VOL. 129 NO. 9 SHOWCASE DAVISCLIPPER.COM FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2020 4 Opinion DHS teacher 17 Showcase 18 Senior Living passionate about THE 21 Life dance 27 Sports DAVIS 31 Classifieds 35 Comics Clipper Bonding for Open Spaces ROGER V. TUTTLE 2 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2020 NEWS THE DAVIS CLIPPER by Tom HARALDSEN [email protected] BOUNTIFUL — In many Parks and Trails Bond issue heating up neighborhoods on the west side of Bountiful, you can find lawn signs encouraging voters to say “Yes” to a proposed general obligation bond. And that makes sense, since those neighbors would rather see a large city park created and built on the site of the now-demolished Washington Elementary than a residential development. But there are plenty of voices on both sides of this issue offering reasons why the $8 million Parks and Trails General Obligation Bond should or should not be approved by voters this year. Last Thursday, a special public meeting was held to give proponents and opponents a chance to voice their feelings. What’s at stake – Bountiful City is seeking voter approval for the $8 million bond to purchase the 10-acre Washington Elementary site ($3.5 million), to improve and expand recreation amenities and sports fields on the site, including possibly adding pickleball courts or a skate park ($2.5 million), and to use the TOM HARALDSEN remaining $2 million to expand and person the money needed to buy a SITE OF THE DEMOLISHED WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COULD BE DEVELOPED improve the city’s recreational trail pound of hamburger.” into a park, or homes, or businesses depending on a bond election. system, such as the Mueller Park and Mortensen also pointed out his Holbrook Canyon trails. The bond concerns about the city’s manage- would be repaid over 20 years with ment of existing facilities, like the an estimated tax increase of $32.57 pickleball courts in “Cheese Park” a year on a $371,000 primary resi- that are in disrepair, and cost over dence (the average home value in runs for the rebuilt city hall and Bountiful). The Davis School District recently constructed Town Square. has given the city first option on “I think the city could repurpose purchasing the property. some of its existing facilities for the “This November, voters will usages proposed in this new park, have the opportunity…to preserve and I believe the pickleball and skate valuable open space and provide park folks could take ownership more outdoor recreation opportu- of those projects and find public nities for Bountiful residents and funding.” their families,” reads a statement in He pointed out the Bountiful support of the bond and authored by Veterans Park that is near comple- all five city council members. “Once tion next to city hall, and for which our open space is gone, our available he serves as a committee member, space to recreate in and enjoy is reached out for voluntary donations gone.” to raise nearly $1 million “without Opponents to the bond say any using any public funds.” But city tax increase, even in the $2 – $3 manager Gary Hill pointed out that a month range, can hit the most the site where the Vet Park stands vulnerable residents of the city who was part of a Land Grant the city are scraping by financially as it is, gave to the developers of the park, especially in the era of COVID-19. “so there was public money involved That includes small businesses in in that.” the community. Hill also said the property at “In Bountiful, those least able the Washington site “will be sold to pay are hit the hardest by by the school district – either to taxes, charges and fees,” said Ron us or someone else. It is currently Mortensen, who leads a coalition of zoned for single-family homes, but residents opposed to the bond. “A if a developer purchases the site, $3 per month tax increase means they may want it to be rezoned for one less gallon of milk for a food multi-family homes. It likely won’t insecure family and denies an elderly stay as open space or playing fields.” THE DAVIS CLIPPER NEWS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2020 3 Farmington High closes due to COVID by Becky GINOS [email protected] FARMINGTON — The Davis School District announced on Tuesday that Farmington High School would close for 14 days after the Davis County Health Department confirmed 15 cases of COVID over the last 14 days, meeting the thresh- old to move the school to remote learning. The closure is the first in the dis- trict. The school was closed starting Wednesday, Oct. 21 and will reopen Wednesday, Nov. 4. The action was taken in order to stem the spread of the virus, officials said. Teachers used Wednesday to prepare for the switch to remote learning and students began Thursday. Farmington