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Show Comments Free Press - Wednesday, June 18, 1997 - Page 2 Lehi: The world is at our fingertips Editorial Lehi's Roundup captures city spirit Next week gives Lehi residents a chance to welcome everyone to the Lehi Roundup. Few city celebrations in Utah capture the spirit of a community as effectively as Lehi, with this annual tribute to the community's wild west past. It is a week of wonderful activities, beginning with the Monday night family picnic in the park to Wednesday's reading of cowboy poetry to Saturday's thrilling last bucking bronc ride. And don't forget Utah's best parade. In addition to the Mammoth Parade floats and marching bands, Lehi's Miniature Parade, featuring creative float designs topped with s in the state, the cutest always delights the eye. Saturday's activity day offers something for everyone, and the historical activities offered this year are especially intriguing as Utah celebrates the sesquicentennial of the pioneers' entrv into Salt Lake float-rider- Valley. City celebrations like the Lehi Roundup give communities a chance to step back, look at themselves and like what they see. It gives neighbors an opportunity to gather in a common purpose. It creates memories and family traditions that will last a lifetime. Those little ones who march in this year's Miniature Parade will be able to bring their own little ones back to do the same in 20 years. The Roundup also gives Lehi residents a chance to welcome their neighbors, and to show off the community and its recent growth. Hundreds will visit the community next week to participate in the various events. It also gives Lehi's many new residents an opportunity to get a real taste of their recently-adopte- d hometown. It is a week to roll out the red carpet and make everyone feel at home. Don't miss the annual stock parade, where Lehi proves it's more town. than a e an Spend evening at the rodeo cheering on the cowboys as they try d to squeeze a lifetime into an ride on the back of a bull. Enjoy the events of the Lehi Roundup and soak up the atmosphere of good, clean hometown fun. Don't pass up the opportunity to celebrate with your neighbors next week at the Lehi Roundup. one-hors- eight-secon- The Dennis Rodman passage In our Sunday School class we read what will be known (for a very, very short period of time) as the "Dennis Rodman passage." His disparaging and profane remarks about the Mormons apparently created a flood of inquiries and apologetic phone calls to Chicago's LDS mission office. When we 1 couldn't read D&C 71:7-1help but think of our friend from Planet Disgusting. "Wherefore, confound your enemies; call upon them to meet you both in public and in private; and inasmuch as ye are faithful their shame shall be made manifest." Keep up the good work, Dennis. During Friday's Jazz game, my wife and I went to Desert Star Playhouse in Murray. It was the closing weekend of "Holmes and Watson Clueless Again." The cast knew their lines so well that they were able to tlirow in updates on the score. It gave the audience something extra to cheer about. However, the villain used it to his advantage, too. When he asked his hypnotically trained assassin to guess the greatest challenge in the world, she said, "Getting men to put the toilet seat down." "No, no, no," he responded. traffic?" she ven"Getting through tured. He shook his head, "Wrong again." "The Jazz beating the Chicago Bulls?" "I said a challenge, not an impossibility!" Following the boos and jeers from the crowd, he gave them a wicked smile and said, "It feels so good to be bad." Tins weekend they open with "Hillbillies 90210." We plan to return for another helpmelodramatic fun. ing of good President Cox of the Chicago Mission said his missionaries had traded out a lot of rich and famous people, but he didn't think they had talked to Mr. Rodman. My missionary son, who is serving on the other side of the lake in Michigan says he thinks it is his lot to teach the rich. I told him he could use 1 Corinthians 1:26,27 and D&C 1:23 as a door approach, "Hello, we are the weak, simple and foolish and we're here to confound the wise and mighty... have you heard of the Dennis Rodman passage?" Well, it might work for a day or two. Even in defeat, the NBA finals was a lot Looking over the Obvious By BRETT BEZZANT of fun. I think it's something we could do more often. Speaking of scriptural passages, here is some sage advice for next year's Jazz. "And now my Sloan, I have somewhat to say concerning the tiling which our fans call a ballgame." (Alma 37:38) That you may shoot in secret at the perfect (season): suddenly do you shoot at it, and fear not." (Psalms 63:64) "Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the title when ye did fight? Knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?" (2 Samuel 11:20) I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out "See, (mistakes), and to pull down (rebounds) and to destroy (dynasties), and to throw down (foul shots'), to build and to plant." "Hear, O Jazz: Thou art to pass over Jordan..." (Deut. 9:1) "I pray thee let us go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain..." (Deut. 3:25) "Malone commanded that his army to pull should go against those king-medown their pride and their nobility and level them with the earth..." (Alma 51:17) "Now Malone was compelled to cause his opponents to labor (and not just because of the altitude), because it was easy to guard them while at their labor." (Alma 53:5) And the fans shall