Pianist plays with left hand

Barbara Christiansen

North county staff

Having emergency surgery and getting five pins in his hand, along with other injuries, did not keep Jonathan Keith from his plans to play the piano at Concerts in the Park Monday evening.

Four of the pins remain in his hand and Keith played with his left hand only.

He chose compositions specifically created for the left hand.

Keith was injured in an automobile accident June 25 near Twin Falls, Idaho. Fellow American Fork High School Class of 2007 graduate Travis Landeen was killed in the accident.

Although Keith played one-handed for this concert, the prognosis looks good for a complete recovery for his right hand.

"Hopefully by January I will be playing full again," he said. "I am glad I am healing and good and will be able to play."

The recovery process has been a challenge.

"It has been probably a little bit hard to adapt to but I think it has been good for me to re-think what I am going to do in my career," he said. "It has forced me to compose a lot more instead of just practice and perform.

"I have reflected a little more about what I am going to do in my life. I realize how easily things can happen and change what you are going to do. You always have to have other options."

His other options include composing music.

"Composition for me is something I can do without any hands," he said. "I will just keep using my talents for my own and other people's enjoyment."

Community notes

UDOT asks comment -- Representatives of the Utah Department of Transportation came to a work session of the American Fork City Council on July 26 to show options for an east-west corridor in north Utah County and ask the group for comment.

The agency is in initial planning stages to choose a route to connect the American Fork area to Saratoga Springs. The project has been called Tenth South because that road in Lehi may be the location, but the exact alignment has yet to be determined.

"Tenth South is the name for the project but it is too premature to say where the actual corridor will go," said UDOT spokesman Brent Wilhite.

"We are looking at a connection point on either end," said UDOT Public Involvement Coordinator Geoff Dupaix. "We want to make sure this facility provides the property connectivity, not only for locals but on a regional basis."

The state officials explained there were several projects at various points of study at the same time. They were being studied separately, but representatives met together regularly to evaluate the data together, so they could determine how each would affect the other.

One related project is the Mountain View Corridor, once suggested to be in the vicinity of Lehi's Tenth South. Today, UDOT's preferred alternative for that road is at 2100 North in Lehi. The East-West Corridor would be in addition to that road.

There were questions about the possibility of widening American Fork's Main Street to seven lanes of travelway, but Dupaix said that was not being considered in the downtown area.

"There are no long-term plans for seven lanes down Main Street," he said. Dupaix did say, however, there was another study looking at widening Main Street from 100 East to Orem.

Director of Public Works Howard Denney asked if UDOT had considered a different freeway interchange toward which to channel traffic or another option to spread out the vehicles.

UDOT's response was that they expected most of the traffic to enter the freeway at American Fork's West Main Street and not take alternate routes.

Secondary irrigation update -- John Schiess from Horrocks Engineers brought the City Council up to date on the progress on the secondary irrigation system at the council's July 26 work session. He said American Fork and Highland had been working on agreements between the two cities to facilitate the system. The two communities may purchase the debris basin at the mouth of American Fork Canyon.

Councilman Dale Gunther brought up a question he said he had been asked numerous times. Some people had suggested the system be installed in one year rather than spreading it out over three years. They said it would save money in interest costs.

Schiess said there were two reasons to extend the time.

"Trying to find enough contractors to do it all in one year, I believe we would drive up prices," he said. Schiess said there would also be logistical problems with the streets being torn up at the same time.

"It is going to be a nightmare trying to get around the city," he said.