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Show The Salt Lake Tribune UTAH Saturday, January 22, 2000 Does Westminster College Have Room to Grow? $50M master plan sparks protests from neighbors Westminster Executive Vice President Stephen Morgan, how- BY REBECCA WALSH crane ty nde foothilt or Duan. Brigaes Young Univer Sity and Utah State University Seem t have plenty of room to grow. Westminster $0 is not Landlocked in the middle of Salt Lake City’s Sugar House heigh! the private college ts confined to 27 acres hemmed in Tears That geographysets up an in- Hierent conflict. While its sister ‘itutions can groweast, away om neighborhoods, WestminSter is bumping up against its boundaries. cramming more puildings and parking structures closer to homes andpeople. So, despite the unanimous, ymbolic approval of the city Commission this week, the college's new 10-year, $50 $ million ated a traffic-calming petition with the city and hired architects to design parking structures and landscaped buffers that look more Jewett "Cuan for Performing Arts, a $6 million addition to the “They promised us that would be lion to $8 million in new parking it.” structures. Neighbors asked the college to build parking struc- ‘President Peggy Stock Ww buildings will keep tures, but Stock says they are too Nigher’ education market. “Our students expect a fine faculty, first-rate service, high-technology and top-notch facilities,” Stock said. “Like anyother business, we building on the northeast corner of campus on 1300 East and 1700 says the in the must continually improve our product. But neighbors say they are being sacrificed to Westminster's business interests. They worry about increased traffic and the impact construction projects could have on Emigration Creek and its wildlife. Neighbors don’t mindthe newbuildings so much, it’s the parking structures South, butthat’s too ugly. “If it’s too ugly for Westminster, it’s too ugly for our front door,” said resident Tilly Van Egmond. Instead, college leaders plan to add anotherfloorof parking to the existing parking structure, builda second under a soccerfield and a third by the new dorm. Hoodes’ home would be sandwiched between views of parking garages. “They don’t keep their promises,” shesaid. like campus buildings. “f'mnot sure we'll ever be able to solve traffic,” Morgan said. “Our whole city is stuck with this traffic problem. We haven't made everybody happy, but we've tried to makeeverybody happy.” More than 100 residents signed @ petition for Thursday's Planning Commission meeting asking city leaders to postpone their symbolic vote until “traffic, environmental, wildlife and neighborhood impact studies are An artist's drawing of one of the college's proposed new buildings“ Planning Commission approval is not required for Westminster’s building plans, butcollege leaders sought city approval to bolster their fund-raising ef- accommodate another 200 students, bringing the college's pop- ter, lighting, noise andtraffic that ulation to 2,500. Morgan says there are no plans to grow beyond that. Construction on any ofthe build- ongoing basis. Westminster conducted.” parking structure project. Van Egmond nowworries the commission's endorsement will king railroaded fast and softly,” she said. Westminster's master plan will forts. The college will have to get conditional use permits for each raised. ont Despite the bad feelings, city Planner Bill Allayaud hopes the college and the residents work together. “Living there is like living next to a shopping center,” Alla said. “There are issues about’ will have to be dealt with or ings could start this summer, de- haveto be especially vigilant on the west side of the campus for decades. They'll have to be gobd pending on when the money is neighbors.” = Hansen Motivated - To Seek 11th Term Chanceto chair powerful committee lures congressman BY JOHN HEILPRIN ‘THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE As one of the most senior Wiedyi Don Young, R-Alaska, whi nearinghis six-year limit. Hansen said he enjoys overseeing the national parks since, unlike the Internal Revenue Service, they are The 67-year-old Utah Republican so far has noopposition for an llth term, though Democrats are expected to field a candidate in the 1st District. The probable candi- one of the most popular things aboutthe federal government... date is Kathleen McConkie Col- linwood of the prominent McConkie pioneer family and a family practice attorney from Bountiful. Hansen trounced his past two challengers in the 1996 and 1998 elections,68-30 percent. Now,he is in line to become chairman of the powerful House Resources Commmittee in 2001. Or, hecouldparlayhis seniority into presiding over the Armed Ser- ‘The Associated Press Driver Greg Harrimandelivers 9,200 gallons of MTBE-free gasoline to a South Lake Tahoe,Calif., Union 76 Station, in this April 1999 photo. Awarenessis increasing of MTBE's potential to contaminate groundwaterifit leaksfrom underground gasoline storage tanks. Utah Steps Up to Prevent MTBE Water Pollution BY BRENT ISRAELSEN THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE It is a chemical additive used to improve air quality and boost gasoline’s octane, but like most chemicals, methyl butyl tertiary ether (MTBE)hasa