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Show 0 ice"1 Pleasant Grove Review New Utah! - Wednesday, August 1 8, 1 999 - Page 2 PINION O BH iiin A logical Alpine School District officials were faced with a very difficult decision recently when they had to determine where to place a new elementary school for students from southwest Lehi, Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain. Eagle Mountain residents were noticeably distressed with the board's solution which was to locate the new school on property the board recently acquired. And for good reason. rea-son. This means that for the next few years, Eagle Mountain children will be forced to ride a school bus for up to 30 or 40 minutes twice a day to attend public school. Based on current information, the three district members who voted for the new school site made a sound decision. However, that won't be much consolation to Eagle Mountain residents, resi-dents, even though one school board member indicated that Eagle Mountain Moun-tain would soon be large enough to have its own school regardless of last Tuesday's decision. After all, this is the fourth and final elementary school the Alpine District will build with the bond money voters approved a couple of years ago. Before another school of any type can be built, the district will have to approach district patrons again for another multi-million dollar school building bond, and there is no guarantee voters will pass the bond no matter how great the need. The school will be placed in one of the fastest growing areas in the state, but figures show that Eagle Mountain and the Lehi-Saratoga Springs areas are growing at the same pace. By the time the new school is built and opens to the public, it is projected to have about 680 students with 341 of them coming from the Eagle Mountain area and 329 coming from the west Lehi-Saratoga Springs area. All three communities are experiencing experi-encing rapid growth, and predicting even more growth. All three weighed in on the school location. Eagle Mountain Moun-tain offered the district the land and impact fee concessions to offset the higher building costs in the more remote location. Lehi and Saratoga Let's talk! Isn't it about time you all found out what we are doing in "Our Town?". . . We were very happy this last couple cou-ple of weeks, and proud of our swimming swim-ming pool staff. They, for the second year in a row, received the highest marks possible from the "swimming pool police" (Health Dept.). Our pool has the cleanest water in Utah County, and we showed zero percentages per-centages of the different bacteria that frequents all the other pools around the county. We believe that they do a wonderful wonder-ful job at keeping us and our chil- s dren safe, "Thank You" swimming pool staff!. . . And now that we are talking about keeping our children safe. . . . May I point out a serious problem that we all need to be aware of , as well as work on. . . . We at "City Hall" take the safety of our children chil-dren in town very seriously. We receive many complaints from are constituents, and most of them are concerns about children and safety. Ditches are always a concern, and we try to address each of these concerns con-cerns as you express them. But this time, I have a very serious concern. . We, as responsible drivers in Pleasant Grove, drive to fast. We speed through neighborhoods, past schools, through construction zones, and in general, we just drive too fast. I find myself in the same boat. If I am not careful, I find that my speed creeps up and I exceed the speed limit. We receive complaints from your neighbors, friends, ward members, ?3ka0ant (Stout fficuteiu NewUtah! (ISSN No. 1521-6861) (U.S.P.S. No. 435-780) A member of prr NATIONAL NEWSPAPER -3SOCIATION 7 v choice Springs city councils both asked that the district select the Lehi site. All of the factors combined to make Tuesday's night vote what Board President Marilyn Kofford typified as the hardest decision she had ever faced. In the end, Kofford chose to abstain. Three board members were forced to make a decision that will meet with the approval of the conservative patrons of the school district built in a site with an existing population base for future school use that meets the needs of all three communities. But it won't sit well with the residents resi-dents of Eagle Mountain, which considers con-siders itself one of the most progressive progres-sive communities in the state. Part of the problem here has been created by the developers and promoters promot-ers of this community which has literally liter-ally sprung up from the dirt of Utah's Cedar Valley over the past two years. Eagle Mountain has been pre-planned as a city to within an inch of its life, and part of the plans included an elementary ele-mentary school by the year 2000. Many people who bought homes in this community, and thus bought into the Eagle Mountain dream, were promised a school, and they want it now. But the developers failed to take into account the fact that established government agencies like the Alpine School District will always build in the most secure location one located locat-ed near a large existing population base and one with readily accessible services. Last week's vote is the result. Eagle Mountain will get an elementary elemen-tary school but on a timetable fixed by the Alpine School District and balanced bal-anced with the growing needs of all the students in the fourth largest school district in Utah not just with those who make the most noise. In this case, the promoters made promises they didn't have the power to keep and the residents of Eagle Mountain will be forced to pay the consequences until the numbers justify justi-fy construction of the school Eagle Mountain residents so fervently desire. and total strangers about how fast you drive your cars on our city streets. I wish I could say that it only involves a few of us, but it doesn't, does-n't, it involves all of us, and the complaints com-plaints come from all over town. Please slow down! y We have had 32 autopedestrian accidents