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Show 4ft-Also in this section: Local Obituaries F2 OpinionsF6-F- F4 Sports 8 of land at approximately 5000 North 300 West. Riverfront Partnership received By CHRISTI C. EVANS Herald Staff Writer Developers of a research park in Provo's riverbottoms area will wait until later this year to ask city planning commission members to change the area's zoning and allow park development. Dave Gardner, representative of Riverfront Partnership, park developer, said a lot of planning and groundwork needs to be completed and some issues resolved before the zone change is requested. The park would include 120 acres -- brain scan has shown no recurrence of the subdural hematomas that have left Mormon Church President Ezra Taft Benson hospitalized. Benson was upgraded to fair condition today at LDS Hospital and remains in intensive care just for monitoring, said hospital spokesman Tim Madden. Madden said he did not know when the church leader would be released from the intensive care unit or the hospital. "He is spending a little time sitting up, but is still in intensive care. Visitors are restricted to family, close associates and the leadership of A F, Developers put zoning change request on hold leader doing better LDS SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Thursday Sept. 27, !))() preliminary approval from the commission Aug. 8 when commission members changed the area's master plan from low density residential to a research and business park designation. Municipal council members concurred with that decision Aug. 21. The master plan change was necessary before a zoning change can take place. However, development of the park cannot begin until a zoning change is made. Gardner projected a return commission in November or cember. "There's so much work dumping traffic onto Carterville Road, a small road running through the park area. He added he would rather see traffic exit the area on 400 South in Orem. However, some "joint planning concepts" will have to be worked out between Provo and Orem since Carterville Road travels through both cities, Gardner said. Gardner is currently working to gain permission from the state to construct an access from the park onto University Avenue, a state highway. This procedure takes to the De- to do before we can really go back to the planning commission zoning hearing," Gardner said. "We're just doing a lot of planning work." Decisions regarding the effects on Carterville Road are needed, along with permission from the state to construct an access onto University Avenue. Gardner said he wants to avoid the church," said church spokesman Don LeFevre. A brain scan on Tuesday was negative, and Benson was showing signs of improvement early in the week, LeFevre said. "He's sitting up. That's something he hasn't done since last week," he said. Benson was admitted to the hospital Sept. 18, complaining of headaches and difficulty swallowing. Springville voters to answer UTA question o cs o By KAYLENE NELSEN Herald Senior Reporter Americans should not let television determine what's good for the country, a former press secretary to President Ronald Reagan told students at Utah Valley Community College Wednesday. La;ry Speakes, who served under Reagan as well as Presidents Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon, told students they are "destined to live in the age of television" and urged them to make sure political decisions are reflecting what is good for the country not what makes good television news. He said television has moved the political arena from the town square to the living room. "We're prisoners of a medium where the message that works best is negative," he said, pointing to statistics that show of what is seen on television about politics is negative. ir A 8 8 o two-thir- ds By JOSEPHINE ZIMMERMAN Herald Staff Writer - SALT LAKE CITY Springville voters will have a new issue to decide in November's election annexation into the Utah Transit Authority district. The UTA board voted unanimously Wednesday afternoon to schedule the election, after hearing a report on a public hearing conducted Sept. 18 in Springville. Jerri Ashurst, public hearing examiner, told the board that 53 citizens, the Springville mayor and city council, and representatives of UTA attended the hearing. A majority of those in attendance were senior citizens, who were very much in favor of the bus service, Ashurst said. "There were concerns about running the buses on the narrow streets in the Brookside area and concerns over the proposed schedule times. Most attendees felt these were major problems that could be worked out once the Springville area was annexed to UTA," she said. She indicted the staff will review the service and schedule options for a later departure from Salt Lake City than the 5 p.m. time proposed. Also routing on Brook-sid- e Drive could be modified to use 400 South Street, Canyon Road and 900 South (past the high school). This routing is less direct for passengers boarding on the very south end of the route, but does provide more convenient access to the high -- school. "In general, there did not seem to be any negative feelings about the bus system,and I would say most of the people were in favor of annexation," she concluded. She said the vote at the public hearing was 78 percent in favor, 14 against, and eight undecided. If Springville voters approve the annexation, an additional tax will be imposed to provide the bus service. telling people what they ought to think about a candidate." World leaders are becoming more aware of the power of television. "The iron curtain can keep people in but it can't keep television out." In China, leaders showed "bad guys can use TV, too." They stopped broadcasts showing the student demonin Beijing during 1989 and then used the tapes to identistrations fy student leaders and punish them. Saddam Hussein in Iraq is also using television to broadcast his message. Should that be allowed? "I say yes," Speakes said, "because