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Show Cyan Magenta Yellow Black 75¢ GUNNISON VALLEY EDITION VOL. 84 NUMBER 6 MANTI, UTAH • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2005 Investigation probes ceiling collapse WEA THER EATHER Wednesday 42/27 Officials focus on the installation rather than design Rain/snow Thursday - 46/28 Cloudy Friday - 46/26 Rain, sleet possible Saturday - 43/22 By John Hales Cloudy Staff writer Last Week’s Weather JOHN HALES / MESSENGER PHOTO EPHRAIM—The cause of a ceiling collapse last week at Snow College’s Eccles Center for the Performing Arts is still unknown, but school officials are not letting the incident get in the way of instruction or events scheduled to take place in the building. Since last Wednesday night, when a decorative structure adorning the ceiling of the lobby crashed to the floor, classes have taken place without a break even as officials have investigated the incident to determine its cause and cost. “We’re trying to make it business as usual,” said Snow President Michael Benson. Rick Pike, director of public relations at the college, echoed the president, saying, “We still believe our key events will go on as planned.” Bradley Winn, provost of the college, said theatre professor Kim Christison was holding a rehearsal for an upcoming production of “The Fantastiks” when he heard the commotion from where he was in the theater. He made the call to 911 after discovering what had happened. Ephraim Police Chief Ron Rasmussen said emergency units investigated and determined that the roof was intact and the structural integrity of the building was sound. More importantly, they found that no one had been hit or trapped by falling debris. “We were very fortunate,” said Winn. “As heavy as that building is used, we’re grateful no one was injured.” The building houses the college’s theater and music departments, and there is rarely a time when the lobby is empty, he explained. “It could have been a lot worse,” said Benson. The structure that fell consisted of metal fram- Debris fills the lobby at the Eccles Center for the Performing Arts at Snow College after the ceiling of the lobby collapsed last Wednesday. Amazingly, no one was injured in the spectacular crash. (See “Collapse” on A2) (Courtesy Ted Olson, Snow College) Date Max. Min. Prec. Snow Feb. 6 40 16 Feb. 7 37 29 Feb. 8 40 18 Feb. 9 42 11 Feb. 10 51 20 Feb. 11 42 27 Feb. 12 44 32 .02 .14 .18 .07 1/2” 2.5” - AT A GLANCE Reception set for juried art show The Central Utah Art Center will host receptions for its first ever professional juried art show this weekend. Receptions will be held Friday and Saturday, Feb. 18 and 19 from 6-9 p.m., and will be open to the public. Refreshments will be served Guests to the reception will be able to view the artwork and visit with artists. On Friday, Snow College professor Libor Ondras will perform with classical music quintet Baroque Consort. Manti asks for meeting on watershed management Manti mayor Kim Anderson recently sent a letter to the Forest Service requesting that the district ranger meet with the city council to discuss concerns about management practices regarding the watershed in Manti Canyon. Anderson expresses that the watershed has deteriorated, and that erosion and dead and dying trees create a dangerous situation. “If the dead forest burns in a wildfire,” Anderson writes, “our town…could be subject to flooding.” Anderson requested that the forest service be prepared to discuss specific actions to improve the Manti watershed. Quote of the Week “It’s a mess over there.” Sanpete districts release Iowa test scores By Geoffrey Pace and Suzanne Dean Staff writers Students in the South Sanpete School District generally scored near or above Utah averages while North Sanpete students generally scored lower than students statewide on the nationally normed Iowa test administered in fall, 2004. However, students in both districts generally scored above the national average. A different national test was used last year than in previous years, and the two tests may not be perfectly Mayfield four-wheelers may not wheel so free By Margaret Amy Staff writer – Snow College President Michael Benson, commenting on the collapse of the Eccles Center drop ceiling INSIDE Letters ............... A4 Lifestyle ............. A5 School ............... A7 Business ............ A9 Sports .............. A10 Classifieds ....... A13 Utah Press Association General Excellence winner 1999 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 comparable. But both districts generally improved their percentile ranking compared to scores on the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) administered in fall, 2003. Although the Iowa Test was given about six months ago, results are just being released. The North Sanpete School Board spent part of its meeting last week discussing the district’s performance, particularly the unexpectedly low elementary school results. (See related story, page A7.) Additional tables are on page A2. Complete results, including results for each school, MAYFIELD—Mayfield may place restrictions on freewheeling four wheelers. The state is requiring the city to establish a route system and develop an ordinance detailing where four wheelers can be ridden. In the Mayfield Town Council meeting on Feb. 9, Councilman John Christensen said UDOT expects to be cooperative with Mayfield. He is also looking into other city ordinances that enforce safety and traffic rules. Mayor Doug Bjerregaard says he doesn’t want to restrict the citizens’ freedom to ride in town, but he is in favor of requiring helmets. Bjerregaard said the city would hold a public hearing before definite steps were taken. The Sanpete County Sheriff’s department will offer a free safety course for riders ages 8-16 in April. The class is required for boys and girls who plan to operate an ATV in Mayfield. Referring to the county/local agreement to form a HazMat team, Councilman Van Malmgren said at this point, there is no alternative: if citizens want anyone to respond to a situation involving hazardous materials, the city has to sign a contract with The Central Utah Regional Hazardous Materials Task Force. The task force will serve the Six County area in dealing with hazardous materials emergencies. The drawback to the program is finding volunteers who are willing to donate time and expenses for training and to enter into a dangerous situation. Max White of White’s Sanitation attended the council meeting to discuss the new garbage pickup contract, effective August 1. Changes in the con(See “Mayfield” on A2) will be posted on the Sanpete Messenger web site, www.sanpetemessenger.com. From the home page, click “education” and then click the link for “Iowa test scores” on the right side of the education page. The state-mandated test was given to all students in the third, fifth, eighth and 11th grades. The test covered reading, language, math, social studies and science. Besides receiving scores on each of the subjects, students received a “core composite” score showing how they did on reading, math and language combined. South Sanpete School District Third Grade Fifth Grade District State District State Reading 65 64 65 63 Language 54 55 61 58 Math 54 57 72 59 Core composite* 60 59 66 59 Social studies 66 65 63 61 Science 71 69 74 69 *Reading, math and language combined Eighth Grade District State 63 62 51 54 61 57 57 57 52 52 66 64 Eleventh Grade District State 54 62 49 56 53 58 52 60 56 56 63 65 North Sanpete School District Third Grade Fifth Grade District State District State Reading 51 64 61 63 Language 45 55 46 58 Math 42 57 61 59 Core composite* 45 59 54 59 Social studies 54 65 54 61 Science 57 69 57 69 *Reading, math and language combined Eighth Grade District State 61 62 50 54 58 57 55 57 53 52 63 64 Eleventh Grade District State 53 62 48 56 47 58 50 60 48 56 53 65 (See “Scores” on A2) CUCF names new warden By John Hales Staff writer GUNNISON—The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) has appointed a new warden at the Central Utah Correctional Facility. UDC Director of Institutional Operations Anabelle Brough announced on Friday, Feb. 11 that former warden Jerry Jorgensen of Gunnison, was stepping down and that Lowell Clark of Manti would replace him. “Warden Jorgensen has served the department and division very well during his tenure at the Central Utah Correctional Facility, and we thank him for his service and dedication,” Brough said. Clark is a 21-year veteran with UDC and has been at the Gunnison facility since it opened in 1990. Brough says of Clark, “Well respected by line staff and administrators, Warden Clark brings with him a great ability to accomplish the goals of the division.” The change comes about a year-and-a-half after Jorgensen was appointed to the prison’s chief post by Brough’s predecessor. Brough characterized the change as a managerial one. “This is absolutely not a disciplinary move,” she said. “It’s just an organizational change to make my division work as successfully as it can.” According to Brough, Jorgensen is taking some time off to consider his choices in the department. “He has options within the department,” she said. “I’ve given him a month to make a decision.” Clark says he doesn’t plan any significant changes under his leadership, but he wants to continue and expand the facility’s education and training programs. Clark says the Gunnison prison is a programming facility, meaning that in addition to simply incarcerating offenders the facility puts them in specific programs designed toward rehabilitation. “Our …objective is to give inmates the tools they need to be successful once they’re out of prison. We do that exceptionally well, but we’re always looking for Lowell Clark an opportunity to expand,” Clark says. The greatest challenge facing the prison right now is gang activity, Clark says. That challenge was illustrated recently in two knifings at the prison that happened within days of each other and resulted in a lockdown at the prison that lasted a week. Both incidents were determined to be gang-related. “It’s a huge problem,” Clark said. (See “Warden” on A2) |
