FUTURE BOYS HOME •
This home on the Goshen Road will be remodeled and
become a boys home. The Mona City Council is not
happy about this fact.
By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
The boy's home in Mona can be built because the owner has
agreed to meet all the restrictions imposed by the city
council&emdash;within the legal rights to make&emdash;and
are even willing to stipulate to a condition that if the
home is to change, for any reason, the city be notified.
Madolyn Liebing, one of the developers of the home, met
with the council to discuss the proposed home called The
Journey: Blazing New Trails, LLC.
Also with her were David Starling, another of the owners,
and their attorney, Steve Quesenberry.
"We know we are over a barrel," said Bryce Lynn, mayor.
"Everything you are doing is a technicality. You are not an
R-1 and I don't care what the law says."
The comment came because Liebing said the 100-year old
single residence home she is purchasing for the boy's home
was being added to, which, technically, leaves it a single
dwelling. Nevertheless, said Lynn, the home is not a single
dwelling the minute it holds 25-plus people.
However, state laws protecting homes for wayward youth
and for the disabled allow such a designation.
Conditions the city would like part of the license are
that a conditional use business license be granted and that
the city be held harmless for fire suppression.
The council also wanted Phil Lowery, city attorney, to
review the license and the conditions.
Allen Pay, city water master, had not signed off on the
requirements nor had he prepared a letter of approval for
the home.
"From Day 1, I pointed out there is a problem with your
proposed connection," said Pay. "I have a genuine concern
bout this city's water system."
Pay said he had even, at his own expense, taken a day off
from his paying job to meet with Liebing's engineer. He
wanted the owner's of the boys' home happy with their
connection but had some doubts they would be.
Nevertheless, the home's owners did have the signature
and a letter of approval for the project from Bruce Hall,
Central Utah Public Health.
"We have all the letters, two times now, and the
signatures," said Liebing.
In addition, she said, Ludlow Engineering, who also serve
as the city's engineering firm, had also signed affirming
the proposal made by Liebing's engineer.
"I went to two who had engineering degrees," she
said.
In addition, said Liebing, she had gone to John
Sutherland, Mona Fire Chief, who told her that, if the city
would not approve his preference, an 8 inch line, then she
would need to go with an alternative method.
Pay said he did not want the responsibility of approving
the boy's home connection to the main culinary line. He
wanted all lines looped to provide better flow and did not
want lines dead-ended.
"I want the meter where it is," said Pay. If the water
line was then a problem the city of Mona would not be
responsible for either maintaining nor improving it.
What the owner of the line, Liebing, then did from her
side of the meter was her problem.
Quinton Kay, council member, said he had originally shot
the grades for the property where the boy's home would be
located and was concerned that the grades for the proposed
septic system were not adequate.
Therefore, he said, he would like Liebing's engineer to
meet with him and show Kay how that would work.
Liebing said she is building a chamber system because
that is the system Bruce Hall approved. She said Hall
contacted the Six County organization and the state
individual over culinary water. Both said the proposed
system would work.
"He said it was feasible," said Liebing. "I don't want to
take another month. "I found Hall to be the most meticulous
person and one who researched the system."
Quesenberry said that the city had been dragging their
collective feet, so to speak, in delaying the business
license of Liebing. The problems the city had with the
project could all be resolved.
For example, the septic system had to be tested before it
could be back-filled. If it failed, then it would need to be
changed until it could pass inspections.
"Other business licenses have been granted much more
quickly," said Quesenberry. "If you deny this license,
within 24 hours we will be up in federal court."
Kay said he was still concerned about the septic system
and did not want to find, down the road, that the nitrates
in the water draining from the area were high. Such a result
would force the community into building a sewer system
something the community could not, at present, afford.
The state drinking water board checks the nitrate levels,
said Kay. "The state could mandate that we build a sewer
system."
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