By Rebecca Dopp
Times-News Correspondent
Just what is the River Rock Academy all about? That is
what the Levan Town Council asked themselves at last month's
meeting when an article was published about the academy in
The Times-News. The council was unaware of the facility
going in in Mills, and was upset over being identified in
the article as giving their support, a move that council
members denied.
After hearing about the misunderstanding, the
architect and the owners of the academy came to this month's
meeting to explain what had happened and to inform the
council of just what was being done at the site.
Gerald Brower of Brower and Associates, an
architectural firm in Orem, apologized for the article and
said that that was their reason for coming to the meeting,
they wanted to explain what they were doing at the proposed
site, and answer any questions.
The River Rock Academy is officially called a
Residential Treatment Facility that houses and teaches kids
who are having problems with their families, or not doing
well in school. Owner William Fleming compared it to the
Aspen Ranch in Loa.
The school would house from 130-160 youth, boys and
girls, ages 13-17 whose parents choose to send them to this
facility to get them back on track. The youth are not
court-mandated to this facility, said Brower. Students would
come from all over the country.
Mayor Bob Shepherd was concerned that these youth
might be coming to the school because of drug-related or
other serious problems. Brower said that the school would
not take kids who had felonies, but that some kids might
have drug influences that the parents want to get them away
from.
Brower said that all potential students would be
carefully screened in the first two weeks to determine what
problems they might have and that the school would not take
any "hard-core kids".
The proposed site is approximately 2 miles West of the
Kuhni plant in Mills and sits on 346 acres of land. The
facilities would include an indoor basketball court, a
full-sized swimming pool (which Brower said could be used by
Levan residents at certain hours and for a minimal charge),
an equestrian area, a football/soccer field and a baseball
diamond. The main building would be two stories high with
living quarters on the top floor.
The school itself would be 100,000 square feet and
cost $10 million to construct. Brower said that the site
would be self-sustaining with its own water system, propane
heat, septic system and would get power from the sub station
by Yuba Reservoir.
Brower said that they are not asking for any services
from the county. He said that the road that goes out to the
school would be sufficient for their needs as it is now. He
said that Levan would be asked to provide fire and ambulance
services.
Brower stated that the school has to carry insurance
for any damages, pursuant to the conditional use permit.
Parents of the students would be responsible for any
problems made by their own children. Sheriff's services
would be needed, Brower said, and that an agreement would
need to be made stating that all expenses after the initial
call would be the responsibility of the school.
Shepherd asked if this was to be a "lock-down
facility" or could the students come and go as they
pleased.
Brower said that the facility would be "secure"
meaning that if a student opened a door that they weren't
supposed to an alarm would sound, but that they would not be
locked down like a prison. He said that it would not be easy
for a student to leave. Any student who would want to go
home would have to be released to the parents.
Fleming said that under contract obligation a student
is placed there by his or her parents for his protection. He
said that the academy would do everything they could to
ensure security, but that the students were free to move
around the facility. He said the school would have tracking
authority to track down the students who run away, but that
the parents would also be responsible to track down their
runaway student.
Brower said that there are different phases that
students must go through to earn more freedoms. He said each
time a student does something wrong they are taken back a
phase.
Shepherd said that his concern was the kids being able
to move about and have unwanted influence on people in the
community.
Brower assured the council that the doors would always
be locked and would remain so unless a fire alarm went off.
The kids would not be allowed to wander around the grounds
unless they earned certain freedoms.
Shepherd asked if the county was requiring an impact
fee. Brower said he didn't think so. Brower said that the
property had water rights and that they were looking into
leasing or buying more shares.
Brower reported that some 240 jobs would also be
available and he hoped some of those could be filled by
local residents. Jobs would range from custodial and food
service to teachers and mentors.
Council member Cory Christensen asked about wages.
Fleming said they would pay two dollars higher than the
state average for the lower positions. He said all employees
would have to have a background check and go through a
90-day training period. Wages would go up after the training
period. Brower said that all of the teachers would make more
than any school district could offer.
Deven Pettit, another representative of the school,
said that he hoped this venture would be a positive
influence in the community, and he wanted to let people know
exactly what was going on. Brower said that students in
certain phases could even do service projects in the
community. Fleming stated that people who would work at the
facility could potentially buy houses in Levan, and they
would need supplies and groceries and things like that where
the town would benefit.
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