HURRICANE — In a varied agenda Thursday, the Hurricane City Council discussed specifying its curb and gutter ordinance, received a thank you and update from the Tuacahn Center for the Arts CEO, witnessed the city’s police department present a check to a worthy cause and briefly discussed the future of the city pool, among other items.

Rethinking curb and gutter ordinance

During Thursday’s meeting, City Engineer Arthur LeBaron pointed out that the city’s ordinance pertaining to curbs, gutters and sidewalks currently says that they are not required in “large lot subdivisions.” Somehow over time, LeBaron said, it has just been assumed that those “large lots” meant one acre.

According to the ordinance, if the lot is not considered “large,” curb and gutter is required. LeBaron said that perhaps it’s time to be more specific in the ordinance.

The discussion was prompted by resident Colter Criddle, who said he would like to build a home in the Pioneer View Subdivision at approximately 1550 West and 300 South on a half-acre lot that was subdivided from a one-acre lot, which is the predominant lot size in the subdivision.

Criddle said he was puzzled as to why he would be required to put in a curb and gutter around his home and be the only curb and gutter in the neighborhood. Councilman Kevin Tervort spoke up to agree with Criddle, saying it did not make sense.

Criddle came seeking a way to establish payment plan to pay for the infrastructure upgrade or to request a deferral.

LeBaron said that 1550 West is projected to be a main thoroughfare, and that at that point, the city would put in the curb and gutter itself.

Councilman Kevin Thomas said he wondered why Criddle was approaching the City Council about the issue and later made a motion for a deferment.

“A deferral not in our standard procedures,” LeBaron said. “This is something we’ll start seeing all over town. It would be good to look at other municipalities and see how they’ve done it.”

City Attorney Fay Reber echoed LeBaron’s sentiment and advised the council to look at changing the ordinance, because a decision on Criddle’s property would have ramifications for others.

“You’re better to sit on it and bring it up at another meeting to make a better decision,” Reber said.

The council agreed with Reber, and Thomas rescinded his first motion and then made a motion to continue the discussion during the next meeting, which passed unanimously.

Check for 1033 Foundation

The Hurricane City Police Department presented a check to the Utah 1033 Foundation, whose purpose is to provide relief for families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. The check was coincidentally in the amount of just over $1,033.

Within 24 hours of a fallen officer’s death, the foundation provides the family with a check for $25,000 for immediate expenses, said Terry Keefe, a member of the foundation’s board of directors, who was in attendance to accept the check. In addition to providing the initial check, the foundation also makes donations toward the officers’ children’s college education funds.

Hurricane Police Chief Lynn Excell noted that the check is coming after a month in which two Utah officers were killed in the line of duty, including Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Eric Ellsworth, whose funeral Excell just attended.

Keefe said it is difficult to present the checks and that it doesn’t ease the burdens of the families but provides a little bit of financial relief. After accepting the check, Keefe thanked the Hurricane City Police Department and the Hurricane Valley Fire District for the “Guns and Hoses Charity Basketball Game,” from which part of the proceeds is directed to the 1033 foundation, adding that Excell is well respected throughout the state and one of the state’s best police chiefs.

Tuacahn thank you and update

Tuacahn Center for the Arts Chief Executive Officer Kevin Smith was also in attendance at Thursday’s meeting to present an update to the council on the performing arts center’s recent developments and thank them for their continued support.

“We want you to know that Tuacahn belongs in the community,” he said, thanking the council for their support in the form of RAP tax funds approved near the end of last year, an approval that came with a little controversy.

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Read more: Hurricane discusses revisions to vacation rentals; solidifies support for Tuacahn

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Smith touted Tuacahn’s new 19,000-square-foot arts center, which has provided the organization new choir and orchestra rooms, two new dance studios, more rehearsal space, a new child care facility and an expanded gift shop. The new center has eliminated Tuacahn’s need to rent off-site space for rehearsals, Smith said.

“At Tuacahn, we want to match the majesty of the canyon,” he said. “We want it to be a place to be proud of.”

For the first time, Smith said, Tuacahn sold 12,000 season tickets and has exceeded previous numbers for pre-sale tickets.

At the end of Smith’s presentation, Councilwoman Cheryl Reeve suggested that Tuacahn should organize a night with discounted tickets especially for Hurricane residents. Councilman Kevin Thomas supported the idea, saying there are still residents with a little chip on their shoulders because of the contribution the council approved for Tuacahn last year and would appreciate such a gesture as a thank you.

Smith said he would look into holding such an event and let the city know if it’s a possibility.

Possibility of city pool open longer

During staff reports, Reeve, who is the council member over the city’s swimming pool, said Hurricane High School’s swim team would like to keep the pool open four extra months, which would require a tarp cover to facilitate keeping it warm. The cover would cost approximately $30,000.

City Manager Clark Fawcett said the tarp would keep it a lot warmer and save on chemical costs, but they’d still be running the heater.

The swimmers will be coming to a City Council meeting in January to make a formal request, Reeve said, adding that the city’s recreation department is currently putting together a survey aimed at gauging what city residents are willing to pay for when it comes to recreation.

Other business

The council unanimously approved a request to join three contiguous lots in Dixie Springs, Plat F.

It also unanimously passed a motion to establish an Agricultural Protection Area on 37.5 acres of farmland at approximately 2555 South 1500 West, which Reber explained means the city cannot pass an ordinance that restricts agricultural practice in that area. Mayor John Bramall said there are already four such zones in town.

The council approved an adjustment of street impact fees for The Retreat at Sky Mountain to 0.61 the rate of normal. Additionally, it pledged its full support to modifications to the Frog Hollow Dam.

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