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Show S o by insurance ntribute to higher premiums, as well as an increased accident rate. Howard Condie, a driver education teacher at Cyprus the past 28 years, expressed further concern about having the classes dropped, pointing out that there is a certain amount of satisfaction derived from seeing former students who have been driving for 25 years without even one citation. Condie explained that the program which began in 1957 consists of four phases, the classroom instruction, the driving range, the exsimulator and perience. When we go to the junior high behind-the-whe- Ray Iriess H riter WEST VALLEY Representatives Granite School District and Rainho Oil squared off before the City Planning Commission here Thurs- of tr.e day At issue is whether a half acre plot land on the southwest corner of 410(1 South and 5600 West should be rezonto ed from or whether or it should be preserved as is so the distrut can continue efforts to acquire the land lor inclusion in the silelm toe new Hunter high school C-- 2 C-- l, Appearing on behalf ol Rainbo Oil, Rand Horiuehi told commissioners tfu.t lL.mbo is trying to acquire the land lroin owners Clarence and Mane Thompson who currently live in Cahtoinia lie said it would be hard to iind a better neighbor than Rainho because the company is committed to building facilities that w ill fit in w ith local communities Anticipating objections from residents concerned about high traffic levels in the vicinity, Horiuehi told cemmi'-sionerthat in the last 10 years, there have been 10 million cars pull into Rainbo statmns in Utah and theie has not been a single accident on Rainbo property, in eluding pedestrian auto accidents s FASCINATION According to nationwide statistics, curiosity about fire is the major cause of juvenile arson. The Juvenile Fire Setters program here attempts to educate youngsters involved in setting fires to prevent repeat occurrances. by two girls playing with But not every kid that sets a fire matches; $20,000 to a home Dec. 18 is a full blown arsonist, noted caused by an boy setting Marcel Chappuis, a psychologist in his mattress afire and $5,000 Dec. 17 the juvenile court system for County set by a teen-ag- e boy using a pro- Mental Health. pane torch to remove stickers from The statistics alone, though, can a bike in a garage. be numbing: "But not every kid that sets a fire America has the highest arson is a full blown arsonist," noted rate in the world, with statistics Marcel Chappuis, a psychologist in quadrupling during the 1970s amd the juvenile court system for County rising to more than 100,000 in 1984. Mental Health. Continued on page 6 . . . Value Of Driver Education In Public Schools Supported Legislators, and the working press, convened Saturday at Cyprus high for a driver education seminar aimed at stressing the importance of keeping the program within the public school system. Sponsored by State Rep. Dan Tuttle of Legislative District 52, the session offered an indepth look at the program as it now stands, plus a glimpse of the future if it should become privatized. Tuttle has a bill now pending (HB.83) in the Utah Legislature asking for a $1 increase in driver training fees in order to keep the program intact. He emphasized that privatization would work a hardship on low income families and co- 25c A l.reen Sheet Staff ... MAGNA. Copy flreen Sheet Publication - Clash Continues Over Comer On 56th West by Ralph H. Goff Green Sheet Staff U riter by LaRee Pehrson Green Sheet Staff H riter Single 15, 1987 Near School Site Juvenile Arson Is Growing Concern - te Thursday, Jan. Volume 32, Number 52 WEST VALLEY. It usually begins with a match - nothing complicated or intricate. The flame eats its way across a piece of paper, the paper begins to crackle and curl and the glow lights a young face. up a face All across America, from big city to small town, fires burn. Some are accidental, some caused by lightning strikes, but many are started on purpose. Arson is the leading crime of violence by children in the United States, according to West Valley Fire Marshal John Blundell. Statistics indicate 40 to 70 percent of all fires in the nation are set This he noted. by juveniles, makes juvenile fire setters the greatest problem currently facing the fire service. For somes examples here in Utah: A fire which destroyed the basement of a Kearns home Friday morning was apparently started by a boy using matches to locate something in a dark closet. The fire caused about $15,000 in structural damage and destroyed contents valued at about $10,000. Two children age 7 and 8 were building a campfire in a hayloft Thursday which destroyed a Sandy barn and 450 bales of hay. The same game was played in at least two other barns that same day, fortunately without fire loss. Three fires started by youths in Granger around Christmas caused an estimated $75,000 in damage in a house fire Dec. 27 ignited v ti ti school to register the kids each year, the first thing they ask is when they can take driver education. We know the importance of the class by the response we get from the kids and their parents, he added. He went on to say there is a $10 fee per student required trom the parents and $60 per student is reimbursed from the driver education fee paid by the public when they register their cars. "We require parent permission slips from every kid that enrolls, Condie continued, and they have to fill out a questionaire as to whether their child is physically fit without heart problems, diabetes, or epilep- skills and we instruct them in both stick and automatic shifting All cars we use on the highways are automatic." Condie said In addition, w'e go