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Show The Payson Chronicle, March 6, 1996, Page 5 PAYSON PROGRESS COLUMN by Paul Blanchard SALE" "Q & A ON THE BON-TOAround town the last few weeks conversations often touch on the sale of the Bon-- T on (Old Gymnasium). Folks often ask questions about the sale and the buyer, often after hearing the answer, they respond, "Oh, I never heard that!" The earnest money agreement for the proposed sale was about ten pages long and many of the details of the sale were overlooked, forgotten or misunderstood by listeners when the sale was discussed. Some of the details they may have forgotten or never heard. For lots of folks who have expressed interest, here are a few facts about the transaction that may be of interest and dispel some of the information we often hear. inaccurate third- - or fourth-han- d WHO ARE THE BUYERS AND WHAT DO THEY DO? The purchaser of the property is "Young Living Essential Oils," a d company. The president is of Gary Young Alpine. Young Living specializes in the oils for the production, blending and sales of medicinal and cosmetic industry. Oils such as wintergreen, lemon, frankincense, lavender and peppermint are grown and distilled at their facilities in northern Idaho, France, and other locations. Nearly 100 different oil blends are poured into h tall botdes at their N Utah-base- plant-deriv- ed two-inc- laboratories which are located in the same facility as their offices. The materials and activities would I . similar in level of hazard to the frozen yogurt produced at nearby Hogi Yogi. WHAT ACTIVITIES WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE PAYSON FACILITY? The renovation of the old gymnasium will create a building to house their home offices, conferencemeeting facilities, laboratory and storage. In addition to normal office business-relate- d functions, the will where house the they blend and laboratory building bottle the plant oils. They will also host visitors and business associates at their facility. It is estimated that about one to three express, courier andor delivery trucks a day will service the facility. HOW ABOUT EMPLOYEES AND JOBS? Initially, the building will house the approximately thirty to forty employees who now work at their current facility. Of this number, they estimate six to eight will move their residence to the Payson area. A few other employees who currently live in northern Utah County will simply commute to Payson. It is planned that the remaining twenty to twenty-fiv- e employees will be hired from the Payson area. They are experiencing significant growth and expect to hire additional employees in the near future. 0,OOJDCt,roy 0oo(r2 LUNCH SPECIALS (Served from. 11AM-3PM- ) MONDAY rrooqo-- y 2 Cheese Enchiladas wRice, Beans, plus Drink $4.95 OOlvS)., TUESDAY Small Combination Plate Cheese Enchilada, Tostada, Taco, Burrito, plus Drink...$4.95 WEDNESDAY Smothered Burrito wCheese wRice, Beans, plus Drink $ 4.50 THURSDAY Taco 11AM 10PM Monday-Thursda- and Cheese Enchilada 11AM-11P- Friday-Salurda- wRice, Beans', plus Drink $4.95 Sunday 11AM-9P- auu Theater FRIDAY Soft Shell Taco and Smothered Burrito 11AM-9P- Monday-Thursda- plus Drink $4.50 11 AM-10P- Friday-Salurda- MENU CHILDREN'S 12 (Kids and Under) Hamburger ... .,,.52.00 plus a Small Drink............. Cheese Enchilada 52.00 wRice or Beans, plus a Small Drink Bean & Cheese Burrito wRice or Beans , plus a Small Drink...... $2.00 Tostada wRice or Beans , plus a Small Drink...... $2.00 Sunday 11AM-8P- WHAT ABOUT THE PRICE? WERE THERE OTHER OFFERS? At $100,000, it all depends on the allowed usage. If the buyers were allowed to do anything they wanted with the building and property, it would be a steal. If I could develop the property for homes or other commercial gain at that price, Id buy it too. Others who have inquired about buying the property wanted to do just that or use the building for storage or a warehouse. When they were told what restrictions would be part of any sale, their interest quickly faded. The documents of the sale specify, among other things, that: 1. The buyer is to restore all feasible portions of the building for business use appropriate to the Research Park Zone. 2. They will further improve Constitution Park and maintain it as a PUBLIC PARK. They will be adding flower and herb gardens, pathways, benches, plant iden- tification signs and other landscaping features. The grounds are projected to be a joint showplace for their business and Payson residents. 3. They must preserve all significant features of the park trees, time capsules, plaques, signage, etc. 4. The buyers may not develop the ground for such ventures as condominiums, homes or other commercial gain. They may not sell the property without approval of the City Council. 5. Should the buyer fail to perform the improvements, or abide by the terms of the sale as agreed upon, the property reverts to Payson City ownership. With these and other restrictions on what the buyer must do with the property, there have been no other offers to purchase the facility. The price is obviously an incentive for further investment and reflects the commitment the buyer is making to invest more than four million dollars in the property. The city has never entertained any thought of selling the property for a housing development of any kind. If the sale was for that purpose and usage, obviously the price would have been much different. The terms of the sale were proposed and discussed in public at city council meeting prior to the execution of the earnest money agreement. Anyone present could have heard the terms being composed. Rumors of a secret sale are nothing more than irresponsible gossip. COULD THE BUILDING HAVE BEEN RESTORED AS A GYMn NASIUM? Yes, this possibility was f(B) j?0QCU5y thoroughly explored - especially in light of the interest and need for a recreation cenftlicHi'I; r ter in Payson. The professional cost estimate for restoring the building as a gymnasium was $2.4 million. By comparison, for approximately $2 million, one could build a new recreation center containing a d swimming pool, a walkingjog-gin- g a day care center, track, nVv room, and multipurpose room. The city council felt it would be an unwise use of public funds to attempt the costly restorayear-roun- Other Locations: 150 S. Univ, Ave. Provo, Utah , 1250 N. Main Springvilte, Utah exer-ciseweig- ht tion. Fast Pitch Softball Registration Fast Pitch Softball (Phoenix League) (o) 0 0 On,y 6)' lJ , p registration for Payson girls, age 16, 17, and 18, will be held on Saturday, March 2 and 9, from 9:00 a.m. until 12 Noon at Payson High School, Southeast Hallway. Any questions, please call Dave or Joe Wor-theJohnson at 465-211- 465-603- 1. 3, n, |