Layton officials still believe they are the front-runners for the new Davis County college, despite a month postpone-ment by the Utah State Board of Regents in site selection.
"We're still in first place," Mayor Jerry Stevenson told the City Council.Stevenson said two sites in Farmington are also in the running, but he feels the Layton site, located on the Clearfield border, is the best choice.
"We have a far superior site at a better value to the taxpayer," he said. The site has so many positive advantages. . . . There's no reason for picking another site."
The regents delayed their decision so all panel members can visit the sites to avoid any hint of bias.
"I think all the accusations were unfair . . . with no basis in fact," Stevenson said, referring to allegations of bias in the site selection process.
He said the Layton-Clearfield site, between 1200 West and U-193 and east of I-15, would accommodate a Weber State University satellite facility and possible other future higher education uses. The old Stoker school in Bountiful would continue to be an extension of the University of Utah.
He was not pleased with the regents at the Dec. 13 meeting when Farmington City officials pulled out maps and charts to try to make a presentation at the last minute when they had had months to do so.
Stevenson said Clearfield, which owns 10-20 acres of the site, has cooperated well with Layton and that's significant because the two cities represent 40 percent of Davis County's population.
He said if Hill Air Force Base did close, the regents would likely sell the Layton-Clearfield site and purchase some vacant facilities at Hill.