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Show night to keep the lobby of the swimming pool open pending recommendations from the citys youth officer. Bud By WANDA LUND - CLEARFIELD City councilmen voted Tuesday DeRyke, and Kay Chandler, incoming city councilman. Their vote came after an extended discussion with two mothers of high school students, who complained about the availability of pinball machines there during MRS. JOY Benson said it is for students to spend their time playing the machines, rather a real temptation than going to class. have known adults who 1 are addicted to pinball machines and other gaming devices," she said. "I think it may tend to attract undesirable elements from other areas. If they should come over there, 1 dont see why we should furnish them recreation. SHE SAID the machines were only supposed to be available during lunch periods, but said there are three lunch times. The machines pay off in replays, she said. A kid that has four or five replays won't go back to class and give them up, she said. MRS. ARDITH My son is very Wilt said, attracted to these (machines), and I imagine many other children are. really agree that they should be closed during 1 school hours and that they should be located a certain ' ii' ... , w''' v a" ' s' ' S'v v ' , ' ' Ss s ' 'V ,s ' , , v school." ' " ' ' W'.-- , ' C. Ross Kearl, superintenof Parks and Recreation, said the problem is a little dent v bit deeper than what was ' ' Vv . sV ' "v,s' s ' ' the away from distance ..S'' - mentioned. HE EXPLAINED that there has been an increasing problem of use of drugs and liquor in the area. We have seen less in the pool area itself, he said. We have been operating the past two weeks at the order of IS IT HAZARDOUS? before. We have the kids high on drugs or alcohol coming into the lobby after being out in the park. ff at least once a week. .IE agree that its hazardous but it has to be our judgment By TOM BUSSELBERG FARMINGTON Parents of youngsters attending South Clearfield Elementary School received another no to requests for busing of students, again, last week, even as they continued their drive before the Davis County Board of Education. SEVERAL PARENTS appeared before the board in Farmington, reaffirming their wish that a bus be provided for students who must walk by two freeway on and The students live east of Interstate 15 at about 1500 East 700 South in Clearfield. District officials and board members have told them funds are not available for busing and that present bus schedules in the area prevent inclusion of youngsters on existing runs. In addition, parents have been informed state funding assistance is available only for elementary school youngsters living more than 1.5 miles from school or secondary youths living two miles away. None of the children involved live the sufficient distance. WE HAVE certainly listened to you s. and wrestled over this problem said Board Pres. Lucile Reading. We recognize the great amount of time and effort put forth. This has not been something weve ignored. We have listened and considered the matter and we will consider it again if necessary. But she asked if there was any change in the situation. When further evidence shows this or any other decision can be improved, of course well change our minds. HOWEVER, THE board saw no reason to change its mind that night. In fact, the mood was hardly amicable as noted by board member Jay Stephens. Were being told by this group that were derelict and not competent to act as board members. I think the way you (parents) interpret things can be one way and ours another. Theres not enough money to bus the kids in every hazardous area in this district. the other board representing North Davis LYNN FORBES, member the city manager (Gayle Starks) with the machines shut down, and we have a greater problem now than The battle continues between the Davis County School Board and some Clearfield parents over safety of their children who must pass two freeway on-oramps on their So far, the School. Clearfield South to Elementary way board has said busing isnt the answer. residents, concurred. I live about a mile away from that area and I travel that area whether its less than I hazardous enough when l2 its mile (for children from school). In our judgment, and based on the limitations we have, we cant bus everyone wed like to. There are many other areas in my judgment that I feel are just as hazardous. Vividly trying to make her point was Mrs. Bill Allen, a resident of the Phyllis subdivision adjacent to the condominiums. Introducing her children to the board she asked, Which one of these children would you want to be next on a death certificate? I FEEL this has become a personal vendetta between the school board and the of parents Clearfield, she said. Seven homes in her subdivision have been occupied with 32 more to be built and additions are planned at Pepper Ridge Apartments and the Sundowner Condominiums, she added. If we dont get the bus now it will be asked for later. I know Davis County has some extracurricular buses and they travel one way seven-nin- e miles to take kids home from football, etc. You ought to cut that extracurricular busing. MR. FORBES told her those buses came under a different system and are not available for use when they would be needed to transport the Clearfield youngsters. Also appearing before the board for another round was Mrs. Trudy Lewis, who has spearheaded the busing campaign. However, she was set to move back to New York later this week. WE ARE here to request the area be by the board along with the parents. We request that you come and walk with our children along the route. Blasting the Tuesday leeway election and the board