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Show arinuu 1521 E 3900 SSte 100 Salt Lake City UT 84124-1550 Guardian of Your Community News SERVING SPANISH FORK ^ L VOL. 4 / NO. 31 SALEM • MAPLETON •WOODLAND HILLS • ELK RIDGE formerly The Spanish Fork News WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2009 Kayla Neves / T7ie Sentinel HONOREES: The Lew and Evelyn Christensen family, above left, were selected as Salem's Family of the Year. Nedra and Shirl Hanks, above right, were named this year's grand marshals. Jen Allen STAPF W R I T E R Every year Salem City hosts the Salem Days Fireside, where they announce the grand marshals for the parade, the Citizen of the Year as well as the Family of the Year. This year's program took place at Salem Hills High School Sunday, Aug. 2. Mayor Layne Henderson conducted the meeting and introduced his council along with the rest of the program. Although the grand marshals had been announced earlier in the week, Shirl and Nedra Hanks were given a plaque to commemorate and thank them for their portion in Salem Days. Shirl said, "I hope we do whatever we can to make Salem Better." The Citizen of the Year Award was presented to Anthony Bowden, who confessed as he walked to the stage that he didn't know he had even been nominated for the award. Bowden is an educator as well as a volunteer in the community. He works hard to help the youth of community because he "... truly believefs] in volunteering for the youth ... it's the good deeds for them that make [Salem] a great place." The last award for the night went to the Lew and Evelyn Christensen family. Lew and Evelyn were both born and raised in Salem and are the proud parents of five sons and many, many grandchildren. The Christensens were awarded the honor because of their dedication to the community and their incredible work ethic, as well as their love of family. In over 50 years of marriage the two have managed to give of themselves through the walking track in town and in other variSee SALEM • A8 CIVIC-MINDED: Lynn Durrant congratulates Salem's Citizen of the Year, Anthony Bowden. Petersons oversee Salem Days Rural residents oppose planned Nebo Corridor Jen Allen STAFF WRITER Neil and Vickie Peterson are long time residents of Salem City. They are the proud parents of five children, 18 grand children and four great-grandchildren. Longtime residents of Salem, they've made the community more than just a home, but a place where extended family and friends can feel welcome and loved. Neil is now retired, but spent years doing upholstery and auto work, along with many other things, while Vickie and her daughter run Sweetbriar Cove Floral. Vickie served on Salem City Council for several years, and Mayor Layne Henderson notes that the Petersons have a genuine love for Salem. This year the Petersons are serving the community as the Salem Days Committee Co-Chairs. Essentially what this means is that they are the ones responsible for the footwork behind all of the events. The Petersons have worked hard to focus on Salem Days, which requires a lot of attention and time. One of their first assignments was organizing the annual Salem Days Fireside. In ad- Jeril Bills STAFF W R I T E R Allen / The Sentinel CO-CHAIRS: Neil and Vickie Peterson head up this year's Salem Days committee. dition, this year they will oversee the baby contest, the talent show, the parade and all of the other events. The Petersons are not the only ones who work hard to contribute to the success of Salem Days, however. The help they receive comes directly from their pool of friends, family and neighbors throughout Salem. Salem Days is more than just a time commit- ment, however. The Petersons have truly invested in their community through the planning of this year's events. Speaking of their hard work and dedication in the planning and execution of Salem Days, Mayor Layne Henderson said, "I don't have to worry about a thing." Vickie and Neil said that their favorite thing about Salem Days is the family and neighborhood bonds that are created. And that's what they've strived to make Salem Days about. The theme this year is "Salem's Got Talent." Under the Petersons' direction, this year promises to be one that will bring families and friends together as they find their community voice through the individual and collective talents in the community. At the request of Eldon Neves, head of Citizens for Rural Utah, the Mountainland Association of Governments held a meeting especially for citizens of Palmyra, Benjamin and Lake Shore at Brockbank Elementary on Tuesday, July 28, regarding a corridor being planned for the area for around the year 2030. The road is being considered as part of the Provo to Nebo Corridor Study, which also involves two other proposed connectors intended to reduce congestion on I15 between Provo and Payson, as well as meet the needs that will exist if population projections for south Utah County come true. (It is estimated that the area's population will swell from some 100,000 now to almost 300,000 in 2040). While two public open houses had been held pre- I viously, not many Benjamin, Lake Shore or Palmyra residents heard about them,partly because one of the means of notification was city newsletters, which residents of rural areas don't receive. Neves wanted residents to know about the road being planned for their area, with the hope that they could collectively band together to stop it. At the meeting, Mountainland representatives explained the purposes and perceived need of the road, as well as details about the road itself. The corridor is currently being planned to run west of I15 at a future interchange south of the current Salem Exit, and head north on the east side of 3200 West toward SR-77, where it would run along the north side toward Springville. The road would cut across Palmyra, Lake Shore and Benjamin. The corridor See RURAL • A8 |
