Show ' 1 "S t Sunday March - 32002 i A4 The Herald Journal — Our view Don't let loose ends unravel downtown plans kauLOJotimt hotel in downtown Logan would certainly create the opportunity for that W ho isn’t charmed by Downtown Logan? Whether it is the Tabernacle glowing at nighttime against die deep blue moonlit moun- tains or the simple pleasure that sitting at the Bluebird soda fountain brings downtown Logan certainly has its charms So it comes as good news that Logan city and the Thompson administration have targeted downtown revitalization as a key agenda item Let’s look at a few of the key con- cepts in this revitalization plan: Downtown merchants and coun cil members both recognize the need to attract retailers to the area which now seems to be a hodgepodge collection of law offices and title companies The community as a whole has recognized a need for a large conference center which could cater to the many businesses and educational interests which are often forced to head south for larger more adequate facilities There must alsp be incentives to draw these businesses downtown Let’s face it the prime retail real estate is certainly in the north part of Logan It is going to take re&l incentives arid real planning to get a business to take a chance on a downtown which has recently fallen on hard times Foot traffic is necessary for a healthy retail sector Putting something like a conference center and foot traffic Those are the downtown planning strong points However just because the plan has strengths doesn’t mean Logan should rubber stamp any and every revitalization idea Before pushing ahead Logan should consider: e Is a downtown manager a responsible spending tactic especially at a starting budget of $75000 a year? How much would have to be generated in sales tax money just to break even? And would that sales tax money be better spent elsewhere? This position semis to be more of a ' luxury than necessity By making the downtown a redevelopment area the city could exerfull-tim- cise its power of eminent domain This could be a potential legal and public relations nightmare for the city The city should remember that this power should be used sparingly if at all One of the greatest hindrances of shopping or even traveling dow- ntown is the traffic on Main Street Before we begin this massive under- -' taking a feasible traffic solution it needed Nobody wants to shop in a ' place where there are no parking spaces and just getting to a store means fighting traffic jams If we as a cpmmunity aren’t careful a few loose ends could unravel some really great plans It would be much like building a grand mansion right' on top of a fault line ' Olympic memories abound By Bruce Smith —66 w hile the fire is still burning within here are some random thoughts about die Olympic experi- ence from a volunteer at the curling venue in Ogden Contrary to what die many critics of curling think athletes who participate in the sport as well as many ” curling fans have strong feelings that curling competition does belong indie Olympics Curling athletes believe they sacrifice train and work just as hard as any athlete who participates in skiing skating or Like mostother athletes Like in-sta- selves to compete for a medal In the Olympics When they don't win a medal they feel just as bad as any skater or skier who falls short of hisher goal “Education costs money but then so does ignorance" — Sir Claus Moser Iumans have long understood the value of education We have long understood that education is an investment The Greek philosopher Aristotle aigued a couple of millenia sui ago — no doubt to over-work- V ive ' n r kwt bhkoiaceatastmit and Had la spetttyeirs preparing themselves to compete for a medal in die te By Kermif L Hall USU president I ! ath-- years 'preparing them- slid-eve- nts Utah State supports tuition bill most other letes curlers have spent - Soapbox to-- groupbefore he threw the final' stone He missed the shot giving the Norwegians the win The Norwegian skip Said the piece of paper thrown on the ice was probably a factor in their win and they really didn’t like to win that way The Swiss were one of the favorites but the Norwegian men went on to die win die gold versity of Utah the state’s premier Olympics research institutions strongly Sup- When they port this proposal We strongly supdon’t win a port the proposal because we medal they strongly support the dream that feel just as bad medal America promises as apy skater or skier who falls short Volunteers at die curling venue America is a nation of immigrants of hisher goal I saw lots of tears who came to this country to seek a from the Canadian women who were were a dedicated bunch of people better life Access to education has They had to be becaure sometimes it ' favored tq win the gold but were wasn’t easy There was a lot of standprovided the keys that moved many eliminated from the gold medal of them forward away from ing around and standing around is round They were still feeling bad dead-en- d difficult to do when you are used to a jobs Education even after they beat the US women translates into a skilled knowledgework schedule Often for the bronze They had their heart able workforce and citizenry who there were more volunteers than set on gold were actually needed Feeling