Bountiful to break ground for city hall on Feb. 19

Crews will break ground for the new city hall here on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 5 p.m.

The new building will be on the same campus as the existing city hall and existing Bountiful/Davis Art Center, but the art building will be demolished. Its operation will move to the existing city hall when city staffers move into their new building.

Construction on the $4.8 million building is expected to be complete by March of 2014.

The $2.4 million remodel of the existing city hall will be funded by the redevelopment project fund, and the new construction will be funded from the capital projects budget. The civic campus is located at 745 S. Main Street and the ceremonies will take place to the west of the arts building, according to a notice from the office of the mayor. In addition to the art center and city hall, the campus is home to the Bountiful Police Department.

Once completed, the new city hall will face Main Street. The project is intended to be more pedestrian-friendly than the existing structure and will allow for more storage, technological upgrades and more. Davis Clipper

Ogden officials say city's northern tip is taking shape

Seeds are finally starting to sprout in an area that for years has been downtown Ogden’s barren wasteland.

With Kneaders Bakery & Cafe opening, work finishing on the Ogden River Restoration project and several other projects either beginning or concluding, Ogden city officials says this summer signifies the start of what will be a total transformation of downtown Ogden’s northern tip.

The $6 million river restoration project, which included a total clean up and rebuild of the river as it traverses through Ogden, wrapped up in early June.

Kneaders opened a few days ago at 1953 Washington Blvd. — an area that has been for years one big collection of vacant, unkempt lots.

Construction also has started on what will eventually be 69 townhomes on about 4 acres of land, just to the west of Kneaders.

Most of the work in the area is associated with the city’s Riverbend project, a mixed-use development scheduled to encompass 60 acres, straddling the Ogden River from 18th to 20th streets and Washington Boulevard to Wall Avenue.

Other developments, outside of the Riverbend project boundaries, are sprucing up northern downtown too. Standard Examiner

City moves closer to opening high-adventure park on Ogden River

The city is one step closer to opening a high-adventure park that will be part of the Ogden River Restoration project.

On Tuesday night, the Ogden City Redevelopment Agency, which is made up of members of the city council, agreed to transfer land at 153 18th St. to Ogden city.

During this year’s budget discussion, city administrators indicated they wanted the property and options currently owned by the RDA to be transferred to them to complete the park.

Ward Ogden, a senior project coordinator with the city’s planning office, said the administration feels that although the property is in the Ogden River Redevelopment Project Area, park ownership should be under Ogden city.

The first phase of the project, which included cable-rope play structures, three-dimensional swings and swing bridges, was finished in fall 2011.

Phase 2 of the project will add more features — including zip lines, climbing structures and other skill-building apparatuses — to challenge users of all skill levels.

The Ogden River Restoration Project is a mixed-use development scheduled to encompass 60 acres straddling the river from 18th to 20th streets and Washington Boulevard to Wall Avenue. Standard Examiner

Bountiful chooses "hometown" architect for city hall

The Bountiful City Council had a choice Thursday between a sleek, professional architect, a hometown firm with Bountiful ties and a hands-on firm that had a focus on letting the city officials drive the creative process.

The final winner would be designated to design and build a new city hall.

After a closed session and about 20 minutes of open discussion on Thursday afternoon, the council decided on PGA&W, the hometown firm.

Councilmember Tom Tilman, who sits on the steering committee for the new building, was a major supporter of that architect. The city worked with that firm on the fire station that was built on 100 South.

Construction on the $4.8 million building is expected to start in January and be completed within 14 months. Then, the city arts center and museum will move into a renovated version of the existing city hall. Davis Clipper

UTA proposes big changes for bus routes

The Utah Transit Authority is proposing to change all of its bus routes in Utah County — and many in Salt Lake City — to allow better connections with the new FrontRunner commuter rail section between Salt Lake City and Provo that is scheduled to open Dec. 10.

That includes eliminating all express buses between Utah and Salt Lake counties, and creating or altering local routes to take riders to FrontRunner instead. UTA says that will allow local service circulating around Utah County communities to increase by 17 percent.

Many changes are also coming to downtown Salt Lake City, which is scheduled to open a second FrontRunner station in December at the North Temple viaduct — on the present section of FrontRunner that runs from Ogden to Salt Lake, which will connect with the new section to Provo. The North Temple site also will connect to the new airport TRAX line when it opens in April. Salt Lake Tribune

Antelope Causeway getting attention

A contract should be awarded next month to repave and upgrade the county-owned road, said County Public Works Director Kirk Schmalz. Engineering work done several years ago divided the eight-mile causeway into eight sections, with judgments made on where the waves typically would be the highest and most damaging. Large rocks, riprap or commercial metal products could be used to provide protection against the wave breakup and erosion, Schmalz said. The Davis Clipper

New building coming to WSU-Davis campus

WSU and Davis County officials broke ground on what will be a 120,146-square-foot addition to the Davis campus at 2750 N. University Park Blvd. Funding for the nearly $40 million Professional Programs Classrooms Building was authorized by Gov. Gary Herbert in March.The new building will open in fall 2013 immediately east of the first campus building, which opened in 2003. Ogden Standard-Examiner

Davis County flood control project starts soon

The second flood-control project specifically aimed at moving runoff water from the east side of Interstate 15 to the west side and into the Great Salt Lake by boring beneath the road will begin soon. The project involves boring a 66-inch diameter, 300-foot-long water pipe beneath the freeway at 600 North in Kaysville to prevent runoff water from building up on the east side of the road. On Nov. 8, the Davis County Commission received six bids for the Kaysville project, which is being referred to as the North Holmes Creek culvert improvement.
The bids submitted by area construction companies ranged from a low of $700,786 to a high of nearly $1.1 million. The county will award the project after officials have had further time to review the bids submitted.

