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 29^th 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 10^th 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 21^st. 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