that contribute to their communities and is that Curling not a sport many their families It is an investment in ' you hadn’t accomplished much when in the United States under- people themselves and for the rest of us it your work shift was finished was stand It’s popular in some northern is an investment in our own lives states North Dakota Minnesota and sometimes difficult to deal with The last weekend of the competiour own neighborhoods Wisconsin The rest of the country I decided that I needed an This proposed legislation is not a tion just doesn’t now anything about the free ride for anyone It asks that 'Olympic experience other than curl- -' game When I interviewed die there new immigrants who have I finished up my work When ' ing “skip” (captain) of the mm’s team shift on Friday Kami and I headed lived in Utah and graduated from from Denmark he was quite disgustaccredited for Salt Lake to see what was haphigh schools be ed with the US crowd when his allowed to continue their education in the city We took the park pening team lost to de US men He said residents in Utah’s colas ride and shuttle from Bountiful as fans don’t understand US thegairv instructed When we got to down- - ' leges and universities: Current law because they cheer when the opposi-town Lake Salt requires them to pay City I could hardly tion makes a bad shot and only in the tuition which averages two to three believe I what saw Thousands of States United do fans cheer for a bad times the cost of tuition This shot He said in Denmark and other people walking the streets speaking added cost is prohibiting manyresi- different languages listening to European countries they only deer dents of our state from getting the bands and enjoying the Olympic when a team makes a gpod shot' education they deserve Simply put When I interviewed the skip from the atmosphere the situation is unfair We wandered into a place where Norwegian team he told me die same Keep in mind too that everyone pins were being traded and Olympic thing and considered US fans bad I sold had no idea that OIyinpic pins including undocumented workers sports In Norway’s match against were such a big deaL We saw booth provides the primary funding for the Swiss someone from die audihigher education in Utah Funding ence threw a piece of paperon die ' after booth of people trading buying for higher education in Utah conies and selling Olympic pins At one pin ice just as the Swiss team member from die General Fund which is booth we heard a guy ask if they had was getting ready to throw the last anymissionary pins The guy behind stone which would have either won See TUITION on A12 or lost the match tbe courtier said they had one and ' The Swiss player low-payi- ng - ' -- fast-pac- ed ed pointed to it When asked how much it cost he was told $25 The customer couldn’t get die $25 out of his pocket fast enough He thought he had found a rare pin and wanted to buy it before anyone else had a chance A few booths’ later Karen and I saw a whole basket foil of missionary pins for $10 each We bought three of them then started looking for the guy who had pud $25 We found him and when he found out he had beat burned we all had a good laugh but he said he wasn’t interested in buying anymore missionary pins On Saturday we decided that we wanted to go to the hockey game At the curling venue and on toe streets of SaR Lake appeared there tverff ‘iri&tfoftiitiktx floatingkrohnd ftit almost all venues so we decided we v would take our chances at the ' ter and buy a ticket from a scalper Sure enough as we drove into die parking lot on Saturday there were lots of tickets for sale We negotiate ' a price with a scalper parked the car and walked to die arena The bronze mpdal hockey game between Russia and Belarus was the highlight of our Olympic experience We’ll talk about it for a long time sve thoroughly enjoyed it The Winter Olympic Games were a lot of fun It’s not often that you have an opportunity to become involved to an event in which the whole world both watches and Being a volunteer in such a huge event provided me with many good memories that I can share with j my family and friends and memories that I will never forget par-ticipa- Bruce Smith is The Herald Joumefr publisher His column appears on the Opinion page every other Sunday He can be reached by at te ting an education is opportunity Presi- dent Bush made just this point recently when he reminded us that : education is key to the economic potential of this nation and it is fundamental to ouf progress as individuals hoping for a better life In this land of equal opportunity for all we constantly strive to spread the wealth the richness that education can bring us : The Utah Legislature is consider-- ! ing a bill this session that would allow the children of undocumented tuition Utah residents to pay te at Utah’s colleges and universities Utah State University and the Uni-’ t ' ' e-m- PwiRuivrfiowsxoni in-st- This column and' other personal columns in Hie Herald out-of-sta- te ( in-sta- te Jour-nalm- : ay express opinions that do not aBgn exactly with e your own If you with a letter to respond ptoMt the editor or contact edHor Charles McCokim about a possttile guest comExt 9020 mentary (Phone: 752-21- ' - 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