The future of a tattoo and body piercing shop in Orem is up in the air because of a charter school's plans to open nearby later this year.

Because of the tattoo parlor, the county Board of Health is reviewing the location of the Noah Webster Academy in Orem, at 205 E. 400 South. It's also going to take a look at one of the three proposed locations for Mountainville Academy in Alpine because part of the site is in a flood plain.

Both schools recognize the concerns, and Noah Webster officials have no plans to move. Mountainville hasn't started building yet. The board meets Monday.

The Noah Webster school's fence line will run next to Quality Tattoo & Body Piercing. Utah County regulations say that a body art establishment cannot build next to a school. There is no regulation, however, for a school building next to a body art establishment.

The parlor is about 400 feet away from the school, said Dr. Joseph Miner, health department director. County regulations require 600 feet.

Quality Tattoos doesn't love the idea of a school next door, but it can't afford to move.

"We agree with not having a tattoo parlor close to a school, but we were here first," said manager Alyssa Tippetts.

Though the school can legally open there, the Board of Health will have to review the tattoo parlor's permit every year. With a school next door, it would have to get a variance to stay in business.

Ron Tobler, program manager in environmental health at the health department, said that renewing the permit would set a precedence for allowing tattoo parlors to build next to schools.

School officials don't believe the tattoo and body piercing shop will affect the students.

"We're not going to have traffic of students walking by," said Glenn Way, owner of U.S. Charter Development.

"The tattoo parlor isn't going to come in and ask kids, 'Hey how about a body piercingfi' "

The concern about the Mountainville site, at 375 E. 100 South in Alpine, is over flooding potential. It has nothing to do with the neighbors' concerns about traffic.

"Our main concern is with the safety of kids and parents coming to and from the school. And we don't see a problem there," Miner said, of traffic concerns.

"They're locating in an area that is next to a dry creek," Miner said.

"The dry creek, during flood season, can flood. Schools are not supposed to be built in flood plains."

Tobler said that the Mountainville site on 100 South shouldn't present a problem, as long as engineers present a plan that brings it above the flood plain.

Mountainville board member, Gaylee Coverston, said that the engineering already has been taken care of.

"We knew we'd have to deal with certain issues about making the ground appropriate, but we also knew it would be a beautiful location. The sound of the creek when it's full is beautiful," she said.

Tobler calls the board meeting a work meeting, in which it will hear the concerns from the school and others involved, and try to compromise.

The meeting will be at 4 p.m. Monday at 151 S. University Ave., Provo, Suite 2500.

Natalie Andrews can be reached at 344-2561 or nandrews@heraldextra.com.

The county Board of Health follows state site standards. They are in three categories:

Topography -- The site shall permit the drainage of surface water from the grounds without creating a nuisance during inclement weather, thawing periods, lawn sprinkling or irrigation.

Land hazards -- The site shall not be located in an area where there is a history or high possibility of flooding, high ground water, snow or earth slides, earthquake fault or an area that was a repository for hazardous substances.

Man-made hazards -- The site shall be located to eliminate the negative influence of railroads, freeways, highways, heavy-traffic roads, industrial areas, airports and aircraft flight patterns, fugitive dust, odors or other areas where auditory problems, malodorous conditions or safety and health hazards exist.

-- Rule R392-200. Design, Construction, Operation, Sanitation, and Safety of Schools.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B12.