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Show With two important limitations by first, that the state must find a suitable operator for the railroad before the purchase can be made, and, second, if the purchase is not made by December 13, 1986, the money must go back to the General Fund, and will no longer be available for the purchase, Rep. Nielsen explained. pat mellqr The final days of the 1986 State legislative session saw the approval of a funding appropriation of S1.3 million to enable the State of Utah to purchase the defunct Marysvale branch of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, but there are some "ifs" to the approval. According to Representative Ray Nielsen, the appropriation was good news for Sanpete and Sevier with two Counties, tempered conditions. Legislature approves railroad line purchase The rail line has been defunct since 1983, when a mudslide blocked Thistle Canyon in Utah County, just north of Sanpete County. The slide took out Thistle Junction, and subsequent flooding destroyed much of the branch line running and Sevier through Sanpete Counties. up for grabs, and a subsequent decision set $1.3 million as an acceptable purchase price. The State now must select a qualified operator for the line, which has fallen into disrepair in several areas. It is anticipated that the state will receive proposals from prospective short-linoperators which may delete part of the area previously served by rail, or may utilize new sections tied into the old line. The State will have to determine how much of the previous lines service area will be served by the new operators, if any can be found with sufficient capital and experience to assume the operation. e Several legislators voiced objections to the proposal to purchase the rail line, stating they did not want the State in the railroad business. Rep. Nielsen says he agrees with this viewpoint, and also with the legislators' insistence that the state dispose of the railroad as soon as legally possible after its purchase. Two important limitations were placed on the program. They were, A legislative task force headed by former mayor Hal Jensen of Ephraim has worked for the past two years to effect some type of arrangement to restore rail service to the area. A court decision to allow the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad to abandon the line left the branch line THE MANTt MESSENGER (USPSNo 3284 0000) is published weekly for $12 00 per year (In County) ond $14 00 per year by (Outside County) Sanpete . Inc , 35 S Messenger-EnterpriseMain, Manti, Utah 84642 2nd class Utah paid at Mann Send address changes to The Manti Messenger, 35 S Mom Manti, Utah 84642 postage Home of the Mormon Miracle Pageant 1986 July 10, 11, 12, 15-19, POSTMASTER Phone' Volume 100 Number 34 MANTI, UTAH $4442. THURSDAY, MARCH student, faculty member and conductor at the New England Conservatory, where he also received a second master's degree in conducting. He was conductor of the Nashua, New Hampshire Symphony and later appeared as a guest conductor with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Mormon Youth the Symphony performs in the Snow College Activity Center on March 22, Robert C. Bowden will be conducting the orchestra, according to McLoyd Ericksen who is coordinating this activity for Snow College. When While working on his doctorate at the University of Utah, he became assistant conductor of the University of Utah Orchestra, conductor of the Salt Lake City Chamber Orchestra and later served with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as associate conductor. As conductor of the Mormon Youth Symphony and Chorus, Bowden brings an air of excitement each time he stands before the podium, Ericksen said, and his direction brings forth a fresh sound of vitality from the performers. backeducational Bowden's ground includes a bachelor's and master's degree in music from Brigham Young University. He continued his study in Boston as a - Bowden plays the piano and clarinet and performed in the faculty band while an instructor with the U.S. Naval Academy. He formed his own dance band at age 12, which prcopy "3 Mormon Youth Symphony to perform at Snow College BY DORIS LARSEN 30 4, y 4 t continued on into his early 20s. He now conducts a big band and a Dixieland band. Chosen as the director and conductor of the Mormon Youth Symphony and Chorus in 1974, Bowden conducts the group through nearly 20 concerts each year. Under Bowden's direction, the symphony and chorus have participated in a weekly radio broadcast, d performed in the world-renowne- Hollywood Bowl. Ericksen, who is Snows Dean of Instruction and is also executor of the Cultural Arts Committee, which is responsible for bringing cultural events such as this to