January 2022 | Vol. 18 Iss. 13
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BRIGHTON’S NEW HALL OF CHAMPIONS FEATURES DECADES OF SPORTS ACCOMPLISHMENTS By Jerry Christensen | j.christensen@mycityjournals.com
T
he Danish philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard, suggested that “life is lived forward but understood backwards.” As Brighton High School rounded the corner of turning 50 years old and as the building itself is rebuilt, a glance backwards reveals some stunning insights. Lynn Moncur, Brighton’s athletic director, has been a part of the Brighton community for 37 years. He took it upon himself to document the athletic excellence that he saw
Brighton achieve year after year. “I will always remember the girls and boys state basketball championships and the many great athletes that have come through in all sports, but the story of the Brighton tradition of excellence on the court, on the mats, in the pool and on the fields had never been truly told,” Moncur said. As the old Brighton was demolished, Moncur gathered up the scattered state championship trophies. Many were in various degrees of disrepair. His became the mission of not just saving that history of Brighton athletics, but of giving it a home. He created the Hall of Champions, a museum-quality collection of all of Brighton’s athletic accomplishments.
What was discovered during this curation process was a stunning fact—in Brighton’s 50 years of existence, 120 state championship and 80 second-place trophies were garnered. This is a feat unmatched in the state of Utah. “Schools with over 100 years of history will typically have 60 to 80 state championships to their names,” said principal Tom Sherwood. The historic discovery begs the question, why is Brighton such a perennial athletic powerhouse? Brighton’s former long-time principal and ardent athletic advocate Robert Sproul suggests, “In my opinion the athletic success of Brighton High School is linked to the quality of the academic programs associated with the school over the past 50 years. Families want good, positive and challenging academic programs that will give them an opportunity to be successful throughout their lives. It starts with academics. The co-curricular programs grow out of the challenge of the academic program.” One means of understanding this 120-championship feat is to view history through the prism of Brighton’s various sports dynasties.
The Gymnastics Dynasty
Some of the 120 state championships on display. (Jerry Christensen/City Journals) Inset: Logo marking Brighton’s 120 state championships. (Photo Kristen Stewart)
When Brighton opened in 1969, although there was no sanctioned gymnastics competition, many of the Brighton girls had attended Butler Jr. High where a gymnastic team had competed since 1965. A nucleus team was formed and they worked to compete while the coaches worked to obtain sanctioning. Enid Enniss, a woman dedicated to the cause of allowing girls to compete in school athletics on the same level as the boys, was hired at Brighton. Coach Enniss was key in bringing girls competitive sports to Utah. Enniss notes, “The UHSAA’s (Utah High School Athletic Association) Statement of Belief stated, ‘We are unalterably opposed to competition by Continued page 13
Page 2 | January 2022
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Students get a look into manufacturing principles, careers at Rock West Composites By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
W
hat may look like a single layer of fabric may actually be several layers of alternating carbon fiber coated with resin to create a stable, yet pliable composite that is being used in manufacturing for tubing as well as many customized projects. That may have been what approximately 25 students from high schools in Canyons School District learned as it toured Rock West Composites in West Jordan on National Manufacturing Day. “They manufacture components made of carbon fiber, which is lighter than aluminum and stronger than steel,” said Christy Bond, Jordan High work-based learning coordinator who escorted the group that toured the facility. “They walked us through the cutting process, the molding process, and showed us the raw materials. Students got hands on to see what carbon fiber is like before the resin is added and then after the resin is added, how it becomes pliable and can turn into something super sturdy.” Bond said students also learned about thermal stressing where the material runs through “minus 30 to 280 degrees back and forth to stabilize that material, which they sometimes use for calibration of devices.” While the students learned the company does a lot of stock tubing, they also saw some of the customized items they made. “One of the cool things they make is a lightweight, portable X-ray machine, that…is able to use on football fields as well as Third World countries. Another cool thing they showed us was called the HANS (head and neck support) device; it’s a head and neck restraint device that’s used in Speedway racing,” Bond said, adding that they also discussed composite being used to manufacture bicycles, drones and other aerospace applications. “One of the kids thought that was really cool that you could use it to create pieces for auto design.” Students also had the chance to ask what other uses the company manufactures for (materials that are used in marine, energy and scientific purposes amongst others), about their careers as well as how they can prepare for the field. “The thing they said they like to emphasize is employability skills: how you have to be a hard worker, a good person and willing to learn,” she said, adding that
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Canyons School District high school students toured Rock West Composites where they learned about its manufacturing principles. (Christy Bond/Jordan High)
they trained people on-site. “They rotate people through the manufacturing, the purchasing, the office work so that they get a feel for the company.” While most of Jordan High’s students are taking the manufacturing principles course in the medical innovations pathway, the tour was open to any student who was interested in manufacturing. “All the manufacturing principles can be applied into when they eventually make their own medical devices” in the second term of the medical innovations pathway, she said. The year-long medical innovations pathway, which is housed at Jordan High, is open to any junior or senior. In the one-credit pathway, students who are interested in engineering or biomanufacturing learn the manufacturing process, learn the history of the industry, product development, operational structures and optimization,
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Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Canyons District honors those who provide excellence, commitment, leadership
A
lta View Principal Scott Jameson called volunteer Dr. Allyn Kau, asking her to come to his office to talk rather than over the phone. Immediately, the mother wondered if something happened with her children, but she knew that they weren’t ones who get in trouble. Kau had volunteered at the school for five years and even had substituted so she couldn’t imagine why he needed to talk to her in-person. Nevertheless, she emailed him back and went into his office the next day. “He told me that he just got a notice from the (Canyons) Board (of Education) that I was chosen as the volunteer of the year,” she remembered. “I didn’t even know I was nominated.” Kau recently was honored as the Canyons School District’s 2021 Volunteer of Year Apex Award-winner. She was honored for her excellence, commitment and leadership along with other Apex recipients, including teacher of the year Traci Raymond, who recently retired from Alta High; school administrator of the year Tom Sherwood of Brighton High; district administrator of the year Steve Dimond; student support services professional of the year Amy Boettger; education support professionals of the year Rick Hoggard, Lorraine Miles and Jeff Wren; elected official of the year Rep. Andrew Stoddard; community partner of the year Scheels; and legacy award-winners former Canyons administrators Kathryn McCarrie and Karen Sterling. “Dr. Kau has been our PTA treasurer for several years; she’s been a substitute teacher whenever we’ve needed one. She’s here for career day, for our fun run, for every event. She’s been a driving force for our equity discussion for all kids; she has a Ph.D. and instead of working full time, she’s here volunteering,” Jameson said. “She’s been the individual who developed our summer reading program two years ago that is a collaborative effort between teachers and the Salt Lake County Library. If I ever need something, she’s immediately here, offering help. Dr. Kau is the heart of our school.” Kau deflects Jameson’s praise. “He’s always thanking people and doesn’t take the credit he deserves; everyone here is helping and deserves this recognition,” she said. “What I do is for all of them—the SCC (school community council), PTA, parents, teachers. I’m just shocked I’m being recognized when all I’m doing is trying to help everyone, many who are overwhelmed while working hard through the pandemic.” The reading program Kau developed stemmed from helping a former third-grade student with math. “The student couldn’t read the problem, but once it was read to the student, he could
CottonwoodHeightsJournal .com
By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com do it. That’s when I began to wonder what is he going to do next year. Reading affects all subjects and most schools only have reading K-3 interventionists. I knew I needed to find a way to help him otherwise he’d always struggle, and I also knew if there was one student struggling, there likely were more,” she said. With teachers already consumed by their workload, Kau took it upon herself to start outlining ideas. She attended a PTA conference where the Utah State Board of Education presented research about DYAD reading, which she was able to bring into her program outline. She also found out information from United Way and the Promise Partnership Third-Grade Elementary Reading Network. She also reached out to the Salt Lake County Library System. At the same time, Jameson had heard from a number of teachers about the need for a strong summer reading program after attending a training. He put Kau together with those teachers to see how her program could support their needs. Then, Kau coordinated with the Alta View librarian to see about opening the school library during the summer and gained the support of the PTA. “I know education has helped me and given me my life. If I can help these students and give them the confidence to succeed in the classroom, they can gain confidence and have what I have,” said Kau, who has her Ph.D. in physical therapy and who credits her mother for teaching her and her seven siblings how to read and supporting her education while growing up. “Everyone was willing to help and asked how they could support us.” While Kau continues to work one weekend per month, she knows volunteering can make a difference in people’s lives. “We all have different experiences, all the people we meet. By volunteering, it can help combat all the challenges we may be facing, the inequities there are, to give the best possible academic learning possible to everyone,” she said, adding that it was her mother who told her to be known around Alta View as Dr. Kau, so it will motivate students to inspire to achieve similar career goals. The reading program, also known as Roadrunners Read, completed its second summer in 2021 (after one year off during the COVID-19 summer of 2020). It has a partnership with a Salt Lake County librarian who presents a storytime around a theme and brings a literacy project for students to be engaged in come to the school library, which is open during the summer for students to check out books, sometimes two levels higher than grade level. DYAD reading is modeled to families and teachers contribute and are supportive of the reading program, she said.
Canyons Board of Education member Mont Millerberg shakes hands with Dr. Allyn Kau, Canyons’ 2021 volunteer of the year Apex award-winner. (Photo courtesy of Canyons School District)
“Mr. Jameson is willing to offer a way to help students by opening the school in the summer and the librarian welcomes students to the school library, teachers are supporting it, and we have support from the community; it’s all been huge to helping these students. It benefits the whole school; it benefits the neighborhood,” Kau said. “My name is on
the award, and Mr. Jameson took the time to do something kind even though he knows that I’m uncomfortable being in the limelight. It’s really an Alta View award. I’ve just crossed paths to help. To me, it has just been so inspiring to see how many people are wanting to help.”l
January 2022 | Page 5
A look back at Mike Peterson’s 50-year career in Salt Lake government By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com
M
ichael J. Peterson has retired after his 50-year career serving the residents of Salt Lake County and Cottonwood Heights. As a young adult he began working in Salt Lake County’s Parks and Recreation Department, transitioned to serve as Salt Lake County’s Criminal Justice Services Director, moved to serve on Cottonwood Heights Parks and Recreation Service Area, was then elected as a Cottonwood Heights Councilmember, and most recently, served as Cottonwood Heights Mayor. “My whole thing is about people,” Peterson said. “I went into this profession because I love working with people. From the early ’70s working with at-risk youth, to working with elderly and disadvantaged residents, to working with citizens in rec centers.” Peterson grew up in Cottonwood Heights as a young boy. He attended Butler Elementary School, went sleigh-riding over Butler Hill, played baseball on the diamond across from Cottonwood Heights City Hall where a church building currently stands, rented horses from Lazy Boy Ranch, and hiked every hillside of the surrounding foothills while looking for lizards. “It was really fun here. This was my playground,” Peterson said gesturing to the Cottonwood Canyons.
