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SPARCE ATTENDANCE • There were just 22 people in attendance at the city planning commission public hearing designed to take comment on the new general plan for Nephi City.
By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
There were just 22 people in attendance at the city planning commission public hearing designed to take comment on the new general plan for Nephi City.
Hopeful of a larger crowd, the planning commission had scheduled county commission chambers for the meeting rather than using the smaller city council chamber.
Glenn Greenhalgh, city planning commission chairman, introduced members from the consulting firm, CRSA, from Salt Lake City, who will be working to develop a plan to replace the general plan now in use which was adopted in 1996.
Members of the planning commission present were: Greenhalgh, Richard Paxman, Shannon White, Wes Lynn and Wayne Jarrett.
Mark Jones, Nephi City Mayor, and members of the council were also present.
Those from CRSA on hand for the public meeting were: Susie Petheram, Senior Planner and Preservationist; Laura Hanson and Donald Bauku. Maria Vyas, Fehr & Peers Transportation Consultants, was also present.
Fehr & Peers will be consulting with CRSA on transportation planning and traffic engineering services.
CRSA is a design and planning firm, with three offices in Utah and Idaho.
“We were founded in 1975 and are a mid-sized firm,” said Petheram. “We have worked all over the West. Our services include: architecture, planning and urban design, landscape architecture, interior design and LEED consulting.”
“How do you create a great place?” she asked.
She began the presentation in the general meeting with a slide show and then the group was split into two parts to allow for more input from those in attendance.
Also prior to the breakout meeting, all in attendance were given two visioning exercises. One of those consisted of mapping the neighborhood of the person participating.
The participants were asked what the center of their neighborhood was, what the landmarks were, their favorite place, what was missing, what were three things liked, what three things would improve the neighborhood and how big the neighborhood was.
In the general meeting, Petheram said that Utah had a long history of regulated city planning which began in pioneer times.
“The general plan will address the city’s present and future needs,” she said. “The purpose of a plan is to provide for the health, safety and welfare of all citizens of the city.”
The planning process will identify the community’s land use, circulation, environmental, economic, and social goals and policies as they relate to land use and development and will provide citizens with opportunities to participate in the planning and decision-making processes of their communities.
The general plan provides a basis for local government decision-making.
“The last time the city addressed the general plan, they did it in-house,” she said.
Elements of the plan include; land use, transportation systems, open space preservation areas, parks and trails, moderate income housing needs, economic development, agricultural land in the city, design standards and areas that could be annexed into the city in the future.
A survey of residents was taken earlier and is to be used to help in the general plan development.
There will be another public meeting in the future with more feedback from the residents of the community requested at that time, Petheram said.
There will be a draft plan phase one and a draft plan phase two.
“The survey found that people liked the small-town atmosphere,” she said.
Also considered pluses were the lower crime rate, the clean environment and abundant open spaces
Julie Banks, resident, said she had talked to Brad Johnson, Environmental Health Scientist, about hazardous waste and while Nephi was not a big community it was something she thought should be addressed.
Frank Grover, in his breakout session, remarked on several items he thought should be considered. Some of those were a need for skateboard parks and bike riding areas. He did like the gingerbread on homes that made for a unique flavor.
He also mentioned that a large number of people reside in Nephi but travel out of the community for employment.
Randy McKnight, city administrator, said that 40 percent of residents work outside the city.
“I’d like to see the creeks and creek beds preserved,” said Glade Nielson.
Paxman, said he thought the city had lost a lot when they lost the fishery. Approximately $100,000 a year was paid by local taxpayers into CUP and he thought pressure from the city’s elected officials needed to be exercised to regain a fishery.
He suggested that a fishing pond might be built on the south edge of the city-owned ball park on 100 North Street.
Nielson suggested that there should be some trails developed where people could run or walk. The trail could be considered for either east or west of the town. West of the city, he said, was quieter.
McKnight said the city had tried to get funds to create a bike path along 400 East which would connect the two elementary schools. The city failed to obtain the needed funding.
“We have applied for grants,” said Mark Jones, mayor.
However, it might be well to designate a bike path/walking trail. Airport road, was only one-half mile from town. The walkway along Legacy Highway required people to drive and park to walk on the pathway there.
Grover said it would not take much land to create a skateboard park.
“I would rather see a new recreation center,” he said.
He suggested the city, county and school district might cooperate on building a new swimming pool and using the old property for a skateboard park.
Paxman suggested that angle parking on Main Street might make development of historic “downtown” more feasible.
With the new classification of the highway running through town as Main Street, that may be possible.
Lynn said that those who walked in his area, east of Nephi, were fearful of cars approaching. So it was in other areas which made him think that there needed to be a path.
“In town, people need to be educated to use the sidewalks and not the streets to walk along,” said Robert Painter, city council member.
He said it was difficult for him to see why more sidewalks should be built since people refused to walk on the ones that already existed.
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