Schmalz said he hopes to build the basin in Bountiful in 2008 and replace an ailing pipe under the Camelot Trailer Park in North Salt Lake, a project that was designed and bid out, but construction costs again caught up with the department, and Schmalz plans to rebid the project in 2008. "Industry-wide, construction costs have tripled in the past few years," Schmalz said.

His department completed projects on 17 flood channels, including dredging Clinton Creek, Farmington Pond, Steed/Davis creeks and placing new box culverts and new pipe in various creeks.

Davis County Health Department director Lewis Garrett found plenty of use for the $1.2 million infusion the county's Aging Services received.

"All of the things that we said we were going to do, we were able to accomplish this year, and then some," Garrett said.

When the county health department took over Aging Services in 2006, it inherited various run-down vehicles for the department's senior citizens programs. All of them had to go.

"The maintenance cost to keep them running was killing us," Garrett said. By early 2008, the department's ninth new vehicle will be delivered, Garrett said.

Davis County commissioners are looking at ways to stretch revenue from a property-tax increase, which wraps up its first year on Monday.

Garrett was able to upgrade the food service at the county's three senior centers and Meals on Wheels program by buying new kitchen equipment and contracting with the Davis County Jail to prepare food for the programs.

Other projects included hiring social workers, an ombudsman, a mental health professional and health education staff for seniors at the centers.

In 2006, 90 Davis seniors were on a waiting list to receive homebound services — those services, such as snow removal, setting up swamp coolers and some cleaning — that would force an otherwise active senior into an expensive assisted living facility or nursing home if the chores couldn't be done.

Now, no one is on that waiting list, Garrett said.

The Aging Services department also received long-awaited maintenance for new carpets, a sprinkler system, furniture and new toilets.

In 2008, Garrett plans to upgrade exercise equipment at the county's senior centers and create personalized exercise programs for the centers' patrons with the help of physical therapists.

"We will continue to use that money as promised for services to the senior population," Garrett said.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com