the Sanpete area, indicated that It will cost Snow considerable money to present this group to Snow's students and the general public, so a modest fee is being charged. Manti Tamplar boskatball tam end coaches are ubtlant over first place win for Region 10 Championship Trophy when Manti narrowly beat Richfield by one point. Pilot not seriously injured in crash head for state meet BY PAT MELLOR The pilot of a single-engin- e Cessna escaped serious injury Sunday night when his plane crashed at the Ephraim-ManAirport shortly after 8 p.m. Pilot William Ford was the lone occupant of the aircraft. He was coming to Ephraim to attend a business meeting at Crystal Specialties. Mr. Ford resides in California. ti & Vv . V.'V. , 2-- A . . T ti Commission faces road problems PAT MELLOR Roads in Sanpete County are bad and are going to get worse, the Sanpete County Commission told representatives of the Utah Farm Bureau Tuesday morning. Local Farm Bureau president Boyd Sunderland said the people complaining to his organization about the condition of Sanpete Countys farm roads failed to show up for the meeting, but said most of the farmers concerns centered around the uncertainty of the county's plans for regular road maintenance. In this weeks paper, there will be a notice, Commission chairman Wendell McGarry said, advising the county residents that we are short on money, and asking them to bear with us (on the road repair issue) for at least this year. We have a master plan for road repair and maintenance, commissioner Keller Christenson assured the farmers, But so far all weve been able to do is put out fires. The roads are graded twice a year, Dr. McGarry assured the Farm Bureau representatives, but when the weather turns bad and farmers haul heavy equipment over the roads and tear them up, "we cant just run team winning on its home court by a slim margin. After a slow start, with the Hawks JENNINGS The long road to the State basketball championship leads to Brigham Young University's Marriott Center Thursday afternoon. r , The pilot said he was approaching the airport and attempted to turn on .. ; a .. m ..1 the runway lights with his radio, but Tho in o Cotsna oscapod sorlous Injury pilot of this slnglo-onglnwas unsuccessful. Apparently the a p poors totally dostroyod. but his crash, piano night pilot made another approach, again Sunday to success attempting without dark. In doing so, he hit a haystack volunteer ambulance service. He activate the runway lights. with a wing tip and spun the plane was treated at that facility and it crashed. released later Sunday night in good and around, As he was approaching from the Ford was transported to the condition. east side, the plane sputtered and then Ford's Cessna suffered extensive Ford of fuel. out ran Sanpete Valley Hospital in Mt. reportedly in the accident. in the the Pleasant Ephraim-Manland the to by damage plane attempted BY BY BRUCE back in and fix it. John Keeler, of the Farm Bureau, advised the commission that the City of Manti is hauling gravel from the west side of the valley and tearing the oiled road to pieces. Thats the way life is. That's what the road is for, Dr. McGarry assured Mr. Keeler. Maybe with all the heavy trucks they have operating, Manti City should be billed for the road repairs," Mr. Keeler suggested. You cant do that," replied commissioner Keller Christenson. "Theyre no more responsible for the use of that road than anyone else. Mr. Keeler then suggested that the county instruct Manti City to haul their gravel by way of Ephraim. Road superintendent Gene Bardsley advised Keeler that this was being done, and Manti City was using caution in their hauling. The problem with the roads, Dr. McGarry observed, is due partly to the shortfall the county has experienced in Federal Emergency Management Agency funding. The county commissioners prepared a budget for this year based on an revenue of about anticipated $278,000 in FEMA flood funding due for the past years flood fight and repairs. To date the county has received $78,000 of that money and has been advised that the remainder may not be forthcoming for another two years. To make up the shortfall in the budget since the FEMA money is stalled, Commissioner McGarry explained, the county has taken money out of the road fund. We are doing all we can, Dr. McGarry stated. Some people just understand the cant or won't countys position." Mr. Keeler then asked if Manti City could be told to postpone hauling gravel until the weather dries out. Dr. McGarry assured Keeler that when the city is through hauling gravel, the county will go back and "throw some gravel" in the areas where the road shows wear and tear. The day of blacktopping is dead, McGarry admitted. We have 600 miles of road and three graders," Commissioner