in general she said, Maybe we need to get back to the basics. Todays educational system needs a tuneup but the Davis County School Board needs an overhaul. The safety and educational needs should be considered first. ITS SHAME this entire matter has become a dirty fight but we will continue to act until we get what we want, she said. A people, WEST POINT has applied for a total of $538,000 to extend an existing sewer collection system to serve approximately 240 acres of land, to 1 recreation, but at budget time we are criticized for supporting a white elephant; because we dont break even. POLICE CHIEF Daren Green said the machines have not presented a problem until they were available during the daytime hours. Mr. Hamblin responded, I think it is the councils decision as to whether we go into a deficit operation in our swimming pool. It is very hard to make ends meet. MR. KEARL said use of drugs at the pool had increased since the machines were shut down. We provide a lot of money to provide safety to and from school, but if there are benefit approximately 296 persons. The application will be submitted to Farmers Home Administration for $418,000, with the additional $120,000 to come from local sources, said Mayor Loy F. Blake. He said approximately 75 families reside in a portion of West Point which is not served by a sewer at the present time. Most of the septic tank systems m use are unsatisfactory because of the high water table, he noted. The Davis County Health Department has refused to issue any further permits for septic tanks because of the possible health hazards. JOHN JANSON, Davis County Planning Department, said Kaysville City is seeking a comprehensive community development block grant totaling $2.2 million. The sum of $1.5 million in federal funds would come from Housing and Urban Development funds if the application MR. JANSON said there is also a possibility of constructing a senior citizensif center m the city hall block three houses on that block can be purchased. It would be necessary to remove at least two of the homes to provide space for the center, he noted, wwl Layton PHONE 376-913- 3 os Published Weekly by am co. John Stable, Jr., Publisher Second Class Postage Paid At Layton, Utah SUBSCRIPTION $4.50 per year rift 0 Omrmm (PwyaM S3 SIS M h Advance) someplace else. students) The chief (Daren Green) has said the real answer is a closed campus, but the school district wont do that. I dont he have a recommendation, said. CHIEF GREEN explained that in a closed campus, students go to school and stay there until school is out, and then they are released. Officer Bud DeRyke said the district provides an alternative high school and a vocational school to take care of students who do not fit into the regular programs. I THINK we are treating the symptoms rather than the I am he said. problem, afraid that what I see up there is going to turn into FARMINGTON - The Davis County Commission has approved hiring of an attorney to assist in mental health sanity hearings. TO BE paid $45 an hour, the must be knowattorney mental health acin ledgeable tivities and was required Approves Attorney after requests were received from judges conducting the hearings, said County Clerk Rodney Walker. The court will appoint an attorney already having someone they feel qualified, he continued, is not- ing the county had previously paid Utah County for such legal services. Hearings will be held at Lakeview Hospital in Bountiful in conjunction with the psychiatric facility opened there earlier this year. COUNTY Commission Secretary Nancy Rice said two-thre- e sanity hearing requests are received each week. And County Auditor Ludeen Gibbons said $5,000 had been set aside for such use with $1,381 utilized as of Oct. 31. WHERE possible those involved will pay their own legal fees, Mr. Walker explained, adding that a change m the Utah code for mental health made the action necessary, tb WE ARE going to have those hardcore kids. The kids are there, and they are more difficult to handle. Chief Green said that truancy is now under the jurisdiction of the schools, but that the schools dont do anything about it except to call the parents. COUNCILMAN Ray Adams I dont know commented, how we are going to take the total think it would the move problem it wont somewhere else worse temptation from students. We as parents have to discipline children so they will go to school and do what is right. Officer DeRyke said youths recognize school officials just as they do police officers, and they disappear when one shows up. considerably something I eliminate it. He said assigning parking spaces in the pool parking lot had eliminated a lot of difficulties and that most of the problems now center in the high school parking lot. I DONT like to place revenues against kids, Mr. If I Kearl commented. the solve would it thought problem (closing the pinball machines), I would be 100 percent for it. I think it is going to move it from the inside of the pool to the outside, and then when the kids come in they are uncontrollable. Our choice is that we operate an open business or we close it. It is impossible to live with it the way it has been the last couple of weeks. We have to have some activities for those children who are always out of school they have to have something to do. We would have to close down the front end operation THEY NEED to learn how proper choices, he said. A lot of times, they make a choice to get it immediate gratification is still their choice to make. Are we talking about the majority or the minority? I questioned Mr. Hamblin. dont know. Sometimes we focus on the problem element, which is ten percent of the population, and you take away something from those who