| Show Kids count Survey finds Utah children doing better than national Obituaries average2B Standard-Examin- m Wednesday May 1 9 1 999 er Dickamore is concerned that without the realignments of By BRYON SAXTON Daws Bureau SOUTH WEBER - City officials are worried that the Utah Department of Transportation won’t have enough money to fund part of a planned $20 million interchange project on US 89 at Comia Drive At issue is a planned one-mistretch of highway that would connect the interchange with South Weber Drive the mam arterial road in the city Also of concern is a planned i frontage road about ! long that would serve a new subdivision now under construction South Weber Mayor Henry le South Weber Dnve and with the loss of Comia Drive’s commercial district acquired by the state to build the interchange the city will have no commercially viable land left to develop “They (UDOT) do not have the money to build the project They are leaving us (South Weber) high and dry” Dickamore said He added that the city does not have sufficient funds to connect the interchange to South Weber Drive City officials are counting on the alignment to help create a new commercial district During the past few years the state has spent $45 million to Interchange read work UDOT told may make Brigham ghost city ‘fiy-ove- r’ “ are leaving us (South Weber) high and dry” They (UDOT) BRIGHAM CITY - Brian Walker says a proposed overpass at ! 100 South and Main Street could turn south Brigham City into a ghost town And he’s not alone Most of the residents who turned out for a public hearing Tuesday on the matter asked the city’s planning commission to consider alternatives to the overpass “The south end of Brigham City thrives on drive-b- y traffic” said Walker of Golden Spike Motors “We could reach the point of a ghost town on the south end of town” Most of the opposition was aimed at the “flyover” alternative Traffic from Interstate 15 and Highway 89 would have immediate access to the still unable ambulance in service then wait two years before adding a second ambulance The city will also allow the county to continue to serve two of the city’s private adult care facilities on the south side of the city HISTORIC HOBBY: Historian Frederick Huchel of North Logan has staff OGDEN - The City Council decided Tuesday that the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo will remain at the Ogden Stadium if the city can come up with more than $820000 in needed improvements During a public hearing residents pleaded with the council to keep the tradition of having the rodeo where it has been since the Former guard completed a history on Box Elder County A pleads guilty FARMINGTON Shelley R Wheeler 43 of Bountiful pleaded guilty after Davis County attorneys offered to reduce the sole charge from aggravated sexual abuse of a minor in exchange for the plea Wheeler allegedly touched a girl on Nov 24 1998 while the girl was on her way to Meadowbrook Elementary School “She does not remember all of the events at this time" Wheeler’s attorney Mark been collecting history on the county since high school Council members and city staff countered saying tradition ALAN MURRAY Standard-Examin- “I couldn’t care less about the reviews of academics critics and naysayers I wrote the book I thought should be written Let them pick -i- t’s den Pioneer Rodeo requires seating for 10000 The county needs $16 million to add those additional 4000 seats done” -- Historian Frederick Huchel See STADIUM2B A new It’s page among the last of state’s commissioned county records but one of biggest By MEUSA ANN WILSON Standard-Examin- staff Brigham city Elder -- while High Huchel began bits of county history A story here a snippet there He’s been at it ever since for the past 30 years This month history lovers can read Huchel’s collection along with others in Box Elder County’s newest book: “A History of Box Elder County” The book is available in the county recorder’s office for $20 In 1991 the state legislature commissioned a history book for each of Utah’s 29 counties to cele Gregersenj said “She is making this plea because of the amount of evidence against her” By entering the guilty plea in second district court before Judge Jon Memmott Wheeler faces a prison term of one to 15 years and a $10000 fine Upon her release she will be required to register with authorities as a sex offender Wheeler will undergo a psychosexual evaluation prior to sentencing on July 20 in Box Elder history tory be more than a recounting of Mormon pioneer history “I just felt that every group had their contribution and we should recognize that” One of the people he wrote was Huchel who responded with interest Nishiguchi told Huchel he was the answer to his prayers “Something in me said Frederick should be the one to take charge of the committee and take it from there” he said Maybe part of that something was that Huchel is a professional historian He has researched for Gerald Lund’s “The Work and the Glory” series as well as a number of projects for Brigham Young University and others Huchel began monthly committee meetings After laying some ground rules they all went to work brate the state’s 1996 centennial The 2 st out of 29 to be completed the Box Elder History is one of the last and at 450 pages one of the largest Huchel who lives in North Logan wrote the book with portions contributed by other county residents Individuals from the Utah Division of State History edited the book so it would fit the guidelines of the series Originally the county commissioners were put in charge of the project Former commissioner Frank Nishiguchi began contacting people across the county to create a committee The committee consisted of representatives from each of the small communities in the county as well as representatives from the different religious and racial groups Nishiguchi of Japanese descent said it was important to him that this his 1 Railroad crossings under watch Davis County police agencies are going to be on the lookout for drivers dangerously crossing in front of trains on Thursday Police will be in the engine of a train watching for motorists breaking the law at railroad crossings between Clearfield and Layton When a violation