Newt Donaldson explained to the Farm Bureau representatives. One of the Farm Bureau representatives asked if the county road crews would be willing to work longer hours now that the weather is good, if promised compensatory (Continued on Page 2) There two old neighbors and Manti and North perennial rivals will collide once more Sanpete in the for the third time this year state the of opening game tournament. The Manti Templars will compete as Region 10 champs, No. I , because 1 of their defeat of Richfield in the climactic game of the Region 10 52-5- tournament last week. playing a offense, Coach Joe May changed his offense to a more deliberate style that involves more ball movement while waiting for the good shot. The Hawks play smothering defense n defense especially effective in Emerys play in the game. belly-butto- a a tough, that was disrupting consolation In the second lower bracket game Thursday afternoon, Morgan, Region 9s No. 2 team will play Hurricane, Region 10s No. 3. The North Sanpete Hawks, No. 5, will take to the Marriott hardwood as Region 10s consolation winner, after losing to Richfield in the The first night game will have Wasatch, Region 10's No. 1 and San Juan, Region 10s No. 4 playing at opening round of the Region 10 round robin and then winning three straight. In the regular season the Templars and the Hawks split, each And then at 9 another featured game between two teams that have had top billing all season long, Richfield, Region 10s No. 2 team, and Lehi, Region 9's No. 3. 7:30. All Thursday games will be played in the Marriott Center. Thursdays winners will continue the action Friday at Marriott, the losers will move to Pleasant Grove high school. But on Saturday, the concluding three games at 5:30, 7 and 8:30 p.m. will be at the Marriott. Manti and North Sanpete are pretty well known to Region 10 fans. Manti Both are young teams starts three juniors, a sophomore and a senior; North Sanpete, two sophomores, two seniors and a junior. One of the Hawk sophoa is Wade Olsen, mores, of the one guard; seniors, Ken Pay, is the team's leading scorer and rebounder. Lehi is something of an unknown a tall team with the best regular but a season record in Region 9 loser to Wasatch in the regional playoff. And so the state tournament will have two matchups on the first day: Manti vs North Sanpete in the opener; Richfield vs. Lehi in the nightcap. sharp-shootin- g School district budget woes BY BRUCE JENNINGS For the South Sanpete School District, this year's financial pinch could become next year's financial squeeze because of the state's continuing revenue shortfall. That shortfall cost the district about $30,000 this year in the state's contribution to the basic school program. The reduction came late in the school year, after contracts had been signed, and was applied to items like books, supplies and equipment purchases. At its recent budget session, the Legislature made reductions in some programs and provided additional but some of funding for others those increases are more apparent than real. The Legislature increased the amount the state will provide for each weighted Pupil Unit by 2 from the present $1 , 1 80 to percent $1,204 next year. That will bring South Sanpete about $75,000 more in state funds next year to cover the cost of the regular educational program. That additional $75,000, however, wont cover the increase in fixed expenses, Supt. Scott Bean said. He in fixed estimated increases expenses budgetary items like fuel, electricity, supplies, and increases salaries (not salary on based those only generally increment provided in the schedule) will cost $150,000. In other words, the added $75,000 in funds to finance the basic school program will cover only about half the $150,000 increase in fixed costs. "Apparently the only logical solution to this Imbalance in funding is an increase in class size," Superintendent Bean said. The district stands to lose about $35,000 in state school building aid, Superintendent Bean said. This could require an increase in the local mill levy for debt service. The state appropriation for adult education was cut almost in half. South Sanpete has been getting around $10,000 as its share and it has been used to provide an adult high school program for people who had dropped out before getting their diplomas, but now want to complete their high school education. This could reduce our allocation for this purpose by around 50 percent," Superintendent Bean said. Funding for the Career Ladder program was increasingly about half Norman Gov. what Bangcrter from $31.69 recommended million this year to $34.32 million next year. This means that South Sanpete, which got $195,000 in Career Ladder money this year will get $220,000 (Continued on Page 2) |