continue to "lift up their voice as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud, and cry repentance unto a crooked and perverse Rodman, preparing the way... For verily the sound must go forth from this place into all the world..." (D&C 34:6 and 58:64) O.K., so the quotes aren't word for word. The names have been changed, but they will come to pass. As some of you may be aware, the face of our little town has changed. I remember looking through almanacs of many years past and noting that the population of Lehi barely warranted being listed among the populated cities of the state, since 5,000 people was the minimum standard for inclusion. Some years later, the census indicated that we had risen to about 7,500, but Lehi was still quite small in my eyes. I don't recall the advent of the freeway, and what I gather was quite a separation in the town between the one side of the interstate and the other, but I vividly remember the first major division of the church units as the Lehi North Stake was created. Members of certain specified wards were asked to stand up and were told they would become part of the new alignment. It was a little odd to think that you would actually start seeing less of some of the people with whom you had associated at church. Since then, two more divisions have been made in the stakes, not to mention the 20 or so ward divisions, and now the distance between the South Stake and the North Stake seems impenetrable. Some residents have even been heard to joke, albeit truthfully, that they know more people in the cemetery than they do in church. The same can be said of our elementary schools. Although I can't imagine having less than two schools, I always felt that most students seemed to attend Lehi Elementary with me. I knew that some kids went to Sego Lily, but I thought they were a small group. With three elementary schools in town, and a fourth one to open this fall, kids entering junior high school may be quite surprised to meet the students that will become part of their future graduating class. long-tim- e Guest Opinion rear-facin- g rear-facin- e By GAYLE VEHAR and NAOMI SILVEIRA Utah County Health Department issues today. It is our opinion that many parents value convenience over safety. We have heard too many parents use the excuse, "If my infant rides in the back seat I cannot keep my eye on them to make sure they aren't choking or experiencing other health problems!" The truth is that risk of a serious injury in a crash is much greater than risk of a healthy problem baby having a during a car ride. A healthy baby correctly buckled in a child seat should be as safe as a child placed in a crib for a nap or an over night sleep. Parents do not stay in the room to watch a sleeping baby. Instead of choosing to place the child int he front seat, parents should allow plenty of time while traveling with children to pull off the road if they are concerned rear-facin- g By RUSS DALY If you are like me, you probably thought the mean temperature of the Inferno would drop well below 32 degrees Fahrenheit before certain things happened in Lehi. Having a McDonald's or a motel are just two of the things that seemed quite unlikely to me. Now we have a plethora of fast food establishments, more motels being developed, a computer chip company that may really fly, and even the potential for having a giant aquarium. Personally, I like to see this business growth. Being a member of the Lehi Chamber of Commerce, I am very pleased to see our local businesses grow and thrive, serving the needs of the community and bringing tax dollars into Lehi. And it is even more gratifying to me when these businesses are owned and operated by members of the community itself. So I was a little alarmed when I attended a city meeting the other night and heard an underlying tone of growth. Not that anyone said outright they did not want to see these businesses start, but I just had an uncomfortable feeling that there was opposition. I guess the reason I felt that way was because some of the residential development requests that have been made in recent months have been met with over City government: Now you A few years ago the city council of a community in northern Utah got around the state's open meeting laws by going on soda pop runs in the middle of council meetings. The council members would recess the meeting, climb into a car together and drive to the nearest convenience store for some liquid refreshment. When a reporter asked to ride along to monitor the conversation, he was told there was no room. What was the hurt, they argued? They were just enjoying a social encounter in the middle of a council meeting and would be back in a jiffy to get on with the public's business. See ya, bye. Then en route to pick up the drink of the hour, council members could discuss delicate matters in private without arousing the suspicion of the city's residents. And that nosy reporter wouldn't be able to get any of the sensitive information out to the public. It soon became obvious to the reporter that more than social interaction was taking place in the automobile and a complaint was filed. Council members were told to stop their soda pop runs or face court action. What can we learn from this? First, that the public's business should be conducted in public. Second, that city council members from many cities will go out of their way to try to find loopholes in the open meeting laws that allow them to get their city business done without arousing the interest or ire of city residents. Here's