this year. Twenty of these accidents involved children under 14 years old. Several of them have been very serious, and all of them are of $ hf great concern to v K us. School starts iical wccft, auu our children will be traveling to and from school, and they will be out of the yard and crossing our streets. . . Please slow down, please drive with more care and watch out for the safety of our children. Please talk to your teenage drivers, express your concerns to them. I don't know of anyone in "Our Town" that doesn't love and care about their families. Please help us keep everyone safe. Our police officers offi-cers will be trying very hard to help also, and I have asked that they ticket everyone they find speeding on our streets, not warnings, but "pay the fine, see the judge" tickets. Please help us by slowing down, giving giv-ing yourself more time to get there, and being very careful while you are behind the wheel. . . . Please, please slow down! Thank You Published weekly by Fie ewtalijews Group RJLSaNT CBOVt UIHI no limiwi shoppoi 59 West Main American Fork, Utah 84003 Telephone Numbers Advertising & Circulation 756-7669 News 756-5273 Publisher Brett Bezzant Managing Editor Marc Haddock City Editor Cindy Burton Subscription price $2AX per year Periodicals Postage Paid at American Fork, Utah POSTMASTER: send address change to 59 West Main, American Fork. Utah 84003 Gardner's behavior is cause for concern County Commissioner David Gardner Gard-ner is in the news again, much to his chagrin. It was an unfortunate set of circumstances circum-stances that brought him in front of Pleasant Grove's Justice of the Peace Brent Bullock last week. Charged with driving a motorized vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, Gardner Gard-ner has yet to been convicted. What grabs my attention is not the current DUI charges brought against Commissioner Gardner, but reports of his brandishing weapons in public places. In two separate instances he is supposed to have 'jokingly' threatened reporters with a knife. He has also been seen waving a handgun in at least two meetings. He claims that he carries weapons for his own safety. But was he really protecting himself when he flaunted a gun at a public event in Park City? Taking advantage of being a spot on the mai My hometown had few things going for it. Located in an isolated corner of Idaho, Montpelier was a town of 3,000 that happened to be the biggest town in the county. Nearby competitors for the size contest were Preston in neighboring Franklin County and Soda Springs in neighboring Caribou County. That town was contained more or less in a single square mile, and it has remained pretty much that size over the years, although fewer people live there now, by a few hundred or so. Dry farming made up most of the agricultural activity meaning the farmers were dependent on the weather to provide the proper amount of moisture for their crops. The railroad maintained an office in Montpelier, and provided employment employ-ment for many residents. When the railroad shut down its local office, it was a major economic blow to the community. Nearby Bear Lake held the promise of tourism, but when I was a kid there were few cabins along the lakeshore and no one thought lakefront proper-,, ty was ;a good investment. Boy, were they wrong. Besides, the lake was 20 miles away too far for the city to capitalize on this unique natural resource. Finally, Montpelier had the crossroads cross-roads sitting on the junction of two major highways, US 89 and US 30. These weren't ordinary roads. They were roads going someplace, namely Yellowstone National Park. If anyone was traveling to the most popular national park in the United States from the southwestern part of the country, it was likely they would pass through Montpelier. That about sums up the place. Most people who went to Montpelier were only passing through on their way to someplace more interesting. The town did have some interesting interest-ing history, though. Butch Cassidy and the Hole-in-the-Wall gang are reputed to have robbed the bank there Living in rural area has consequences Editor: The Pleasant Grove Lions Club Heritage Day Breakfast was an amazing success. Lions Club President Pres-ident Jim Fisher would like to thank the Heritage Day committee for making the changes we suggested, sug-gested, exceptional good weather was also a contributing factor. This year the Lions were fortunate fortu-nate to receive a gift certificate from the new Smiths Grocery Store to help toward making the event more rewarding. We would like to thank Manager Bill Roth for his fine assistance. Also Sherry Walton from the main office in Layton. All the proceeds from this breakfast break-fast will be put back into the community com-munity to make our town a better place to live. We want to thank all the grandparents grand-parents who brought their grandchildren grand-children for breakfast and all the rest of the town for great support. Deadlines Classified Advertising . . .Tuesday, noon Display Advertising Monday, 5 p.m. News Monday, 2 p.m. Missionaries Monday, 2 p.m. Weddings Monday, 2 p.m. Letters to the Editor . . .Monday, 10 a.m. Sports Monday, 10 a.m. Community Calendar . .Monday, 10 a.m. Obituaries Tuesday, 1 1 a.m. These repeated 'mock' threats and exhibitions of big boy firepower say more about Gardner being the aggressor aggres-sor than the victim. If a high school student exhibited similar behavior, repeatedly flashing weapons at school and 'jokingly' threatening fellow students with a knife, it would shake us to our shoes. We would do everything in our power to protect the other students all the while taking steps to get that one weapon brandishing student help. There has been too much news lately about such warning situations ignored, only later to turn into a pow- once but they were just passing through, too. According to a small concrete monument mon-ument located a half block from my home, Montpelier was also a stopping place on the Oregon Trail, also for folks who were passing through. Nobody thought to stay until Brigham