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Hyrum council begins preparing for 21st century
By Kathryn
Summers
HYRUM--Hyrum will have a little help moving into the 21st century thanks
to a program the city voted to join at last week's City Council meeting. Bear River Association of Governments (BRAG) serves Box Elder, Cache and Rich counties. It is a voluntary organization of local governments that coordinates federal, state and local programs. To join the 21st Century program, Hyrum needs to fill out an application and send it in, vote to join and send out a press release. The council unanimously voted to join and do these things. Nielson told the council that joining the 21st Century program would help Hyrum earn points needed to qualify for a Community Development Block Grant. Kevan Kennington, principal of Lincoln Elementary, first proposed the idea of applying for the grant at the Oct. 7 council meeting. The application is due Dec. 1. Hyrum will ask for $134,000 for the 2000-01 year. If awarded, the money will be used to buy computers and software to teach English to Spanish-speaking people, and later to teach Spanish to English speakers in the community. The mayor said having a common language is desirable because it will unite the community, and increase participation by community members. Spanish-speaking parents need to learn English so they can read their child's report cards and vote in the city elections. Kennington called the envisioned language learning project a "Family Center." There are seven computers at the elementary school now with English as a Second Language programs, but there is a need for many more. He said they would have a better chance of getting the grant if the city would pledge to fund some of the project. The council unanimously voted to commit $15,000 or in-kind donations to be built into the city budget for the coming year to show support for the grant application. Nielson also works for Neighborhood Nonprofit Housing Corporation, which builds affordable housing. Affordable housing is designated for people who spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Neilson said a family of four with an income of about $32,000 would be classified as low-income and would qualify for affordable housing. Mayor Gordon Olson said Hyrum is required to have affordable housing, but "we're a year behind." BRAG and Nonprofit Housing could help Hyrum get the needed affordable housing. The council voted 4 to 1 to amend the subdivison policy to allow occupancy permits to be issued for completed homes, if the sidewalk in front of the home is completed, accepted, and approved by the city. Council member Larry Gittins didn't think the policy needed to be amended. The previous policy said all sidewalks in a subdivision had to be completed before occupancy permits would be issued. The council also passed a motion requiring replacement of all cracked sidewalks still in their two-year warranty period. The mayor then said the city will have to be tougher about enforcing the sidewalk policy, which requires the concrete to be 6 inches thick and over compacted road-base in driveways, and 4 inches thick everywhere else. In other business the council: --Voted to adopt the Hyrum City Recreational Open Space Master Plan, pending approval by the Planning Commission. --Amended a motion passed at the previous meeting to require a trash bin, covered trailer, or other suitable container for each construction site. --Voted to not pay $12,500 to First Golf. This was the remaining half of the bill for a study done concerning a city golf course. The council maintained the study was poorly done and would be useless for any physical application.
(For more information about the 21st Century Communities Initiative
and BRAG, see the webpages at http://utahreach.usu.edu/comm21/index.htm
and http://www.brag.dst.ut.us/index.htm.) |
Archived Months:
September
1998 |
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