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Show Utah Press Association 1521 E 3900 SSte 100 Sail Lake City UT 84124-1550 Sports: An athlete and a musician, A 1 2 | Business: La n..i..i.,i,..ii..i.i.u.i...ii.i.i..i.i.ii....,i.i.i.i...ii.i Che SERVING SPANISH FORK Guardian of Your Community News entinel SALEM • MAPLETON -WOODLAND HILLS • ELK RIDGE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2010 VOL. 5 / NO. 1 Pond Monster ayors share vision for 2010 Wayne Andersen Jen Allen STAFF WRITER It's easy enough to see that Mayor G. Wayne Andersen has a lot on his plate as the newest Mayor of Spanish Fork City. But even with current projects and goals, Andersen has a whole other set of ambitious goals for the city's growth and expansion. He is "tickled pink to say the least" about the 1-15 reconstruction project that was recently approved. However, he is quick to note that even with the construction, the city will have to work with Courtesy photo MYSTERY SOLVED: What was originally reported to be an alligator living in Salem Pond turned out to be an unusually large beaver, measuring over four feet in length. Salem police nab big beaver Christy Hardman STAFF W R I T E R In November 2009, Officer Blair Kerby of Salem got a call from a resident to report an alligator sighting in Salem Pond. It turned out not to be an alligator, but an especially large beaver. Kerby said the description of the sighting really fit a small alligator. All they could see was the glittering of the eyes and the wake behind it. Kerby said it came to the pond last year as well, but left again without doing much. By the amount of damage it caused this year, Kerby said it was looking to make the pond its permanent home. "He took out a lot of our young trees, and de-barked four of our big trees, which kills them. He was building his den under the shore line, which causes the shore line to slough off and wrecks the shore line," Kerby said. In the last ten years they've had about seven beavers in the pond, and only one of them caused as much damage as this one. "In the days before we trapped him, he took out about 20 small trees on the east side of the pond, and debarked four of the big trees, which I'll have to repair so they don't die," Kerby said. Kerby said this was the biggest beaver he'd ever seen. "From his nose to the tip of his tail he was about four feet, probably even a tad over that," he said. "We didn't weigh him, but I'd guess he was about 55-60 lbs. He was just huge." Kerby said last year he wasn't nearly so active and left fairly early. This year he said it was apparent he was here to stay. Last year they called in three different trappers to remove the beaver, but none of them was successful. This year Kerby called his nephew, Josie Dewfrup from Pay son. Kerby said together they were finally able to trap the beaver. Kerby said beavers usually come in pairs, but this one was here to stay. "This one was likely an old beaver. He was well into his adulthood. He'd been run off from his den, and not looking for to pick up a mate." Kerby explained that the beavers come up through the waterways from Utah Lake. "Sometimes they stay in the in-between areas and then they don't cause so much damage," Kerby said. Kerby and Dewfrup trapped the beaver just before Thanksgiving, saving Salem Pond and Knoll Park from further damage. "Those little trees were supposed to replace the big ones in a few years, and it really sets us back to lose them," Kerby said. Pavilion rentals now available Jen Allen STAFF W R I T E R Many citizens have noticed construction going on in the North Park project, but many have been unsure about what exactly is being constructed. While some have guessed that the large structure is some type of garage with the rolling doors on the side, others have guessed the building to be for use by the Parks and Rec department only. In truth the new park will have a large pavilion. This structure has been built to have an estimated capacity of around 320 people. The doors on the sides of the pavilion have been constructed so that should rain or wind decide to make an appearance, the reservation and party won't have to be cancelled. Originally modeled after the Mount Timpanogos Park up Provo Canyon, the pavilion features a permanent island with outlets so that any kind of event can take place from weddings to family reunions. The purpose is really to be able to have a venue that can accommodate for inside and Wayne Andersen UDOT and the contractors to make sure that their See SF • A9 Steve Lauritzen Hilarie Orman STAFF WRITER Woodland Hills' mayor elect, Steve Lauritzen, is preparing to take the reins of government. He is starting with an inventory of the state of the city's administration. Acknowledging complaints, he said, "I don't want to shake things up and cause problems, but if changes are necessary, I'll make them. I want to see for myself what's wrong before I step in ... I'll be simplifying things and slightly reducing existing costs." Nonetheless, the addition of a new Steve Lauritzen half-time city employee will result in an overall See WH • A9 Stan Green Lindsay B. Wolsey STAFF W R I T E R After serving on the Salem City Council for several years, Stan Green is as ready for the challenge of being Mayor as he could hope to be. Green was elected Mayor in the last election, replacing outgoing Mayor Lane Henderson. "I wish Mayor Green all the luck in the world," Henderson stated at the last Salem City Council meeting. "Although I can't hand over my keys fast enough." As mayor, Greens big- Stan Green gest concern is the economic stability of Salem. See SALEM • A9 Ken Lutes Marilyn Nielson STAFF W R I T E R Jen Allen / The Sentinel UNDER WAY: The pavilion at the new North Park has an estimated capacity of 320. outside parties. And while the price point hasn't been set yet for the pavilion, discussions are being held by city officials and Parks and Rec Staffers. "We want to keep it affordable so that people can use it," said Parks and Rec Director Dale Robinson. The city is shooting for July 24, 2010 for the park to open officially. With some more hard work and cooperative weather, the deadline should be easily reachable. Even though the North Park complex might not be ready for reservations, the rest of the city's pavilions and parks are. Starting this past Monday, Jan. 4, the Parks and Recreation office started accepting reservations. Any citizen wanting to know about prices, dates and availability can look to the city's website. www.Spanishfork.org/dept/ parkrec will list all pavilions that can be rented along with the prices and available times. Citizens can also call the Parks and Recreation office at 801-804-4600. Ken Lutes, the new mayor of Elk Ridge, says that 2010 should be an exciting year for the community. Growth will, as always, be a factor in Elk Ridge's development, and Lutes also points out that the economy has caused many changes. "With it all, we have many challenges in order to prepare for the days ahead; we will have to make many difficult decisions," Lutes says. To help the city make good decisions that residents are happy with, Ken Lutes Lutes says that he wants to hear from residents See ELK RIDGE • A9 |