Staff and correspondents

PLEASANT VIEW -- Council members unanimously approved agreements for right of way property purchases following a closed meeting recently.

Property owned by the Watson family, Schoonmaker family, Karen Downs and Janna Vail as well as the Carver family were all approved. All the property is on 600 West and the city is purchasing portions of right of ways to make way for the upcoming widening of the street. The council also approved an agreement for right of way purchase with Tri Terra West.

OGDEN -- An open house will be held at the Ogden Masonic Temple from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Tours of the building will be offered and information will be available for visitors who have questions about freemasonry. The Ogden tour is part of a statewide open house taking place at Masonic lodges throughout Utah.

BRIGHAM CITY -- The Box Elder County Democrats are holding an organizing convention at 7 p.m., on Thursday, May 9. The meeting will be held in the Brigham City Council Chambers at 20 N. Main in Brigham City.

The group will elect new county officers. All those interested in a county position (chairman, vice-chair, secretary, and treasurer) are invited.

Steve Olsen, past Weber County Democrats chairman and current LDS Democrats vice-chair will speak.

SYRACUSE -- An Ogden company has been awarded the bid to complete reconstruction of 2400 West from 2700 South to 2877 South for $218,004.

In a special meeting, council members voted unanimously to award the project bid to Staker Parson Companies of Ogden to reconstruct 2700 South and also to install new asphalt on 2700 South from 2750 West to 3000 West.

Construction is expected to begin as soon as contract documents are in place.

BOUNTIFUL -- It was a deal officials from the Bountiful City Light & Power didn’t want to pass up.

In action taken recently, the city council voted unanimously to spend $90,660 to purchase 11 pallets of power meters, in order to take advantage of $23,000 worth of equipment incentives that come with the purchase.

LAYTON -- City officials have approved a bid award to Professional Pipe Services to inspect and clean city sewer lines this year.

The city council finalized a contract for the cleaning and videoing of 124,000 lineal feet of sewer pipe for $92,763 this year. Terry Coburn, director of Public Works, said the city tries to inspect all of the sewer lines in the city every two to four years.

The bid comes in under projected costs. The engineer’s estimate for the service was $125,000. PPS was one of three companies to bid for the work.

BOUNTIFUL -- City officials are expected to consider raising water rates as part of the new fiscal year budget for 2013-14.

City Manager Gary Hill said needs to the city’s water infrastructure have city officials looking at the possibility of raising water rates. The city’s fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30.

The city council will consider a tentative budget at its May 14 meeting and is required to pass a finalized budget in June. Hill said the spending plan is a work in progress, with council review still required on some items.