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Show ;c SPECIAL tofSSS THE 2SF sale pending BIG UP&L Midway explosion a land boom by Sheri Poe Enterprise Staff Writer non-unio- n electricians Recreational property in Midway is going wild. Acreage that five years ing ago sold lor less than $5 ,000 now fetches $25,000 or on its location. from jobs more-depend- Real estate course graduates out there who invested in Midway property several years ago, take heart. You read your books well. Midway real estate is about to explode in speculative buying of recreational property, according to city planners and real estate agents in the area. Property which five years ago sold for less than $5,000 an acre now brings $25,000 or more, depending on whether its served by thermal springs, its location and proximity to the state park and golf course. Brent Hill, owner of a Century 21 real estate franchise in Heber, purchased a parcel in 1973 for $10,000 an acre. Confirmed rumors are that he has a recent offer of $1.8 million for the land. More than five companies have approached me for possible sales, Hill confided. The property is prime because it is bounded by the state park and the golf course. It also has a sewer system and has the potential of being the nearest recreational property to the proposed ski tram in Snake River Canyon. Academy Real Estate owners Blaine and Howard 70-ac- re Walker of Orem have made preliminary arrangements to purchase Hills Midway property, which he owns with partners James Richey and two unnamed California investors. Rumors say potential development there could include a condominium project for seasonal visitors, as well as a resort hotel. The Walkers have put up earnest money on the property, but they and Hill agree the deal is far from being closed. The sale would be for about $1.9 million. Walker refused to comment on the possible purchase, saying, We are not ready to release anything until the deal is dosed. Hill suggested the property might be sold outright or become part of a partnership agreement between he and the Walkers. No hotel chains have been contacted for contracts, Hill said, and whoever ends up developing the property is expected to take advantage of the parcel's 117 degree thermal springs. While recreational property is on a steep upswing in Midway, Hill said other pieces of real estate will probably not enjoy the same appreciation. With a community of only 7,000,' he explained, you cannot expect the property to prosper. However, residential lots are seeing an increase in price.' But recreation seems the primary target of Midway, where the nearby Homestead, combined with the state recreational fadlities, drew more than 800,000 people to the com-merci- al valley last year. Hills property Snake Canyon, where, he said, all systems are 'go for fine recreational development. Just look,' he added, at the Homesteads success and you can see the potential for this area. If the tram is built in Snake River Canyon, the property could be worth even more. process bastardized Mickey Gallivan. Gallivan claims the petition was sub- mitted more out of a developers self interest than interest in preserving the structures. The Scott and Boyd Park buildings, erected at the turn of the century at 164 So. Main, were nominated to the historic register by John Williams, developer of the New York and Shubrick buildings. Gallivan told the Enter-prise Williams reasons for making the nomination were unethical, and while the buildings could deserve national recognition, the ends do not justify the means in nomination. As keeper of the historic sites process, I will not stand to see it bastardized by someone who wants to use the National Register as leverage in a real estate deal. Williams sought the nominations while he held an option to both buildings from Hogle Investment Co. The option expired-unexercised- ' ' ' t s" ' is in the Gallivan wont see historic A petition to place the Scott and Boyd Park buildings on the National Register for historic sites has been denied by state preservation officer -and J - . . bans (See HISTORIC, page 13) Utah Power and Light officials have banned indepen- dent electrical contractors from bidding on at least some of their major projects, the Enterprise has learned. According to UP&L vice president of engineering and construction, Frank Davis, inside pressure from employees who are members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and union-no- n union squabbles at job sites have forced the company to n electrical parban ticipation in some projects. non-unio- Among these projects is the $360,000 Layton Service Center, where Lawrence Construction Co. has been named the low bidder. The project has not been awarded, however. We cannot afford work stoppage in other areas of our Davis explained. business, We had people out for two days when an independent contractor was doing a similar subcontracting job in Price.1 ' Independent electrical subcontractors are outraged by UP&Ls action to eliminate them from the bidding process. (See UP&L BAN, page 10) U r v 'A ! jtf.y . ;;.? i . ' V '.'-.v-- i .i A ., , . ' A ' , tX V ft 6 . s ? , r. . Modular sales booming, ' ; area plants at capacity . by James M. Schutz Enterprise Staff Writer That modular housing may save the housing industry from pricing itself out of existence in coming years is a widely held sentiment here in though local housing costs remain far below national averages. But what is surprising at the present time, is that ' in most areas modular housing is stick more expensive than built homes. Yet despite the price differential, modular home manufacturers are working at full capacity to meet the swelling demand for new homes that literally travel the roads completely built. Utah-ev- en ii H HOMEWARD BOUND: Thousands ofmodu-l- ar homes like this travel the nation j highways every year . While their price usually exceeds VOLUME 7 NUMBER 44 that of a conventional stick built house, many feel modular units will save the industry from pricing itself right out of business . MONDAY, MAY 1, 1978 Boise Cascades business has been so good it will move to a new seven day production schedule by the end of May. The West Jordan plant targets a production rate of 24 homes a week with the new schedule, and for the first five months of 1978, the plant will have produced at a rate of 20 homes a week. That puts total 1978 production at about 1100 homes. Precision Built Homes, an Ogden based manufacturer of modular homes and a major factor in component homes, sold 200 modular homes last year, says Ross Olsen, marketing manager. The firm anticipates more than doubling it$ sales this year. (See MODULAR, page 3) 50 CENTS |