Personnel at a boys home in eastern Juab County showed up in force at a recent public hearing on whether the facility will be allowed to double its capacity from 12 beds to 24.
Several neighbors also commented on the request.County commissioners took the conditional-use permit variance request under advisement and will make a decision in the next few weeks.
The home used to be known at the Country Place but is now known as Ascent Inc.
The home is located north of Mona fronting old U.S. 91. A spokesman said the facility generally has about eight boys.
Young people who have had trouble with drug and alcohol dependence can be assigned to the group home by the courts as an alternative to lock-up, said Scott Peterson, a staff member.
A building addition would be required for the additional beds, said Peterson. The owners also hope to build an indoor recreation facility where the young men can play basketball in the winter and in bad weather.
Additional employees will be hired, said Peterson. "It takes 20 employees for 12 boys," he said. Some of those employees will be part-time workers, others will be full-time.
"We have two employees who live in Nephi," said Peterson. "We would like to draw more from that pool than from Provo," he said.
The owners of the facility would like the boys to take on work projects around the area, said Peterson. "We would take any service project available and jump all over it," he said.
Allan Kay, who has a farm bordering the facility, opposes adding more beds. He said he doesn't know how the facility affects the value of his property and believes many autos were stolen in Mona.
"That was unheard of before that time (when the home opened)," he said.
Paul Neilsen, who lives in north Mona, said he favors the expansion.
"I've had positive experiences with the boys," he said. One day, the group showed up to help him roof. "They were a good bunch of boys," he said.
Employee Tom May said he moved to Nephi because of the group home. "We have around- the-clock staff," he said, noting there are 20-minute interval room checks.
"There are two therapists on call," said May. The boys go to bed before 10 p.m. and the home is smoke-free.
The rural way of life, he said, is good for the boys. "We show them a different way of life."
"We need to give the boys a chance, but we need to protect our own," said Darlene Fowkes, a member of the Mona City Council. She has three families of grandchildren near the home. She had some of the boys help with community projects and found them to be good workers, she said.
Steve Peterson, Provo, said he grew up in a small community and understands the concerns, but the home is required by law to have one staff member for every four boys and the home must be staffed 24 hours a day.
The boys are screened before they are put in the home, he said. He also appreciated the eyes of the community and wanted calls if the boys were ever doing something wrong. "We hope that wouldn't be the case," he said. "As a general rule we know the whereabouts of the boys 24 hours a day."
Dane Kay, Provo, said the boys are adjudicated by the courts and are in state custody. The group home would not take more serious offenders than at present. However, he said, in the future it would like to contract with parents.