other venues. "It is fun to just go play," he said. "It is a lot of fun to read the music. We don't have to go back and rehearse over and over again. We can play quite a few pieces quickly." Clarinetist Shazelle Terry is a charter member of the group. "It has been really fun to be able to play again and enjoy making music," she said. "The level is high, but we are not a professional group. I enjoy the diversion from work and kids. There is a social aspect and oppor- Wasatch Winds Wasatch Winds practices the first and third Thursday of the month at American Fork High School, 510 N. 600 East, American Fork. The season runs from the beginning of November to the end of June. For further information, contact John Miller at 756-8547 756-8547 or Shazelle Terry at 33-2186 or visit the Web site www.wasatchwinds. org. Connector Continued from Page 1 Saratoga Springs for 24 years. She said they haven't moved fast enough to get the traffic problem solved. "I just about lost a son on S.R. 73 at the Jordan River," said Posey. "It was very, very close to being a death. One car got rear ended and knocked over into the oncoming oncom-ing lane. It happened just as he was coming by, so it was a head-on collision at 55 miles per hour. The roads are way too narrow, the speeds are way too fast and people don't want to slow down." While UDOT officials didn't have an exact estimate of how many cars might be served by the East-West Connector, they did say it met with the Mountainland Association of Governments' transportation plans for the area. "We could make a larger roadway, but then we would have to displace more homes and properties," said Thompson. Thomp-son. Thompson said that no homes would have to be relocated re-located due to the roadway, although 30 properties would be affected. Most, he said, would have strips taken from property for the right of way. Only 3.7 acres of wet lands will be affected. Estimates place the cost of construction around $100 million. Thompson said that public pub-lic comment would still be taken on the UDOT Web site or by calling 801-753-7344. Having a product gives you a start... But it's the Customers that keep you in the gamel Think about It. Every week, www.heraldextra.com alone is visited over 1 million times! fmmi: |