Headlines Wednesday, May 22, 2013
For entire articles on these stories and more, see our online or print editions
Shortened election filing period begins next month
Recently signed legislation shortened the filing period for candidates running for city office in Utah this municipal election year.
Governor Gary Herbert signed HB403 into law last month, changing the deadline for a person to declare candidacy from June 15 to June 7. Additionally, district clerks must certify candidacy filings by June12.
Citizens seeking to become candidates for office must file a declaration of candidacy in person with their prospective and respective city recorder or town clerk during normal business hours. This year the filing period will run from Monday, June 3 through Friday, June 7.
Candidates must be at least 18 years old and United States citizens to be eligible to file their declaration next month. Additionally, candidates must have been a resident of their municipality for at least 365 consecutive days preceding the election and a registered voter of the municipality. Felony convictions are automatic disqualifications for any citizen desiring to run for office.
Parade of champions
The Box Elder High School girls’ golf team makes a triumphant entrance to the school’s football field last Thursday, where they were honored by some of their fellow students for winning the 4A state golf tournament. The girls were paraded around town on a fire truck before presenting the championship trophy to the school at the ceremony. It was the school’s first state title since 2010. For complete story, see page 11.
Task Force:
Academy Square,
hotel have potential as long as city follows recommendations
An ad hoc citizen task force believes the Academy Square and downtown hotel project has great potential for Brigham City and could be of great economic benefit for the city—if their recommendations are followed.
The task force, charged with studying and reviewing information pertaining to the overall project, made their recommendations to the Brigham City Council last week. Their conclusions were set in an eight-point recommendation from the whole of the committee which also included additional anonymous input from the members of the task force.
“This task force took this very seriously,” said Steve Vincent, chair of the task force, who personally thanked the other members for their diligent efforts.
Vincent, a bank executive, said Main Streets across the country are experiencing difficulties as “big box” stores on the outskirts of town begin to replace hometown shops and stores. Several members of the task force noted how the project might revitalize downtown Brigham City.
Proposed bicyclist welcome kiosk sparks lively discussion in BC council meeting
Bike racks and fast food restaurant restrooms may be more suitable for one Brigham City councilmember, as far as welcoming bicyclists goes, but the Brigham City Bicycle Committee had other ideas in mind during a presentation to the city council last week.The bicycle committee commissioned initial drawings to be drafted showing a proposed welcome center which would be geared to cyclists traveling in the area. The center would include restrooms, a fountain to refill water bottles, benches and kiosks filled with maps of trails and activities locally. The center would be located near 1100 South and Main Street, hand-railing the golf course’s property line and situated very near a city emergency water retention basin.
“The welcome center is not intended to duplicate or take the place of the tourist information center located out on I-15. It was intended to say to passing cyclists, ‘Welcome to Brigham. Stop and refresh yourself before continuing on your journey. We like you,’” said Jack Leavitt, chair of the bicycle committee.
The small kiosk, Leavitt said, would include information that cyclists would find pertinent, such as the safe routes through town via the new bike lanes, maps of the new mountain bike trails near Mantua and where the bike shops are located.
Councilwoman Ruth Jensen suggested putting bike racks outside of Burger King and offering the restaurant’s restroom facilities, adding that this might also draw cyclists into buying salads and other food during their stop in town.
News Briefs
Pool will open on schedule after repairs
The Brigham City Council approved revised portions of the 2012-2013 budget last week to include much needed emergency repairs and improvements to the Brigham City pool so that it could open on schedule.
Earlier this spring, city employees noticed the winter cover sagging and discovered the water level was lower than the winter level should be. They refilled the pool and found that it was losing water, as much as 42,000 gallons per day of the 675,000 gallon capacity.
The pool was drained and damaged expansion joints were repaired with silicone over urethane-based sealant to better seal the pool. City employees reviewed and tested all of the pool systems and brought in a pool engineer to diagnose the issues that they had experienced.
The engineer concluded that there was no evidence of any damage that would indicate structural failures in the future. He indicated that all pools leak, to some extent, and was certain that the secondary drain beneath the pool was sound and operating efficiently.
With heaters on and water levels holding, the pool will open for the Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 25, and Monday, May 27, from 12 p.m. until 8 p.m. and will open for the summer season on June 1.
Senior Center receives Select Health grant
Representatives from Brigham City Senior Center and the Recreation Department attended Select Health’s Select 25 awards banquet in Salt Lake City earlier this month and accepted a $2,500 grant on behalf of the Senior Center and Recreation Department’s pickle ball program.
Brigham City Council approved the money to be used to purchase pickle ball equipment to be used at the Senior Center as well as to defray some of the costs associated with the building of new pickle ball courts at Rees-Pioneer Park.
The Senior Center notes that pickle ball—a sport, they say anyone can play and is among the fastest growing in the nation—is a great activity for active seniors as it is a low-impact sport but still offers a great workout.
Fence blocks entry to campuses, driver license division building on 1100 South
If you’ve attempted to visit the USU Brigham City or Bridgerland Applied Technology Center campuses, or the driver license division from 1100 South, you’ve noticed a chain link fence spanning the parking lot from east to west and prohibiting entry through the major thoroughfare.
Patrons to the area were able to access the campuses and other state offices by way of 1100 South before a 50-year lease option expired earlier this year and was not extended. After the lease expired, said Chuck Vesco, one of the property owners, the state continued to use the parking area without paying rent.
USU Brigham City officials have said the rent option was too high and instead the state opted to install a fence spanning the length of the property. Utah’s realty manager did not immediately respond for comment.
The fence blocks a third of the parking lot and the campuses can only be accessed by Highway 89 or the west end of the site.
The Vesco property on the corner of 1100 South and Highway 89, is currently available for rent or lease. Vesco hopes that a retail establishment will go in and help to increase the tax base in that area.
