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Show 6 The Daily Utah Chronicle Friday, 17. April 1998 Building a Better Utah A Season for Seeks Volunteers Non-Violen- ce By Jim Mitchell For years Utah has seen a tremendous influx of people looking for a better place to live, work and play. And for years, longtime residents have complained that it is too difficult to go Volunteers are needed for upcoming events e: honoring the great defenders of M. Ghandi non-violenc- to their favorite restaurants, ski resorts or malls because of the crowds. But is relief just around the comer? According to a report issued by the & . Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Bureau of Economic and Business Research, there has been a substantial drop in residential building permits within the last year. The report credits this decline to a "slowdown in economic and demographic growth" in the state, which might mean that we are getting a A personal appearance by Arun Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi's grandson) School Essay Contest Peacewalk breather. But, reports from other agencies, such as Utah Division of Workforce Services and the State Office of Business Development, show that there has been no slowdown. In fact, it Sponsors and manpower needed. Help foster a positive change in Utah. seems the residential growth the state has been experiencing in years is just a catchup. Salt Lake Information and Volunteer phone: 801263.4047 According to the division, the unemployment rate for the month of low December, 1997, was at an of 2.9 percent which was a decrease from 3.3 percent in December, 1996, and they estimate the number of new jobs in Utah will increase at 3.7 percent per year, nearly triple the U.S. National website: www.gandhiking.com all-tim-e 1999 average. This indicates that more jobs are Entering Class coming into Utah, creating a need for more employees than the state can provide, which will bring even more families and individuals into the cur-rend- Medical School Application Workshop state. This is confirmed by the State Details on: MCAT, Office of Business Development which has received a record number of calls in February and March of this year , from businesses looking to open a new office or relocate to Utah. So the decline in residential building permits is most likely a result of construction catching up with the need for Recommendations, AMCAS, Interviews y y NOW is the time to begin preparation! homes at the beginning of this decade, there was a lull in home construction. By the time new development was in high gear to provide for this immigration, there was a housing shortage. In response, the last few years have seen a great boom in home starts and housing and is just leveling off at the rate of current need. Along with the decline in residential building permits is an increase in nonresidential permits. This increase in business, church and state building projects has fueled the value of pending construction in Utah to an all time sales and it would naturally slow down when that shortage was elimi- high of $3.7 billion. This is mainly due to large building nated. But even with the reduction in new homes, the number of new-hom- e permits in the state of Utah is expected to level off at about 13,000 a year; a very healthy rate of growth. Blaine Campbell, an economist for the state of Utah, says that overall the economic growth experienced in Utah should continue into the next millennium. "There is no reason to expect a con- projects such as the new LDS Assembly Hall, a downtown hotel complex, and a new Catholic school center in Draper. Also in the increase are new retail facilities in American Fork, Orem, Price, Provo, Salt Lake City, Syracuse, and West Valley, bringing more favorite places to go and relieving some of the congesdon. So what is the good and bad of this situation? Well, for one, the slowdown in residential growth means that home construction companies will be letting tinuance of the breakneck pace that the economy has shown in the last three years, but growth will be above some of their workers go. But the increase in recreational, retail, church and state construction will be able to absorb those jobs and more besides. Overall, the oudook in employment in the construction industry as well as other industries in Utah is still very This view seems to be prevalent with real estate agencies throughout the state. Laron T. Zaugg, an ERA broker, hasn't seen much of a slowdown in his business in the last three good. years. According to Dennis J. Barton of the Utah State Department of "There might be homes on the market for longer periods of time, we might not be selling a listing within a matter of days anymore, but there is still a great demand for existing homes as well as new construction," Zaugg the U.S. average for years to come," he said. Workforce Services, normally approximately 3 to 5 percent of the workforce is unemployed with the full employment level hovering at 4.3 percent. Whenever the unemployment rate said. Golden Spike Realty, in Ogden, has also increased its sales force 25 percent dips below that figure, you will see a corresponding rise in wages and competition for the lower number of available workers. With Utah's unemploy- over the last year to handle the increase in business. So is Utah's economy on a downswing? Not according to figures and economists. It only seems that way because we've caught up and are getting a breather. So the next time you spend too long in a line, just remember, you might as well get used to it. It ment rate at 2.9 percent, you can expect to see changes in everything from wages to working conditions and increases in benefits. This low unemployment rate over the last few years has encouraged immigration of families and individuals from out of state looking for work, but because of the economic market for isn't going to change anytime too soon. Tuesday, April 21, 1998 5:30-7:3- 0 pm JTB OK, so you get the point. Have fun planning resolutions. If you decide you need some inspiration, here is a list of cool Earth Day events: 140 Marilyn Hoffman, Premedical Advisor ALL INTERESTED PREMEDS WELCOME Saturday, April 18 8 a.m. to noon Tree Utah is plantthe Jordan River. This will ing trees at - byChaitnaSinha M EVER "A bass virtuoso of extraordinary gifts" San Francisco Chronicle Joseph Silverstein v MA. and the " Utah 9 .) O jj I Symphony " " 'i' V --vv- famous double bass player comes to Abravanel Hall for two unique and wonderful concerts. Hear Edgar Meyer's own Concerto for Double Bass as of Haydn and Brahms' Prokofiev's stirring Symphony No. 5. ' Variations on a Theme April 17 Call 533-NO- TE be a great way to kick off Earth Week. They need 700 volunteers so please come. For more information call will begin this coming Wednesday, April 22. This, for me, has been a chance to think about what Earth Day really means. Earth Day is a way to remind us, and inform us, about the importance of the environment and new ways to get involved. Earth Day needs to be taken one step further. Most holidays have some type of tradition or ritual. New Year's Eve has New Year's resolutions. Thanksgiving is supposed to be an opportunity to give thanks for all that you have received in the past year. I think Earth Day needs Earth Day resolutions. Everyone who participates in Earth Day should also make some type of commitment to change his or her individual behavior. In the end, all the politics and educa- 364-212- & 18 bprne,Ha" - Earth Day Wednesday, April 22 Terra Firma will have tables outside the union from 9 Noon Sponsored by the Utah Symphony Guild a.m.-- p.m. 3 - There will be a nature con- servancy speaker in the Union Theater. 12:45 p.m. - Music ofJulie Hill. Thursday, April 23 Terra Firma will have tables outside the Union from 9 a.m.-- p.m. Noon Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance speaker outside of the Union. 3 - lifestyles. So, having done a deep and thorough investigation, here are what some of the environmental activists on campus had to say: "I'm going to stop my addiction to my car," said Terra Firma's Kristen Gilbert. "I am going to implement a e campus--widrecycling program," said Chris cohort. "I will wash my jugs clean of the milky detritus and recycle them," said the Bcnnion Center's Andrew Spencer. - telling, information booths, walks with naturalists, music, and food. All round, it should be a fun time. Definitely worth putting on your calendar. unwilling to examine their individual Wightman, Gilbert's environmental 2 The Gardener will This be held at Affair. Village Gardener Village (1100 West 7800 South.) There will be games, story 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. tion are meaningless if people are The world's most well as ' , V Earth Day festivities Friday, April 24 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Tables outside Union. 7:30 p.m. - Terra of the Firma will be pre- senting Groove Berry Jam, and Marmalade Hill. University of Utah Library Plaza (OSH Auditorium if there is bad weather). . Saturday, April 25 8 a.m. Tree planting at Jordan River with Tree Utah. Noon Liberty Park Earth Jam. - - |