over the rules and regulations in the driver's handbook as part of the program and we have them keep a log to see how much it costs to keep a car on the road, nguring insurance, gas, maintenance, licensing, etc " Condie noted that student drivers go over all the rules of the road for Utah and neighboring states to apprise them of the fact that each state has different laws They also have access to a reaction meter that tests their reactions to surprise situations. It was found that girls have quicker reflex actions than their male counterparts. The reaction meter is to demonstrate the importance of keeping a safe driving distance behind other vehicles, as well as to help students compensate if they find they do have a faulty reaction reflex Condie said that to tram a student behind the wheel, it costs approximately $104 85 per student. Private instruction costs between $110 and $155 and they do not have a driving range or a simulator. He added that when the subject of dropping driver education first surfaced, he went down the yellow pages in the telephone book checking various automobile insurance agencies. Since then he has received Continued on page 7. sy. In addition, Condie said that each student is subject to an eye test before being allowed on the road and, in questionable cases, they insist on clearance from the student's private physician. The next step in the program is practice on the driving range located south of Webster school, where 12 cars are operated to teach and parallel parking, angle parking and work on turnabouts. They also go through the weaving course driving backward and forward, two and four-lan- e highway driving, a garage drill and a that teaches the student to look back before putting the car into motion. "We give students four hours on the range teaching them to make right and left turns and other driving In School Strategy Session and autoauto accidents Horiuehi also stated that Rainbo was committed to keeping the area w ell landscaped and maintained A number ot people appeared on behalf of the school district to oppose the rezomng request District official Loren Burton asked the body to keep the property landscaped as a park and indicated that this could be done at school district expense, if necessary He also pointed out that the district is undergoing condemnation proceedings in order to acquire the pioperty and make it part of the high school site Commissioners, however, were advised by city legal counsel that they could not take into account any ot the testimony dealing with eventual acquisition of the property by the school district through condemnation They w ere told they must only consider evidence that dealt with the question ol whether the property should be rezoned commercial and whether it is in the public interest to allow a commercial development on the site School district architect Joe Ruben, using a site plan of the high school to illustrate his points, told the commission that it was his opinion that the land should be kept part of the school site. He also used the argument that the city was requiring the school district to build on the area in such a way that the ball diamonds, which will be in the stfme vicinity as the commercial development, be able to hold a certain amount of runoff water. Keeping the land in its current zone would enable the district to do that. Traffic engineer Jerry Blair of Parson, Brinkerhoff and appearing tor the district, told the commission that his studies of the area and traffic patterns show the 4100 South and 5600 West intersection to be one of the least safe intersections in the West Valley area According to Blair, with the high school being built to hold 2,600 students, about 3,900 vehicles will be going through the intersection each day If a Rainbo station were allowed on the corner, another 1,250 vehicles would be added to the traffic load Nancy Maxwell of the Hunter junior high PTSA also pleaded with the commission not to allow the station near the school, saying she was concerned about the safety hazards posed by a nearby canal that would Continued on page 5 Money Is Councils Behind Sought To Assess Program COG By Community Needs Scott Hill (iieen sheet statt tinlfi bv TAYLORiA 1LLF. Members of the United Association of Community Councils meeting here Thursday night were piesented a program to determine what their communities are concerned about and v hat the citizens expect Horn their local governments Don Larson of f tab St no nicer to the piogran, sity presented members ol UACC, tellim them they can determine what the people want in their comniiimtie end wind their coneenis at a relative:', mi pensive cost Larson explained that the purpoM.-behinthe Utah Community Pro nt gress community needs survey, an extension of Utah Mate University is to provide community councils with an assessment ol the concerns and needs ol citizens Larson said the program consists of a written survey of citizens utilizing volunteers in the community Larson and his students at Utah State then put the results mto a usable format tor government ol ficials ! axH--me- Members ol UACC expressed a desire to utilize Larson's set v ices UACC Also Thursday night members Imld an election ot officers president was .Norman Sims ot the Cottonwood Heights Community Council, vice piesident is David Howick of Kearns the secretary is Clara Fritz uf Taylorsville and treasurer is Vilen Howard of Union The new ofr term ficers will serve lor a Members discussed bills that would affect unincorporated areas ot s,dt Lake County and will be con--ud during the current ssion of ''e U.ih Legislatute 0! particular concern is HB 72 egarding the placement of group homes for the handicapped in local