In the city building authority’s first resolution for 2005, the Helper mayor and council agreed last Thursday to apply for a grant for $1 million from the Utah Community Impact Board and to be listed on the CIB priority list for the construction of a new swimming pool.
“We have to get on the priority list,” explained Mayor Joseph Bonacci. “We want to make this a priority A, which means that we can apply for this in the spring.”
The application for the grant is due April 1, with a meeting before the CIB board in May or June.
The CIB provides loans and grants to state and local government agencies affected by mineral resource development on federal land.
Funding comes from mineral lease royalties returned to the state by the U.S. government.
Last December, the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation awarded the Helper Community Development Committee a “last dollar” grant of $75,000.
In order to receive the Eccles grant, the remaining $773,376 to pay for the project must be raised by Dec. 31.
“We’re focusing on the CIB grant right now. If it’s approved, that would cover the project,” said Bianca Dumas, who chairs the development committee. “We think it looks positive.”
Dumas and members of the committee believe the community is interested in the project.
Initial fundraising efforts have brought in about $800 through donation boxes placed in the community and $1,000 at a booth at the Helper Arts Festival.
“We’ve put in about a year of work, and we see a lot of community support,” said Dumas.
The committee will need to meet with Helper city and local community organizations as the project continues. The members hope supporters continue to attend community meetings.
“A lot of supporters tend to stay home. We need a voice that says we want this,” explained Dumas, who expressed her hope that supporters can counter naysayers. “We want to see the community move forward and develop.”
If needed, additional funding for the project could come through corporate and private donations, government grants and local fundraising activities.
Residents wishing to contribute by donating funds or volunteering time may contact Dumas at 472-0137.
Residents may also send donations to the Helper Community Development Committee, PO Box 154, Helper, UT 84526.
During a Helper Municipal Corporation meeting last Thursday, the council approved a property issue, correcting errors in a deed from the city to Albert Spensko.
The correction shifts the location of the deeded property approximately 20 feet and does not change the measured area of the parcel of land.
The council will also move forward on a proposal to build an addition to the Western Mining and Railroad Museum.
After discussion, the council approved an ordinance which amends the city’s police policy manual on the use of stun guns, and approved an amendment to the utility ordinance which allows the city to accept credit cards, sets a a late fee of five dollars and adjusts the policy on the sending of delinquent notices.
The council also voted to approve a recreational beer license for the Fireman’s Ball, the purchase of a new computer for the water department and a raise in wages of the rape crisis coordinator by 45 cents and a water laborer by 50 cents.
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