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PLEASANT GROVE — Voters defeated a bond that would have provided for a new fire and police station in Pleasant Grove. The issue has divided the community and generated bitter feelings for many residents.
The bond would have made $12.7 million available for the city to build a new fire and police station. Opponents are relieved it failed at the ballot box by 332 votes.
“As citizens we all agree on the needs. Those are definitely there, they have to be addressed. But they can be done with a mix of new and remodel that would save half the cost,” said Frank Anderson of the Common Cents Coalition.
Supporters of the plan said it would provide for much needed space as the city has overgrown the existing buildings, and replace buildings that are beginning to deteriorate.
“These facilities were really designed for a population about a third of what we have now, let alone for any growth Pleasant Grove might have in the future,” said Gary Yeates of the group Find the Facts. “I think both sides of the argument realize the need to make a fix.”
As citizens we all agree on the needs. Those are definitely there, they have to be addressed.
–Frank Anderson, Common Cents Coalition
A new public safety building has been a hot topic for years. Just one year ago, a $17 million bond for the building was defeated. A downsized building was proposed this year. It would have cost the average homeowner $7 a month.
“The way we were looking at it, it is not just $7 a month,” Anderson said. “It is $7 a month plus $7.5 million that could go to roads, that instead would be sunk into a building for no greater utility.”
Supporters of a new building believe it will ultimately cost taxpayers more in the long run, with higher constructions costs and interest, to provide a critical need in Pleasant Grove's future.
“Regardless that the bond was voted down, the need does not go away. So, we are going to have to have a solution one way or the other,” Yeates said.