Early career
treatment programs, misdemeanor probations and drug court. He helped create alternative programs to incarceration for non-violent (drug court) felony offenders. In doing so, he was able to sit in court rooms with juries and offenders. He also worked frequently with at-risk youth. “The fondest memories of my whole career are with those youth,” Peterson said. “They want someone to listen to them, to talk to them, and to respect who they are.” Peterson later spent five years volunteering at detention centers teaching life skills to those youth members. One of his go-to lessons was P.I.E, which is applicable when setting goals: one should Plan, Implement and Evaluate (accordingly to adjust).
As an emerging adult, Peterson had every intention to work in physical therapy. He was working part time as a fitness aide to fund his education. The owner of the fitness facility he was working for offered him a job managing a new health spa in New York, so Peterson moved out of state for that opportunity. When he returned to Salt Lake, he secured a full-time position within recreation and fell in love with it. He swiftly changed his major to Urban Parks and Recreation (now Parks, Recreation and Tourism), focusing on Parks and Recreation Administration. “The last part of that title is what’s important,” Peterson said. “I love managing and leading things. A good administrator can manage anything.”
Salt Lake County
Peterson began his career with Salt Lake County in the 1970s. He spent 26 years leading the Parks and Recreation Department and served as the Director for Aging Services. He fondly remembers the thrill of building golf courses within county boundaries. He also worked for one year as the Director of the Clark Planetarium while transitioning between positions. During his last four years with the coun-
Accreditation
Mayor Mike Peterson has retired after 50 years of serving Salt Lake residents. (Photo courtesy of Mike Peterson)
ty, Peterson served as the Director of Criminal Justice Services. It was work he never thought he’d be doing but was excited for the opportunity. “We grow a lot when we step outside our comfort zone,” he stated. With that position, Peterson managed
Peterson never anticipated to be working within the criminal justice system when he imagined his career. In fact, many of Peterson’s memorable career experiences were rather unexpected. One such occurrence was working with university accreditation teams. “There’s politics in everything we do, and it’s not always negative,” Peterson said, relating the politics of city planning of parks and recreation to education. Working with the National Recreation and Park Association Accreditation Board, Peterson was able to travel to universities across the nation as part of the accreditation team for Parks and Recreation Departments. He worked with individuals from the academic side of the field and the practitioner’s side. One of the most anticipated visits was to Bowling Green University, where he was able to meet with the professors and students within their Parks and Rec Department. Peterson found he loved working with students, so he ended up teaching Financial Management courses at the University of Utah, and still occasionally guest lectures in various courses.
Cottonwood Heights Parks and Recreation
Peterson spent 15 years serving with the Cottonwood Heights Parks and Recreation Service Area. With the help of the Board of Trustees, he believes he was able to enhance the association while facilitating fantastic new hires. During his time with the service area, he was particularly excited when the Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center was able to redo their ice rink and construct a new dive tank. He also recalls the 2002 Olympics and the exciting impact that worldwide event had on the small community. Even after working on various projects, departments, and boards all over the valley, Mike Peterson frequently highlighted family as a priority. (Photo courtesy of Mike Peterson)
Page 6 | January 2022
Cottonwood Heights City Council
From parks to politics, Peterson was
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Charlene has been beside Mayor Michael Peterson’s side throughout his entire career. She is frequently credited for his success. (Photo courtesy of Mike Peterson)
elected as Cottonwood Heights Councilmember for District 3. He remembers serving on the first Butlerville Days Committee. “The initial city council was a harmonious productive group,” Peterson recalls. When the time came for Cottonwood Heights to elect a new mayor in 2018, Peterson was encouraged by many residents, elected officials, and staff members to run a mayoral campaign. He was hesitant at fist. “When I started my career 50 years ago, I never dreamed of going into the elected official side of it.” Peterson was elected as Cottonwood Heights mayor with the confidence of 80% of the popular vote, which was one of the most memorable highlights of his long career. “Two of the (previous at-risk) youth came and found me when I was elected mayor and shared how those lives had been impacted in a positive way,” he shared.
Cottonwood Heights Mayor
The last few years were particularly challenging for Mayor Peterson and the city councilmembers with the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, responding to protests, and managing the personalities of the city councilmembers. Even though there were many challenges within public service, there were just as many accomplishments Peterson feels proud of. He remembers sitting in city offices being rented within a local office building and discussing the possibility of Cottonwood Heights having a city hall building one day. Seeing that plan turn into a physical reality, a home for the city, has been monumental.
CottonwoodHeightsJournal .com
In 2016, the Cottonwood Heights Historic Committee was able to publish a book of the city’s history. Peterson was serving as liaison to the Historic Committee at the time and seeing that book printed was an exciting moment for the entire committee. Peterson has run the Thanksgiving 5k every year for 37 years. This year, he was excited and surprised to see over 2,000 runners attend the event. One of the fundamental responsibilities of the city council is the budget, Peterson said. He has been pleased that the creation of two budget committees with two city councilmembers serving on each has been extremely productive. With a substantial background in Parks and Recreation, Peterson has been continuously excited about the newest city committee—the Parks, Trails and Open Space Committee. “I really wanted that created and implemented. It’s so important to have citizen input,” he said. Peterson also mentioned his excitement for various projects related to open space including the Dover Hill property, an offleash dog area within Ferguson Park, and the 26-acres of open space off Wasatch Boulevard. As working with people is at the core of Peterson’s persona, he has cherished many of his relationships and collaborations including the Central Wasatch Commission, Salt Lake County’s Tourism and Recreation Board, the Corridor Preservation Board and Commission, and the Conference of Mayors.
he was surprised by the knowledge base he had to quickly acquire. He hopes the future mayor and councilmembers (and residents) appreciate the challenges that go into running a city. “Though I had background from Salt Lake County and Cottonwood Heights Service area and understood the basic principles, with the move to mayor, I had to learn the complexities of a whole city,” Peterson recalled. “It’s so much more complex.” Peterson is proud of the people who manage the city, including current City Manager Tim Tingey. Peterson also mentioned the excellent work from the public safety teams and finance staff. “We have been creating a team of public servants who are here for the right reasons and do the right thing,” Peterson said. “A good mayor is someone who has a good team around them.” For new councilmembers, Peterson recommend staying focused. “It’s easy to be caught being busy but not productive.” He advises being actively engaged, meaning, making decisions that foster progress. He knows that there will be differences of opinions, but he encourages finding the common ground to build from. He also highly encourages collaboration with the State of Utah, Salt Lake County, the School Districts, the Parks and Service areas, and local community groups.
Advice for residents
Peterson would like to encourage res-
idents to stay involved. “We are a small enough city that the elected officials can be there. Go directly to city administration. Take advantage of the communication channels for your desires and expectations,” he said. He also recommends attending a city council meeting or two.
Listening
Peterson began his career with a passion for listening which has only strengthened over the years. Listening has helped him to solve problems from road issues, to code enforcement, to public safety. “I’ll listen to anyone, anytime, anywhere,” he said. “We don’t have to agree, but we should understand each other.” His best tip for listening is to offer the phrase: “Help me understand (or ‘give me your side of it’).” This encourages individuals to share their ideas and helps to diffuse tense situations. Peterson tries to offer space for individuals to clearly communicate their perspectives.
Retirement
While Peterson is going to wholeheartedly miss serving the people, he is excited to retire. He plans to stay involved with local community social and government groups. He will also be spending more time with his family—his wife of over 50 years, Charlene, his five children and his 15 grandchildren. And, of course, you’ll find him on the pickleball courts. l
Advice for the future council
When Peterson began serving as mayor,
January 2022 | Page 7
Brighton medieval club gives students opportunity to live history By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
E
Medieval club president junior Lily Watson and ninth-grader Aleah Spencerwise demonstrate youth training to other Brighton High medieval club members. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
Page 8 | January 2022
leventh-grader Bridget Madsen likes practicing her Viking knitting. It isn’t done with two needles and yarn, but rather a technique weaving circular finegauge metal wire that forms a loop and can be stretched into jewelry, often associated with the medieval times. Madsen and others learned the technique while participating in Brighton High’s medieval club, where they don’t just study the time period, but rather have hands-on opportunities to be engaged in their learning of various medieval arts, crafts and trade skills. For example, a club meeting may feature experiencing first-hand medieval games and forms of recreation or it could be a time when students are learning how to cut, polish and fit stones to make replicas of medieval jewelry. Students could learn how to cook authentic dishes, sing time-period songs or learn how to make lace. Already this year, club members learned to bind their own books with leather covers and then, made ink from walnuts and cut their own quills from feathers. Some even took another step to learn basic calligraphy to write in their books. “Students choose their lessons from a wide range of possibilities and then I arrange the supplies and lessons and let the student have fun with it,” said adviser Albert Spencerwise, who himself is part of Salt Lake City’s chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a group who regularly holds medieval events throughout the region and sponsors the school club. “I may teach the skill to one student and then, they can teach others, like an apprentice model, and if I don’t know the skill well enough, then we bring in visiting artists who are knowledgeable.” This is the medieval club’s third year at Brighton. Spencerwise, who taught at Alta before coming to Brighton, began that club 10 years ago and said his initial group is still meeting. “I love history and I love that it is live history,” he said. “I’ve had two sewing machines donated so we can make our own costumes. We can learn medieval chess where an elephant can move three spaces diagonally and the rook is the most powerful piece and even make our own chess pieces. There’s just so much to learn and so much camaraderie. Members in the SCA tend to be former military or educational geeks worldwide, and I’m both, so it gives us a chance to nerd out together.” While many of the students have talked to Spencerwise about learning medieval youth training, which he has taught both youth and adults for 25 years, he said that is something he said they can pursue through the SCA. Recently, his daughter, Aleah Spencer-
