SPRINGVILLE — A Springville High School marketing class has taken on the challenge to change the perception of this south Utah County city as the drug capital of Utah.
Partnering with Communities That Care, a city program directed by Suzy Young, classmates Thomas Mower and Doug Jenkins laid out the plan before the Springville City Council on Tuesday. The plan uses a variety of media and events to push the theme that Springville is a family-oriented community, not an anti-social drug haven.
The two suggested as many slogans. The first is "Not Us," while the second, which garnered more favor from the City Council, is "Get a Clue, Know What's True."
The truth, Young said, is that illegal drug use in Springville is below state averages, according to recent surveys.
"We're not the drug capital of Utah County, the state or the world," she said.
Getting that message out is the thrust of the high schoolers' campaign. Springville got the reputation following news reports on the deaths of several teens and young adults from drug overdoses and numerous drug arrests in the past few years.
Parents, the school, police, Communities That Care and a private group, Youthnet, have been battling the city's drug problem for most of the past decade. Now teacher Shauna Binkard's marketing class wants to step in and polish the city's image with an extensive campaign that is to take advantage of a variety of opportunities, including the city's upcoming Art City Days June 5-12 and in October, designated as Drug Awareness Month.
"It will take awhile," City Councilman Neil Strong said. "It took awhile to get the reputation."
However, Strong lauded the teens' ideas to "piggy-back" their message onto other events and to expand beyond Springville.
"The reputation goes as far away as Brigham City," he said. "We need to spread the message there, as well."
Events, such as a biathlon or triathlon, would bring people to Springville, where they could see the anti-drug effort, Mower said.
"I like the biathlon because it brings people in we can educate so they can see for themselves what we are like here," Councilman Ben Jolley said.
e-mail: rodger@desnews.com