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Show A quarterly publication serving communities on the west side of Salt Lake City ; Issue No. 11 SPRING 2004 After a Year in Iraq, Soldier Comes Home to Family © Understandably, they were overjoyed and relieved with his safe return on March 13. The Sunday after Sam Jr. arrived home, his wife Cathie stood up in church to publicly thank the members of the congregation for their prayers and support during the past year. : For most of Salt Lake City’s residents, the war in Iraq ended in May of 2003 and seems very distant to their everyday lives. For the Smiths, however, the military presence in Iraq is very real. “I feel [that] our nation has forgotten our soldiers in Iraq since the war was declared over,” Cathie says, “But there are bombings almost every day.” Sam Smith Jr. served with five other members of the 172nd Shortly after returning from the war in Iraq, Sam Smith with his family in Poplar Grove, including his two children Photo by Charlotte ae eeeeeon have been taken down with By Edie Trimmer safe return of their son Smith This article is a follow interview published Summer ae issue of View. The yellow ribbons marked Sam Sr. and up of an in the The West that once Catherine Smith’s house in Poplar Grove Jr. Like many enjoys a traditional | Sunday Mary and Nathan. the Sam dinner throughout Salt Lake City, the Smiths displayed the ribbons in a symbolic tribute to the service that their loved one gave in the war against Iraq. Sam Jr, served in the Army in Iraq for a year and two months. February 2003. His parents, Sam Sr. and Catherine, his wife, safety while he was gone. It has been a difficult year for them. take out letters, were often attacked by insurgents. In addition, e-mail messages could be intercepted, preventing open discussion about what was happen- ing in soldier’s lives. Some family members to speak have been reluctant out on a number war. Balad, all part of the dangerous Sunni Triangle. Cathie hopes the but was extended 172nd Medical Logistics unit in news from him. Convoys, which just before coming home. Before that, he served in Mosul and very much and worried about his families telephone calls, e-mails and letters. Cathie says she had two or three contacts with her husband in a week and then they would go for more than a week with no issues and concerns Cathie, and their two children, Nathan and Mary, missed Sam Jr. Colorado along with others in his because of the erratic delivery of at Baghdad International Airport sacrifices by her family and others, (some of whom have lost loved ones), will be worth it, but she knows a military presence will be necessary for some time to come. Sam Jr.’s period of service was supposed to be six months, He left his home for Fort Carson, Iraq will probably serve re to 24 months in the “war zone’. This presents serious problems in recruiting young soldiers and reservists. Knowing that Sam Jr. was in danger was made more difficult year. Those replace the to more than a soldiers who of about the Sam Sr., a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, listened to the interview with Cathie. He straightens up abruptly with some irritation. “How can the families speak out of when these soldiers our elected politicians and the news media not?” he asks. “Families are afraid to speak out because they are afraid that harm might come to those they love.” do will 150,000 soldiers in- See Sam on page 2 Most Residents View Jordan River Parkway Trail aS Valuable Asset — By Charlotte Fife-Jepperson How do west side residents regard the Jordan River Parkway Trail? Do they worry that they are more likely to become victims of burglary or vandalism because of the trail? Or do they think that the presence of the trail actually increases their property values and enhances their quality of life? | In his study, based on a simi- lar study conducted in Seattle, Phillips found that overall, the Jordan River Parkway Trail has a positive effect on perceived prop- erty values and public safety of New Dental Program page ¢ to determine other volunteers walked door to door, delivering surveys to residents living near the Jordan River between 1000 North and 1700 South. They also interviewed local police officers and conducted telephone interviews with real estate agents who buy and sell homes in the Salt Lake City area. Of the 396 households surveyed, I5 percent of residents whether crime and lowered property values are actual concerns, - proponents of the Sugarhouse trail systems decided to conduct .a survey of residents who currently live near an existing trail corridor on the west side of Salt Lake City. From November 2002 to January 2003, Phillips and a few experienced some type of theft by “illegitimate” trail users or people who use the trail as an access and/or escape route for illegal activity. Only 16 percent have had problems. with vandalism. Less than 5 percent of residents who live within a oneblock radius of the trail reported Sugarhouse trail. expressed concern over new proposals for public open space and the development of trails in their own neighborhood. Some worried that the proposed trails might increase crime and reduce their property values. In= = Sresponse. Sugarhouse These were some of the questions that Salt Lake City Planning Division intern Alex. Phillips set out to find answers to last winter. residents who live near the The need for the study came about when. property owners in 10. resident and as a method ; tite concerns Miracie Basketball Team page 5 living right next to the trail have Opinion page 6 Jordan River Parkway Trail, as it winds along the river through west side neighborhoods, is treasured by many as a valuable asset to their community. Photo by Charlotte Fife-Jepperson The to have had any crime perpetrat- ed by an illegitimate trail user. More importantly, 90 percent of residents do not want the trail closed and many cited it as one of the reasons they remain in their neighborhood. Community News page 7 Most of the residents surveyed felt that the proximity of the Jordan River Parkway trail has actually increased the value of their homes and has not com- See Trail on page 4 Resources pages =i 1 |