darkside. If undergroundgasolinestorage tanks leak, MTBEcan get into groundwater used for firinking.It also can be dischargedinto lakes and streams byboats andJet Skis. ‘.A recent report on CBS’ “60 Minutes” vaised a red flag about MTBE-related water pollution in manyparts of the country, but Utah officials report no serious problems with the chemical in the BeehiveState. ©” As far as they know. To date there has been no coordinated, tomprehensive effort to test for MTBE in Utah's drinking-water sources. Utah regulators are awaiting more direction from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is considering a rule to require testing for “This is so newof an issuethat no one has ly paid attention to it until now,” said ‘evin Brown,directorof the Utah Division of Prinking Water. * Theattention paid to MTBEsofar is often fraught with misinformation and misunder- Standing. For example, oneofficial said he believed Salt Lake City had a well contami- nated with MTBE, but thecity said no. Other officials said Utah’s gasoline suppliers Son THE RECORD routinely use MTBE to enhance octane, but representatives for the major suppliers — Chevron, Amoco, Flying J, Phillips, Conoco andSinclair — all denyit. Here’s whatis known about MTBEin Utah: & State air-quality rules required the use of MTBEingasolinesold in Utah County from 1992 to 1996. MTBEwasused to oxygenate the gasoline to reduce carbon monoxide emis- sions in Provo-Orem. Whenthestate boosted the oxygen requirementinfuel, the refineries switched from MTBEto ethanol, which achieves the higher oxygenrate moreeasily. @ The only documented cases of MTBE in the water come from Milford, where levels were recorded at3.8 parts perbillion (ppb) ina backup drinking-water well; and in Deer Creek Reservoir, where the level was1.4 ppb. In both cases, the chemical is considerably below the EPA’s advisory action level of 20 ppb,andCalifornia's advisory level of 13 ppb. State and local drinking-waterofficials, however,say they plan to do moretesting for MTBE, especially in areas where they have found leaking underground petroleum storage tanks. About 78 percent of Utah’s 3,700 underground tanks have leaked orspilled, said Paul Zahn, managerofthe state’s Leaking Underground Storage Tank program. Within two years, Brown expects the EPA to require routine testing of drinking water for MTBE, along with about 30 other contaminants for which officials currently are testing. PILOT SURVIVES CRASH A 57-year-old Salt Lake City man crashed his single-engine Cessna airplane Tuesday night CARJACKER SOUGHT Salt Lake City police are look- ing for.a suspect who jumped in a man’scar at 1800S. StateSt., puta knife to his throat and forced him fo drive. The 70-year-old victim ve to 700 S. Gladiola St. (3400 icti's car, which had a Utahli- about a mile from the Erda Air- Tage Flint, assistant managerof the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, which gets roughly 15 percentof its water from the ground, said his agency already has done preliminary testing for MTBE ona handful of wells. No MTBEhas been found. If MTBEis found at dangerous levels, EPA ruleslikely will require the water sourceto be taken outofservice or treated. Treatmentof MTBE, a foul-tasting methanol-based chemi- cal, could be cost-prohibitive because conventional treatment methods do not remove MTB)E. Because ofthedifficulty in treating MTBE, waterofficials hope groundwaterprotection rules already in effect will prevent MTBE contamination. For example, a business wanting to locate a gasoline storage tank ina groundwater-sensitive area would be required to meet stringent design and monitoring requirements. MTBEpollution has been a more serious problem in other parts of the United States, particularly where air-quality rules require its use in gasoline. Forair-pollution control, MTBEis used in 16states,or in abouta third ofthe nation’s fuel. Cleanup costs for contamination of groundwatersources in Santa Monica,Calif., for example has reached $15 million andis expected to go as high as $150 million. Preliminary studies show 9 percentof wells and 8.7 percent of lakes and rivers show the presence of MTBE, according to the American Water WorksAssociation. 34, from Honduras, was either beatenor runoverby a vehicle at 621 S. Washington St. (240 West) on Jan. 15. Another man, 52-year- before the plane was noticed in the desolate area, Scharmann said. Qa DEAD MANIDENTIFIED Police have identified the victim in a murder last weekendjona Ratt Take Mite etpent tors said Ancelmo acue He is now chairman ofthe Resources’ National Parks and Public Lands subcommittee. Hatch, the state’s senior senator, is Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “T hateto say it, but seniority’s a big, big thing back there [in the nation’s capital],” said Hansen. “The chairmanship’s everything. That's whereit’s done.It’s notlike astatelegislature. . . . The action in Congressis in committees.” Hansen spokesman Steve Pe- tersen said “it would be real diffi- cult for him deciding between the two” chairmanships since Hans- en’s district includes the state’s BY STEPHEN HUNT ‘THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE A former Kearns football coach whosold drugs to former team members went to prison Friday