wise, and club president junior Lily Watson demonstrated it to the club. It was a new skill to Watson, who said through the club she has also learned book binding and color dyeing with dandelions. “I’ve also learned a lot of management skills as club president and learned to take a project from start to finish,” Watson said. And many of those skills she has learned have translated to the classroom, she said. “We’ve learned the history while actually doing the history,” Watson said, adding that it has helped her understand her AP European history better. Ninth-grader Aleah, who said she was “born into this,” since her family back to her grandmother are members and regularly attend events, is happy to share her expertise with other classmates. “I’m usually the one who’s answering all the questions or bringing in items, like this is what the actual shields look like,” she said. “It’s just fun. It stops becoming school and it is more about I get to teach people about what I do, and I’m always learning new things at every event and sometimes in class. I will learn things I never knew, and I will do more research once I get home because it’s something that I’m like, wait, that’s really neat, and I’ll want to learn more.” While Aleah likes all the medieval activities and skills she has learned through the years, she said she’s comfortable with the combat fighting since she grew up learning the skill. “When I first started, I hated doing it, like it was one of my least favorite things to do because what I wanted to do is hang out with friends. Then, I started getting better at it and it became something I enjoyed,” she said, adding that her “whole family coached me on the side.” Now, she would like to make her own protective clothing. “A big dream of mine to eventually accomplish is to hand create my own suit of armor,” she said, adding that she can compete in heavy or combat fighting once she turns 16. “Right now, I’m taking my time to figure out what it may look like.” The best part, for Aleah, of being involved is “making connections with the people I’ve met and gotten to know because of this, both in the SCA and in the medieval club.” While the club meets on Wednesdays after school, Aleah said she would like to see it grow: “I hope it’s going to expand and become bigger, where people can just come to have fun and forget about the worries of the modern age and just live in this time period.” l
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Waiting for the snow By Heather Lawrence | h.lawrence@mycityjournals.com
“T
he ski resorts are open, aren’t they?” asks a tourist, waiting for the ski shuttle to Brighton on 7200 South in the Fort Union area. The man, originally from Germany but now living in North Carolina, planned a week-long ski vacation to Utah. It’s Dec. 6 and he’s geared up, ready to ski and happy to spend his vacation dollars in Utah. But behind him are uncharacteristically snowless mountains. The problem this winter is two-fold—a much later snow season and a much warmer November and December. Most resorts are equipped to make snow, but temperatures weren’t cold enough early in the season to keep it from melting. l
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January 2022 | Page 9
Looking back at Cottonwood Heights 2021
Lander Barton dunks the basketball for the Brighton Bengals during his junior year. The senior would go on to commit his footballing future to the University of Utah, following his family’s footsteps. (Photo courtesy Christine Yee)
In early 2021, signs were already there as Utah’s drought conditions persisted. (Joshua Wood/City Journals)
Dancing inside a box symbolized quarantine in the film about the past COVID-19 year that Brighton High Dance Company performed and produced. (Lindsay Christensen/Brighton High)
Below-average snowpack and dry soil impacted the spring runoff in 2021. (Joshua Wood/City Journals)
Page 10 | January 2022
The Brighton High winter guard in its first year learned techniques in performing with rifles and sabers as well as flags. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
Kim Mayhew, the former general manager at Solitude said she would ski more international resorts after her retirement in 2021. (Photo by Brendan Ladd, courtesy of Solitude Mountain Resort)
Peyton Wolvington competed in multiple events at the region championship, including the long jump. (Justin Adams/City Journals)
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Senior Haley Taylor takes on a defender in a game against Corner Canyon on March 19. (Photo credit Shane Augason)
Students walk by a wall full of greetings and phrases in some of the 40 languages heard in Cottonwood High’s hallways as part of diversity week. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
The Brighton High boys swim team hold aloft the second place trophy at the 5A state championships. The Bengals finished with 229 points, 21 points ahead of region rival Skyline. (Travis Barton/City Journals)
The Canyons All-District Marching Band were able to get everyone dancing, even themselves, to “I wanna dance with somebody” at the Butlerville Days parade. (Cassie Goff/City Journals)
Delivery trucks often had no option but to park in the middle of the road near Ferguson Trailhead due to parking congestion. A council vote saw parking then restricted. (Photo courtesy of Kelly Calder)
The Bengals had four runners compete in the region 1600 meter final: Caroline Rupper, Lia Sealander, Analena Jacob and Jocelyn Summers. Rupper (left) won both the 1600 and 3200 meter finals. (Justin Adams/City Journals)
CottonwoodHeightsJournal .com
January 2022 | Page 11
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Continued from front page and between girls.’” It was an uphill for the cause of giving girls the same discipline and self-confidence that high school sports builds in boys. “I wanted girls to learn life skills such as confidence, determination, sportsmanship and the idea that they could do anything they wanted if they were willing to work hard enough to achieve it,” Enniss said. She fought the political battle with gymnastics. “We started with the physically demanding sport of gymnastics for girls because it was thought at the time that the girls had enough activity as cheerleaders, pep club members, or being involved in drama, music and home economics.” In the first 10 years that Brighton was open the gymnastics teams won 10 region championships, four state championships, and finished second five times, once losing by .01 point. To give an example of their dominance, in 1975 a tri-meet resulted in the scores of Bountiful 15, Bonneville 37, Brighton 256. Many times Brighton was the only school represented on the winning podium for several events. Thanks to Enniss’ pioneering efforts, Brighton gained early notoriety as an athletic powerhouse, but more importantly she was a morning star in the sunrise of girls sports. “Luckily, the girls of today can and do play any sport they choose, at whatever level they are capable of. Looking back over 50 years, we’ve come a long way. It is very gratifying to see women head coaches, reporters, referees and other officials, positions my generation could only dream about. The gymnasts of the 2020 (2021) Olympics were performing skills that were not considered possible of performing in the ’70s. I’m very proud of what we accomplished, and cheer every time a new sport is added to the competitive schedule,” Enniss said.
The Wrestling Dynasty
Similarly, in 1969 Brighton administration hired a young visionary as its new head wrestling coach, Don Neff. As with many new schools, when Brighton High opened it was not very good in sports. Brighton won only one football game and was mediocre in basketball, winning three varsity games. However, in wrestling it did very well for a new school winning the region championship and placing fifth as a team at state. Coach Neff recalls that “attendance at wrestling meets was promoted by establishing a ‘Roto Rooters’ fan club and by originating the Battle of the Axe versus Hillcrest High. Brighton won the first Battle of the Axe and the gym was packed for the event.” The Battle of the Axe became the signature event of the year for Brighton and jumpstarted the success for Brighton as a wrestling juggernaut in Utah. In the two decades to follow, Brighton wrestling simply dominated, winning 14 state championships and four second places, including 11 titles in a row—still a record for any Utah high school. Don Chavis, the founder of Brighton’s American Problems course and a Huntsman Excellence in Education award winner, was
CottonwoodHeightsJournal .com
whose achievements in sports have paved the way to postsecondary learning and career opportunities that might not otherwise have been open to them,” Stewart said.
The Soccer Dynasty
The ’70s and ’80s state championship trophies. (Jerry Christensen/City Journals)
added to the wrestling coaching staff. Chavis said, “Brighton wrestling success could be attributed to a vision of what could be accomplished. This vision was shared by wrestlers and coaches who strived to accomplish excellence. They knew that they had to do more than just show up at practice. Many wrestlers at a young age committed themselves to going to wrestling camps, participating in off-season tournaments, and committing themselves to freestyle wrestling. Parents and coaches made this possible by taking these young athletes to many competitions and wrestling camps. This resulted in a dynasty. The wrestlers felt they could not be beaten.” Brighton student-athletes were forever changed by the discipline and rigor of such a demanding sport. Cottonwood Heights City Councilman and early Brighton wrestler Doug Petersen recalls “being part of Brighton’s first ever championship in 1974 and then repeating in 1975 was not only memorable, but also life shaping.” Such early successes became the springboard to achievements in later life. Judd Mackintosh, a longtime Cottonwood Heights resident and 1974 state champion, said, “We were taught never to quit. Not losing was more of a motivation than winning. Perseverance became part of our life skill inventory.” Brayden Stevens, a young freshman in 2014 recalls, “I remember walking in the storied Brighton wrestling room and the first thing I did, was go look at all the names of state champion wrestlers. It was at that moment I set a goal for myself that one day my name would be up there alongside some of the greats.” Stevens contributed to the legacy by becoming a two-time state wrestling champion for Brighton.
The Swimming Dynasty
Swimming and Brighton became synonymous after the first decade of the school’s history. Though it had no swimming program nor a pool, the school hired a young swimming standout from Kearns High School who would go on over the next 26 years to become Brighton’s most decorated coach in any sport—Russ Lauber. In a school of outstanding athletes and coaches, coach Lauber was outstanding. “Running a coed program out of the Cottonwood Heights Spa, I built on the community youth program, and by 1980, we
were a juggernaut,” Lauber said. “Brighton was no longer known as just a wrestling dynasty, they were now also a state and national swimming force amassing 20 Utah state girls championships in a row (a national record at the time) and 16 of 20 for the boys.” Lauber’s unmatched results were recognized by the National Federation of High School Sports Coaches. In 2000, they named Lauber coach of the year. This honor is significant because, at the time, there were 65,000 coaches nationwide. Ted Paulsen, a 1970’s swimmer under Lauber and currently a lawyer in Draper, said, “Most students didn’t see five in the morning at Brighton unless they were swimmers. Commitment, dedication, and hard work are principles that come to mind when I think of my swimming experience at Brighton. My life was forever shaped by these principles learned by swimming for coach Lauber. My swimming experience provided a baseline of learning that carried me through my collegiate swimming career, my college and graduate education and my profession life.” Todd Etherington, another beneficiary of Lauber’s Midas touch, took over Brighton’s high-profile swimming program in 2001 and has extended the dynasty to 47 state titles—24 for girls swimming and 23 for boys swimming.
The Tennis Dynasty
Brighton High’s tennis program has been one of the strongest in Utah for decades. Over Brighton’s 50 years, the Bengals have captured 29 team state championships in girls and boys tennis. Brighton’s first state trophy in girls sports was claimed by the tennis team in 1976. Both the girls and boys teams have had seven-year winning streaks. Coach Natalie Meyer, who played for Brighton as a student, deserves a lot of the credit, though she’ll tell you it’s not about winning. “If they can walk off the court and tell me they’ve given 100%, I really don’t care if they’ve won or lost,” she said in a video produced in 2019 to celebrate Brighton’s feat of capturing its 120th team state championship title. Kristen Stewart played on Brighton’s tennis teams in the halcyon 1980’s era. “While I can’t speak for the students who have benefitted from the program over the years, we know that sports open doors for students. There have been countless athletes
Soccer became a UHSAA-sanctioned sport relatively later in Brighton’s history. However, Brighton athletes took to the sport like a duck to water. Brighton produced some of Utah’s most outstanding boys and girls soccer athletes netting 13 state titles and an equal number of heart-wrenching second-place finishes. Legendary boys soccer coach, Russ Boyer, said, “It has been a privilege for me to have been associated with Brighton soccer over the years. Brighton soccer has always stood for excellence and has upheld the highest standards of character and teamwork. It was my pleasure to be involved with so many amazing young men over the years. They were exemplary student-athletes whose many accomplishments on the field were complemented by meaningful contributions in their school and community.”
