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Show P.O. Box 224 Milford,UT 84751 Standard Rat U S Postage Paid Mrfford. UT. 84751 Perm No IS Utah Press Association 307 West 300 South, Suite 5005 Salt Lake City UT 84101-121: w w 0 P. O. Box 224 SEPTEMBER 11, 1997 In a very close vote last November, Beaver County taxpayers approved $6.5 million in General Obligation Bonds to build a public safety building. Letters to the public, asking for support, indicated that would be the maximum amount the county would Within 36 hours after the polls closed, spend. commissioners met with the Community Impact Board to negotiate for funds which may be above that figure. As of September 8th, the actual total estimated cost of the facility was not determined. Changes in the Department of Corrections, a more estimate realistic of count)' jail beds available for lease, and legislators who say they are ready- - to "rethink" the whole corrections business, may leave Beaver County with 180 or so vacant jail beds. As construction progresses, the bills arc accumulating. Commissioner have been asked to answer the following questions about the jail and the Sheriffs Department. Although they- declined comment in the public meeting, the commissioners have agreed to respond in a letter form. Subject matter represents comments readers. The questions: 1. What is the total cost of the Public Safety Building? 2. What is the estimated cost of the court complex? 3. Please explain the court lease. Exactly how much has the State agreed to pay? What are the terms? 4. What is the annual debt service? 5. Please provide a list of all subcontractors working on the project. 6. Please provide a list of accepted and rejected bids for: a. Electrical: b. Plumbing; c. Earthmoving; d. Concrete work; c. Other 7. Which, if any. of these subcontractors (either those with accepted or rejected bids) openly supported or openly opposed the Bond Issue? (Possibly an unfair for question that will be difficult... or impossible commissioners to answer, but certainly one of those most asked.) 8. How many employees have been hired by the county in preparation for opening of the jail? a. Position? b. Wages and benefits? c. From what account have these expenditures been paid? 9. How many deputies are employed by the Sheriff's VOL. VII NO. 37 Beautiful Day For A Family Outing A Your Public Safely Building Milford, Utah 84751 Circle Four's Expansion Into Iron County IX-put-y i"; .. - 'V-.- - Department? 10. How many vehicles does the Sheriffs Department operate? Please define by make, year, and cost. 1 1 . What is the Sheriffs Department annual budget? 12. Is the Sheriffs Department over budget for the current fiscal year? 13. Please define start-u- p and staffing cost for the jail. 14. Please define cost of land for the jail, terms of purchase, and future contingencies. 15. How many Beaver County residents are on a. Felony offense; b. Misdemeanor probation? offense (This question was included because individuals who have experienced the slightest brush with the law: Open Container - Illegal Consumption of Alcohol - various traffic offenses, etc. can be placed on after which they can be picked up and probation jailed for even the most minor incident.) 16. Please clarify the county's position with regard to legal defense liability now that the Capital and Felony Indigent Defense Funds will not take effect. (In order to vitalize the fund, 1 5 counties were required to opt in with an annual assessment of .00005 for the Capital fund and .000025 for the Felony fund. It didn't This leaves Beaver County liable for happen. prosecution and defense costs of any crime committed in the jail.) a. Is there a cap on the expense the county-coulincur from a crime committed in the jail? b. What option does the county have in generating funds to cover such legal costs? 17. Jack Ford was recently quoted as saying counties "take model inmates, those involved in programming and jobs." a. Docs that mean the county will be paying for programming andor providing jobs? b. Would such jobs be in the private sector, allowing prisoners to mingle with local residents during working hours? c. If they are such model prisoners, why are they locked up instead of being productive members of society where they could support their families and pay taxes into the system? 18. In the August 23, 1997 Salt Lake TriBune article "Jails, Jails Everywhere, But Who Pays?" Associated Press reporter Mike Carter wrote: "Leavitt's new Corrections boss, Pete Haun, also is talking about a shift in the role of (county?) jails in the prison system. He likes the idea of using jails as 'intermediate sanctions, 'for parole offenders or as halfway houses' centers. " Is there a point where you, or work-releaas commissioners, would promote lease of jail beds in this facility as a halfway house or work-releacenter? 