for up to 15 years for drug possession convictions. When 41-year-old Desmond July, police found more than a pound of . The investigation began after police picked up an 18-year-old with marijuana, whoclaimed he boughtit from his formercoach. plates. partment at 799-3000. WOMAN CHARGED Perkins packaged drugs for sale, boy after she claims she received drug-rehabilitation program, while the older boy is on probation to juvenile court for drug Qa RAPE LINK EXPLORED Police in Salt Lake City are investigating links between two stranger rapes on State Street in which womenwalking alone near midnight were abducted at knife point. Late Thursday night, a woman walking homefrom work near2100 8.State St. was forced to accompany a man whooffered hera ride andlater brandished a knife, poles aid.Th The woman wae raned ata at 4 Alnontiny ial fies sotaoneh Tw QUST hoe) He was driving a blueor lightblue 4-door sedan with Wyoming Qa ages 10 and 17, were present when A 19-year-old woman who allegedly had sex with a 15-year-old permission from the boy’s mother was charged Friday in 3rd District Court. The ban was charged with two counts of said prosecutor Kent Morgan. The yo boy is now in a because who wants to be in the “It would be very difficult. 7, But he’s optimistic we have a good shotat holding the House.” , iat Meghan Holbrook, head of the Utah Democratic Party, poked at Hansen for having spoken ofsie tiring in the past only to rio again. “He said he was only going,te serve a couple terms whenhefirst ran and here weare 20 and counting,” she said. “Though it lod like he mightactually get toretire [because] he mightget defeatedby avery good Democratthis year” For 14 years, Hansenlabo! the minority when Democrats controlled the House. That changed in the 1994 dlaff tions, when the GOP tide swept through the chamberand,as with other Republicans,lifted tae standing. y found in close proximity to gach had pleaded guilty{ three third-degree felony counts, each punishable by up¢ five years in prison, The judge dered them to run consecutively, meaning Perkins could serve La r 15 years. Defense attorney Mark Moffat asked for probation, noting Perkins has “devoted pik of hours to youth sports . . and helping kids out.” For about13 years, Perkins had cache 9-, 10- and 11-year-0M bai arti isa former presidentof the Kearns Football League and he established the Kearns “Cow gar Bowl,”a competition devoted to procuring quality equipment for the teams, Moffat said. 2q2 “Heis a person who deserves chancea shot at probation,” Mot iO arr: Perkins:“Lam truly sore, I accept responsibility, ttwitl neverhap) ave violations. “The harm you have wroughtis unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, third-degree felonies ishable by up to 5 years beie bars on each count. The had incalculable,” said 3rd District Judge J. Dennis Frederick “Your own children were privy to your conduct of selling illicit drugs.” ber, but cayee his said woo sawed-off shotmin and two loaded handguns — a 9 mm and a 357 — filed in 3rd DistrictCourt. “ne dicated it would be his last Ex-Coach Sentto Prison: For Drug Conviction tion on the incident is asked to call the Salt Lake City Police De- a motive. Anyone. with informa- been unableto locate suspects or “He would always serveouthis term absent unforeseen circun# 1 stances. Butif the Congress back to the Democrats, he has in- Collinwood could not.be reached for comment, juana with several teens. ‘The defendant's own children, Salt Lake City’s University Hospital with chest and facial injuries. The injuries were not considered life-threatening. Tooele approaching the airport when he lost power and slammed into the ground. The pilot might have beencrashed for a couple of hours dished a knife. In both cases, the control of the House in the Ne vemberelection. “This sounds very self-serving, but you take between meand Orrin [Hatch],thelittle state of Utah has got more in seniority and chairmanshipsthan it deserves.” suspect offered the women a ride in his car before pullingthe knife. old Juan Loaiza, was also beaten, but survived. Investigators have County Sheriff Frank Scharmann said it was unclear if Yates was State Street near 3000 South was 49 Furtheronthehorizon, Hansen plans to retire in 2002 if Republi: cans cannotretain their majority minority again,” Petersen said’ } One former player said Perkins’ youngest drug client was just10 years old, and a 14-year-old accused Perkins of smoking mari- port in Tooele County, but sur- vived. Garald Yates was flown to another woman walking along “I chair the onethat people love . I spend half my time stump; bling around parks,”he said. vices Committee. “It is tremendous motivation,” Hansen said in an interview. Perkins wasbusted at his homein raped after a man in a car bran- tense serves on Resources underthe current chairman,R members of Congress, Rep. Jim Hansenhopes to lengthenhisstint to 22 years so he can become chairman of one of the most powerful House committees. Dy ee employer, Hill Air Force The judge also noted that a was unemployed. “But he ache mantly denies sales [of drugs} to rae High students,” insisted eb you didn’tsell tokids,” the judge said, “but to engage’tn sales-artivity whore children cud — society cannot tolerate that.7ls :Omt |
