Newsletter June 18, 2007

Welcome to Ideal Living Updates – June 18, 2007
A free newsletter from Ideal Living Media, www.ideallivingmedia.com.

Please forward this newsletter to your friends, family or anyone who may be interested. Subscription and signoff instructions are below.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

WHAT’S NEW?

• On Key Piano Tuning is running a Summer Special: $5 off on piano tunings. This special is for a limited time and will end August 30, 2007. To schedule appointments please call 435-896-1726.

• News from Hal & Jean Ward’s June issue of their newsletter, “On The Market:”

“Exciting news for low income families! An affordable, new home can be yours, if you have kept your debts within reason – and if you are ready to roll up your sleeves and go to work.

“The ‘Mutual Self Help’ program is again underway this year, as part of the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture (Rural Development) and administered locally through the Six County Association’s housing program. Mutual Self Help allows people who qualify to participate in building their own homes under the supervision of a licensed contractor. The homes will be built in groups.

“A house plan has been selected and approved for the program. Nine lots in the Monroe area have been purchased. Construction is set to begin in June. Currently, there are still applications open.

“To qualify, you must have the ability to make a mortgage payment each month, and be credit worthy. For more information, go to the Rural Development office, or call the Six County office, at 435-896-9222, ext 20, or ext 21.”

Thank you Hal & Jean for passing on this helpful information! To sign up for the free “On the Market” newsletter, just visit their web site.

• Lin’s Pharmacy is expanding to better serve its customers’ needs. Their service desk is open, just as before, but watch out for the construction equipment!

• The free Lunch in the Park program is off to a great start. The program provides free, nutritious lunches for any and all children, ages 0-18. The more who attend, the more our local schools benefit, so bring your children by and enjoy the good times had by all. For times, locations and more information, visit the Ideal Living Calendar at http://ideallivingmedia.com/calendar.html . And please let us know about your next public event for a free listing on our Calendar.

• Richfield’s free summer program for children, with crafts and other fun activities, is also underway at a park near you. Call the city at 896-6439 for times and locations.

• Tourist-oriented development continues around Richfield’s I-70 interchanges. As predicted, the construction for the new Home Depot is proceeding very quickly, with the walls having been raised for some time.

A Microtel hotel will be built behind Richfield’s Comfort Inn. To see what the hotel will look like — which will include free pool, breakfasts, broadband internet, and long distance phone calls — visit http://www.microtelinn.com . Initial plans for adjacent lots to the new hotel, along Technology Drive, include a traditional Mexican restaurant and an indoor fun center, with a go-cart track, rock climbing, arcade and more.

Also, the foundation for the new Fairfield Inn — one of the Marriott hotel chains — is up, in front of the Home Depot and next to the Hampton Inn. See their web site at http://www.fairfieldinn.com .

Meanwhile, a Holiday Inn Express will be built at Richfield’s north I-70 interchange.

• Parson’s Bakery has re-opened with a full line up of delicious baked goods, in its new location at the Ideal Dairy, which continues to offer its delicious menu of delicious eats and cool treats. Stop by today!

• The Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment public meeting scheduled for Richfield on June 28 has been postponed, due to difficulties in the doctors scheduling around their patients’ needs. The group is alarming citizens around the state as it publicizes the results of numerous studies which attribute 1,000 premature deaths every year in Utah, costing the state as much as $4 billion a year in health care expenses. Accordingly, after a meeting between the Utah Physicians and the Utah Air Quality Board, the Board voted to establish a panel of medical and science experts to examine current reseach on health related issues caused by pollution. The panel will report back to the Board after determining whether the air quality standards currently used are adequatly protecting the public health. This is an unusual step, and such a review is prohibited by law unless there are very likely grounds that a change is required to protect public health. You may visit the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment web site at http://www.uphe.org . Look for a public meeting with Utah Physicians to be announced sometime in July or August.

• Heritage Auto, on Main Street in Richfield, seems to have been met with great success. The dealership, which has been open for several months and replaced a defunct gas station/gift shop and motel, is reportedly selling as many cars each month — or more — as the older, larger car dealers around town. Other dealers seem to have taken note, with landscaping and other improvements on-going at several locations.

• The Pipe Lane Town Homes proposed housing development, to be located behind Wal-mart, has met with problems at the Richfield City Council. Reportedly the project, which is designed to provide low-cost housing for first-time home buyers, seniors, and others, was approved by the Richfield Planning and Zoning Commission, after a condition was met which required the home of the previous owner to be removed from the property.

Yet, even after meeting this condition, the project was rejected by the City Council due to concerns about making exceptions to existing zoning rules. This was surprising to some observers since they had just approved an exception to allow a pigeon coop within the city limits just minutes before, and Richfield home prices have doubled over the past 18 months. Such decisions by the City Council, along with allegations of conflicts of interest, have heightened interest in the upcoming election, which will see 3 Richfield City Council positions up for grabs.

Those who wish to run for Richfield City Council positions must file with the City Recorder between July 1 and July 16. A primery election will be held on 9/11, if needed, with the general election being held November 6. The much debated school voucher issue will also be on the ballot, so turn-out is expected to be good.

• A long-awaited, NEVCO-funded, economic impact report on the effects the proposed coal-fired power plant has been presented to the Sevier County Commission officials. It finds that the area would experience a 2% growth rate if the area did not have a coal-fired power plant.

The big question: What would the economic impact of a coal-fired power plant be on the county? None. The report finds that the area would experience 2% economic growth rate if the proposed coal-fired power plant were to be built.

The report stated that significant health problems studies have found to be associated with such plants, and noted that the County should not expect a windfall of property tax income to swell government coffers, since such increases were prohibited by state law. Rather, local property taxes would have to be reduced — by relatively small amounts — to keep county tax income at the same level as it currently has.

