MT. PLEASANT—Developers of Track 89 North, the railroad-themed resort adjacent to the city park are standing up to local naysayers about the ongoing improvement of the resort.
At the meeting, which took place on Tuesdays, Oct. 12, developer of local railroad-themed resort, George Jones, defended the development proposal to add an engine to the boxcars directly behind the Railroad Depot building on U.S 89, adjacent to the city park.
Jones said a couple of people had expressed opposition to the development. He wanted to counter that opposition by calling on Felicia Spencer and Sierra Massy, both employees of the coffee shop that occupies the depot building.
Spencer said someone complained that the train cars block the view of the park from the highway. She said the facility brought a lot of business to the coffee shop and that people enjoyed walking around them.
Massy said she sees the railroad cars as more of a safety barrier. She said it’s “kind of creepy” to have her children visible from the highway while playing at the park. She also said the train cars keep the kids from running between the park and the highway.
Jones said he needed the council’s blessings to bring in the locomotive to complete the train. He said they needed to acquire an additional 10 feet of trackway to install the locomotive. He showed a model of the locomotive and explained what changes they would make to the machine to accommodate people. He said that the engine and generators would be taken out, but that the control room would be left intact so that kids could go up front and pretend they were running the train.
An audience member added that he thought the facility greatly enhanced events at the Contoy Arena by providing additional housing opportunities for attendees.
In the end, the council concurred with Jones’ proposal and voted to sell the company the additional 10 feet needed for $14,000 and approved the placement of the locomotive.
The next agenda item was on the archery deer hunting issue within the city. Mayor Michael Olsen asked Kevin Daniels, Sanpete County Attorney, to appear at the meeting and advise the council.
Councilman Russel Keisel told of an instance where a hunter shot a deer near 500 West but failed to kill it. He followed and shot it again. Keisel said a homeowner called him, complaining that the deer had jumped the backyard fence into their yard and bled all over the yard furniture and left a large pool of blood on the deck, all while the wife was in the backyard. He recounted how a truckload of young men on another occasion, had ridden down 500 West shooting arrows into people’s yards. He said he favored banning hunting inside the city limits altogether.
Daniels said that state law prohibits shooting a gun within 600 feet of a building but doesn’t apply to archery. He said that regardless, recovering a deer without permission on someone else’s property was considered a trespass.
Councilman Sam Draper observed that there is a difference between hunting and target practice. He said many people have an archery range set up in their backyards.
Keisel said that kids shooting bows in the city is a problem. He recounted how his sister was recovering something from the trunk of her car, and that just as she closed the trunk door an arrow punctured it right beside her. He said the arrow was fired by a young boy over a block away, and he repeated his opposition to hunting within city limits. He said he wasn’t against archery clubs so long as they had adequate backstops.
Daniels said the city could carve out exemptions for clubs in their ordinance if they wished.
Mayor Olsen questioned the liability issues. Daniels said people would be liable for their own negligence.
Keisel cited the increase in the deer population in town. He said some people actually like them. I actually had one charge me one day, he said. “…if you get rid of two and you get 10 back.” He said.
There was discussion about how to deal with the problem, including possibly using contract hunters. Mayor Olsen said they are prohibitively expensive. One councilman said that Manti had experimented with trapping them, but found that it to be ineffective.
Daniels said he would review other city’s ordinances on archery and report back.
In the latest of her rounds across the county presenting on the Sanpete Kindness Group, her organized effort to encourage compassion in Sanpete, Linda Christiansen of Manti adorned the room with “kindness signs” before explaining her plans to the council.
The group objective is to spread messages of positivity placing signs and stickers in prominent places, not the least of which is on mirrors in school bathrooms or anywhere else a troubled child might encounter them.
She said that if a business or even a home wanted a sign, all they must do is ask. The group will provide them at no charge. She said the group is looking for a logo by Nov. 1 and is encouraging people to submit designs. People interested in the project can email her at sanpetekindness@gmail.com.