Future dynasties
Lacrosse, a newly sanctioned UHSAA sport, is well on its way to add to the tradition of excellence at Brighton. Both the girls and boys lacrosse programs have been successful from the start having won several state titles as a club sport. “Thanks to dozens of dedicated parents and passionate players, Brighton lacrosse quickly made a name for itself. In 2021, in the first (real) year as a sanctioned sport, girls lacrosse went 16-2. We also sent three of our six seniors to play in college,” said Brighton’s girls lacrosse head coach Melissa Nash. “The foundation is strong and we’re excited to continue building the Bengal legacy.” Philosopher Kierkegaard proves to be prescient. Looking into the past brings understanding and a level of insight that Brighton might have missed in the frenzy of the moment. Penny Petersen has been at the school for 49 years and has witnessed each of those 120 titles. “There were years in the 1980s when we were bringing home eight or nine titles every year. We literally had no space to display all the trophies we were bringing to the circled halls of Brighton.” Moncur’s monumental effort of sorting this exceptional athletic heritage and displaying it in the Hall of Champions is laudable. It is also much appreciated by the students who are remembered and memorialized in the permanent display. Joy Christensen, a 1970’s gymnast remarked upon seeing her name engraved on the 1976 state champion trophy now on display in the hall. “I was near emotional to realize that something I was a part of 45 years ago is significant and still remembered,” Christensen said. Bryan Kehl, a linebacker drafted by the New York Giants in 2008, offered his response to the Hall of Champions. “I grew up going to Brighton athletics and dreamed of being able to perform on the big stage for the Bengals,” he said. “Being able to compete was a blessing and I look back on those times very fondly. Now, it is a great honor to be remembered all these years later.” l
January 2022 | Page 13
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Page 14 | January 2022
The Spencer family fostered these three puppies through an arrangement with Nuzzles & Co. Pet Rescue and Adoption based in Park City. (Photo courtesy Emerald Spencer)
These families open their hearts, homes to foster pets
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By Katherine Weinstein | k.weinstein@mycityjournals.com
he Spencer family gazed down with pride at the new mom, snuggled up in a makeshift bed with her nine healthy, week-old puppies. The Spencers took in the dog just before she gave birth as part of a fostering partnership with Nuzzles & Co. Pet Rescue and Adoption. The family is just one of many who open their homes and hearts to homeless pets in need. The Spencers have fostered a total of 23 dogs since they began working with Nuzzles & Co. last summer. “We always had dogs in our home,” said Misti Spencer. “I wanted to buy a home so bad so we could get a dog. I just have to have a dog in my life. I think I’ll be fostering forever!” Nuzzles & Co. is always seeking volunteers to foster pets. The organization has grown by leaps and bounds since its founding in 1990 and now includes a pet adoption center in Park City as well as a Rescue and Rehab Ranch. Nuzzles & Co. works with the Navajo Nation and the Ute Reservation to care for and find homes for the many homeless dogs and cats on the reservation. In 2020, the organization saved a grand total of 1,863 dogs and cats. There is a great need for people to foster dogs who are pregnant or nursing pups and the Spencers agreed to take on the challenge. Jonathan Spencer explained, “We help the moms to get back in good health, socialized and used to living indoors. We’re helping them to become a desirable family pet.” “We give the moms lots of love, they get a lot of attention,” said Ronan Spencer, a student at Corner Canyon High School. “The moms are often in bad shape,” Misti explained. “The first mom we picked up was so sick, they thought she was going to
die. It felt so good to bring her back to life.” She recalled the joy the family felt watching their first foster dog play with her puppies in the backyard. That dog was later adopted by a family in Murray and the Spencers had the pleasure of seeing her again when the family brought her to Draper Dog Park. As a pet foster family, the Spencers are not responsible for finding forever homes for the dogs. When the puppies are eight weeks old, they are taken back to Nuzzles & Co. to be adopted out. However, the family often finds ways to keep in touch with their former canine charges. Emerald Spencer, a student at Utah State University, explained that a family friend adopted a couple of puppies that they had fostered. “We still get to see them, which is cool!” she said. Emerald described how her family helps to socialize the dogs which includes leash training them and taking them on walks. “We invite the neighbors over to play with the dogs,” she said. Jonathan added, “The kids bring friends over so that the dogs get used to teens.” Misti noted that having older kids who can help care for the dogs is a bonus when you’re a pet foster parent. She also explained that the key to being a good foster pet family is flexibility. “You have to be a problem solver,” Misti said. “Every dog has its own personality and issues, their needs are so different. Every batch of puppies has its unique needs.” “There’s going to be some characters in this batch!” Jonathan said of the tiny, roly-poly puppies who are currently in their care. “There is a stigma on rescue dogs,” he continued. “But these are good animals, dogs that are going to love you forever because you gave them a home. The pets we’ve had have
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Jonathan, Misti, Emerald and Ronan Spencer pose for a family holiday photo with their foster pups. (Photo courtesy Emerald Spencer)
always been rescues.” “People pay a fortune for a purebred dog,” Misti said. “There are so many good dogs out there. Dogs make such an impact on peoples’ lives. That’s what I find so rewarding.” Ronan observed that dogs can become a key part of the family. He explained that while he enjoys helping to care for the family’s dogs, “I feel a connection with cats. If I ever see a cat, I have to go up to it and pet it.” There are many others in Draper who share that love of all things feline, including folks who foster cats and kittens. The Day family has fostered nine kittens so far since October 2020. “I had thought about fostering for a long time,” Becca Day explained. She began her journey as a foster cat mom when her mother found a tiny stray kitten hiding in her garage. Becca and her family cared for the kitten until it was adopted by a family friend. “We still get to see it,” she said with a smile. Becca joined Celestial Zoo Pet Rescue, a Facebook community based in Bluffdale. Unlike Nuzzles & Co., Celestial Zoo does not have a brick-and-mortar location. There are separate Celestial Zoo Facebook groups for those who foster cats and dogs. Through the online community, “the nice thing is that we can find other kitties that need help,” Becca explained. “They do a lot with feral cats. If a cat shows signs of being a potential good pet, we foster them. Really feral cats end up as barn cats.” The Celestial Zoo community often coordinates foster care for homeless cats and
CottonwoodHeightsJournal .com
kittens found in the rural areas of southern
Utah and brings them north where they are more likely to find forever homes. The first two kittens that the Day family fostered from Celestial Zoo were from a large cat colony in Utah County. At first, the black kitten later known as Jiji was very fearful of humans and would hiss when approached. Becca’s husband, Ben, helped to socialize Jiji by sitting with him and eventually had the kitten literally eating from his hand. “It was calming for me,” Ben said. “I gave him the opportunity to build trust with humans and form a bond.” Fifteen year old Oliver Day is a bit wary of getting too attached to the kittens but enjoys playing with them. “I really like cats,” he said. “They are always cute! I like the experience of raising them and finding them a good home.” For Oliver, the best part of fostering kittens is, “You get to have the experience of having a lot of pets and, if you like one, you get to keep them.” Currently, the Days are fostering a young gray and white cat who has bonded with their own older pet cat. The family is leaning toward adopting him, making him a so-called, “foster fail.” Becca admits that it’s hard not to keep all of their young feline charges. Sending kittens off to a new home can be bittersweet. “Of course you’re going to be sad at the end,” she said. “It’s because you care.” The cats and dogs being fostered through Celestial Zoo are advertised for adoption on Petfinder and the organization hosts weekend
adoption events at PetSmart stores in Sandy, West Jordan and Orem. “Celestial Zoo really cares about who is adopting the cats,” Becca explained. Prospective owners need to complete an adoption form and are interviewed by the pet’s foster parents. Making sure that a prospective owner is not getting a pet on a whim is key as is determining the sort of home environment that the pet would be going to. Not every dog or cat has the temperament to get along with young children or other pets. “If the adoption doesn’t work out, the kitty goes back to the foster,” Becca said. She happily keeps in touch with some of her adopters. Becca would encourage others to foster pets if they have the time and capacity, but added that there are other ways people can help homeless pets. “Maybe you can volunteer to transport animals or make a donation,” she said. “Keep an eye on your neighborhood and if you see a cat that is clearly not someone’s pet or find a litter of kittens, contact a rescue group to help.” Both Nuzzles & Co. and Celestial Zoo are seeking people to foster pets and volunteer in other capacities. Nuzzles & Co.’s Pet Adoption Center is located at The Outlets, 6699 N. Landmark Drive, Suite B-103 in Park City. Call 435-649-5441 for more information or visit www.nuzzlesandco.org. Celestial Zoo Pet Rescue has a website as well; visit www.celestialzoo.org or find them on Facebook. l
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Peggy McVae delivers fresh bread to the racks at Great Harvest. (Zak Sonntag/City Journals)
Holla Dollars wraps up with lackluster numbers By Zak Sonntag | z.sonntag@mycityjournals.com
H
olla Dollars, a stimulus effort that made cash-equivalent vouchers available to Holladay residents for use at participating local businesses as part of the city’s effort to mitigate recession hardships, ended in December with lackluster figures as early data suggests the initiative vastly undershot its potential. Though final figures remain to be tallied, numbers from Dec. 6 were unimpressive, showing that only 1,000 households amounting to 8% of eligible residents had registered for their Holla Dollars, a puzzlingly small figure for a presumably easy sell—free money—raising questions about the city’s follow-through on a program with high potential to ease financial pressure on both local business and consumers. Drawing from reactions of residents interviewed by the Holladay Journal, who expressed feeling left in the dark, the biggest factor of the programs underwhelming participation likely stems from a less than robust outreach effort. “This is the first I’ve heard of it,” explained Stephanie, a checkout clerk working the register at the Village Harmons. “Sounds like something worth investigating, though. I hope it isn’t too late. I don’t have a problem with a little extra cash.” Holla Dollars is the latest, and possibly the last, coronavirus-related stimulus initiative to come out of the city. The voucher program came on the heels of another city measure called the Small Business Grant Program, which got $214,000 to local business across the city to help with marketing and long-term technological improvements. The success and popularity of the grant program encouraged leaders to follow up with additional initiatives by tapping unused dollars from the city’s own federal stimulus allotment.