Young sent some Mormon settlers into the county. He named Montpelier after his birthplace in Vermont. We didn't hear much about the Oregon Trail stuff. No one mentioned it in our 7th grade history of Idaho classes. Nor did they point out that when folks reached Clover Creek which is how the area was named before Brother Brigham put his own personal stamp on the area they were about halfway on their journey from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. I passed by the marker often, but didn't think much about it. My interest was piqued, however, a few weeks ago when I read in one of the Salt Lake newspapers about the opening of The OregonCalifornia National Trail Center in Montpelier. I had to read the story twice before I could give much credence to the idea that someone had selected a place as remote as Montpelier, Idaho, to place a tourist attraction especially one designed to give travelers a glimpse into the lives of the pioneers who traveled trav-eled the Oregon Trail 150 years ago, and took six months to complete the journey, instead of a couple of days. According to the story, a group interested in opening the center raised more than $2 million in donations dona-tions to build it. They added space for Reader's Forum We had a great time serving you. The Pleasant Grove Lions PI. Grove Lions say, 'Thank You' Editor: We live in a society where instant gratification is often demanded, and many seem unable to accept the consequences of their decisions. The top issues lately seem to be that they want the "perfect" "per-fect" surroundings NOW (and THEIR way!) I live in what some would call a "rural" area. I was not forced to live here and was happy with the fact that I am farther from the benefits of the city. (If I wasn't willing will-ing to be far away I would not have moved here.) Perhaps there are lots of folks being forced against their will to live where they are? I happen to live close to a bomb testing site for the army on one side and a blasting plant on the other. I notice the noise at times, We welcome letters to the editor. All letters must include the author's name (printed AND signed) and a telephone number. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, punctuation, taste and length. Letters are welcome on any topic. HOW TO REACH US By Mail P.O. Box 7, American Fork, UT 84003 In Person 59 W. Main, American Fork fee on r 8 a der keg of young lives lost. But Commissioner Gardn grown man and an elected nffin'he er ca boot. For some reason, he has cised poor judgment repeatedly. f & 1 powder keg? I don't know, buccal actions have failed to demons' l Zr& that he either trustworthy or stal eX Unfortunately I'm at a loss j 58 free fc what actions we can take to assurt safety of the public who find tlb selves in close proximity to the Perhaps the counseling he now s It will assist him in finding more scJt OllC ly acceptable ways of expressing f . For the rest of us, there is a le$0 in his bizarre behavior and this : nHi the possession of a weapon doesjQ'' assure the brandisher an imag strength and invincibility. More c-Js ' than not, this kind of exhibition seMP1 only to magnify character flaws -j are si det 'affects imenc the local forest service office and'iedblood the rent to help pay the bills. Jie legs They put the center at the en'sete. c the two block section of road wl-ssand Highways 89 and 30 intersect, sof could attract road-weary travejj front 1 who are looking for a place to tal-inLegs break, and then they added an "inking active" experience to give visitoi-'jept 10-peek 10-peek into the lives of those early Soc neers. The idea of placing such an auy Radiol tion in Montpelier so intrigued joaal that I started looking for a reason Rad go home again just to take a li treat That was easy, since Sharon an ditioi were planning a trip to Idaho Faille pi her class reunion. A stop at MonC altem lier would give me a chance to my brother and see the Oregon Tona Center, with only a "minor" det 0fi from our original route. Like so m.j-om people in the past, we were pass'-. y through. :feinad Sure enough, the center is thert prir. taking up a corner of what used tc.t out a a city park sitting right where merry-go-round used to be. It iC huge and beautiful building, anc was attracting road weary travel , when we pulled in on a Friday aff. noon. Dress1 . My brother said he hasn't been latent These kinds of attractions alw seem to leave the locals cold. But. said the folks promoting the cenl j0 said the people are looking for thii," like this and will drive miles " give it a look. Maybe they'll even dr the 20 miles from Bear Lake dur. sesu the summer. namon At least the center was provid a ase work for local residents, and drawf-, . , -fvn e c vr. T,.,JM31 s iuir.b iiuni cis lai away as iicw -q on the afternoon we were there. BiT. ness has been steady but not dram. . ic, according to one employee, witJ'" ; trickle of people coming in, spending . few hours, and then passing throu ' p-It's p-It's an old pattern for Mor.tpeli:' ; But maybe with the Oregon Ti' Center, someone has found a way-;, take advantage of the town's isolal;Tf location. r ' , cond ad. ii but it is outweighed by the benePf of living here. I'm not going to - complaining and demanding th, leave, besides they were here fir-j I think it interesting that ffiJV buildings, a golf course and honi were built next to a renderii. works. I grew up having to travjDf near one once in awhile and sure that that land next to it wic, cheap to buy. It makes sense to t that If I want to build in such; 5 place, I'd better look forward being nauseated continually- :;;rsp Similarly, if I choose to build up home on a flood plain, should I Nc surprised if one day my basemen- is a swimming pool: I'm starting- to wonder if th v poi mentality is unique to Utahns. ;jii,at don't recall seeing much of it other states I've lived in. I a0. people here won't continue to be surprised about the outcome their actions. It's really not hard to look ahead a little betoi; you take the leap! ,-U' Leila Baring ,ev( "'ill! By Fax 756-5274 By E-Mail editor newutah.com 5D( |
