By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Mountainland Head Start, Inc.
would be ideally located if the center would be allowed to
use the old Central Valley Medical Center Clinic.
This is not the newer of the two
clinics located on the old county hospital site, but is the
one attached to the old Central Valley Medical Center. Most
recently, the building was used for physical therapy and for
sonagrams and other similar tests.
Lin Brown, development
coordinator for Mountainland Head Start Inc., is interested
in acquiring a long-term lease from Juab County
Commissioners to remodel and use the building.
"We have the money to remodel the
facility to use for our purposes," said Brown. The funds are
in the form of a grant Head Start has received.
The side property, if used by the
school, would also have to be fenced so the children would
have an outside play area. The fencing project would be part
of the remodeling of the facility for use as a preschool and
would be funded from the grant.
Robert Steele, commissioner, said
he had visited the Head Start classroom at its present
location in Mona Elementary School. The program will need to
vacate the school this coming year.
"I was impressed," said Steele.
"It is a good program."
However, there are some questions
which commissioners will need to get the answer to before
they can lease the building.
One of the questions concerns
zoning. The site, while zoned for a hospital, may not be
zoned for a pre-school.
"I'm certain that it would not be
a problem," said Steele. In most city zones if a hospital
and church are allowed, then a school is also accepted in
the same zone. In fact, he said, an office building is
probably not an allowed use.
One other question the commission
has is a reported desire Nephi City has to acquire the
building for a police department. They are crowded in their
present location at city hall.
"The hospital administration
wants to have a walk-through at the old building prior to
the next commission meeting, March 19, before the building
is turned back to the county," said Wm. Boyd Howarth,
commission chair. "We will need to meet at 8 a.m. because
our commission meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m."
Central Valley Medical Center is
a non-profit organization. The board governing the hospital
has been leasing the old facility, which belongs to the
county, from the county. Now that the new hospital is
finished, the old hospital is no longer needed as a
hospital.
"We will need Bob Day, our
buildings and ground superintendent, to make the tour with
us," said Howarth.
If the former lessees have the
building in the proper condition, he said, the facility will
be turned back to the county.
"We need to decide at our next
meeting what we are going to do with the facility," said
Steele.
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