19. Do you have a contingency plan to pay for the jail falls through? if "rent-a-co20. Please explain exactly what county residents can expect if there is a default on the jail bonds. se se n" Karla Staheli. Assistant Iron County Attorney, told that county's planning board last Thursday that hog fanning is an accepted use and does not require a Conditional Use Permit. She added that Circle Four was gracious enough to enter into a development agreement w ith Iron County. Conditions of the agreement include, but are not necessarily limited to: 1. Circle Four is subject to state w ater quality permits. 2. Baseline tests for water quality w ill be on file before the operation begins. 3. Circle Four acknowledges that Iron County emergency serv ices take up to one hour to reach (he area. 4. The company will abide by federal hiring standards, including citizenship. and random drug testing are company policy 5. Circle Four will hire their own security officer. 6. The company will cooperate with Iron County law enforcement on criminal reports. 7. The company has agreed to an assessment of traffic flow in the next three to five years to determine the degree of road damage. 8. The company concedes that the $57,000, plus or minus, annually generated in tax dollars will not be sufficient to build roads. Paul Hoi) oak, a Lund native who has recently returned to Cedar City after retiring from high level positions with Boeing Artcraft and NASA, asked why the negotiations with Circle Four were conducted in a closed door meeting. Holy oak said after the meeting that he prefers to reserve public comment on the hog farm until after he receives a response to an message sent to (iovernor l.eavitt. "He's a neighbor. His roots are here, and his official position affects us all" he said. Iron County Planning board members Frankic Lou Clint Neilsen, Craig Clark and Rich Wilson attended Bcntky. the September 4th meeting. Ed Hahne and Arlin Grimshaw were not present. Tom Cardon, Iron County Commissioner who has been serving on the board, announced that he w as stepping down because of a possible conflict of interest. The board heard presentations by Scott Hacking, Drinking Water Division of Department of Environmental Quality, and Kerry Carpenter, District Engineer for Water Rights, and brief comments from various area residents. They then agreed that a document should be generated to express their concerns, and voted unanimously to recommend that (lie county commission demand two bonds to be in place before the company is allowed to build. One bond would address cleanup of the aquifer if it becomes polluted, and the other would be for compensation to land and water owners for The item is tentaviefy devaluation of their holdings. scheduled for September 22nd at 10:15 A.M. on the Iron County Commission Agenda. One item considered by the board a document developed by Clint Lieert, Ohio NRCS, which defines the amount of swine waste per animal weight. Hog waste generated in the Iron County portion of the currently proposed Circle Four operation would be the equivalent of more than two million humans. "They don't have open cesspools for two million people," board member Craig Clark said before making the motion to demand the bonds. Beaver County Extension Agent Mark Nelson said the waste generation figures are "quite similar" to data from USU. He does not, however, have information regarding human equivalent. An August 13, 1997 letter from the company says total inventory of Circle Four animals was 254210 as of Jury 3 1st. The Beaver County Planning Board has not requested clarification as to the breakdown of hog population: sows, boars, nursery and finishing pigs. When the Sky line Pyramid is complete, the company expects a total inventory of 364,640 animals with waste going into 42 primary lagoons, 41 secondary lagoons and 3 tcrsurary Ijeft to right: Reed and Hannah Routier, Jessica. Katherine and C "hristian Jacohsen. ( 'hancey C "all. Circle Four Farms employees and their families picked up litter and trash along the M & M Road last Saturday. Not only was it a beautiful morning and fun for the entire family , the sen ice project cleared truckloads of accumulated debris the roadside area from Milford to the Keith James farm. Five good-size- d deposited by careless motorists and Milford Valley's famous wind were hauled away by the volunteers. It was so successful that the company is considering a follow up on a "power" day when workers from the farms can ioin in to ctaar the roads to the farm: x.-- ft v CxSa V T4 -- Cathy Moran, Kathy Leydsman, Mike Williamson, Patria Mortcnsen, Darlcne Kia, Roger Halladay, Connie Fails, and Denny LaBaron look on as Curtis Johnson and Commissioner Chad Johnson cut the ribbon to make the grand opening of the Department of Workforce Services official. In the past you have probably known them as Job Service. Well they not only have a new name but a whole array of new services to help job seekers as well as employers looking for qualified new employees. They are now call the Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS). Saturday was the grand Opening of the DWS Office in Beaver. A variety of special programs and services available are sponsored by the Department of Workforce Services: Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) offers classroom training, training, limited