The economic impact report mirrors findings by a leading economist, who told Ideal Living in early 2006 that the proposed coal plant would have little or no economic impact. The economist stated that since the construction would very likely be from an outside firm specializing in such projects — who in turn would buy supplies from their own suppliers — the economic impact of the construction would also be very limited. Their other predictions included that a plant of this size would actually only employ around 25 people. These jobs, which require years of training, only pay in the mid-$20,000 range. After pointing out that Utah did not have sufficient people to staff the plant, the economist questioned the viability of the proposed plant, asking simply, “Would you move your family for a job that only pays $25,000 a year?”

• The NEVCO/Sevier Power/TDA Foundation company has reportedly produced hundreds of campaign style signs for homes and businesses to post on their front lawns. So far, only a very few seem to have been posted. To see one, stop by the Century 21 office on Main Street, across from the Richfield City Park.

• The Sevier County Travel Council and Sevier County Lodging Association, in association with Ideal Living Media, are producing a looping DVD of helpful, travel-related information to be played in the county’s 19 hotels, motels and inns on in-room television and lobbies. Commercials from local businesses will be included in the DVD, to reach the 1,000 guests staying in Sevier County (on average) each night.

With the county generously covering the cost of production of the commercials, costs are reduced to only $100 for a television commercial running for 90 days, and $300 for the entire year (saving $100). If your business would appreciate having some of our area’s visitors stop by, contact Ideal Living Media today at 201-9884 or via email at ideallivingmedia@gmail.com .

• Did you know that anyone can search Sevier County property records, free, over the Internet? Just visit http://qdocs.sevierutah.net/recorder/web/login.jsp , click the “Login without an account” button, and search away.

• If you need a steel building, remember Tooter Ogden is the new steel building’s sales agent for QHB at 979-6310.

• If you need a new or improved web site, be sure to first have a look at Ideal Living’s portfolio of local web sites at http://ideallivingmedia.com/portfolio .

____________________________

NEWS – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/news.html

Recent headlines added to our local news archive in Central Utah News:

• World-wide coverage of Frisbee’s 50th anniversary, and Richfield’s Walter ‘Fred’ Morrison – Associated Press
• Odessa could become off-road gateway – Spokesman Review
• Environmentalists: Stop aerial gunning – BusinessWeek
• Big raises for many teachers: Some will be getting more than a 10% hike – Deseret News
• Big Crowds Head to Manti for the Mormon Miracle Pageant – KSL
• Manti Pageant Celebrates Mormon Influence on America – BYU Newsnet
• Hundreds Of Soldiers Leaving For Iraq Today – My Fox Utah
• Deploying Soldiers Share Family Ties and also 450 Soldiers Leave Utah to Prepare for Overseas Deployment- KSL
• Air quality panel backs doctors’ pollution study prescription – Salt Lake Tribune
• Wildfire crews train in Utah before summer season – Salt Lake Tribune
• Renewable sources: Governor prods utilities on clean power: He is aiming for a green electricity minimum of 20 percent; wind, solar and biomass would reduce dirty emissions – Salt Lake Tribune
• Report: Heart Failure Deaths in Utah Hospitals – utah.gov
• The sleeping rainbow – Press Release via MarketWire
• Guilty plea in misuse of Snow College funding – Deseret News
_______________________________

COMMUNITY CALENDAR – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/calendar.html

Please submit any local events you know of at 201-9884 or ideallivingmedia@gmail.com. Thank you!

Upcoming local events include:

• July 21: Miss Teen Sevier.
• June 22-23: Relay for Life.
• June 23: Miss Sevier County.
• June 30: Miss Richfield.
• July 4: Independence Day celebrations in Richfield and Salina.
• July 24: Pioneer Day in Monroe.
• July 27, 28, 29: Blast from the Past Car Show, Burn Out, & Cruise in Salina.
• August 6-11: Sevier County Fair
_______________________________

ARTS & CRAFTS – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/arts-crafts.html

• Make Your Own Barn Star
• Easy bandanna kids clothing
• Fourth of July Fun, and more!
_______________________________

FOOD – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/food.html

• Fun Fourth of July Treats
• Best. Hamburgers. Ever.
• Summer Smoothies.
_______________________________

INTERNET – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/internet.html

• Free Casual (quick) Games
• More Kids’ Virtual Worlds
• Daily-updated Sites
• Great Internet Video Sites
_______________________________

LATEST UPDATES – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/

• Visit www.IdealLivingMedia.com for news and business updates and other information for and about our “ideal” community! Thanks for visiting!
_______________________________

MANY THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!

Please support the Richfield Mall and other local businesses by supporting our great sponsors!

Barney Outdoor Outfitters – http://barneyoutdooroutfitters.com
Blake Electric Co. – http://ideallivingmedia.com/blakeelectric
CentraCom Interactive – http://centracominteractive.com
Coldwell Banker Preferred Properties – http://ideallivingmedia.com/coldwellbanker
Comfort Inn – Richfield – http://ideallivingmedia.com/comfortinn
Hal & Jean Ward – http://centralutahhomes.com
Ideal Dairy – http://www.theidealdairy.com
Intermountain Computer Services – http://intermountaincomputer.com
Jones Glass and Decorating – http://www.jonesglassanddecorating.com/
Little Wonder Travel – http://littlewondertravel.com
Nationwide Floor & Window Coverings – http://FloorsandWindows.com
Ogden’s Superstore – http://ogdens.homeappliances.com

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Ideal Living Updates, a publication of Ideal Living Media.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send an email to ideallivingmedia@gmail.com with your choice in the subject.

All contents are (c) 2007 Ideal Living Media, a public service of Ovid Learning Foundation, Inc.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •