From Deseret News archives:
Salem mayor yields his farm for school
New high school to be built where he had horses, hay
By January, he will have moved out of his house, which will be razed for the 59-acre school scheduled to open fall 2008. His old barns also will come down to make away for the school.
"This is where my horses were," he said, pointing around the property near 250 N. Main. "This is where my hay was."
The area of his farm where he stood Wednesday afternoon will be the future Salem Hill High School football field, home to the Skyhawks.
The school will have 74 classrooms and will be close to the town's students who now attend Spanish Fork High School.
"Southern Utah County has been served by three high schools for 100 years," said Nebo School District superintendant Chris Sorensen.
The three schools, Springville, Spanish Fork and Payson high schools, were built in the 1960s. The district had not needed to add new high schools until recently, when population swelled.
Construction on the Maple Mountain school is scheduled to begin spring 2007.
Henderson has been excited for completion of the new high school.
"It will attract business such as restaurants, which will bring tax money" the city needs, he said.
"The city of Salem is struggling for an economic base," he said.
Nebo officials ran into a problem trying to build the school. The district discovered that about 5 acres of the former dairy purchased for the future high school is off-limits the land is federally protected wetlands. And as architects designed the school they realized they needed more land.
So the district made offers to Henderson and his neighbors.
"I've lived here for 22 years," Henderson said. "I built the home."
Henderson considered his attachment to the land. He also considered the future of Salem.
And he decided to sell. He will continue farming on other land he owns.
"I understand the need," he said, "so you weigh the differences."
E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com
Comments
- Soccer MVPs know how to win 1:56 a.m.
- Alta's Ohai is Ms. Soccer 2009 1:56 a.m.
- High school soccer: Past MVPs 1:37 a.m.
- Senators want food tax restored 1:27 a.m.
- Utah women lag in higher education 1:16 a.m.
- Hatch empathizes with Muslims 1:14 a.m.
- Matheson gets no thanks from GOP 1:13 a.m.
- Mitchell seeks to block witnesses 1:12 a.m.
- Party insiders may take on Bennett 1:11 a.m.
- Input sought on nondiscrimination 1:11 a.m.
- TCU showdown has big implications
- Seniors helped BYU regroup
- Lambert surprisingly tops news
- Bystanders framed for child porn
- Hope for single moms
- Soccer MVPs know how to win
- Korver and Miles to be evaluated
- Matheson gets no thanks from GOP
- Utah Jazz Extra: Whose hot/not
- Newhouse Hotel, an explosive end
- House passes health care bill
228 - TCU showdown has big implications
183 - Lobo suspended
182 - Cougars crush hapless Cowboys
154 - Utah Jazz fall apart against Kings
131 - TCU 4th in AP poll; U. 16th, Y. 22nd
118 - Thousands protest health bill
114 - RSL rallies to advance
103 - No 'backlash' for pioneers, gays analogy
97 - Utes pound winless Lobos
89
Meghan McCain, the daughter of former presidential candidate John...
Why do so many people live so close to refineries in Utah and elsewhere?
Sounds like a good option if you can't or won't switch to AT&T for the...
I worked with and around Bill Sederburg for 5 years while he was at...
hand. He needs to work on his moves to the basket and rebounding. Lateral...
play Fez or Koufos tonight. He went with a smaller line up and Boozer, Okur...
I've met Bennett before and he is a nice man. He also knows the Constitution...
That's never been a secret. Everyone will pay for it except those that don't...
I agree with NonMormon. I am active LDS, and I enjoy Ash's articles, and I...
I kept saying don't resign Milsap, especially after Portland offered that...
BYU is the slowest team that has ever been in the top 25. Utah will put up a...
i think u have the cowboys ranked too low! at least an A- LOL nice work!



You can be the first to comment on this story.