Sanpete Messenger Gunnison Valley Edition | 2005-03-09 | Page 2

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black A2 Sanpete Messenger-Gunnison Valley Edition Centerfield (Continued from A1) out a deal for the good of both communities. “We will work to share water and sources of funding,” he added. “However, there will be no co-mingling of funds. We are each responsible for our own costs.” The towns have met with representatives of the offices of Sens. Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch, and Rep. Chris Cannon to try to obtain special appropriations. Whatever the solution, it will cost money: a $2.6 million mixing plant for the city’s spring near Mayfield or $5 million for a water treatment plant. The mixing plant would combine water from Centerfield’s and Mayfield’s water sources to make the water acceptable before distribution to the mu- nicipalities. That is why Centerfield needs to increase its water bills, said Hansen. Currently, citizens are charged $13 for 10,000 gallons of water, with an additional $1 per 1,000 for overruns. The average family uses 5,000-6,000 gallons per month. The town is proposing to raise the base rate for up to 5,000 gallons to $18. There would still be a charge of $1 per 1,000 gallons for usage exceeding 5,000 gallons. “We need to find a solution,” Hansen said, “because it’s become a health issue. We can no longer just play around. It’s important, and unfortunately the price tag isn’t getting any cheaper….This meeting is important because we want to explain the situation so people understand.” Centerfield equalizes water, sewer impact fees By C. R. Truitt Staff writer CENTERFIELD—The Centerfield Council voted to even things up. City Recorder, Debbie Hansen, told the council the impact fees were less for subdivisions than single dwellings. She explained that a resident building a home on a single lot pays $1,500 for water and $2,300 for sewer. She continued that a sub-divider only pays $600 for water and $900 for sewer per lot. The council agreed that any home impacts the water and sewer systems the same and should cost the same. The council approved the policy change to be written up. Approval will come later. In other business, the council also considered two business license requests. The council gave Brian Roberts the approval to run a plumbing contractor business from his home. The council also approved a six-month vendor license for Theo Christensen and his wife to set up a temporary roadside canopy stand for their gift shop business until they can find a building to rent. The couple said they had a building in Gunnison but the landlord raised the rent beyond what they could afford. They added they could get a building in Richfield, but wanted to stay in Centerfield where they live. They said the stand would be set up Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and would set up their stand at the swap meet grounds Friday and Saturday. They said the stand would be taken down at night. Council members said they would like to see the couple’s business stay in town. Hansen reminded the council that the next regular meeting to be held March 17 would take place at the elementary school to accommodate a larger group of people for the public hearing on the water project. The time will also be the normal council meeting time of 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 9, 2005 Prison (Continued from A1) nomic benefit to the local area. Clark says running the new facility will require a staff of about 60-80 full-time employees. The bulk of those will be UDC jobs: corrections officers, and clerical and maintenance workers, for example. Also, the South Sanpete School District, which administers the prison’s extensive education programs, would most likely hire additional staff to meet expanded needs. Clark says the local economy could benefit by as much as $3 million annually through salaries and benefits paid to these employees. However, Clark says, staffing the new facility could prove to be difficult. “One thing we’ve found is that in these rural areas it’s difficult to draw professional staff, such as psychologists, psychiatrists, licensed clinical sociologists and doctors. We don’t keep the same doctors around for very long.” Another difficulty the planned expansion might encounter is resistance from local residents. Fresh on the minds of Gunnison citizens is a recent dispute between the state and the city over an overhaul of the city’s sewer system, which was necessary, in large part, due to the demand placed upon the sewer by the prison. The controversy revolved around questions about how much of the project’s cost the state was responsible for. Even though the dispute was mainly between city officials and DFCM—and only indirectly involved CUCF—the prison still reaped a whirlwind of local discontent over the issue. Clark says such an issue shouldn’t emerge in regard to the new expansion. He also says the city knew about the proposed expansion well enough in advance to factor it into the planning of the new sewer system. “The city’s portion of the infrastructure is already in place,” Clark says. Some residents are opposed to any expansion of the prison at all, however, and fear that Gov. Huntsman’s recent proposal to do away with the state prison facility in Draper may mean that the main facility will relocate to Gunnison. UDC public information officer Jack Ford says that won’t be the case. “We’re getting some resistance about [prison] growth in Gunnison, but there are no plans to replace Draper with Gunnison,” Ford says. He says current proposals, which are preliminary at this point, look to Tooele or Juab Counties for