how it all applies to north Utah County. Recently four members of the American Fork City Council were inclined to meet see it, now you don't The Editor's Column By MARC HADDOCK with a commercial developer to discuss a land purchase deal that could mean moving City Hall out of American Fork's downtown. Whether City Hall should be moved is a separate matter. The concern here is procedure rather than policy. This "Gang of Four" has been bonding for months as they have found themselves united in opposition to the mayor and the remaining council member over a variety of issues. They didn't want the meeting with the developer to be a public meeting, since the issues they were to discuss were sensitive and controversial. This is how they circumvented the rules. Open meeting laws forbid the gathering of three or more council members to discuss city business without public notice. So the four arranged to hold a retreat in Salt Lake County (without the mayor or other council member) and when it came time to meet with the developers, they went in The first two entered the meeting and got the information, then the second two came in and got the same information. Watch closely now. There's nothing up our sleeves and we haven't broken any laws. Everyone is clean, and the information is still imparted in a confidential fashion. It's great, if you like smoke and mirrors. Mind you, these are the same guys who recently cancelled a scheduled city council meeting in questionable fashion and then took offense when the newspaper complained that their actions violated the spirit if not the letter of the law. Well, they'll probably take offense again. But that's okay, since I find their actions offensive. Local businessmen learned about the city's plan to purchase land near Kmart by rumor and word of mouth. This is not how the public should learn about important city business. And I have a hard time believing this is the way city residents want their elected officials to carry out their duties. The council members in question have put a happy face on their actions by claiming that all will be made well in the future. The city can debate the proposal to move City Hall at length before any move is made, and funds to purchase the property near Kmart will be part of a bond election in the fall, so people can express themselves at the polls as well. That's good, as long as funding for the property isn't included in the library bond, embroiling that issue in new controversy. The issue should be considered on its own merit rather than riding on the coattails of the popular library issue. But still, why all the cloak and dagger nonsense? Our city council members should demonstrate a little more confidence in the people they represent. Letters to the editor On bucking City Hall Editor: There is a saying, "you can't buck city hall." I do know it extremely hard to accomplish anything that they are opposed to. Two years ago my husband put together an initiative petition to slow the growth in Lehi and have it placed on the ballot in the fall. We felt the city needed to slow the pace Airbag injuries, deaths can be avoided Recently we heard reports that a small car seat child restrained in a was killed by a passenger-sid- e air bag in a vehicle accident. Tragic stories like these sadden us because we know they could have been prevented. We frequently have the opportunity to educate people on important traffic safety issues such as seat belts, child restraints and air bags. Everyday we see information which reports that children under 12 should always be buckled in the back. We often see reports that warn parg child seats ents, "Infants in must never ride in the front side of a car air bag." We conwith a passenger-sidstantly warn parents that these rules must be followed or they are risking the life of their child. But everyday, parents armed with this information disregard it and place their child's life in serious jeopardy. We will probably never understand why parents overlook these important warnings. We are sure that parents love their children. Most parents would risk their own life to save their child's life. A year ago, we might have thought that parents weren't informed on this issue. However, with repeated warnings in the car, in the media, on the child restraint itself, and in the community, parents should be better informed about these The Daly Planet whelming approval. We must have both types of development in order for businesses to succeed. Without a certain population base, businesses would have no customers, but without businesses to patronize, the tax dollars will go to another community. A resident business owner will provide even more of a benefit because he or she will not only contribute to the tax money coming in, but will also be more likely to spend his or her own discretionary money in town and recycle the money even more. Our economic system, like heaven, help those who help themselves, so let's help ourselves to the greatest degree possible. One way we can help ourselves is with the city's new home page on the Internet (at www.lehLity.com). The whole world can now have a glimpse of what Lehi has to offer. Web surfers can read greetings from Mayor Gibbs and the Lehi City Council whi'e looking at their pictures; they can search through the business listings or they can find out what is being offered by the Lehi Arts Council or City Recreation. As more businesses become established and more programs are able to be offered through the support of the community, more opportunities