Families paid for damaged property

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    By DEON YOUD

    The Utah County Commission agreed this week to pay two American Fork families $225,000 for property damaged during the reconstruction of the road leading to the Mt. Timpanogos LDS Temple.

    The money settled a suit filed by Dale and Karen Greenwood and MacNeil and Rhonda Ogden against Utah County nearly two years ago. They said construction crews wrecked their private property.

    “This was a settlement, a compromise in which both sides moved to the middle,” Greenwood said. “This settlement can never compensate for the damage done to both families.”

    Karen Greenwood said the damages included taking property away from the owners. She said a quarter of an acre was taken from the Ogdens. Greenwood said construction crews subsequently destroyed several trees that provided the families both protection and privacy.

    Other damages included destruction of septic systems that caused flooding in the homes. Greenwood said the water damage caused cracks in the foundation of the houses.

    Greenwood also said damage was done to her family garage and driveway. She said construction crews ripped out her driveway entirely.

    The county must pay the families in full by January 15. In return, the parties in the suit agreed to take no further legal action against Utah County, American Fork City or the construction companies involved in repairing the street.

    Greenwood said she doesn’t think either party is totally satisfied with the settlement offered by the county, but she said it was the most civil settlement they offered.

    “Ogdens were disappointed to only receive enough money to pay legal expenses, and are now left to do structural repair on their own,” Greenwood said.

    Greenwood said the county offered the $225,000 as a settlement, and that the Greenwoods and the Ogdens did not demand that amount. She said other residents of the area settled with the county earlier for various amounts of money. Greenwood said they negotiated the matter with the county differently.

    The County Attorney’s office refused to comment on the matter.

    Greenwood emphasized the suit really had nothing to do with the LDS church or the temple. “We were elated to have the temple,” Greenwood said. “We never wanted to shed ill-light on the temple.”

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