abide by the rules. to make COUNCILMAN Gerald Heaton said it seemed to him that the school and the parents are the keys to the problem. At this point, Mr. Chandler said that he and Officer DeRyke would confer with school representatives and present a report to the council Dec. 11. By TOM BUSSELBERG FARMINGTON A voted leeway tax proposal by the Davis School District was defeated by a wide margin Tuesday night. THE VOTE count was 8,075 against the proposal and only 6,367 in favor, according to School District Clerk Roger Glines. This represents 56 percent of 14,442 voters opposing the tax proposal. We will have to our program, said Mrs. Lucile Reading, School Board president. We are disappointed the proposal did not pass. DAVIS BOARD of Education still has the authority to approve up to 2 mills, but if this is done there will be no state funds, district officials explained. Had the voters approved the districts proposal, however, the state would have provided a large share of matching funds to help the district overcome economical problems caused by a vast reduction in federal funding for Hill Air Force Base B category students, those students who live but whose parents are employed at the northern Utah air base. The school board called the election after it was found the district may lose e upwards of $1 million in federal 874 funds. Those monies are paid districts for providing instruction to students whose parents live or work on federal installations, including Hill AFB. PASSAGE OF the leeway would allow the district to obtain an added $330,000 for each mill, or a maximum of $1.3 million if CoDnimissioin do. ay M T Tais Leeway matching DAVIS NEWS JOURNAL 197 B North Main St., completely (if the pinball machines did not operate). I am not willing to operate with this element there unless we have something for them to mavis Woteirs is approved, with$500,000 to come from the Federal Highand way Administration approximately $235,000 from Kaysville City. The project would include 4th West and from 3rd South to Crestwood Road. them 1 SAID the problem has rehabilitation, housing improvement of water lines and installation of a trunk line and a 15 million gallon water reservoir, plus curb, gutter and sidewalks in an area extending between 4th East and many 1 Federal Aid have filed notifications of intent to apply for federal assistance in community projects. They were among applications approved at a recent meeting of the Davis Council of Governments. of dropouts from school, do not have anything to do. As long as have been in the parks department, six years now, we have hadI problems in the parks, and would say there are 25 to 30 students who dont go to school a full day in the whole year. have no facts to prove that, but I know they are not in school. WHAT I am saying, and dont have any recommendation for the council, is that we either go the whole distance and solve the problem or close the pool operation down and face a $40,000 or $50,000 deficit. He said it might be necessary to increase the rent paid by the Davis School District for use of the pool for swimming classes, in case revenue was cut off from operating machines in the lobby. Neldon COUNCILMAN Hamblin said the pool had been operating for the past six years on a deficit. We rationalize that by saying we are providing Cities Seek Two communities in the north end of Davis County problems in the environment we try to push them (the intensified because the young school hours. all four mills were levied. Initially, however, the bqard said only two mills would be utilized. In addition to funding from Davis tax- payers pocketbooks, a state subsidy would be available for the first two mills. Nearly $500,000 would come from state sources, creating a total of $1.8 million from the first two mills. THE DISTRICT has relied on 874 fundbut the amount has ing for several years, steadily declined from $2.8 million during the school year to an estimated this year. The funds totalled nearly $2.5 million for the last school year. School officials have said they have trimmed budgetary demands to a minimum, with cuts probable with further reduction. 1976-7- 7 $1.8 million for And while voters overwhelmingly approved a $35 million bond election for construction-relateactivities last March, that money cannot be used for maintenance and operation procedures. The two come under separate budgets by d law. MOST OTHER districts along the Wasatch Front have initiated a leeway, including Granite, utilizing seven mills; Jordan, 3.72; Salt Lake City, 5.36; Murray, 5 62 and Ogden 2.01 A recent election to implement a leeway m the Weber School District failed. SOME HAVE said they believe that issue failed because of efforts made by the Utah Taxpayers Association, based in Salt Lake City. That group also opposed passage of the Davis leeway, indicating money lost from 874 sources was gravy. Among their complaints: The increased taxing authority would cost $48 annually for the owner of a $60,000 home. The district has set that figure at about $24-$2- THE UTA said further, The new tax will continue to increase as inflation pushes property values upward. It will be permanent. Once voters approve a voted leeway, they will not have the power to reduce or eliminate it in future years. Davis County School District does not need the additional money. Already, the district spends more per student than any other district of comparable size except Salt Lake City. IN REFUTING that statement state school board figures showed Davis latest year for spending $1,277 m 1977-7which figures are available. That compares to a state average of $1,274. Jordan District stood at $1,179, Granite $1,234. Weber $1,280 and Salt Lake at above' $1,500. |