internships and summer youth employment. Partnerships between school districts and DWS provide vocational career planning, placement and follow-u- p services in the School program. Project Opportunity offers services to disabled workers, Older Worker Program has services for workers 55 and older, and FEP: Family Employment Program helps families with dependant children receiving public assistance. Veterans of U.S. military active duty receive preference in job counseling, job placement, and job assessment and preparation services. Job seekers learn bow to find and keep a job, including how to interview, complete a job application and write a resume. They may also enter their resume on the Internet, obtain job information and search for openings. Employers may search for qualified applicants through America's Job Bank, or take advantage of the many services offered by the Department of Workforce Services. They can advertise an opening, screen and interview applicants as well as administer type, spelling and 10 key tests. They refer only those applicants who meet or surpass the minimum required score for the opening. There are rooms available for employers which can be used to interview potential employees. Placing a job order with the DWS is simple. Call, fax or bring in your job description, and they will get to work immediately using their Skill Match computer system to send qualified applicants. You can visit them at 875 North Main in Beaver, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and in Milford at the Milford City Office on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Give them a call at Reorganization Stresses Team Effort Circle Four Farms announced Wednesday that a company reorganization is in progress. a philosophy of "continuous quality improvement" and flattening the management structure of the organization, they expect to utilize the creative strengths andtalents of all employees. "Instead of a 'boss' we will now have team leaders who have expertise in certain areas," Eric Bleak - explained. With . the general manager's position is Steve Pollmann. He will lead man eliminated, top Four Circle the resource team by organizing and directing the activities of the newly formed departments. Bleak said Pollmann's background is "swine all the way." No stranger to Utah, he started out with an FFA project in the ProvoOrem area when he was in high school. He has a doctorate in Animal Science from the University of Nebraska, and has taught at Kansas State University. He is described as "a key play er in the swine scene, well known across the industry, who has expertise in every stage of industry production." Pollmann w as with Consolidated Nutrition before signing on with Circle Four. He and his family live in Cedar City. When the reorganization is complete, twelve recourse team leaders will coordinate management skills: Rob Adams, former general manager, now heads up the development team. He will also be working with public relations. This is a sideways step, now a step down for Adams who recruited Pollmann to take the company to the next stage of development. Erik Jacobscn is construction team leader; Dwight Potter remains in charge of finance and information service; Bob Thieme is feed operations team leader; Kenny Seidcl is support sen ices team leader. His team handles such logistics as supplies and sanitation; Eric Bleak is, at least for the moment, wearing two hats.. ..human resources team leader and training team leader; Kerry Sherwood leads the sow lagoons. Circle Four Farms will have to obtain a from DEQ before building. groundwater discharge permit Various water change applications are also a factor. A petition to protect the aquifer, already signed by an impressive number of w ater users in the area where Circle Four intends to build, was not presented at the planning meeting. Beaver County is also in Aquifer Basin 7 1 , and may be affected by the petition. Item ( C) states: "That Iron County not allow the construction of the facility, and if any addition construction is allowed in Beaver County, that Iron County protect the aquifer by demanding Beaver County require two bonds be provided by the owner for existing facilities and before any additional facility be constructed" VOTER REGISTRA TION: September 1 7 is the last day to register by mail to be eligible to vote in the October 7 primary elections. Forms are available in the city office. Anyone who has moved since the last election needs to register again. VERN AND CAROL CONDIE will be the guest speakers following a Dutch Oven dinner at the Milford LDS cultural hall Thursday, September 12th at 6:30. TIGER SEASON PASSES are on sale at the MHS. $100 family, $50 senior couples and $50 singles. Good for all sports. operations team; Jim Brown leads the nursery operations team; Troy Netto and Travis Henderson share the leadership position for finishing operations; Jerry Tripp is herd development team leader. Herd development includes genetic scrutiny and research for replacement stock. The future boar-stu- d facility will be handled by this team. |