By Myrna Trantvein
Times-News Correspondent
Neighbors of a proposed youth home for juvenile's who
have been remanded into custody by the court system object
to the location of the home in their neighborhood.
LuWayne Walker, Shauna Johnson, and Doran Kay placed
their names on the agenda for county commission meeting as a
follow-up to a work meeting the commission had with the
citizens on Thursday.
The meeting was not advertised in the newspaper nor
were the proponents of the youth home contacted, a fact to
which they objected. Because of a chance phone call to the
county, said Madolyn Lieb, owner of the home, she and her
legal counsel were on hand at Thursday's meeting.
"We didn't get any formal notice," said Curtis
Hoffman, legal counsel for Journey."
Neil Cook, commissioner, thought commissioners were
responding to the requirements of the law for holding a work
session.
"The meeting was posted," said Cook.
He said posting the meeting on bulletin boards in the
county and city buildings fulfilled the legal responsibility
of the county commission and it was up to interested parties
to call the clerk's office and find out what was
happening.
The press was not informed and, in the future, it will
be up to the press to call and find out what is going
on.
"We cannot make an exception for the press," said
Cook.
Johnson said the citizens near the facility had
requested the special work session to present their concerns
to the commission.
"There is a big group here," said Cook. "Do you have
new information to share?"
Walker said he, and the others, had placed their names
on the agenda of Tuesday's meeting to find out what the
county had determined. However, since it was a Tuesday, Juab
County Attorney Jared Eldridge was in court and was not in
attendance at the meeting.
Because of the July 4th holiday being recognized
nationally as being observed on Monday, little work had been
done on the issue since the Thursday meeting.
"We asked our legal counsel to find out what our
status is," said Robert Steele, commissioner. "We think it
is the State of Utah which made it possible for these kinds
of institutions to be located in communities and
counties."
"We did ask Juab County Sheriff Alden Orme to check on
the licensing and the standing of the youth home," said
Steele.
Kay said his comments would be directed to Eldridge.
He wanted to know about the rule of equal disbursement and
thought, personally, since Mona had a youth home already
that the community should not be required to have two such
facilities.
Jim Anderson, of Remax Preferred Broker and the
realtor for Lieb, said he would dispute the comment that
property values would decrease because of the youth
home.
A home for sale near the other boy's institution
located near Mona was is disrepair and had been expected to
be sold for quite a bit under value. Nevertheless, the bids
coming in were all for substantially more.
He said the property values of those residences around
the Youth Corrections Center had never been hurt.
Lisa Lance said her home is located right across the
street and the home had been up for sale since January. When
potential buyers found out about the home, they were no
longer interested.
"Liquidity is a problem," she said.
Lieb said that the facility she is proposing is a home
for kids and the program is administered through the Nebo
School District. The juveniles will be in the program for 45
days and then will go back to their own communities.
"They will not leave the home," she said.
Lieb said that she was open to suggestion and if
another place, of the required five acres, could be obtained
she would be happy to sell her present property and move the
operation.
Nevertheless, at present, she was under contract to
provide services and needed to open and begin operation.
"I am to the place where I need to work under the
contract," she said.
She had hired and trained her staff and had signed a
contract.
In addition, said Hoffman, the youth facility was
meeting the requirements set forth under the federal fair
housing law. Such facilities were outlined so that early
intervention would help turn young law breakers around and
make them productive citizens.
"The Assent Boy's Home, which came into the county in
the 1990s, had not been a good thing", said Walker.
"We are inundated with crime," he said. "We can't take
any more."
He said there had been a marked increase in
burglaries, in break-ins, in car thefts, and other crimes of
that nature since the Assent program had come to the
county.
Since Mona was the nearest neighbor of the home, they
bore the brunt of the crimes.
"What happened in Cedar City we don't want to have
happen here," said Wm. Boyd Howarth.
Nevertheless, he said, the commission would need to
abide by the law. Therefore, they needed to find out just
what the law was concerning the youth center and what could
legally be done about it.
"We didn't know there was a problem until you (nearby
residents of the home) came in," said Cook.
"We need to have a legal reason (for preventing the
youth home) and we cannot do it just on our feelings," said
Steele.
Kay said he wanted the commission to consider all of
the grounds the commission may legally have for denial.
There may be other legalities which the youth center may
need to meet other than those readily apparent.
"We request that you earnestly take our concerns under
consideration," said Kay.
|
