GOLLY! SURPRISE, SURPRISE!
LIONS
CLUB TO KEEP RODEO
AT
SUN BOWL
As I sat quietly contemplating how I
should present the happenings of the January 29th City Council
Meeting I took the time to listen to the sound of falling rain and
thought…..How good it felt to be in a home surrounded…..With a variety of
people who by and large shared my values of the American way of life. I looked
outside to see the Stars and Stripes, beautifully draped on the 30 foot flag
pole my wife gave me as a Christmas present and which my two great grandsons
helped place in this land called Zion.
In my mind’s eye I saw a picture of the
duly elected Mayor and City Council…..With the bowed head of the City Manager.
As I envisioned this body…..I paused to think about how unusual it is…..To have
in the United States of America…..A body of elected officials who are all
members of the predominate Church, in a city of nearly 100,000 people. I asked
myself…..How is it possible to administer and guide this fast growing city
without engaging/including those with a differing point of view? Are mixed
messages sent by claims of wanting to listen…..When an issue (Sun
Bowl)
is Fait
Accompli. Is this a condescending act, fostered
to pacify those outside of the Church or those not in agreement…..From actually
contributing, an alternative course of action? I have become accustomed to the cold shoulder
treatment from City Gentry, but, there are many who do not understand this
defensive posture. On this evening I was able to feel the warmness of friendly
banter with Councilman Bowcutt and a good natured exchange with Councilwoman
Arial, in the exercise of civility. I thought, not everyone is able to walk the
talk of being in support of freedom of speech…..Especially when you are on the
receiving end of public criticism when holding public office.…. I imagine it
must be difficult to choose not be offended when listening to others exercise
their freedom of speech. Arial and Bowcutt appear able to build upon the good
intentions of others…..Even when they disagree with what is being said. The Sun
Bowl Renovation is one example of this. Awakened from my reverie, I recalled the
invocation given by Reverend, Alex Wilkie, who inspired those present to place
into perspective…..Gods hand in the proceedings which took place. Reverend
Wilkie not only talked, but acted on his spoken words by presenting the Mayor
with a donation to the All Abilities Park building fund. Reverend Wilkie in
retirement continues to be an amazing man and a positive role model to all of
us.
UDOT dropped a bombshell….It is time to
bring St. George into the planning for completion of I-15 Corridor. An Underpass…..It
has been decided that going Under the Freeway is preferable to going Over the
Freeway. Five option plans were provided for what is now called the Mall Drive
Underpass. Cost of plan #1 is 23.3 Million Dollars. Plan #2. 24.5 Million. Plan
#3. 13 Million. Plan #4. 15 Million. Plan #5. 35 Million. As expected the exact
spot for placement of the underpass will be a deciding factor. The greater the
cost, the greater the matching funds will be to the city. UDOT is looking ahead
to the year 2040 and it is important to have the City onboard in order to
coordinate site selection and of course making sure the money will be
available. A good thing to do and it benefits the city to plan ahead. It was
interesting to learn that the City of Washington will benefit from the
decisions made as well. It was right for City Manager, Esplin, to raise the
question as to what monetary contribution might be expected from Washington
City. At present, SG City does not have any capital outlay funds for I-15
Underpass. A lot of thought and planning will be required during the next few
months to get city up to speed and onboard.
UDOT representatives provided an update
on current and future projects. In motion is the continuation of improvements
to be realized on Bluff Street from St. George Blvd to Red Hills Parkway. These
and other projects are to be publicly presented on February 10th
from 10AM to 5PM at the Dixie Convention Center.
To me the Bigger
Bombshell was Mayor Pikes notice that a Semi-Pro
Football team is coming to St. George. The name this team is to be known by
is…..Are YOU ready for
this? The
ZION-LIONS.
Mayor Pike suggests that the SUN BOWL
be the site for 9 Home Games the Zion-Lions are scheduled to play…..Beginning
March 21st. Discussions are in progress to arrange for placement of
sod on the Sun Bowl arena. You can expect that the Lions Rodeo will take place
at the end of the football season. Mayor Pike displayed a beautiful black shirt
with the Zions-Lions logo prominently displayed on the front side. A baseball
cap also with a Zions-Lions logo was shown to Council. A purchase of one of
these two items will be your ticket to enter future games. You may go to
Zionlionsfootball.com for more details. A very attractive shirt and cap that
got Councilman Bowcutt, so excited that he asked to take both items to a Lions
Club meeting later that night, promising to return them to Mayor.
My friends, perhaps you now understand
why I spent so much time on the first part of this article. It is clear that
this may very well be the first step to renovate the Sun Bowl for the Lions
Club. (Fait
Accompli) It is also clear that the spending of
Millions of dollars on a New Sun Bowl will be placed in abeyance and that the
public can only expect the spending of Thousands of Dollars on renovation of
the Sun Bowl. After all we DO need seats with backs and some decent toilets and
refreshment stands. Not to mention improved conditions for stock and viewing
conditions for fans. I confess, it is exciting to be a part of fast growing
community and I am grateful to Mayor Pike for not fearing to be more
transparent and permitting light to enter city government. With tongue in
cheek…..We as a community will come to see the spending of taxpayer $$$ on the
Lions-Sun Bowl Rodeo as our contribution in support of President Obama and his
efforts to transfer the wealth of the nation to those in need. In this case the
Lions Club. (Joe, I love you man.) Thank
you, ED BACA