occurs an officer will radio a chase car to track down the violator and issue a ticket Hansen halts official’s testimony WASHINGTON - Rep Jim See HISTORY4B Gas tax windfall won’t speed highway funding UDOT director: April increase not enough to restore road cuts By RALPH WAKLEY Standard-Examin- staff SALT LAKE CITY - A small jump in April’s gasoline tax collections is no reason to ease back on Utah Transportation Department spending cuts for highway maintenance projects says UDOT Executive Director Tom Wame “All year I’ve seen the gas tax collections go up a couple of million dollars one month and down a couple of million the next month I see nothing to get excited about by April’s modest improvement” Wame said Tuesday Wame told the monthly meeting of the Legislature’s Executive Appropriations Committee he has no plans to restore any of approximately $14 million in cuts from the department’s 1999 fiscal year budget because he doesn’t see any real change in projected revenues The 1998 Legislature approved a transportation budget of $3592 million for this fiscal year But that was then cut to $345 million when it became obvious that revenues were not growing as fast as expected and were declining in some areas “We’ve been watching this all year long and we believe $345 million is still a good number for June 30 1999” the end of the 1999 fiscal year Wame said “We spend only the revenues we’re receiving because at the end of the year I'm the one held responsible for balancing the (UDOT) bud- get” To keep this year’s UDOT budget in the black the department’s biggest cut was $10 million from pavement preservation - in other words from highway main tenance projects such as chip scaling and crack repair The original preservation budget was only $32 million $13 million less than the amount the department believes is necessary for adequate maintenance and repair of the 6000 miles of state highways “And now we’re at half of that $45 million goal" Wame said Although the 1998 Legislature raised a number of taxes and fees to help finance reconstruction of Interstate 15 none of that new money goes into the regular Transportation Fund The state also needs between $9 million and $18 million to match the $90 million it received in federal funds to help build transportation projects related to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games UDOT is seeking at least $170 million more in federal money that also will require matching funds “Not only docs that take money out of the Transportation Fund for the (federal) match but it also eventually increases maintenance costs” Wame said All those pressures plus a heavy construction inflation rate resulting from a strong economy put increasing strain on Wame’s budget “We’re in the process now of the STIP” the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program UDOTs five-yeprogram for highway construction and maintenance Wame said higher-than-norm- al ar Traditionally once a construction project gets on the STIP it will be built But Wame said this time he can’t guarantee UDOT will have funding for all the projects on the STIP “We’re going to have to find a fix” You can reach reporter Ralph Wakley 532-210- 4 or rwakleyffistandard net - A former elementary school crossing guard has pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a Box Elder resident for much of his life Huchel has mid-’3- may be nice - but it won’t pay the bills “The problem is the facility is getting older there will need to be some investment” said Nate Pierce Ogden’s community services and rodeo director The aging stadium needs upgrades in lighting asphalt around the facility restroom renovation bleacher improvements and a covered awning similar to a race track The stadium is used only once a year for the rodeo Pierce said the rodeo one of Ogden’s biggest attractions also is on the verge of financial collapse “Every year we have been on the verge of this being the last year” Pierce said Over the last four years Ogden’s rodeo also has slipped from being rated the 50th best rodeo in the nation to the 97th The city has wrestled with the idea of moving the rodeo which was started by Ogden Mayor Harm Peery in the 1930s to bring money to Ogden’s downtown Officials have discussed Weber County’s new Golden Spike Arena as the new location The problem is the new facility at the Weber County Fairgrounds seats 6000 and the Og- Service hearing officer Lyle Odendahl said he would recommend to the state that Clearfield Fire be granted a license to operate its own ambulance service based on earlier agreements reached by before putting their first By GEOFFREY FATTAH r -- A dispute between the Clearfield Fire Department and the Davis County Sheriff’s Department is over After a hearing Tuesday at Clearfield City Hall State Emergency Medical recommendation to the State EMS board at a July hearing The Sheriff’s Department currently provides ambulance service to Clearfield but city officials wanted to enhance the service by establishing their own program Under the agreement city officials will wait eight months to find funds to expand Golden Spike arena Standard-Examine- CLEARFIELD long-standi- the two entities involved Davis Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Kevin McLeod said Odendahl is expected to make the See BRIGHAM4B Rodeo to stay at stadium - for now Ogden City vis fire dispute ended Clearfield-D- a sfl - Mayor Henry Dickamore See US 894B 0 AT A GLANCE By M ELISA ANN WILSON Standard-Examin- 625-422- NEWS BEAT 89 exit threatened! Me!bei?5s 1 Loss of commercial development could threaten tax income Standard-Examin- Local News Editor: at Hansen abruptly halted a hearing Tuesday just as Interior Department Solicitor John Leshy was about to attack Hansen's bill that would restrict a president’s power to create national monuments The rules of the House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands which Hansen chairs require witnesses to submit their testimony in writing at least 48 hours in advance said Hansen But Leshy delivered his testimony less than two hours before the hearing even though the meeting had been rescheduled to fit Leshy’s schedule Hansen said - Standard-Examin- staff and wire services rocKS |