Page 16 | January 2022
Different from the grant program, Holla Dollars sought to provide relief from the bottom up with direct to consumer voucher payments, an approach favored by residents who covet support amid what they see as prolonged uncertainty. “I think stimulus is smart because I know plenty of people still need help. My federal stimulus allowed me to repair my car. That was a relief. And even when people say it’s getting better, I have no idea what things will look like in the near future because every [economic] prediction I’ve heard has been wrong. Just when we think we’re coming out, we have more trouble,” said Mason Graham, a Holladay resident who works from home as a copy editor. Graham, like many who spoke with the Holladay Journal, said they had not heard about the Holla Dollars program, leaving the city to ponder what it might have done differently to get the message out. The city identified ways in which the program may have been more effective. Development Director LaNiece Davenport, who oversaw the program, explained that in hindsight they would not have gone through a third party vendor to send postcards, while also boosting the postcard dissemination, with the thought that the single round of informational mailers did not sufficiently catch the attention of residents. In addition, they would have increased the program’s social media presence and prodded businesses to join in the outreach effort more aggressively. “We would engage the businesses earlier in the process to ensure their understanding and active engagement and participation in the program, and use them to help spread the word,” said Davenport, who, despite such holes in the outreach effort, was nonetheless caught off guard by the data. “I have been handing out Holla Dollars stickers for
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
business to put up in their windows, and we made the voucher website really easy to use. So I’m not totally sure why we haven’t seen bigger numbers,” Davenport said. Holla Dollars, nonetheless, has had an impact, according to local businesses who’ve noticed small upticks in consumption. According to December data, the program’s big winners appear to be local restaurants. Local businesses that collected the highest number of Holla Dollars include: My Pie Pizza, Tony Burgers, 3 Cups, Real Taqueria, Tosh’s Ramen, Tandoor, Fav Bistro, Pizzeria Tasso, Snider Brothers Meats and Great Harvest. “We’ve had at least a few customers a day using Holla Dollars on sandwiches, bread, cookies. We love it, especially because it keeps everything local. We’ve been here in Holladay for 30 years and that type of local support is why,” said Peggy McVae, co-owner of Great Harvest in Holladay. A local resident named Sawyer, a clini-
cal-rotation nurse, says there are some things you can’t live without, and those are where additional dollars inevitably go. “When I get my Holla Dollars, I will probably spend it on food. And if I get other stimulus money I will use it for gasoline. Those are the things I can’t get by without,” Sawyer said. Holla Dollars have been used at retail stores as well, including: Amy Boutique, The Store, Wild Birds Unlimited, Parry’s Office Supplies, Kid to Kid, Ace Hardware, Pet Spawt, Knot+Spool, Relics Frame Makers and Gallery and All the Raige Dog Salon. These are amongst the 72 Holladay businesses who’ve opted into the program. The programs enrollment ended on Dec. 17—however, members of the city council have expressed interest in extending Holla Dollars because the money has already been budgeted, and discussions about the programs possible continuation will take place once the all the data on the program is in. l
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January 2022 | Page 17
Help wanted: Officials for youth sports By Greg James | g.james@mycityjournals.com
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Hockey officials like DeOrr Wight stand right in the line of fire, coaches and players have direct access to them throughout the game. (Greg James/City Journals)
he number of high school referees and sports officials is declining rapidly across the country. Until recently, Utah had not experienced much of a decline, but this season it has finally hit home. Why is this happening and what can be done to make sure athletes don’t miss games because of it? “If high school is in session I am doing a sport,” Harley Gold said. “I have officiated since 1967. I started because I was invited to a little league umpires clinic then and I became an umpire. I enjoy all of the sports and picking a favorite is like picking my favorite child.” Gold is not alone, many of the officials started young and have continued for years. Former USA Hockey Supervisor of Officials Jim Mckenna started officiating youth and adult recreation hockey games in 1994. He continues working collegiate and junior league games as well as games in the ECHL. “I was looking for a way to earn some extra money back then,” Mckenna said. “I dealt with the assignment of officials and contracts with leagues and organizations and helped with training. It was a lot of work, but it was fun.”
Both of these longtime arbiters enjoy what they do. “I like being around the game and with the kids,” Gold said. According to an Ohio University study many states are reporting a decrease in officials. Oregon alone saw a 12% drop in registered football referees this fall. The shortage has finally hit Utah. Two weeks before the boys basketball season began the Utah High School Activities Association had 450 people registered for the job, nearly 250 less than what they need to complete the season. In northern California they have seen a decrease of nearly 30%. Utah has also increased the number of schools therefore increasing the number of games. Making this a two-headed problem for officials. The lack of officials has forced postponement and cancellation of many sub-varsity games in the state. Some schools are moving games to make it easier to find people to help. “Every year in the last five or six years we have seen a decline in the number of officials,” McKenna said. “The abuse from parents and players contributes. The younger officials wonder why they would
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want to go and get yelled at for two hours.” Sportsmanship, specifically the lack thereof, has become a key factor in the decline of officials. Sportsmanship refers to virtues such as fairness, self-control and courage. In today’s sporting culture those virtues can take a back seat to winning at all costs. “We have really lost the sense of what is appropriate. It seems OK to scream at some official and tell them how crappy they are. Society is a lot less accepting and willing to come to an understanding,” McKenna said. In a National Association of Sporting Officials survey, adult recreation and youth competitive sports had the worst sportsmanship and 47% of officials surveyed feared for their safety because of a fan, player, coach or administrator. According to UHSAA assistant director Jeff Cluff, poor sportsmanship is “probably the No. 1 reason an official does not return. We lose about 75% of first-year officials. It is hard if you don't have the personality to handle it. There is no place for bad sportsmanship.” In early November, at a 13-14-yearold division hockey tournament in Colorado, Ron Groothedde, a 25-year veteran referee, was sprayed in the face with a large can of Lysol by an angry parent. The suspect was arrested for harassment. Incidents of poor sportsmanship are
numerous. “I think it takes communication. I see a lot of officials that get yelled at and they yell right back and all that does is fuel the fire. Talking to a coach and explaining what you saw in a conversation and come to an agreement,” McKenna said. “Some of the younger officials are intimidated by the coaches.” The extra money of a part-time job like officiating was a big draw to begin with, but many potential officials have found other jobs that also pay well. In March of 2020, when the pandemic started many games and competitions were canceled. For six to eight months officials sat at home. Many have not returned, citing COVID concerns and also a lack of interest. “We have tried a few different things,” United States Specialty Sports Association’s Utah Director Jerry Ong said. “We work hard on having good compensation, umpire treatment and fan control. I know as an industry we have suffered with the loss of referees.” The UHSAA pay scale for officials varies by sport and level. A varsity football referee can take home $74 whereas a volleyball official makes $59. Some schools offer dinner and food stipends to help with travel expenses. The current pay rates have increased nearly 10% across the board. Some offi-
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cials can get paid mileage to travel to an event. “Basketball and softball have been affected the most,” Cluff said. “We have games in rural areas that need to have officials. We are paying more to get guys to travel to those places. We are looking for ways to recruit new help.” The athletes and coaches of today are the officials of tomorrow. Cluff said getting them involved when they are young could help increase numbers. “Our coaches make the best officials,” Cluff said. “A basketball coach can be a great baseball umpire or football referee. They have great relationships with kids and know how to work positively with them. It also gives kids a better understanding of the game.” The UHSAA encourages its athletes to participate in little leagues and youth sports programs. Its older referees also attempt to persuade friends to join the organization. “You can never find a more fulfilling part-time job,” Gold said. “I get to set my own hours, work when I want to work. There is also plenty of help available. Training every year and other mentors to keep you straight.” According to a recent NASO survey, 48% of all current officials started because of an invitation from a friend. There are also numerous other rea-
sons why many people get involved. They include extra money, the love of sports, a way to stay active, and giving back to a game they love. “I get to work the ECHL games and there are times that I think ‘why do I still do this.’ I just got berated for the entire game, but there are times when the action is intense and the game is back and forth. It is awesome to be involved in a game that is back and forth and the guys are playing well,” McKenna said. “I have also worked with other officials that have gone on and had great careers in the NHL.” The hard work of officials does not go unnoticed. “I definitely think officials have the hardest job to do. No matter what they do it will upset one side or the other,” West Jordan boys basketball head coach Christian Wouden said. “We have some great officials and they work extremely hard.” In 2021, Tammy Spencer and Lance Nielsen were awarded officials of the year by UHSAA. Many leagues offer training for new officials. The UHSAA has set up official associations and they provide constant training and are always looking for new hires to try it out. l
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Measuring the impact of ranked choice voting
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his election cycle, multiple cities in the Salt Lake valley opted to take advantage of a pilot program for ranked choice voting, made possible by the state legislature. As opposed to a traditional election, where voters must select one candidate, RCV allows voters to rank any number of candidates according to their preference. Proponents of the method point to the benefits of making the switch, from encouraging more candidates to run and increasing voter turnout, to making elections more fair and less antagonistic. While some of these benefits aren’t easily measured, some of them can be. So, how did this round of RCV experimentation turn out? To get a sense of how much RCV impacted local elections this year, The City Journals took a look at the numbers for a few key metrics. First reporters compared the number of candidates and voter turnout to the same races held in 2017. Then reporters asked the question: did RCV actually change any of the election results? Number of Candidates There were eight cities which took part in the RCV pilot: Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake, Millcreek, Cottonwood Heights, Sandy, Draper, Midvale and Bluffdale. Riverton would have but only had one candidate for each election. Within those cities, there were 17 races that utilized RCV. (A couple races would have used RCV, but it ended up not being necessary because there were only two candidates.) There were 73 combined candidates who ran in those 17 races, an increase from 63 candidates who ran for those same positions in the primary stage in 2017. However, that increase is almost completely accounted for by one city, Sandy, which saw an increase of three to eight candidates in its mayoral race and from two to six candidates in its race for an at-large seat on the city council. Cottonwood Heights was another city that saw an increase in candidates, with five candidates competing in both its mayoral race and one of its city council races (compared to three in each race from 2017). Salt Lake City saw the biggest decrease in its number of candidates, with two fewer candidates vying for its second district seat and three fewer candidates vying for its seventh district. Voter Turnout How about voter turnout? Does giving people the chance to rank multiple candidates encourage more people to participate? Not according to this year’s races. Of the 17 races we looked at, there was a total voter turnout of 115,851. That’s up just a little bit from 2017’s turnout of 115,008. Recognizing that there are a number of possible variables that can impact turnout for a given race, here are a few of the outliers in this category. Remember, this is comparing
Page 20 | January 2022
By Justin Adams | justin.a@thecityjournals.com
Election assistant Becky Overacker helps first-time voter Zyon Bruce in Draper where they held ranked choice voting for the first time. (Mimi Darley Dutton/City Journals)
2017 to 2021. A Bluffdale race for two seats on its council increased from 1,418 ballots counted to 3,344. Salt Lake City’s first district race saw an increase from 1,621 to 3,381. Despite having seven candidates vying for two at-large seats, Draper’s voter turnout dropped 20%, from 10,853 to 8,610. Even in Sandy City, which had a hotly contested and crowded mayoral race, turnout decreased from 23,007 to 21,246. Did it impact results? Under RCV, the ballot counting process takes place over several rounds. After the first round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their ballots then revert to those voters’ second choices. This creates the possibility that whichever candidate receives the most first-place ballots, won’t actually win the election. You might have a candidate who receives the third-most votes in the first round end up winning the election because they built a broad base of support and was able to win the majority of the second place votes. So, did that happen in any of these elections? For the most part, no. In almost all the races, the candidate who received the most first-place votes went on to win the election. The one exception being Millcreek’s District 2 race, in which Jeremiah Clark held a narrow lead after the first round of votes, but ended up losing to Thom Desirant by nine percentage points. So what? Based on this initial look at some of
