By Julie Johansen
The Orangeville City Council began its meeting on Thursday with a public hearing regarding the annexation of a small piece of property at 860 South Main Street. There were no public comments nor council concerns, so the hearing was closed and annexation approved.
Next on the agenda was the adjustment of an overage on a water utility bill due to a leak. The leak had been fixed and so half of the overage was forgiven, which amounted to $34.87.
A donation given to Emery High graduation celebration at the council’s last meeting was ratified. The graduation celebration was not on the donation list, so it needed to be added and then ratified.
A study of the current conditions on Cottonwood Creek was given by Utah State Water Engineer Marc Stilson. It was in the form of a slideshow presentation. He began by stating that the concern at the last meeting in April has been reduced. The water content in the remaining snow in the high regions has been reduced due to the winds and runoff seeping into the ground.
Stilson spoke about the Huntington, Buck Flat and Ferron drainage areas. His presentation compared conditions today with 1983 and 2011. He commended the city for the preparations it had made as Orangeville is on a flood plain. Unless weather conditions change significantly, he felt there was very little cause for concern. Of course, the waters are high and caution is needed by the waterways. The mayor and council agreed that there would be no water restrictions but asked that common sense be used and asked residents to not water during the heat of the day.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, a request was made for city property of at least 35 acres to build a frisbee golf course. The council responded they would like to see this happen, but Orangeville City has no property large enough to facilitate a course.
The plans for Orangeville Days were then presented to the council. The celebration is planned for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 20-22. It will feature a car show, kids’ bike ride, bounce houses, a movie in the park and the famous lamb fry with entertainment by Route 10 band and other activities. Posters will be out soon. The legality of showing a movie in the park was discussed and the council wanted to pay for the permit rather than chance the $150,000 fine.
Councilman Tracy Addley also presented bids for a lawnmower during the meeting. The bid from Ace Hardware for $5,000, which included a mulcher, was approved. Also, a bid from Unlimited Spray Service for weed and feed on the city lawns was approved. It was announced that Emery County Weed Department would assist with Russian Olive eradication along the walking path. This will happen on June 7.
Mayor David Robertson concluded the meeting by informing the council about some changes at the cemetery for Memorial Day. The concession sale by the American Legion will be at the stage. He also requested help putting up the flags in the early mornings and taking them down again at dusk along the road to the cemetery for three days of the Memorial Day weekend.