will be available to bring people in from other places to participate within Lehi. I've witnesses some of those opportunities first hand as I've observed several dog shows that have been held in our area. The organizers of one show told me that a show such as theirs has the potential of bringing as much as a quarter of a million dollars to our community. From what she said, several local businesses really benefitted from that one show. We're on the edge now, and I believe we're really ready to fly. Forget the almanac, let's show the world what we have to offer. about the baby or need to tend to the child's needs. Children depend on their parents to keep them safe from birth, throughout childhood, and even into adolescence. Since motor vehicle accidents are by far the leading killer of children under age five, parents should be informed on issues related to child passenger safety. The Utah County Health Department, in particular, offers comprehensive car seat classes at no charge to parents and are willing to check car seats to be sure they are installed correctly. Child seat manuals and automobile owner's manuals should also have information informing parents about child restraints and placement in the car. Another resource for parents with questions about air bags and child restraints is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Auto Safety Hotline at These accidents shouldn't happen and our hearts go out to families of children injured in automobile accidents. Our children are precious and need our help to remain protected from these types of injuries. If you have a child or grandchild, please take the time to inform yourself about child passenger safety issues to keep this tragedy from happening in your toll-fre- e family. at which we are growing in order to plan ahead for our sewer, schools, roads, etc. Our main concern is the availability of water. We started too late to get it on the ballot that year so we are trying again. After gathering what we thought was a sufficient number of signatures, we presented the initiative to the county clerk's office for verification of registration. When this is accomplished, the law states that the county should sent it to the city recorder to count the signatures and mark it either sufficient or insufficient. According to the county we had more than an adequate number of registered signatures, but our city recorder felt compelled to validate each and every name and address so marked. Because we had started this initiative two years ago, some people had forgotten and signed twice. Many who signed thought they were registered and were not, and several who were registered had inadvertently signed the name they use rather than ;he name on their registration. Some had signed who lived outside the city limits. Because of this, technically we came up nine short. I say technically, because I felt those who signed nicknames did it inadvertently without any intent to deceive anyone and they were legally registered. I informed the city of this but to no avail. After striking those names, the city notified the county and they verified the new count and sent the findings back to the city recorder on May 22. Through various sources we learned of this and decided to start another petition. The law states that the city recorder shall notify one of the sponsors immediately if the signatures are insufficient but it wasn't until June 2 when my husband went to her for certification of the new petition sheets that she informed him that the signatures were insufficient If the object of this scrutiny was to have a fair and valid count, why didn't our city recorder feel obligated to give the same time and effort to validating those who were marked as not registered as well? We found 13 marked as such who were legally regis- tered and verified them with the county. This information was faxed to the city recorder and again she felt compelled to search through almost 900 names to look for errors. This time we came up one short. We now have to get a thousand or more signatures over again and the city and county have to spend their time and the taxpayers' money to do this again. It is hard for me to understand why our city officials would go to such lengths to stop the citizens of Lehi from having a say as to what they want for the future of our community. Someone told my husband that one of our council members went so far as to call and question her intelligence by asking if she knew what she had signed and ask if she wanted to withdraw her name from the petition. If we are able to get this petition on the ballot it is not assured of passing. If the majority of the citizens are happy with the pace at which we are growing, then so be it, we will have to live with that. The sad thing is that we have no say about anything that is done in our community. When there is a public meeting and the majority of those concerned attend to protest a matter before the council, I cannot recall an instance where their voice was heard and it made a difference. I have even been told by those involved that it is a waste of time to even go because these projects have already been approved before the meeting takes place. It has always been my understanding that our officials are elected to represent the people of the community and our wishes. I do not feel this is the case at the present time. We will circulate this new petition for the next few weeks. If anyone wishes to sign it, 6 or Dick you can call Dean Lott at 768-317- Smith at 768-876- Donna Lott Lehi |