High was on a hybrid schedule of two days in person and three days of remote learning before the closure. The school board voted at a special meeting Sept. 23 to keep secondary schools on the hybrid model until Nov. 2, with elementaries moving to F ARMINGTON HIGH IS THE FIRST SCHOOL four days of in person learning. IN THE DISTRICT to close due to COVID-19. Ironically, the school board BECKY GINOS met Tuesday night for a regularly Zurbuchen told the board that scheduled workshop and business they have the option to shut down all meeting to vote on the COVID activities if a school is closed. “But it process for school closure. Assistant is our recommendation to follow the Superintendent John Zurbuchen gave UHSAA rules.” an overview of the DSD dashboard Ultimately, the board approved that shows data on the number of the COVID process for school clo- cases in the district and the trends. sure. After the vote, board President “High schools are still areas of John Robison expressed his gratitude concern,” he said. “They have the to teachers and staff. “We want to highest numbers on help employees have a the graph which is to sense of our apprecia- be expected because High tion,” he said. “They’re they work, drive and on the frontlines. With socialize.” schools that in mind I would Board member like to announce that Cheryl Phipps said are still all employees will she’d received several “ receive a 1 percent emails from parents areas of stipend in their Nov. wondering why sports 30 paycheck for their teams were allowed to concern.” work in extenuating continue to play when circumstances during the school is closed. » John Zurbuchen COVID. In addition, “A team is treated in class teachers will like a cohort or classroom,” said receive a $600 stipend for their Zurbuchen. “If there are three cases continued work related to digital and the team is quarantined.” remote learning.” “The UHSAA is its own entity and “As a board member with children we participate in that entity,” said in the district, I’ve seen first hand Superintendent Reid Newey. “We’re all the work that’s being done,” said following the guidelines the Utah board Vice President Liz Mumford. High School Activities Association “It’s phenomenal. There’s no question (UHSAA) puts out. As a whole it has that we wanted to compensate all been well respected and adhered to.” employees.” 4 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2020 NEWS THE DAVIS CLIPPER ClipperTHE DAVIS OPINI N AI DM NISTRATION Elections haven’t changed much Thought of the Week R . Gail Stahle P UBLISHER from the desk of R. Gail Stahle, publisher [email protected] “You never change things by fighting ext. 114 – except for campaign tactics the existing reality. To change L orie Matern something, build a new model that Off ICE MANAGER The opinions stated in this article are solely they are seeing the attack adver- makes the existing model obsolete.” [email protected] those of the author and not of The Davis tising campaigns in the Burgess ext. 115 Clipper. Owens-Ben McAdams congressional » R. Buckminster Fuller A DVERTISING race. reader received her ballot in But negative advertising works! Brad Roghaar the mail and asked me how People vote their fears more than SALES REPRESENTATIVE elections have changed over their dreams. From charges of illegal [email protected] Athe years. It was an easy answer. immigrants taking American jobs to ext. 135 Elections haven’t really changed concerns about losing one’s health R ichard Stahle except vote-by-mail and early insurance, it is easy for voters to bur- SALES REPRESENTATIVE [email protected] voting has made the process more row in a cantankerous bunker men- ext. 137 convenient and accessible. What has tality. In the Utah race, McAdams has changed, however, is the politics. placed his chips on his opponent’s EDITORIAL For example, the so-called character while Owens has doubled “blue collar” or working man’s vote down on photo-shopping McAdams T om Haraldsen M ANAGING EDITOR generally drifted to the Democrats with Nancy Pelosi. I suspect the [email protected] while the more college educated health insurance argument will be ext. 126 management and higher income vot- the deciding factor in the race, but B ecky Ginos ers were firmly Republican. Richard the attack ads have certainly goosed Ass OCIATE EDITOR Nixon and Ronald Reagan changed up the interest. [email protected] that pattern and Donald Trump has The gerrymandering of ext. 118 congressional and L AYOUT/DESIGN legislative districts by both political parties D evin Christ has also altered our C REATIVE DIRECTOR politics. By most [email protected] estimates, about 90% R ebecca Jamieson Cyclops of all seats in Congress CAS L S IFIEDS/LEGALS and state legislative [email protected] districts are “safe” for ext.