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Show Association" Utah Press 8 W7-E30? ewu trr sic, . ScomfnG ...Ui2 Volume titter life Eighfy-EIg- MT. PLEASANT, UTAH 14647 - Price 25 Februory 28, 1980 Number nine Board .sets May 6 for bond election - MT PLEASANT The North Sanpete Board of Education has given approval to a proposed building program and will ask patrons to support a bond election planned for Tuesday, May 6. In action taken Thursday night, the board approved a plan to ask voter support to build a new middle school in Moroni followed by a new high school in Ml. Pleasant. According to a time frame outlined by Supt. Harold Johnson, the new middle school should be completed in 1982 followed by completion of a high school in 1983. The board did not set an amount for the bond, but said it would make that determination following a report on the district's financial condition at a special meeting set for March 13. Meetings set Beginning with a meeting in Spring next Tuesday, March 4, the board hold meetings in each of the districts communities to explain the middle school proposal and other building plans. Indications were that at the March 13 meeting the board would also make a decision concerning an earlier proposal to move the ninth grade into the high school next year, The board said it wanted community t input from the coming meetings before making the decision. All meetings will begin at 7:30 p.m. and are scheduled in the following communities: Wednesday, March 5 in Fountain Green; Thursday, March 6 in Moroni; Tuesday, March 11 in Fairview and Wednesday, March 12 in Mt. Pleasant. Another round of community meetings will follow to explain the City will The North Sanpete Board of Education listened to a recommendation from Elliot Lund, chairman of the physical facilities committee concerning the needs and conditions of district schools. The board plans to ask the set for May 6. Comset to the issues with the air been have munity meetings patrons. patrons to support a bond election March 25 Election date set for utility needs electricity would keep pace just under the projected costs of Utah Power and Light charge. The costs of electrical energy is fast approaching the projected 30 mils and the 35 mils figure has been considered. "If we sit back and do nothing, the Mayor said, we will be forced to take the raises that other suppliers of electricity choose to price it to the By Evelyn McNeill -- of Ephraim Bureau Correspondent "rThe "Ephraim ' City EPHRAIM Council at their February 20 meeting passed a resolution calling for a special bond election to be held March 25 for the purpose of approving the issuance of up to $2,950,000 in electrical power and water revenue bonds. The estimates of cost from the time the Council first began looking at the project have steadily increased from the original engineers estimate less than a month ago of $2,845,500 to the - current amount City. If, on the other, hand, the bond issue is passed by the electorate, Ephraim can supply part of its own electricity and be in more control of its energy future the Council was told. Because the first five years of payments due and revenue generated are the critical risks, the Council was told it had to balance these risks against the possibility of reduction of insurance rates because of the improvement of the size in water mains and the placement of adequate fire hydrants in the City and against what it will actually cost the citizens for purchase of electric power if they must buy all their needs upon the open market. Councilman Don Thompson asked the . Council to be fiscally responsible and look at some possible alternatives (a) leave out the downtown portion of the project, (b) do the Birch and Maple Spring development with City personnel and volunteers or (c) get private bidders who would come under the Salt Lake City Contractors prices which of $2,950,000. Delay in the acquisition and construction of this project will have a harmful effect on its economic feasibility, Mark A. Peterson of the Region West Associates, consultant to the CUR1C said. The Ephraim project has received a tentative commitment of financial assistance from the Division of Water Resources for a 5 percent interest loan for 30 years of $1,300,000 and from the Four Corners Regional Commission an outright grant of $200,000. The balance of the financing would be by a bond issue through CURIC. There is always a possibility that the funds from government sources will not materialize in the amounts of the anticipated commitment and the Region West Associates points out again that Ephraim could support this project on its own. This would mean that the cost Citizens give views on proposed city park By Katy Parnell Pyramid Staff Writer SPRING CITY Past attempts at - getting a city park in Spring City and possible plans for a park to be built on the south end of town were discussed by Mayor Glen Osborne and the city council on February 21. The town has attempted twice before to get federal funding for parks. The first attempt, two years ago, failed because the city did not own the park adjacent to the church and the government would not consider funding to improve it. Last year application was submitted