omnnimties Members wanted to make sure that property concerns of citizens where group homes might he placed are represented and expressed ft will be the responsibility ot the lobby group trom the UACC to express these concerns to law makers during the session Salt Lake County fireman paramedic Jack Homen explained to Continued on page 7. one-yea- -- 60 Years Magna Council Marks a Jo McDermaid. elude MAGNA. Members ot the Magna Community Council will observe tin years ot existence Friday during the annual installation and awards ban- quet to be held at the Copper Golf Club. LaRee Pehrson. outgoing piesi dent, said all three County Commission members plan to be there, as well as a representative ol In addition, four of the six living past presidents will be present New officers to be installed m- Ken-necot- Laui presi- dent. Dan Tuttle, vice president, Clifford Beck, treasurer. Beth Archibald. secretary Installation ot the neighborhood representatives who were chosen in November will also be made Included are Nina Zabriskie. Kay Evans. I) Craig Taylor. Chris Eldredge and Marlene Norcross Highlight of the event will be the presentation of a Community Service Award that is given for long meritorious service by Richard R. Adams Green Sheet Staff W riter SOUTH SALT LAKE. Council of Government (COG) members meeting here Thursday agreed to ask their city councils to allocate a percentage of funds available through the Community Development block grant iCDBG) program to build and expand shelters and day care centers for the homeless. COG members would like their cities to donate up to 10 percent of CDBG funds that will be available fiscal year. The lor the 1987-8money would be used to build a day care center and expand existing shelters for families and single women Salt Lake City Mayor Palmer DePduhs asked the council to respond to the tragic homeless problem w hich he said is something the entire valley should De concerned with. DePaulis has organized the Greater Salt Lake Homeless Committee to raise funds for the construction of several homeless facilities in a two-ye"Shelter the Homelsss campaign According to a fact sheet released by the committee, present homeless facilities are temporarily leased, violate fire and safety codes, are inadequate to the numbers being served. are located at great distances from each other, are energy inefficient are are expensive to operate. Alta May LaMar McMillan agree, but said local governments should only commit themselves to donating CDBG funds for one year. "Then we should review the situation again next year and see where we are at, he stressed. Midvale Mayor Everett Dahl said because his city already supports the Family Support Center, he isn't sure how his council will respond to Continued on page 7. 8 ar - Alliance Sets Priorities by Ralph H. Goff Green Sheet Staff U riter GRANITE PARK. Well need at least $25 million just to fund the new students coming in next year, Art Bishop of the State Office of Education told about 40 legislators and educators gathered here Wednesday. Our real concern, though, is to be able to get through the school year were in now. The latest figures show that were $21.1 million in the hole, based on the prior year's budget because of the cuts weve faced thus far, he added. Weve had to get along as best we can, but were facing some real problems now. About 40 people gathered in the Granite district office Wednesday evening to discuss strategies for lobbying the State Legislature concerning school funding for the coming year. The meeting, held under the auspices of the Utah Alliance for - Public gathered priorities is in the best interest of the local school state, its citizens, its economy, its boards, administrators and teachers young people and its future. from both Salt Lake and Tooele Changes are under way in Utah counties, along with members of the schools which are saving taxpayers State School Board, local and state millions of dollars, he asserted. PTA members and a number of These changes are improving the efstate legislators to discuss the cur- ficiency of the states schools and rent crisis in education funding. heightening the performance of its The Alliance is a coalition of key students. Some of the changes he outlined education agencies, including the Utah Congress of Parents and included: Teachers, the Utah School Boards Changes in school building use and construction to accommodate Assn., the Utah Board of Education, the Society of Utah School Utah's growing student enrollment which are saving more than $99 Superintendents, the Utah Education Assn., the Utah Assn, of million, An effective high-tecwriting Elementary School Principals, the Utah School CounselorsVocational program which is producing greater and could Guidance Assn, and the Utah Assn, student performance of Secondary School Principals. ultimately save as much as $21 The Alliance, Bishop told the million each year; Tougher high school graduation group, has established a set of priorities as being essential to an requirements which are producing acceptable school program, and we significantly larger enrollment in are committed to them. It is our mathematics, science and foreign judgment that the language classes, legislature's acceptance of these Continued on page 7. Education, representatives of h e MONEY WORRIES . . . "Our real concern is being able to get through the school year we're in now," Art Bishop of the State Office of Education told educators and legislators from Solt Lake and He outlined Tooele counties Wednesday. legislative priorities which the Utah Alliance for Public Education believes are necessary just to mairtain the existing level of educational commit-mein Utah next yeor. n |