these metrics, it might seem like RCV made a huge impact on this year’s elections. But Stan Lockhart, a spokesman for Utah Ranked Choice Voting, said that it’s too early to draw long-term conclusions about the effectiveness of RCV. “Twenty-three cities in Utah used ranked choice voting this year, and it was the first time for 21 of those 23 cities. We need to be careful in extrapolating too much,” he said. In regards to measurables like number of candidates and voter turnout, Lockhart said those have always been driven more by local issues. If there’s something controversial that’s taken place at the city level, like a tax increase or a land use decision, that’s more likely to drum up interest in an election than a change to RCV. A better measure of RCV’s success, according to Lockhart, is how voters felt about the process…a question that Utah RCV teamed up with Y2 Analytics to help answer. “I think the most important metric that we should focus on is voter satisfaction. How did the voter feel about the experience of ranking their vote. And the survey vote shows as high as 90% of the voters thought it was easy to use,” Lockhart said. Additionally, 62% of poll respondents said they liked voting with a ranked choice ballot. Learning curve Lockhart acknowledged that there can be a little bit of a learning curve when it comes to RCV, both for candidates and voters. For candidates, the implementation of RCV opens up another component of cam-
paign strategy that they normally wouldn’t think about: coordinating with other candidates and forming coalitions. For example, a group of two or more like-minded candidates can encourage their voters to rank them in the top three spots. Lockhart said he didn’t see a whole lot of such coordination in the races which used RCV. One exception was for one of the council races in Salt Lake City, where two candidates jointly paid for a postcard advertisement, where one candidate was featured on one side, and the other candidate on the flipside. There’s also a learning curve for voters, who might not realize the power they have by taking advantage of the ranked choice feature. If a voter only ranks one or two candidates and those candidates get eliminated, that voters’ ballot becomes “inactive.” In a close election, a large number of inactive ballots represents voters who could have potentially swung the election one way or another. That’s exactly what happened in Sandy, where the top two candidates for mayor were separated by just 21 votes. However, there were over 4,000 inactive ballots (voters who had chosen to not rank either of the two finalists). If voting is all about using one’s voice, Lockhart suggested that fully ranking every candidate on the ballot is voters’ best way to maximize that voice. “If those voters had ranked more candidates, they would have been more relevant in that round,” he said about that Sandy mayoral race. l
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
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January 2022 | Page 21
Find joy in winter by embracing outdoor activities By Karmel Harper | k.harper@mycityjournals.com
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n just a few weeks, Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania, will emerge to predict when winter will end. For many people who hate the cold days, grey skies, and treacherous icy roads, they hope Phil does not see his shadow and predicts an early spring. When Herriman residents were polled about how they feel about winter, 25% replied that they absolutely hate winter and are already counting down the days until spring. The cold and darkness are some of the factors why winter months trigger the onset of seasonal affective disorder or SAD, a type of depression that is related to a change in seasons. Herriman’s Celeste Barrow Bruening said, “About mid-October I start to notice a drastic change in my attitude and outlook on life. I get an overwhelming feeling of dread just thinking about the cold. I hate everything about it. Not necessarily the snow, just the cold. The short dark days are a struggle and the grey, cloudy atmosphere is depressing.” According to Mental Health America, Bruening is not alone as SAD affects over 10 million Americans a year. If you experience symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, please consult a mental health provider. With the milder Utah winters in recent years, even winter haters admit that the snow is necessary for summer water levels. Herriman’s Katie Jo Stratton said, “I don’t love the snow like I did when I skied. But I want it to snow like it did in the ‘90s so we can have all the water we need in the lakes to play!” Although most Utahns recognize snow is necessary for our desert state, the darkness, the cold, and the dangerous driving conditions incite a teeth-chattering, snow-shoveling, white-knuckle-driving tolerance of the season. However, many Utahns absolutely love winter and all of the beauty and outdoor recreation it brings. The Brown family from South Jordan look forward to winter every year as they are avid skiers. Amanda Brown even works at Park City Mountain Resort every season for the sole purpose of providing ski lessons for her four children who range in age from six to 12. Brown said, “Winter can be long and dreary if you allow it to be. We wanted to instill a love of the season in our children at an early age by enrolling them in ski lessons since they were very young. Now we look forward to it every year as we can get outside as a family and enjoy something active together.” Kaysville’s Margot Marrs Pauni said, “I absolutely hated winter and counted the days until it was over, and then I learned to ski. It made a huge difference in my attitude and mental well-being. Now I look forward to winter.” Pauni has been skiing for over 3 years. If gliding downhill at 20+ mph while dodging other people and trees is not your thing, there are a multitude of other winter activities to try to experience Utah’s famous
Page 22 | January 2022
“Greatest Snow on Earth.”. Exploring our spectacular mountains is extremely popular during the spring, summer and fall, but winter hiking is in a class of its own. A trail that you have hiked many times during other seasons will look completely different when it is covered with snow and provides a new experience. Creeks will have frozen sections with icicles adorning rocky edges. Waterfalls will be partially or completely frozen, giving you a breathtaking and magical view. Trails such as Ogden’s Waterfall Canyon and Layton’s Adam’s Canyon offer awesome winter adventures with picture perfect vistas that Jack Frost will be proud of. Herriman’s Rachel Dekker Moody said, “There is something magical about going for a ‘snow globe’ run early in the morning and hearing the crunch of snow under your feet and knowing you are the first footprints out for the day!” Though cycling is typically a warm weather sport, winter riding has become popular since fat bikes emerged on the market. While standard mountain bikes have tire widths anywhere between 1.6” and 2.6”, a fat bike’s tires are 3.7” to 5”, allowing the rider to cruise through on snow-packed trails with greater traction and better handling. Various local bike dealers rent fat bikes so you can give it a try. Visit www.cyclingutah.com for suggestions on the best fat biking trails. Sledding or inner tubing is another popular winter activity, and you don’t even have to go up into the mountains to enjoy it. Even a local park or neighborhood with a good slope can serve as a decent sledding hill. Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City and Eaglewood Golf Course in North Salt Lake have awesome hills that are free to sled and tube on. Or visit a designated sledding park such as Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway or Woodward in Park City. Avid fishermen don’t need to pack up their poles for the season as ice fishing is Adam’s Canyon in the winter can be magical. (Karmel Harper/City Journals) popular in Utah. Frozen lakes such as Strawberry Reservoir and even local ponds such fishing every winter. Kaysville’s Shaylee Wat- wear all three layers at the outset, it’s a good as Farmington Pond and Bountiful Pond at- kins said, “I love ice fishing because it’s fun to idea to take all layers on every outing. You can tract anglers of all ages once the ice is thick sit and snack out in a heated tent on the ice and peel off layers if things heat up, but you can’t enough. The website Best Fishing in America get nice and comfy and kick your boots off.” put on layers that you didn’t bring along.” Other important gear includes warm said, “The season typically starts in mid to late North Salt Lake’s Challis Watkins said, “Ice head and ear coverings such as beanies and December in Utah, depending on the weather. fishing is like fishing but way better.” It is important to be prepared before ear muffs, scarves, and waterproof gloves. There are years when the hard water doesn’t set in until mid-January, while other years, venturing outside during the winter months. Proper shoes such as waterproof boots that it can happen in late November. A good rule Tolerating the cold is much easier with proper provide warmth and traction are a necessity. of thumb is that 4 inches is thick enough for clothing and gear. Dressing in layers is a good For additional traction, particularly on steep an average person, 5-6 inches is suitable for practice because you will warm up as your icy terrain, use crampons or microspikes, a a snowmobile or 4-wheeler, and 8-12 inches activity level increases and you will be much mechanism that typically consists of spikes more comfortable removing or adding layers and chains that fit over your shoes and can be will support a truck.” easily slipped off and on the trails as needed. Ice anglers use an ice auger with a 6-8” as needed. REI’s website suggests three basic layers: Driving during the winter is a big reabit to drill a hole in the ice large enough to pull caught fish through. In addition to the ap- “1) Base layer (underwear layer): wicks sweat son why many people hate the season so prepropriate fishing equipment, other gear such off your skin, 2) Middle layer (insulating lay- paring your vehicle for the cooler months is as ice tents and tent heaters can be used for er): retains body heat to protect you from the important. Tips for winterizing your vehicle additional warmth and comfort. The Watkins cold, and 3) Outer layer (shell layer): shields include testing your battery and tire pressure family from Davis County look forward to ice you from wind and rain. Even if you don’t as battery power and tire pressure drop when
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Amanda Brown revels in the snow with her son, 8-year-old Eli. (Photo courtesy of Amanda Brown. Shaylee Watkins and Cody Carter show off their ice fishing catches at Utah Lake. (Photo courtesy of Teal Anderson.)
the air temperature drops, changing to winter tires, checking wiper blades and replacing if needed, and always keeping at least a half tank of gas. Tips for winter driving include driving
slower, increasing your following distance, and accelerating and decelerating slowly. But if it is snowing heavily, the best practice is to stay home if you can and avoid unnecessary
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January 2022 | Page 23
After two near-.500 seasons, Cottonwood football needs more players By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com
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wo 4-5 seasons, their best finishes in back to back years in more than a decade have the Cottonwood Colts football team thinking ahead to even bigger things in what will be year four under head coach Casey Miller. But, as the coach stressed, Cottonwood is still in dire need of one thing in particular as it will begin its third season, and possibly its last, as a football independent: more kids. “We don’t have enough players to really get a good practice during the [season during] the week,” Miller said. “Kids who are linemen have had to play wide receiver or running back at a skill position, so we get used to slower kids than we face in games at practice.” The necessity to have to play players both ways has also had other adverse effects on the program: simulated practices, fewer healthy bodies and more turnovers and penalties. “We can’t afford injuries so we do very little full contact at practice to help keep kids [healthy],” Miller said. “In games, things are faster and harder than we are used to so kids make more mistakes.” The Colts finished the past season with about 30 healthy players, added Miller, the former Hillcrest High coach who has been coaching at Cottonwood in some football capacity for seven years. He spent several years
After two 4-5 seasons, the Colts are looking to level up with more players. (Photo courtesy Casey Miller)
as a Colts offensive coordinator under former coach Bart Bowen, and then Miller took over the top job after Bowen left to take a head coaching position at Logan High School. But when Bowen was at Cottonwood, he had the same issues as Miller in getting players to come out for the football team. Numbers were low for Bowen’s teams as well, to the point that after a 1-9 season, and after completely rebuilding the program’s inventory, the roster numbers to a degree and team standards
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said he’d had enough, according to Miller. “He ended up burning himself out and decided that his sanity depended on being somewhere that was not in as bad of shape as Cottonwood,” said Miller, who then said players in the program begged him to apply for the vacant head coaching job, and added they went so far as to ask the Cottonwood administration to hire the Colts’ then-offensive coordinator. Like Bowen, Miller was handed the thankless task out of the gate of trying to mo-
tivate the 17 kids he did have on his varsity roster to finish games. As a member of a brutal Region 6 that included Highland, Skyline and Brighton, this was a tall order for Miller in his first year as head coach: all were blowout losses. “We went 0-10, got shut out nine times, and only scored 13 against West on a fluke KOR [kickoff return] where they over-ran a squib-kick, and then we scored on their third or fourth string late in the game,” Miller said.
