Council will decide fate of Richmond's popular haunted house

By Jami Elzinga

September 4, 2008 | RICHMOND -- Several items of debate came before the Richmond City Council Wednesday night in a meeting that took several hours. One topic of hot debate was a temporary building permit for the old Cache Valley Dairy factory, where Jamie Forbush operates one of the more popular haunted houses in the area every year.

The main complaint was that the building is very old and unsafe for occupancy. Forbush has had the house going for the past few years. He received a permit last year for a temporary occupancy.

Forbush said he received a verbal go-ahead for making repairs this year; the problem came about when Forbush received the actual letter stating that the building would not be approved for a permit this year because of hazardous conditions.

In a letter from city attorney Bruce Jorgensen addressed to the council, Jorgensen stated that he can't recommend the factory to be used because of the condition of the building and the wiring. Risk management is key in this situation. If an accident were to occur, it would put rescue personnel in danger.

Forbush said he talked to his insurance group and would receive insurance covering this event, and he also would get high-risk insurance as well so it would cover the city so they would not be held responsible for any incident that could occur.

Councilman Brad Jensen said he didn't understand why the council was again debating this matter. "Weren't we talking about this last year?" he asked. "Haven't you had a whole year to get these problems fixed?"

Jensen said said he also had concerns with safety. "What if one of the kids was to wander off and something else were to happen to them other than just bad masonry? There are more spooky things down there other than your haunted house." In the end, he said, it comes down to this: "It's either safe or it's not."

In the end, the council decided to table the discussion. They are going to meet together as an informal council down at the old factory with Forbush and the deputy fire chief, so they can go through the building and see what actually needs to be fixed. Then from there they will decide if it is safe enough for a temporary permit so the haunted house can be held. A special council meeting will be held on the Sept. 15 at 7 p.m so they can issue a formal decision.

Another big topic of discussion was for a new water model to be approved by the city council. This new model will help determine upgrades to accommodate expansion in the city of Richmond. It basically will help them to plumb the city. Darek Kimball is the city engineer who will be in charge of this project helping to implement and put this new system in place.

Richmond's main water source comes from springs and wells. This new system will give them a 2 million gallon water tank. The new model is a computerized system that will tell how to connect the tank into the existing water system so they could see what is best for the city. The only thing the council is waiting for is an estimate for the cost, so then they can get a bid for a bond which will help to fund this project. The council's decision was unanimous to approve this plan.

Other items on the agenda were a new business license for Ferris Jorgensen. He runs a business in Benson for broadband Internet. His business is called Cache Valley Wireless LLC. He wants to move a branch of his office to Richmond because "it's a very conducive area for broadband Internet," but it's not his only choice if he gets denied by the council.

The only thing that's holding the council back from approving his business permit is the historical council regulations. Jorgensen wants to place a antenna on the top of the building. According to regulation though, anything that disturbs the airway within the half-mile radius of any historical site, which Richmond happens to have plenty of. After much discussion Jorgensen got the approval he needed on a 4-1 vote.

The council also discussed the OHV regulations of a local ordinance governing ATV's on city streets, in view of the provisions of the Senate Bill 181 going into effect on October. The main concern was that children ages 16 and younger were driving their Off-highway Vehicles (OHV's) on the streets of Richmond. This is very dangerous to them. The new ordinance would have provisions for ATVs, OHVs, and UTV (which is similar to and ATV). It would however exclude snowmobiles.

The new provisions would be that anyone who drives one of those types of vehicles must have a valid driver license and must be 18 or older to drive alone. If anyone 16 or younger is driving one, they have to be under direct adult supervision, having the adult be within a certain distance from the child.

Other business included:

-- A sheriff's deputy freminded citizens about crosswalkd near school crossings.

-- Richmond City library announced it has updated Wifi policies. It also received more e-books, which are accessible from any computer after you have obtained a password to access the site. Also, it is expanding the Hispanic section.

-- The city approved a healthy food policy and has reached Gold Medal status.

-- Smoke-free ordinance in public places of mass gatherings. Signs will be provided by grants by the Bear River Health Department.

-- The city purchased new vehicles to help with projects around the city. It cost $8,500 and has a 50-foot boom.

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