Demolition vs. preservation. History vs. progress. Taxes vs. community identity. And in some cases, even neighbor vs. neighbor.

The special bond election facing Murray voters Tuesday is a case study in conflicting values as residents ponder the fate of two giant smokestacks that have set their city apart for nearly a century.Held in conjunction with primary elections, the special election ballot will ask Murray residents whether they want to authorize a general obligation bond not to exceed $3.4 million to seismically stabilize and preserve the chimneys.

A "yes" vote will mean a property-tax increase of about $17 a year on a $100,000 home. Realistically, since many newer Murray homes are valued at $200,000 or more, the increase will be double that amount for many residents.

A "no" vote, on the other hand, will sign the death warrant for two of the Salt Lake Valley's most prominent landmarks.

Without public financial support, the historic chimneys will be demolished to make way for a massive redevelopment project west of State Street between 5300 South and Vine Street.

That project, on the old American Smelter and Refining Co. site, will include a major medical complex, an extensive retail development, a light-rail station and a large movie complex.

However, the city must first complete an EPA-approved environmental cleanup of the site that will begin next month.

Preservation proponents, who say the cost of saving the stacks will be less than the $3.4 million bond ceiling set by the Murray City Council, are hoping voters will be willing to pay more taxes in order to preserve their history.

Opponents, however, argue preservation is a costly extravagance at a time when the city has other needs and contend residents will not approve a tax increase.

It has been an acrimonious debate, at times, that has pitted neighbor against neighbor and even caused dissension among family members.

There is a strong sentimental attachment to the chimneys by many Murray residents that is offset by strong antipathy toward an increase in property taxes that would place the burden of saving the smokestacks directly on the shoulders of property owners.

On one side of the issue is the city's Historic Preservation Board, the Utah Heritage Foundation, City Councilman John Ward and Murray residents with a sentimental attachment for the chimneys.

This faction believes the old smokestacks can be renovated into a revenue-producing community commodity that can repay residents for the stabilization investment in the years ahead.

On the other side are developers, who have remained silent on the issue but don't want the liability and potential earthquake hazard of the old chimneys casting a shadow over the billion-dollar redevelopment project.

Lining up with that faction is a group calling itself the "Ax The Stacks, No More Tax" Committee and a vocal core of people who are opposed to having their taxes increased to pay for renovation.

Even the City Council, which voted 3-2 to put the preservation issue on the primary election ballot and let voters decide the issue, leans strongly toward demolition, with only Ward strongly advocating for preservation.

In the case of Murray resident Judy Beaudoin, she found herself internally torn over the issue.

Beaudoin, who is also a member of the Utah Heritage Foundation, said she understands the historical value of the chimneys but still intends to vote against the proposition Tuesday.

"It's just that we need other things in Murray more than we need the smokestacks," she added.

To help voters make up their minds, the mayor's office mailed a "fact sheet" to Murray residents Friday explaining the issues.

There also will be an open house at City Hall from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday in the council chambers, where residents will have one last chance to ask questions about preservation and demolition.

One question that won't be answered, however, is the level of arsenic and lead contamination in and around the chimneys.

The Denver-based engineering company hired to complete that analysis probably won't have that information available by polling time, said D'Arcy Dixon Pignanelli, Mayor Dan Snarr's chief of staff.

"We're not happy about not getting that information," she said. "Our city staff did everything it could to get citizens as much information as possible" in time for the election.

But Pignanelli said she believes it was really bad weather that hampered and finally delayed the engineering firm's sampling efforts rather than any foot-dragging on the company's part.

Nevertheless, that leaves a gaping informational hole that some observers believe may negatively impact the outcome of the bond election because voters tend to shy away from uncertainty.

"It hurts the election," said Ward, "but it shouldn't even be an issue because the bond will not pay to clean up the contamination. That is the responsibility of previous owners."

Councilman John Rush said he questions the delay and suggested the contamination assessment may have been slow by design in an effort to hamper the project.

"I would have thought the mayor's office could have gotten that information in time," he said. "Everything else was put on an accelerated schedule. Why not the contamination analysis?

"That's the true unknown, here, and it's an unknown that could be so wildly expensive it could affect the final vote," Rush added.

Ward, who said he estimates the cost of preserving the chimneys will be closer to $1 million than $3.4 million, conceded the vote next Tuesday will be "an uphill climb."

"The people who are inclined to vote also are naturally opposed to raising taxes," he said. "The real tragedy here is that nobody started to look at preserving the stacks until last winter.

"This should have been done two years ago so we could have real numbers" on which residents could base their decisions, he added. "I believe this bond election has been set up in a way to make passage as difficult as possible."

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Saving the Murray smokestack

Option 1

A steel frame encased in concrete is dovetailed and anchored into the stack walls. Steel cables run vertically between frames.

Steel cable

Steel/concrete frame

Epoxy coated fiberglass strips cover the exterior from 200 to 375 feet.

Option 2

Smokestack is reinforced with a concrete liner that runs the full length of the stack.

6-8 inch concrete liner

Possible interior steel frame

Epoxy anchors hold liner in place

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Exterior steel bands used to reinforce poor masonary

Options 3

A steel frame with vertical criss-cross bracing is anchored into the full length of the stack walls.

Exterior steel bands used to reinforce poor masonary

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