to build a new park consisting of a ball park, bleacher and lights, Equestrian facilities, tennis courts, picnic grounds and restrooms on 13 acres of land South of town. The town meeting last Thursday was called to feel out public opinion on resubmitting a proposal for a new park. Mayor Osborne explained that the grant from the government would be with the government putting up money and the city expected to provide their half in the form of donated labor, equipment, machinery, etc. The town also has the option of selling their ground behind the school to help finance the project. Mayor Osborne further pledged part of his salary as mayor toward financing the proposed park for as long as he holds office. City officials said there are multiple 50-5- ' options in connection with the park. It could be open to other communities at no charge (with the exception of the tickets could be equestrian facilities charged for use of arena etc. to help pay for and maintain the park, the land could be bought now and the park phased out over a number of years; Horseshoe Irrigation water could be used as some of the land being considered has shares of Water that could be bought and the city owns some shares; or Maintenance of the park could be done with CETA funds, profit- -' sharing revenue or Manpower. City residents comments were that the city should get the land while it is still available, best location for a park, providing playground opportunities for the children of the town, that money could be better spent fixing roads and existing facilities in town upgrading the existing ballpark and park instead, and a park is needed to keep people at home. One of the main concerns of the citizens seemed to be how much each would be assessed. The majority of those attending thought that the council should buy the Jand while it is available and resell itifthe park is not built. It was decided that an election would be necessary although some concern was expressed that many people might not vote or vote no because so few were concerned enough to attend the meeting and hear all the facts. were used in the engineer's estimates. Keeping the entire project intact the Mayor said would put a constraint on us to do all the project for the amount of the bond issue rather than exclude the $200,000 for the downtown portion." Councilman Keith Keisel, Don Thompson and Leon Olson voted to place the issue before the voters. Councilman Roy Reid and Gwen Jacobson were absent but both had previously expressed confidence in the proposition. In other matters, upon the advice of City Attorney, Paul Frischknecht, the Council agreed to meet the requirements of the May 1, 1979 State of Utah annexation law. The most recent annexation, which involves property at the southern end of Ephraim City, was concluded under a prior law. To avoid the possibility of any future litigation, the Council agreed to bring this annexation in under the new law and place legal advertisement in newspapers and hold another public meeting. Also, Mayor Halbert Jensen reported that he had successfully negotiated the purchase of property at the northeast comer of the gravel pit for the substation. For $2,500 an acre 5 acres were secured from Nellie Doke and acres from Alma and Pearl Larsen for a total expenditure of $14,575.00. The City will fix the fences on the boundary lines and make a 70-f-t. road, move some poles out of the lines, and replace the fences. The council also heard that the Irrigation Company had authorized Lorin Hunt of the Soil Conservation Service to make a preliminary report of the irrigation delivery system within the City. This system includes both City irrigation water system and the field ditches within the City limits. Since improvements contemplated will not see fruition this year joint planning for dredging the ditches and keeping personnel on the scene during the high runoff period, was discussed. bonding program to the districts patrons. Critical need of buildings Stating that present and future growth plans put the district in critical need of buildings, Elliot Lund, Chairman of the physical facilities committee told the board their first priority was to alter the junior high program to adapt the concepts of the middle school. mittee which included Ralph Cook, Marsha Buttars, LaMont Blackham and Mike Ferguson reviewed each of the district's buildings before making the recommendations. The district presently has a new elementary school under construction which will house 300 students and has new additions being built on both Mt. Pleasant and Moroni Elementary schools. However, the committee noted that within five years the district may have to add an addition to the Fairview grade to attend this school with a 5th grade wing resulting in little additional cost. "The impact on the growth in the elementary schools would have long range implication," Lund said and would alleviate over crowding in the elementary schools for several years to come." In his presentation Lund referred to a report by the state building board which ranked all schools in the state according to specified criteria as to their useability and need for replacement. Building ratings listed On a scale from one to 698 (best