| Cleveland Town keeps hoping for cold weather so the new rink will fully freeze. |
Cleveland Town recently placed a new skating rink in their city park for use by residents. The weather hasn’t been cooperating though and the rink is not fully frozen yet, but the town hopes to use it in the near future.
The December Cleveland Town Council was held and Doug Adams was the first item of business. Adams was unable to attend the meeting and asked Mayor Jeff Horrocks to present his case. Mayor Horrocks explained that Adams was requesting a business permit. He is a handyman and he lives outside Cleveland limits but is still required to have a permit. Council approved the permit on the condition that no work would be done from his home as agreed upon previously.
Bryan Christensen came before the council to have a business permit approved. Christensen is currently from Price but is in the process of relocating to Cleveland, his hometown. He said he has been working with a partner but has decided to start his own business as a sole provider. Superior Security Services installs sound and security systems in jails, homes and offices. No work will be done through his home, it is a service oriented business. The permit was approved.
A building permit was next on the agenda. The new resident told of their situation. They have recently bought a home in Cleveland and are planning to refurbish the home. While the necessary adjustments are being made the family has moved a fifth wheel trailer onto the property. Mayor Horrocks responded by saying, my first recommendation is to have the county building inspector come out and inspect the home. We are all aware of the condition of the home, and it would save a lot of heartache in the end if an inspection was done to see if the home is even feasible and worth fixing. Because you don’t want to spend all the time and money fixing it if it’s going to be condemned in the end. The couple agreed and said they would get that done.
Second, the mayor continued, the fifth wheel you have been living in has to be in a trailer court. There is an ordinance in our town stating that temporary homes are not allowed to be on the same property as a permanent home. The resident said they had looked into moving to a trailer court but were not allowed because of their big dogs. The mayor said we understand your situation and can give you a short amount of time to figure something out. But that is all we can do. Councilman Greg Oliver said that it became a big disaster in the past by allowing mobile homes to be placed on the same property as homes. It has taken us a long time to get it all cleaned up and where we are today. The mayor sympathetically said we don’t want to put a damper on your plans but we have to watch out for the entire community. He suggested that maybe an apartment would work for a short while. The resident responded by saying in all fairness, being a homeowner and then having to go rent is just something we don’t want to do. We will have an inspector come and look at the home and then go from there. Mayor Horrocks welcomed them to the community.
The American Legion #73 representative came before the council. He said they are making their way around to all the cities to request the approval of a veteran symbol to be put on all the graves. This is being done nationally in order to identify all the veterans. This is also an eagle scout project. He said, “I think it is a duty to this county to have a permanent recognition of the men and women who served this country.” Zachary and Dillon Walls showed the council the cross that has been made for the recognition. The representative said that it would be at no cost to them, that it is funded by the scouting program. The location of the cross will be in the corner of the cement that surrounds the grave. So there will not be a problem with having to mow around it and maintenance problems.
The council agreed that as long as it is mounted on the corner then it is a good idea. They wondered if the families have to be contacted and give their approval before it can be done. The representative said that it was not necessary because it is on the city’s land and therefore it just needs to be approved by the council. He said I don’t know what family wouldn’t be honored to have a veteran symbol on their loved one’s grave. Councilman Oliver said he wanted to commend them. He said it is important to honor the veterans and their families for serving.
A resident contacted Mayor Horrocks concerning a water line being put in. The resident has been trying for several years to have water run to his property north of Cleveland in order to water his livestock. The North-Emery Water District said they must have a letter from Cleveland stating their approval of the line. Cleveland approved the request.
Mayor Horrocks told of their concerns with a very tight budget. He said they had to make some tough decisions. The city council members hold a small life insurance policy through the city. One idea that Mayor Horrocks and Jamie Jensen had was to do away with the policies in order to save some money every month. The council members discussed the idea and all agreed that was OK. Mayor Horrocks said I would rather shave some of ours before taking others.
Next year’s unfunded fireworks were a cause of concern. Council members discussed the expensive fireworks. Finding corporate sponsors was one of the ideas. They said that any donation would help. Also, selling hamburgers and hot dogs at the karaoke night was an idea. Discussions will be ongoing in future meetings.
Mayor Horrocks recommended that all the town employees receive a Christmas bonus. He said they work hard and deserve it, and we can find some money somewhere.
The next meeting will be held on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m.