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Wellsville council supports Cache Valley Initiative By
Will Bettmann
The Wellsville City Council voted unanimously last week to support a countywide plan aimed at preserving the quality of life. The council heard a lengthy presentation about the Cache Valley Initiative on Wednesday night. After asking a number of pointed questions of presenter Tom Jensen, general co-chair of the Cache Valley Initiative, the council endorsed the initiative, which targets three areas for improvement: highway corridors, telecommunications and air travel in the valley. In making his presentation, Jensen started off by giving some background information. "I'm not here to tell you what to do," he said. "I'm here to work with you. A lot of us feel that there are community issues such as quality of life in the valley that transcend our individual communities." Despite the nobility of the initiatives' goals, which include enhancing Cache Valley's economic vitality while maintaining its open spaces and quality of life, a few of the council members had serious concerns. Councilman Bradley White expressed concern about how the Wellsville economy would be affected. "Everyone likes the view from Wellsville, the panorama of the valley as you come through Sardine Canyon, but that means that we have no businesses," said White. "We don't have the tax base that some other towns do, and our citizens our coming to us and saying, 'You're taxing us to death.' Is there something in your plan to address that?" In answering that question, Jensen again stressed that he didn't have all the answers, but rather that he was seeking to build a countywide coalition. He added that the Cache Valley Initiative had already collected $900,000 from businesses and individuals who were concerned about the direction in which Cache Valley was headed. He also asked the council to consider the example of North Logan, and consider putting in access roads which would lead to businesses rather than locating businesses directly off U.S. 89. "I try not to go there (North Logan)," Jensen said. "It's too crowded. It's not safe. You can't have a business road and a highway on the same road. It's either 20 miles per hour on the road or 60, but it can't be both." Jay Nielson, Logan community development director, has consulted for the town of Wellsville on growth issues and helped it draft a master plan. He suggested to council members that they should deal with the Cache Valley Initiative by taking a lead role. "If I were you, I wouldn't just agree to be a part of the initiative, I would go to them and say, 'Look at us. Follow our lead.' Wellsville has been one of the most proactive cities in terms of planning our growth," said Nielson. Jenson agreed with that, and praised Mayor Ruth Maughan for her hard work on the issue.
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