to worst) the districts schools were rated as follows: North Sanpete Junior High main building 595, gym 375 and white building 646; North Sanpete High School, main building 596; gym 376 and shop building 617; Mt. Pleasant Elementary 243; Moroni Elementary, 244 (Both elementaries were constructed in 1962 and are the districts newest) present Fairview Elementary 642; Spring City, 675 and Fountain Green was not in use at time of rating. Enrollment figures show that all schools are nearing or rapidly exceeding their capacity. At the junior high which is expected to have 360 students next year the enrollment is 316 with a student capacity of 326; and the high school has an enrollment of 307 students with a capacity of 327. school. The board plans to have the school in operation next fall. However, the district said it would retain the old Fairview school to handle possible overflow. If patrons give their approval to the middle school concept, students in grades six through eight from all of the district's communities would attend the school in Moroni. May move fifth grades The recommendation also included a proposal to consider moving the fifth grade at a later date should the growth impact on the elementary level warrant a change. The report noted that with the construction of a new middle school in Moroni, plans could be made for the 5th Mt. . Pleasant Elementary which is getting by with modular units has an enrollment of 370 students with a capacity of 346; Moroni Elementary has an enrollment of 246 with a capacity Continued to page 4 Don Chin to accept Academy helm The Rev. Dr. PLEASANT Carroll L. Shuster, Chairman of the Wasatch Academy Board of Trustees, announced today that Don Chin, Principal of Wasatch Academy, will become the schools Headmaster when Roger Hansen retires as President on . June 30, 1981. Mr. Chin, a member of the Academy faculty for the past eighteen years, has served as a teacher and as Dean of Students before being appointed to his present position as Principal in 1978. Planning lor .the changeover Jn administration of the Academy has been in progress for several months, according to Dr. Shuster. He stated that a review by the Trustees of the schools goals and objectives was followed by the development of an administrative design, an institutional description, position description, and person description. Speaking for the Search Committee, Dr. Stanley Gill, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Colorado and a 1947 Wasatch graduate, said, "Mr. Chin fits the qualifications of the person we are seeking for this position, and we know far more about him than we could learn about an unfamiliar candidate, even with the help of voluminous references aqd personal interviews. We are confident that he is the right person for the job. Mr. Chin has ar. B.A. degree from Westminster College, and has done graduate work at the University of Nebraska, San Francisco State College, San Francisco Theological Seminary, The University of Kansas, and The University of Utah. Before coming to the Academy he taught for a year at Mary Holmes Junior College in West Point, Mississippi. Mr. Chin, a member of the Mount Pleasant City Council, is married to the former Maye Woon. The Chins have two daughters. All not lost should irrigation plan fail "While we would hope FAIRVIEW the irrigation system plan for Fairview City would be ready to go this year because of the water 'to be saved, the conclusion that if it does not pass, the interest-fre- e money will be lost is an erroneous one, a Division of Water Resources spokesman said this week. "The money comes from a revolving fund which has been in existence for 30 years and the DWR foresees no possibility of there being a change in the interest-fre- e loans," he said. They are expected to be available on the same basis in the future as they have in the past. The spokesman said the reason the project was not started in Fairview last year was because the design was not 0 completed and Don Chin Due to good weather condltloni last fall, construction on the new Fairview Elementary School Is well underway. However, unless answers are found to develop a water line and roadways to the site, school may not open In the new depleted for the DWR 1979-8- 0 funds were fiscal year. The designs for the project are now essentially finished the spokesman said and DWR expects that the Cottonwood-Gooseberr- y Irrigation Company will make application when new money is available at the beginning of the fiscal year starting July 1, 1980 he said. The proposed $400,000 project has sparked controversy tomorrow, February among shareholders, especially the plan for charging on a 50 percent hookup and 50 percent share basis hookup instead of on a share basis. Shareholders in the company are to return their ballots to the company 29. Some shareholders gave a voice vote approval at a meeting early in 1979 for the company to go ahead to see if they could get the funds, but this will be the first official ballot taken on the matter. building next fall. The city and board are at issue as to how the projects are to be funded. The new $1.5 million facility is located at 600 East and 150 North. Boundaries are in the city and county. i |