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East transportation corridor not popular in River Heights
By Lindsay Kite
January 27, 2005 | RIVER HEIGHTS -- "We're
a tiny city, but we have all the problems of a big city,"
Treasurer Annette Smith said Tuesday in River Heights'
City Council meeting. The council discussed Logan's
plan for a south-Logan-to-Providence transportation
corridor at 100 East.
Councilwoman Mary Yancey said even though the road
does not belong to River Heights, some residents still
have to use 100 East to get to their homes. She agreed
with the other council members that the corridor may
not be such a welcomed addition.
"Why would River Heights want another main artery
bisecting their town?" Yancey said.
Mayor Vic Jensen said the corridor on 100 East won't
solve the problem of growth the cities are facing and
believes River Heights is going to be pressured to put
a second corridor on 200 East.
"This council has not changed its opinion of the 200
East project. We have made a stand against it because
of environmental problems," he said.
Jensen said he received a call from BioWest, which
is a company hired by Logan to write an environmental
impact statement on the potential transportation corridor,
and the person said they are working on 200 East because
they were told to do so by Logan City.
"100 East is definitely going to go through and make
the curve, but I don't think 200 East will go through,"
Jensen said.
"Not while I'm on the council, it won't," Councilman
Brent Greenghalgh said.
River Heights resident Mike Jablonski said it is not
reasonable for a corridor to be put into place at 200
East because it will not be in compliance with the city's
zoning setback laws. "200 East is narrow for a while,
so the houses on both sides would have to go." He said
the Logan City Council has never taken any action to
put 200 East through, but "the momentum for 100 East
is there. Clearly, that road will be affordable because
Logan has the right of way."
In other business, City Recorder Sheila Lind attended
a meeting of the Bear River Association of Governments,
where it was said that Cache County and surrounding
areas will be voting electronically by 2006. Lind said
simce all the cities can't afford the new voting equipment,
the counties will be required to buy it and then negotiate
a fair price for the cities to pay to use it.
Also discussed was a problem with specific residents
failing to pay overdue water bills, Greenhalgh said.
"Some of the bills are more than $600, so what else
can you do besides just shut it off?" he said.
Lind said she will be drafting a letter informing
the offenders that their bills need to be paid in full
by March 30 or the city will shut off their water. Greenhalgh
said the city may need to get their attention by possibly
charging double for hook-up fees after second or third
infractions.
The Drinking Water Source Protection Plan is now done
and will be in the city office building for public viewing
once it has been approved, Greenhalgh said. It has interesting
information on the city's water source and the three
wells owned by River Heights, though the public will
not be permitted to see the maps of the wells, he said.
"We have to pull the maps out of the plan before the
public can see it so there is no chance the wells can
be targeted for terrorism," Greenhalgh said.
Also discussed were a possible sewer line from 700
South to 800 South that the church and surrounding houses
could hook up to, the increased cost of paying a city
auditor, an 8-foot boundary adjustment on 800 South
and appreciation for the prompt snow removal on last
week's heavy snow days.
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