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In Cottonwood’s first year under Miller almost every region game the Colts played in had a running clock by the third quarter, so he asked Cottonwood athletic director Greg Southwick to petition the Utah High School Athletics Activities Association, or UHSAA, to move the Colts football program to independent status. After reviewing Cottonwood’s body of work in football over several years the move to independence was granted two years ago by Utah’s high school sports governing body, and so the Cottonwood program under the new coach Miller was given a lifeline when it was near its death. “Instead of having to play Corner Canyon, Olympus, Brighton, we were able to schedule more 2A and 3A schools to level the playing field,” said Miller, who added that scheduling JV teams from larger schools also helped hone the Colts’ competitive nature in his second season as they began their climb back up the ladder. For a program that had a tradition of winning in the 1990s and 2000s but has never won a state title, nobody in the program including Miller wanted to see Cottonwood football cease its operations for the first time in school history. Data collection As a football independent, the Cottonwood football program is by no means out of the woods yet, but there have been signs of a resurgence under Miller. As an independent, the Colts have begun to show that they can again compete for four quarters against high school programs in Utah. A narrow loss to 2A power Summit Academy coupled with a signature win over 5A rival Murray this past season have given Miller and Southwick cause for hope. But in order to make a successful move from independent status back to Class 5A membership and complete the cycle back to football prominence, this Cottonwood program still has work to do in several areas, noted Miller. “We still have a long way to go if we are going to be put back in a region after next season,” he said. “We would be an average 2A program as it sits now.” To that end, Miller said he has devised several strategies to attract junior-high aged players. First, the Cottonwood Ute Conference little league program restarted three years ago after an absence, and sixth to eighth graders will begin to infuse more life into the Colts football program, Miller predicts. Seeds of that have already begun sprouting into the freshman/sophomore team. But the growth in this area is minimal: Cottonwood still doesn’t have enough players to field a JV team—something Miller said that almost every 5A program has. Second is a tool Miller has already implemented the past two summers: a weeklong, college-style football camp. Because the ma-
CottonwoodHeightsJournal .com
After two 4-5 seasons, the Colts are looking to level up with more players. (Photo courtesy Casey Miller)
jority of potential players in the Cottonwood area cannot afford to attend summer camps on college campuses, Miller—who coached at the NAIA college level at Benedictine and was a quarterback there as well as at Cyprus High where he was a Region 5 MVP—has brought this much-needed college camp experience to these kids. Miller estimates that these summer camps alone could bring in at least 10, if not more, kids from the seventh and eighth grades in the next two years. But this is a slow play that could take years to bear any fruit. The third and final strategy was to have Miller, and his coaches and players, start walking through Cottonwood’s hallways and talk to kids who might want to give football a try. If it sounds easy enough, it actually isn’t according to Miller who said this strategy usually yields between three to five new players every year. These are kids who, before having gone to this camp, had either never played football or were kids who were students at Cottonwood’s renowned accelerated AMES school who weren’t already on some other high school’s team—Miller said several play at Kearns and Bingham, and started on their little league youth teams. Or they were kids who had played soccer or another school-sanctioned sport before trying some American football for a change. Because kids are also on social media frequently these days, Miller and his staff also put out messages on Twitter and Snapchat reminding kids about things going on in the football program. But there’s only so much the Cottonwood coach and his staff can do. Drawing conclusions Year three will likely be the last for the Colts as a football independent, Miller believes. With all of Cottonwood’s other athletic
programs now participating in Class 5A’s Region 7—enjoying success it hasn’t had in many years—Miller is still a bit resistant having his team travel as far as 300 miles round-trip for one game to Uintah in Vernal, for example. That said, his Colts have taken road trips as far as Carbon in Price this past year—losing in a 41-34 barnburner classic—so in Miller’s view his team is capable of competing week in and week out on the road as well as at home. Their record in away games during Miller’s tenure has shown this to be true, however, the Colts just aren’t at a 5A level because of the low number of players that are currently on the roster, he said. “When we do face a 2A or 3A school [Carbon is in 3A] and the numbers are even, you can feel a different vibe,” he said. In order for that to change, Miller said the Colts need more bodies on the field. “For varsity [in 2021] we had between 30 and 35 [players] depending on injury. We dressed five sophomores,” Miller said. “We also had 13 seniors this year which is most since I got here…but most schools have 20plus if they are 5A.” If you were to count up all of Cottonwood’s players on the varsity and freshman/sophomore teams, the Colts would have 60 total bodies available—if the school were to be called back up to 5A right now. And so to keep up with the Cedar Valleys, Stansburys and Hillcrests in the new Class 5A Region 7, this Cottonwood football program buttressed by an open enrollment policy that already draws students from all corners of the valley must find a way to find more players. The program already reaches out into the school’s accelerated programs in engineering, drama and the sciences—Miller is a biology teacher by trade. These strategies have unearthed some diamonds in the rough, including
kids who never played the sport. “We had two of those [13] seniors who didn’t play [football] until this year, so really we had 11 [experienced players],” Miller said. “Today in class we were watching our first draft of the team’s highlight video and my students all were saying things like, ‘Where is the rest of our team?’ or ‘Is that all the people we have?’—because of how few players they see on the sideline.” That said, Logan had 24 seniors under Bowen this past year, said Miller. At Cottonwood, the kids are getting accustomed to not having as many kids as the teams they face, added Miller, but he would like find at least 10 to 15 more players for next year. Twenty more players would make the Colts even more competitive right now, Miller said, but if Miller wants to put Cottonwood back at the level of a 5A or 6A program he needs to double his numbers to 120. The final message the Cottonwood head coach wants to send to prospective players, and their parents, is that the program is doing things the right way. A 3.17 first-term team GPA, a focus on academics over athletics—the team doesn’t hold practices from October to the end of the school year—and a team on the rise are all reasons Miller believes prospective students should choose Cottonwood Colts football after two near-.500 seasons. “We have a great staff that really love the kids,” he said. “We know football and have a fun atmosphere in the program. We are looking for kids who want to work hard and get early playing time on the varsity level.” For more information about Cottonwood’s football program, contact coach Miller at: mrmiller-science.weebly.com/football. html. l
January 2022 | Page 25
Utah organization celebrates 10 years of empowering local women
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By Hannah LaFond | h.lafond@mycityjournals.com
uests gathered at Venue 6SIX9 in downtown Salt Lake City for a blacktie gala to honor nine outstanding women. Those celebrated women were the 2021 graduates from WoWUtah. “WoW” stands for “Women of Worth,” and the Utah-based nonprofit works to help women who have overcome difficult circumstances such as addiction, abuse or disease. The women selected for the program go through a year of workshops and training to help them gain self-worth and give them the tools they need for a fresh start. Each of the women is paired with a mentor, a volunteer who is there to help through the entire journey. Along with teaching them valuable life skills, each participant is given a makeover. According to WoWUtah’s Facebook page, they are gifted a collection of business attire and casual clothing selected by a team of stylists. “So she can feel confident and beautiful in her personal and professional life.” They also give each graduate formal wear and shoes for the gala event. While the program usually spans a year, the graduates at Friday’s event had been with WoWUtah for two years. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, workshops and classes that usually would have tak-
en place in person switched to online. As a result, WoWUtah decided to keep the same participants for another year so they could better experience the program. Gala attendees enjoyed WoWUtah gala venue. watching vid- (Courtesy of WoWUtah) eos made by the 2021 graduates to highlight their achievements. Following their video, each graduate walked across the stage, just like in a classic school graduation. Then they were invited to say a few words about their experience, all of them finishing with the proclamation of “I am a woman of worth.” Barbara Moeller, who graduated from the program in 2012, now sits on WoW’s Chair of Mentees. Speaking about her experience, she said, “WoW helped me to find out how amazing it is to be myself. I had gotten lost under the pressures and circumstances in life. The program gave me the tools to defend myself against
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Members of WoWUtah’s board with founder Judee Guay and husband, Lewie Guay, at the center. (Courtesy of WoWUtah)
challenges that eroded my self-worth. The magic is being paired with a mentor for a journey of self-discovery. I not only found my worth again but learned to be responsible and accountable for how I comport myself.” Along with honoring the 2021 graduates, the gala also celebrated the 10 years WoWUtah has been in operation. Judee Guay, who founded WoW and now works alongside COO Marie Jess to keep it running, spoke about the organization’s beginnings. She started WoW after she got a second chance at life. Guay recalled her years spent in an abusive marriage and how hopeless she’d felt. Hopelessness, only made worse by autoimmune diseases she was suffering from at the time. But, slowly, she was able to put the pieces back together. She left the abusive marriage, lost 100 pounds, and started to heal. Going through such a life-changing experience made Guay want to help other women overcome their struggles. So, she started WoWUtah in 2011. Though she had a vision, Guay said their first gala was nothing like the event that evening. “If anybody had told me that 10 years later this would be here, I wouldn’t have believed them,” she said, looking out at the crowd. The guests were also invited to participate in a silent auction to raise money for WoW’s continuation. The auction included prizes such as theater tickets, gift baskets, romantic getaways and several cakes. The evening presenter and a member of WoW’s advisory board, Ty Bennett, joked that he’d won several cakes that his children
had bid on for him. Speaking of how WoWUtah has operated and will continue to operate on donations, Guay said, “[WoW] has been supported by volunteers, including the directors, executive board and advisory board. No one has received remuneration, and it will stay that way with all donations going toward the women being served now and in the future.” After presenting the graduates, Guay and Jess took turns presenting awards to those who’d helped WoWUtah throughout its 10 years. One of the award recipients included Chad Hymas, a highly respected international speaker who is also on WoW’s advisory board. Hymas was given the Inspiration Award. Sheri Thompson, who’d come all the way from Arizona for the event, was given the Soul Sister Award. Guay told The City Journals, “Sheri's incredible connection with her WoW sisters and the mentees is why she is so deserving of this award.” They also surprised Bennett, the presenter, with the Legacy Award, for being with WoW from the beginning. Guay finished by surprising her COO Jess, and her husband, Lewie Guay, with the Founder’s Awards. After the awards, they finished the evening by inviting the women of WoW to perform a special musical number. They stood on the stage to sing “Breaking Free; Becoming My Best Me,” WoW’s official theme song, written by Nina Angela Lee, the president of Wow’s Executive Board. WoWUtah will be helping another group of women in 2022. l
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
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January 2022 | Page 27
The Point, the prison and historic preservation By Mimi Darley Dutton | m.dutton@mycityjournals.com
S