it has given us our first look up close and personal of a man who has the world on the brink of war." He said Saddam has manipulat- - William Oswald, UTA legal counsel, told the board that an annexed area must have a population of 6,000 in order to qualify for a Representative on the board. t? x if " 1 Herald PhotoTrent Nelson Larry Speakes, former press secreatary to Ronald Reagan, speaks to UVCC students. ed the press, too, noting that he first barred CNN television crews and then allowed them to film what he wanted filmed. He said Saddam "knows all too well the power of television and what can happen to a dictator who goes too far." Speakes said a new study shows that people under 30 years of age care less, read newspapers and watch television news less than their counterparts did in the '60s. The challenge of the '90s will be to plug people back into whats happening in the country, he said. During the question-and-answperiod following his talk, Speakes discussed how the headlines in the morning edition of the Washington Post often would set the topic of the day at the White House. "The press drives the process." er He said he thinks Reagan has not received the credit due him for all the ground work he did for what has happened with Soviet relations and changes in Eastern Europe. He said the press is "out to hold our feet to the fire" by attacking Reagan now that he is out of office. He said he advised Reagan to tell as much as he could when he could Commission considerinq street plan revision By CHRISTI C. EVANS Herald Staff Writer Provo Planning Commission members are considering revising the city's major street plan, which would prioritize some roads carrying heavier traffic for state and federal funding. Because of rapid growth in Provo over the past five years, many streets are carrying enough traffic to be considered collector or arterial routes within the city, said Al Mickelsen, planning analyst. However, these roads have not been identified as collectors or UEA: Utah SALT LAKE CITY (AP) buses would connect with routes in Provo, north Utah County and Salt Lake City. The 2 "Motor mouth reporters are may rank last nationally - Utah in 1989 spending, but the Utah Education Association expects a rebound this year, officials say. Utah spent $2,733 per pupil, according to an annual report by the nt National Education Association. The state also has the highest pupil-to-teach- er ratio in 1989-9- 0, or arterials within the city street plan. "What the designation will do is give priorities when we go out for federal funding," or state funding, Mickelsen said. "If you go to the state for funding, they won't even look at you if you don't have a plan." Mickelsen said studies have shown 80 percent of the city's traffic uses 20 percent of its roads. "If this is the case, these streets need to be in their best condition," he said. Any changes made in the mrjor street plan would not affect present traffic levels, said Leland Gamette, community development director. e The plan is a planning tool that will allow Provo to preserve street alignments and through the city. As the transportation element of the city's master plan, the street plan has not had any major revisions since being drafted in 1977, Gamette said. Both arterials and collectors are given priority when stop signs or traffic lights are installed and help keep traffic flowing smoothly. This long-rang- right-of-wa- improves the city's air quality, Mickelsen said. The changes will be considered for action by the Planning Commission Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. in the Provo City Building, 351 W. Center. Mickelsen said letters outlining the proposed changes would be sent to the city's neighborhood chairmen. Deletions from the street plan include a collector route on 1450 East above Seven Peaks Resort Water Park between 300 South and 820 North. spe nding shou! per-pup- il 23.6. However, the Utah Legislature in appropriated $25 million for textbooks, supplies and computers and established a mechanism allowing local districts to increase the property tax to help raise money to reduce class sizes. "Comparisons with other states 1990 are not available at this time, but it is anticipated that this year's appropriation for schools will mark the first year of rebound from the decade-lon- g decline," said Dee Burningham, executive vice president of Utah's largest teacher union. Burningham said that we jump through the hoops," he said. Gardner said Riverfront Partnership wanted to submit its zoning change request to the commission as soon as possible. "We want to get back in and get it going because we've got interest in the park now from the kind of tenants we'd really like to see locate there," he said. "There's just a lot of work that needs to be t done to do the thing right." By CHRISTI C. EVANS 't IP unless Large planes may face six year delay Former press secretary bashes media Students told they're destined to live in TV age time, he said. "They won't grant us an access infusion Herald Staff Writer Funding for an environment study of extending a runway at the Provo Municipal Airport has been received, but it may be another six ; years before larger planes can use ; the facility. Mayor Joseph A. Jenkins signed a grant agreement Tuesday directing $131,920 from the Federal Aviation Administration to the Provo airport. The money will be used to study the environmental effects of extending runway 1331 past its surrounding dikes and into the Utah Lake bed. The extension is planned to provide 1,509 extra feet of runway. Provo will pay $13,143 for the study, bringing the environmental assessment's total cost to $145,063. Jim Mathis, airport manager, said the $13,143 is already set aside in the airport's budget. The airport is now in final negotiations with Science Applications International Corporation of Las Vegas, Nev., the company chosen to perform the environmental study. A contract should be signed. this week and the study itself will begin immediately afterward. Mathis said the FAA requires airports to perform environmental assessments before extending runways. "We don't think it will do much to the environment," he said. FFA guidelines require the assessment to address issues such as endangered species, airport growth, wildlife areas and noise pollution. When completed, the assessment will be given to the FAA, which will then compile an environmental impact statement. This process will require about two years to complete, Mathis said. Actual expansion of the runway, has been scheduled in phases and will take an additional four years. Currently, the runway is not long enough for larger, heavier planes to take off during the summer when heat thins the air, Mathis said. In addition, the FAA is encouraging all airports to add safety areas at each end of their runways, Mathis said. Those safety areas will be added at the same time the runway is extended. 