a main facility—that is, if the state doesn’t decide to implement a regional prison system. “It definitely won’t be in Sanpete,” Ford says. Clark says officials are hopeful the expansion will begin to house prisoners a year from the start of construction, but he’s not as optimistic. He says projection hinges on a construction timeline he describes as “pretty aggressive.” “I’m not sure that can happen,” he says. “We think January of 2007 is a bit more realistic.” By that time, Clark says, the legislature may have funded another expansion, this time a 192bed secure facility—meaning that the living quarters are more like traditional prison cells rather than the open, dormitory-style housing in the 288-bed unit. Clark says UDC plans to petition the legislature for the secure-unit facility during the 2006 general session. SEAN HALES / MESSENGER PHOTO Off to jail for a good cause David Thompson of the Muscular Dystrophy Association “arrests” Messenger publisher Suzanne Dean. Dean spent three hours Wednesday, March 2 in “jail” at Bare Naked Chicken in Gunnison. From jail, she telephoned the county clerk’s office, Zions Bank, school district offices and her own staff begging for bail money. Ultimately, John Hales, senior reporter, arrived with rescue cash. Jailed with Dean were Stan Simmons of Simmons Hardware in Manti, Peggy Layton of Layton Plumbing, Brian Crosby of Edward Jones, and Bev Armstrong of the Girl Scouts, among others. Sanpete jailbirds raised nearly $4,000 for the cause. Loss (Continued from A1) ward” concept. Whiting says the idea resonated with the team. “They picked up on it. They made commitments to exemplify qualities Nery had.” Whiting says she heard probably 60 different comments about Sanchez, but two that came up most often were that Sanchez was a hard player and that he cared personally about his “football family.” The idea of a team family is something coach Trimble has tried to instill in his players since he took over the program in December. Trimble says that Sanchez had really responded to that idea. “He was embracing the struc- ture of the new coaching staff,” he says, “He was becoming a player that fit in well with being a Badger.” The coach says Sanchez’ loss is especially hard-hitting because of the kind of camaraderie engendered by the team’s family outlook. “Whenever you’re trying to build a family and something like this happens, it’s hard.” Whiting’s pay-it-forward idea had an impact on everyone on the team, even those who were lessacquainted with Nery. Says Trimble, “Some of the guys who didn’t get a chance to know him were saddened because they didn’t have that opportunity.” Sevier Valley Center Custodian H.S. diploma or GED equivalent, experience preferred. Secure and maintain facilities and equipment; keep campus/ building clean; set up/tear down; good communication skills; supervise PT employees; pass FP background check. Requires med-high physical demand. FT w/ benefits position. Salary based on education and experience. Log onto www.snow.edu or contact Lynette Robison, Snow College Richfield Campus, [phone]. EEOE Sanpete News Company, Inc., publishing the GUNNISON VALLEY EDITION Member Utah Press Association Deadlines, Post Office & Contact Information UPS# 232-020 Copyright, Sanpete News Company, Inc.©2004. All rights reserved. Reproduction, re-use, or transmittal of all matter herein is prohibited without prior written permission of the publisher. Published each Wednesday for 75¢ each, $24.00 inside Sanpete County, $27.00 outside Sanpete County, by Sanpete News Company, Inc., 35 S. Main, Manti, Utah 84642 Phone [phone], fax [phone] E-mail publisher at: [e-mail] E-mail sports to: [e-mail] E-mail school items to: [e-mail] E-mail news to: [e-mail] [e-mail] E-mail ads to: Deadline: Thursday, 5 p.m. Manti: 35 S. Main, Hours: M-F, 9 am to 6 pm Periodicals Postage Paid at Manti, Utah 84642, and at additional mailing offices. Remember when you were little, and you saved your pennies? POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Sanpete Messenger, 35 S. Main, Manti, Utah 84642 Editor & Publisher ............................................ Suzanne Dean Associate Publisher ................................................ Lloyd Call Senior Reporter .................................................... Sean Hales Assignment Reporter ........................................... John Hales Office Manager .................................................. Jacque Marsh Administrative Assistant ........................... Lindsay Kogianes Webmaster .................................................... David Armstrong Staff Manti ................................................ Judy Chantry (835-8010) Ftn. Green, Moroni .............................. C. R. Truitt (445-3326) Gunnison ....................................... Darlene Agren (528-3922) Centerfield ........................................ Elva Jensen (528-3382) Axtell ................................................. Audrey Boore (528-3309) Mayfield ............................................ Margaret Amy (528-7076) Spring City ..................................... Holly Nicholes (462-2758) Staff Writers ......................... Erika Johnson, Kathy Eggleston Sports Writers .......................... Doug Johnson, Jeff Ericksen, Craig Cox and Coaches Photographers .......................... Sean Hales, Vern Buchanan, Peter Goss, Russ Beck Columnists .......................... Roger Baker, Corrie Lynn Player Contributing Writers Jana Wahlquist, Karen Buchanan, Anita Lyons. You saw how it all added up. Now, it can add up even faster, with a savings plan that can be tailored specifically to your needs. 528-7221