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Nibley approves park property purchase By
Stefanie Snow NIBLEY -- Ten acres of property on Hollow Road will soon become the property of Nibley City as part of the plan for a future park. The City Council voted unanimously Nov. 7 to approve the purchase after a committee presented its findings on the controversial issue. According to an opinion poll on several proposed plans for a park or other alternative on Hollow Road, 77 percent favored the park. The committee to study the issues surrounding the proposal voted 5-1 for a low-impact park. "I think a lot of people came to vote against the park, but had a vision of riding a horse through the park and changed their minds," said committee member Ryan Hansen. The park has been the source of major conflict since its proposal, with public concern over increased crime, traffic on Hollow Road and noise or light pollution. The well-attended meeting gave the newly-appointed committee an hour to present their findings on those issues to the public and the council, as well as to report on an open house where citizens could study and vote on several alternatives. Kelly Leishman, committee head, said 80 percent of those who voted were residents of Hollow Road, who would be primarily affected by implementation of a park. The committee consists of six Nibley residents who studied different areas of concern, bringing in outside professional advice and measuring public opinion. In the meeting, all members mentioned the difficulty of the task they were asked to perform, given the potential for hurt feelings and neighborly discord. "Friendship should always be stronger than civic or public affairs," said Hansen. Hansen presented five options for consideration, each with a large drawing and a description that included pros and cons. The plans ranged from a simple widening of Hollow Road to create a recreation lane to a full scale, high impact park with soccer and baseball fields and parking for 30-50 cars. One of the plans examined alternative areas that could be used for a park so as to leave Hollow Road alone. Plan No. 3 for a low-impact park allows for a pavilion, children's playground, recreational trail and parking for 10-20 cars. Hansen said the intention of the park would be for educational purposes and for those who want to experience nature. In the poll taken at the open house, 50 percent favored this plan and 76 percent voted for it in a poll at the city hall. The committee looked to other parks in Cache Valley for examples of criminal activity and danger to the community, reporting that most parks averaged about 2-3 crimes a year. The possible formation of a neighborhood watch was suggested as having been successful in other areas. Cathy Duvall, committee member and resident of Hollow Road presented a report on the issue of safety on that road, citing advice from a consultant who worked on road planning in Salt Lake City for the 2002 Olympics. She said his comments suggested that widening the road would encourage faster driving, and a recreational trail would be dangerous on the already narrow road. She said she urges the committee to vote against the park, along with 123 "concerned citizens" who signed a petition stating that the road would be unsafe. Tammy Chidester, a committee member who said she was originally neutral on the subject, suggested several ways the park could be made safe. She said the park would only be open from dawn until dusk, alcohol and motorized vehicles would be prohibited and the canal area would be cleared to make the entire park visible. She also mentioned the option of putting a fence around it, because "kids these days are too lazy to drag their butts over a fence." Councilman Scott Wells made the motion to approve the purchase, suggesting that it be noted that there was no intent to create a park with athletic facilities such as soccer or baseball fields. After some discussion, his motion was seconded by Todd Hansen and unanimously approved by the rest of the council.
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