'Most accidents occur at the end of the runway," Mathis said. "We; don't have room at Provo to db safety areas without going outside' the dike." ; The airport may jeopardize fii- -; ture grants from the FAA if it doe not begin the process of construct-- i . ing safety areas," he said. While both ends of the runwaV; will receive safety areas, the study' will evaluate at which end the' actual runway extension should be constructed. The runway's north end is fairly close to Utah Lake State Park, which could cause problems reg aircraft, he said. garding Mathis said public input will be accepted during the entire time the environmental study is being performed. A "scoping meeting" will be held shortly after the study is begun to determine exactly what the community's concerns are, he said. "We know the concerns we (are required) to address through this . are a lot of . . but we know there local concerns," Mathis said. 1,000-foot-lo- low-flyin- likely would increase the expenditure by up to cent, or about $82, he said. per-stude- nt 3 per- However, he said, the technology and textbook appropriations were for one year only, and it remains to be seen whether lawmakers will spend equal or greater amounts in coming legislative sessions. Task force told housing problem for elderly is critical By JOSEPHINE ZIMMERMAN S nt "Utah's elderly represent the Jfifth largest percentage of any "state, and they are the fifth fastest J growing population in the nation," she said. i She emphasized that the elderly iare being displaced because of 'limited income, and if they are 'disabled and on limited income, the thousing situation is critical. J She said as of 1990, Utah County elderly, and ;has 20,000 10,000 have incomes of less than low-inco- per year. "Approximatley 15 percent of those are the hardest hit. They are $6,000 Herald Staff Writer "The problems of housing for jslderly are so overwhelming they 'need immediate attention," Lynn tRobbins, elderly housing representative, told the Utah County Council jof Governments Housing Develop-meTask Force Wednesday. the people with disabilities. The rental market has no facilities for people in wheelchairs; it's too expensive to build." She said people are being placed in nursing homes because they can't find housing that is handicapped-accessible. In the next 15 to 20 years these numbers are expected to quadruple. "The situation will escalate and become more critical. There must be a solution on a statewide basis," she said. Jeff Mendenhall, Utah County Board of Realtors, said the housing situation is forcing people who want to be independent into rest homes. Task force members also emphasized that cities need to rezone more property to allow more small housing developments, like duplexes. Several task force members indicted that families are "doubling up" because they are unable to find housing. They indicated that those renting apartments will move units if they up to become available, and those in units will move up to units. Mendenhall said first-tim- e home buyers purchasing in the $40,000 to $50,000 range still are able to find homes, and there are still some units in the $70,000 range. He indicated that it takes 80 to 90 days to sell a home now, from first m m m three-bedroo- m listing to closing, where it used to take around 100 days. "If people are capable of buying, there's something out there for them." County Commissioner Gary Heris usually unit, then the unit, and so on. "It's really hard to get off that ladder and into home ownership," bert said the first rung the rental m he said. Task force members agreed that people are paying more of their income for housing now. Herbert said he would be interested in knowing how many lots are available in the communities for building small rental units. "If I could find a lot, I would build a duplex immediately," he said, claiming that the cities are reluctant to zone for duplexes. need to know: (1) how many lots are available, (2) the cost of the lots, (3) what it costs to build, and (4) why developers aren't building," he said. Leland Gamette, Provo City Community Development, said cities won't rezone property for duplexes unless there is a legitimate demand. He said Provo is trying to accommodate smaller developments. "A lot of builders are potential landlords, if they could get into it," Herbert said, noting that high interest rates are inhibiting many from borrowing money for such developments. Gamette suggested that BYU be contacted concerning the possibility of conducting a housing survey as "We a student research project. Mendenhall said his committee has studied the mobile home issue and will recommend that the cities get together and adopt uniform mobile home ordinances. He said his committee will recommend the following: (1) That a more intensive study be undertaken regarding mobile homes and mobile home parks. (2) That the county and the cities put together a task force to conduct sch a study. ; (3) That approximately 20 compiled on homes 'to make a better mobile home part (4) That a study be done on the concerns and problems of housing J for the elderly. stan-dards- be . |