even years ago, the historic Draper Park School in the center of town was nearly demolished. The city owned it but could no longer afford to maintain or remodel it. It had become a safety hazard and a resulting liability. Just weeks before it was set to be demolished, a buyer came forward to purchase the old school in what some felt was a “Christmas miracle.” “It’s like most historic preservation, it’s usually expensive. We made it available cheaply for what was the demolition cost, with the requirement they had to save it. The developer turned it into a commercial enterprise. It was a win-win,” Mayor Troy Walker said. In the many months leading up to that last-minute “miracle,” community groups and individuals set about to raise funds, hoping to purchase and re-imagine the old school. But they weren’t able to raise nearly enough money. They repeatedly pled their case to the mayor and city council, hoping to save what they saw as a treasure, before it was turned into rubble. It was a contentious topic at council meetings that ended with a positive resolution for both the city and concerned community members, just in the nick of time. For some people, there is a strong sense
of duty to consider the historic value of what surrounds them or risk losing it forever. And it’s often the role of everyday residents to push for preservation while a city’s leaders are focused on matters of growth, economics, and wise use of taxpayer funds. Todd Shoemaker is one such individual for whom history is a passion. Shoemaker moved to Draper in 1955 and attended school in that historic building on Pioneer Road. He earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history from the University of Utah and taught history for 30 years at Union Middle School. After retiring, Shoemaker served on Draper’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). He participated in efforts to save the historic school. In doing so, he recognizes that the actions he and others took to save the school likely ruffled the feathers of city leaders. He also partnered with two other individuals to purchase the Day Barn at auction, not with city funds earmarked for historic preservation, but with their own money. He worked with the city and other willing partners to relocate it from where it formerly sat on 12300 South near 600 East to where it now resides near the library, land the city donated for it. “I was able to talk to Todd Wadsworth and he
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was willing to help with the money to move it and fix up the barn. Without him, it wouldn’t have happened,” Shoemaker said. Fast forward several years, and Shoemaker, along with others, has wanted to see parts of the Utah State Prison preserved when the development known as The Point begins to take shape. According to Alan Matheson, executive director of The Point, prisoners will be moved to the new prison on the west side of Salt Lake City this summer and demolition of the Draper site will begin soon after. For Shoemaker, it’s not a matter of glorifying criminal behavior, but of recognizing that the prison has been part of the Draper community since 1951. That’s the year it was opened to replace the former prison in Sugar House, an old territory prison. Shoemaker said some of the buildings at the Draper site date back to the 1940s and those older buildings are the focus of preservationist efforts. “We mainly want to tell the story because it’s in Draper, so many people from Draper worked there and so many have gone out there and volunteered. It’s educational. We’ve done research on what people have done with old prisons. In Europe, some are hotels. We just think the prison is unique and we tried to find out if they were going to tear down those buildings. The Utah State Historical Society didn’t know when we reached out to them and we couldn’t get anything specific from the mayor or the city council. We started this in 2015 or 2016. We spent a lot of time on it,” Shoemaker said. Other prisons have been saved for historic purposes. San Francisco has Alcatraz, the former maximum security federal prison that attracts 1.5 million visitors annually, a public museum run by the National Parks Service. Boise has the Old Idaho Penitentiary, a tourist site operated by the Idaho State Historical Society. Both are registered with the National Registry of Historic Places (NRHP). But both are older than the Utah State Prison. Alcatraz operated as a prison from 1934-1963 and the Old Idaho Penitentiary was built between 18701872 when Idaho was just a territory. The Utah State Prison has some interesting historical occurrences and has housed some well-known names. Ted Bundy was sentenced to 15 years there but later extradited to Colorado. It has housed Warren Jeffs, Wanda Barzee, and Mark Hoffman among others. In 1977, Gary Gilmore was executed in Draper, the first execution in the United States after the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. That prompted Norman Mailer to write his famous novel “The Executioner’s Song.” A 1957 riot gained national news attention and resulted in the building of a chapel, one of the demands made by the prisoners. According to Shoemaker, that chapel was built largely
with the prisoners’ money so they had a place to worship and sing. Mayor Walker serves on two boards regarding development of The Point: The Point of the Mountain State Land Authority, tasked with development of the prison site, and the Point of the Mountain Commission, an advisory planning commission that looks at the greater Point of the Mountain area. Walker said a decision on historic preservation of the prison was made at The Point of the Mountain State Land Authority’s October 2021 meeting. “Most of the buildings are old, the function of them has been to house inmates, so there wasn’t an interest from the board to save buildings…You’d have to reconfigure the way we’re designing the site, the buildings aren’t where we want them to be. However, the lock, which is historic (the Johnson Bar Lock system which is the same as at Alcatraz), the Department of Corrections is going to save and put in a museum that they’re going to do at the new prison. Uniquely, we wanted to preserve something, and what we came up with is the guard towers… up to two of them could be preserved on the site. They’re symbolic of keeping the outside safe, protecting society from criminals. That’s really the extent of the historical preservation at the site. We want a conference center there, not in old Cell Block A, but more like a world class hotel,” Walker said. Matheson said, “We’ve had some good conversations with people in the community. We appreciate their passion and the input they’ve provided. As reflected in the board’s decision in October, there is a willingness to preserve appropriate elements of the site. There are a few members of the community concerned about historical preservation and many others that are not. The board is also considering the economic opportunity costs and public safety in making those decisions. Some of these old facilities may not be safe for the public to be in after a time.” Shoemaker said he was removed from his position on the HPC, reappointed at some point, and that more recently he didn’t reapply for the commission when his term ended. “I can do better by not being a member and trying to do things on my own,” he said. Shoemaker is frustrated that the city has changed their procedures for committees and commissions, and he’s felt more restrained than heard on topics that he feels some members of the community want to discuss. “You may apply to be on the commission agenda and are required to state what you want to talk about, but the commission chair can, evidently, deny your request with no reason given. A citizen’s next course of action is to go to a city council meeting where they are given three minutes to state their concerns. The city is not required to have any further engagement with the citizen in a discussion of the issue that is
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Patient Advocates who support the right Guard tower in front of the Wasatch entrance at the Utah State Prison in Draper. The Point of the Mountain State Land Authority has committed to preserving one or two of the six prison towers for historic purposes. The Department of Corrections will preserve a locking system found only at this prison and at Alcatraz. (Photo courtesy Utah Department of Corrections)
brought forward,” he said. Shoemaker would like to see the format changed so that residents are given three minutes to speak at commission meetings, and if the city wants to follow through on the topic, it would then be on an agenda. “I know why you have to have an agenda, but there’s no reason why people on the commission can’t get input from the general public. I’m pushing now for a change on that. I think that format should be changed.” The city has spent the last year revising the roles and rules for its various committees and commissions. Councilmember Marsha Vawdrey serves as a liaison between the city and the HPC. “I’ve been encouraging this whole year to look at all our boards and commissions and make sure we’re having consistency, clarifying roles and duties. It was a general overhaul of all the committees. We were trying to help unify, clarify and make consistency for all the boards and committees because all of them were struggling, in their own ways, especially with membership. I could see it and just thought we could do better. It’s been cool to see how many people have applied and been put on boards,” she said. “You shouldn’t have unelected officials speaking for the city or council, so we’ve revamped our commission rules, making it clear what they’re supposed to do and what they’re not supposed to do,” Walker said. Regarding historic preservation in the city, Walker said, “There are old homes we want to see stay. We have the cabin (the old Chamber of Commerce building) and I think our commitment to historic preservation is solid. We like our history, but you can’t do everything. I’d like to see us develop a proper museum, a building that showcases the history of Draper, and that’s something the council is interested in. It was just this prison business—we heard all the arguments, but it just wasn’t going to fit in what we were trying to do. My goal has always been to develop that site into the greatest economic opportunity
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that the state has had in the last 100 years.” Walker and Shoemaker do agree on something. “The Sugar House prison would have been worth preserving, but it wasn’t,” Walker said. That historic, territorial prison was demolished and is now the location of Sugar House Park. “I get his passion,” Walker said of Shoemaker. l
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Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Home Makeover: COVID edition One morning I woke up and I’d had enough. The pandemic had forced us to look at our walls and carpet 24/7 and every day the chips in the paint got bigger and the stains on the carpet got wider. Was that blood or pudding? I couldn’t tell anymore. It was time to take action. My husband tends to overthink in a death-spiral sort of way, so our conversation went from “What kind of paint/flooring should we get?” to “What if we spend two weeks with our dog in a tent in a blizzard?” I let him ruminate for a while before moving to the next phase. We talked about painting the rooms ourselves and laughed hysterically for a couple of hours. We are not the DIY kind of people. We once assembled a bookshelf together so I knew we needed to hire a professional; either a professional painter or a professional divorce attorney. We reached out to our friend, Rick Hepner, who was delighted to paint our home, plus he got to enjoy our 4-year-old granddaughter following him around asking him what he was doing, why he was doing it, how long he’d be doing it and if he wanted to play Barbies. While preparing the walls, Rick discovered ecosystems behind our furniture where sentient beings lived in and breathed only dust. He waded through chest-deep dust like we were living in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl era, or
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I took bags of clothes and shoes and children to Goodwill. My husband followed behind me, taking things out of donation bags and hiding them. He has sentimental attachments to items like water bottles and lanyards and the blouse I wore when we saw the Blue Man Group in 2008. Finally, the walls were painted, flooring was complete, furniture was moved back and everything was right with the world. But our dog was hyperventilating. Before renovation (BR), she’d nap under the guest bed, which is now in another home. She wandered the halls, forlorn and lost, carrying her bone from room to room, trying to navigate her apocalyptic new world. Not only that, but the wood floor distressed her and she refused to walk on it. She slept on the couch until midnight. Then I heard her toenails clicking as she walked across the floor and threw herself onto her bed, sighing loudly, so we’d know she’d been inconvenienced. For a while, we played The Floor is Lava to keep the carpet looking bright and new. But walls get scratched and carpet gets stained because life is a messy, dirty, grimy experiment where sometimes you don’t know if the stain on the carpet is blood or pudding, and your dog needs therapy, and your husband unpacks the donation bags. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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