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A scheme to save financially troubled This Is The Place Heritage Park by building an office building on a slice of it will be up for approval Monday by its governing board.

Entering its second season after Republican legislative leaders appropriated $2 million to bail out the foundering state park, many neighbors remain skeptical that commercially developing 12 acres of the 60-acre restored pioneer village is the best way to financially stabilize the park that celebrates the Mormon pioneers' arrival in the valley in the mid-19th century.

Allowing ARUP Laboratories to build a three-story office building up the hill from the park's Brigham Young house would provide $400,000 a year over a 50-year lease. But many neighbors fear it would ruin the natural setting of the "living history" park.

Last month, the Legislature gave the park an additional $100,000 in annual money - boosting state yearly funding to $800,000. The park also gets a share of Salt Lake County's arts, zoo and recreation sales tax.

This Is The Place Foundation, which took control of the state park in 1998 in a private-public arrangement, convinced wealthy donors to build more than 35 pioneer-period buildings. The foundation, however, neglected to raise money to maintain the structures, nor could the park's chronically poor attendance revenues close the gap.

The Department of Natural Resources supported the foundation bailout fearing the sprawling money pit would otherwise become its responsibility. Republican leaders, without a public hearing, handed over the $2 million, but demanded the foundation be reorganized, and home developer and one-time county mayor candidate Ellis Ivory be put in charge.

Ivory has been pushing his solution to the park's long-term stability that includes commercial development and the construction of a large reception center in the park. Even with approval of the lease deal, the park would be less than halfway to covering its annual $3 million expenses, he said.

Public input has forced some changes in Ivory's proposal. The reception center site would not be built in front of the Brigham Young home as originally planned.

"He assured us it would not go by the Brigham Young house because people disagreed with it," said Diane Barlow, a member of Sunnyside East Association. "It would overpower the Brigham Young house and the whole nature of the park."

Ivory said that even though his site proposal made more sense from a business point of view, "They were probably right."

Also, a stand of oaks on the development site would be preserved, Ivory said, in response to public concern.

In any case, another hurdle remains, says Sunnyside East Vice President Steve Alder. The agreement that transferred the land from federal to state control when the park was established may restrict commercial use.

Ivory acknowledged the potential legal issue. "It's not black and white," he said. "It's something that has to be researched and defined."

Board meeting

* The This Is The Place Foundation board meeting will be 3 p.m. Monday at Smoot Hall, just inside the park.