The county recently completed a similar project boring beneath I-15 and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in Centerville. The project cost $1.1 million to construct. Ogden Standard-Examiner

FEMA awards money for flood repairs in Morgan County

The federal government's official verdict regarding Morgan County flooding this year is in, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency has agreed to pitch in $98,000 to reimburse Morgan County for flood repairs. Ogden Standard-Examiner

Layton firm to build two buildings for Davis County

A Layton construction firm has been awarded the contract to build two large, free-span metal buildings for Davis County. The bid, submitted by Elk Valley Construction of Layton, totals $610,000. One metal building, 100 by 200 feet, will be built for the Davis County Sheriff's Office to store tactical equipment out of inclement weather, while a second building, a 40-foot-by-80-foot free-span metal building, will go up on the Legacy Events Center grounds. Ogden Standard-Examiner

Davis County receives bids for two new buildings

The construction of two new Davis County metal buildings has attracted plenty of interest. On Tuesday, the Davis County Commission received 14 bids to build a 40-foot-by-80-foot free-span metal building on Legacy Events Center grounds, and 14 bids to build a 100-foot-by-120-foot metal building for the Davis County Sheriff's Office to bring some office equipment in from inclement weather. Ogden Standard-Examiner

Work to begin on Bountiful power plant

Work on phase II of a $25 million power plant upgrade is expected to begin next week. Crews are expected to begin demolition of a Bountiful City Light & Power Company building on 200 West as early as Tuesday, to initiate construction of a building that will house two natural gas turbines.Ogden Standard-Examiner

North Ogden OKs public works complex

Residents in North Ogden will be getting a $7 million complex when and if all pending litigation is finalized. The city council voted 3-2 to approve the first of four options for the much-debated complex. This option would complete the entire project, including at least six buildings and utility bays.

The council also voted 3-2 to reset the bond parameters at not to exceed $7 million. The previous amount was set at a not-to-exceed $10 million parameter, which spurred nearly 3,000 residents to sign a petition asking the city to put the issue on the ballot. Now, the city must wait to proceed, while the lawsuit regarding the petition is still to be looked at in 2nd District Court. Another lawsuit filed against the city is also pending. That process could take up to seven months. Ogden Standard-Examiner

Feds help pay for Utah’s flood damage

Utah will receive federal aid to pay for this spring’s flood damage. President Barack Obama signed a Utah disaster declaration and ordered federal funds to supplement the recovery effort from flooding between April 18 and July 16.

The funds are available to state, tribal and eligible local governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations, on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the flooding in the counties of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Salt Lake, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch and Weber, and the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. The state could be eligible for $9.5 million in federal aid. Salt Lake Tribune

The first phase of the Davis County Memorial Courthouse campus takes shape

The first phase of the Davis County Memorial Courthouse campus renovation, a $1.5 million Children's Justice Center, has sprung from the ground, giving officials hope that the weather delays are behind them. The project will be double the size of the existing CJC building at 125 S. Main in Farmington. The construction of the new CJC building is scheduled for completion by December. The project is pivotal in putting together what will eventually be a $22 million courthouse campus renovation at 28 E. State St. in downtown Farmington. Ogden Standard Examiner

South Ogden accepts RAMP grant funds to build new amphitheater

South Ogden City officials have approved an interlocal agreement with Weber County to accept RAMP grant funds totaling $103,500. South Ogden projects funded by this year's grant include $70,000 to construct an amphitheater at the nature park at 5875 S. 1175 East; $20,000 to paint the water towers as part of a public art project; $10,000 to help pay for South Ogden Days; and $3,500 for the city's 75th anniversary celebration. Ogden Standard-Examiner

Herbert OKs $200,000 for flooding In Weber County

In response to a request from Weber County, Gov. Gary Herbert on Tuesday authorized an additional $200,000 in emergency funding to combat local flooding, according to a news release from the governor's office. Ogden Standard-Examiner

Davis School District repairs offices

Davis School District is adding funds to insurance money it received for a Feb. 1 water main break in order to complete a $2.1 million repair and upgrade of the district offices. The emergency repair work is scheduled to be finished by Aug. 15, about 10 days before the beginning of the 2011-12 school year. Standard-Examiner

Bountiful approves development plans for Main Street

The city council granted preliminary and final approval for a mixed-use development at approximately 100 S. Main St., on the same evening the city's redevelopment agency approved a $1 million loan for the project. The project will feature two separate buildings, with a projected price tag of $2.9 million on the southwest and northwest corners of Main Street and 100 South. Standard Examiner

Davis County Commission awards Bountiful-area roadwork contract

After a week of evaluation, the Davis County Commission has awarded a contract to Kilgore Contracting to rebuild a stretch of 3500 South in the Bountiful area. Kilgore Contracting submitted the low bid of $219,500 for the project. Ogden Standard-Examiner