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TRANSFORMS LIVES ONE BOOK AT A TIME By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

indy Dumas was not a reader. In fact, she struggled in school. It wasn’t until fifth grade that her teacher, Dr. Franklin, introduced her to the Nancy Drew series and she began to find value in books. Although she only knew Franklin for a few months before his death, Dumas said his guidance changed her life. To this day, she still pays homage to Franklin at Marissa’s Books, a community bookstore Dumas founded in 2013. Located in Millcreek at 3302 S. 900 East, Marissa’s Books is a refuge for book lovers. Dumas goes out of her way to donate books to schools to help foster a love for reading, but when she was asked to donate books to Roosevelt Continuation School (3225 S. 800 East), she was shocked to learn the school had no library. “I think that a school without books, well, I’m not sure what that is,” Dumas said. “I think with this particular school, these kids are kind of on their last chance. I know they’ve had problems in traditional schools. It’s important for a student to be able to go into a library and find something, whether they’re homeless or whether they’re having struggles at home.” So Dumas created a library for the school. “I could build a bookstore in a week, but this was a long process,” she said. “It took all of our brains at my warehouse and my staff who was working with me, and we worked through each individual issue

and did a lot of research about creating libraries.” Her team worked with school officials to compile a list of books to best address the needs of students from grades six-12. Along with fiction and nonfiction options, educators wanted to include career-oriented books to help students move into a trade or career. The biggest challenges for the team included creating the cataloging system for the library, learning how to use the Dewey Decimal System to shelve books, how to label all the books and how to create a borrowing system so students could take books home. In the end, Dumas donated 10,000 books to the school, a value of approximately $80,000. When the books were delivered, one of the school counselors began to cry. She didn’t realize the books would be new, she was expecting used books. Roosevelt building administrator Jason Kemble said, “What once was an empty space at our school, came to life because of this gift we received. Some of our students come from extremely challenging life circumstances and many have found a love of reading as an outlet, guiding their imaginations while also helping them academically.” Late last year, Dumas was presented with the Utah Heart & Hands Awards by Utah Philanthropy Day for her work with the school. United Way Cindy Dumas sits in her Millcreek shop, Marissa’s Books. She was recently awarded the had nominated her for the award and Dumas and Utah Hearts & Hands Award for creating a library at Roosevelt Continuation School. Continued page 8 (City Journals)

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Millcreek holds first council meeting in newly established ‘heart’ of city By Sara Milano | s.milano@mycityjournals.com

n a momentous event, the City of Millcreek celebrated the grand opening of its new City Hall building on Nov. 16, 2023. Preceding the public unveiling, the Millcreek City Council convened for its inaugural meeting in the state-of-the-art facility on Nov. 13, marking a significant milestone for the growing community. Mayor Jeff Silvestrini welcomed attendees to the historic occasion during the first city council meeting, expressing the city’s transition from a cramped and windowless space to the spacious and modern new City Hall. Situated in a strip mall on the corner of 3300 South and 1300 East, the former location offered limited space and parking. The completion of the new City Hall building signifies the conclusion of phase one construction for Millcreek Common, a park and community center located off of Highland Drive. Phase one encompassed the construction of a plaza featuring a skate ribbon, splash pad and the much-anticipated City Hall building. Phase two will focus on mixed-use development, an outdoor amphitheater and landscaping to accentuate Millcreek’s natural beauty. The six-story City Hall boasts a dynamic interior. The first floor is home to a cafe and public market with rotating vendors, offering a bustling hub for local businesses. The second floor houses the Community Forum, a versatile space for public gatherings and events. The third floor features a new precinct for the Unified Police Department, enhancing public safety and community engagement. The top floor will house a community room and outdoor balcony. Mayor Silvestrini expressed gratitude to the architects, MHTN Architects, and the contractor, Okland Construction, for their contributions to the realization of the new City Hall. During the grand opening on Nov. 16, a ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official launch of the facility. Local leaders delivered remarks, and the festivities culminated with a fireworks show. Silvestrini enthusiastically A photo of the new Millcreek City Council meeting room. (Millcreek City) declared, “We did it!” The young city, incorporated in 2016, has now found This winter, Millcreek Common is set to offer yearMillcreek residents, including Andrew Gruber, exits “heart” in the new community center, offering a centralized space for government offices, outdoor recreation, and round ice and roller skating at the skate ribbon, including pressed their pride in the city’s accomplishments. Gruber lessons and rental packages, providing the community with said, “You’ve created a sense of place for our city, a heart a public market—all under one roof. even more opportunities for recreation and enjoyment. for our city that all of us can be proud of.” l

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What defines a Title 1 school and how do schools use Title 1 funding?

By Ella Joy Olsen | e.olsen@mycityjournals.com

chool is in full swing and children across the valley are filling desks and playgrounds—bright kids with bright faces seeking bright futures through education. Regarding the school in your neighborhood, or the school your child attends, a question tossed about by parents, teachers and community members is, “Is it a Title 1 school?” But what exactly is a Title 1 school and what does it mean in terms of funding, programs and student body?

Some background on Title 1

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon Baines Johnson, in his war on poverty. He believed that “full educational opportunity” should be “our first national goal.” ESEA offered grants to districts serving low-income students, federal grants for textbooks and library books, funding for special education centers, and scholarships for low-income college students. Additionally, the law provided federal grants to state educational agencies to improve the quality of elementary and secondary education. This original Congressional act provides Title 1 funding. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the most recent Congressional reauthorization of the ESEA. President Barack Obama signed this into law in 2015. The version of the ESEA (prior to the ESSA) was the No Child Left Behind Act signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2001.

Students at Title 1 schools have access to technology to help provide a quality education. (Photo/Utah State Board of Education)

The State of Utah received, “Exactly $75,722,863 in federal funding this year,” Lang said. And according to the Brookings Institute, in 2021 Congress appropriated $16.5 billion countrywide through Title 1. The money is allocated to schools in a tiered fashion. Funding tiers are determined using four statutory formulas, run through the state and individual districts, so funding will be allocated as fairly as possible and will meet the schools with highest needs first. Schools may be eligible for funding as determined by one, two or more tiers according to the formulas. Documentation on the formulas and their application tends to get into the weeds regarding all of the specifics, and isn’t easy reading, but for a comprehensive overview of the formulas see: www2.ed.gov/about/officWhat stats define a Title 1 school? es/list/oese/oss/technicalassistance/titleialloSchools in an educational district are cationformulastitleiconfppt22018.pdf ranked on the percentage (not the number) of low-income children in each school. The How do Title 1 schools spend their monnumbers are based on U. S. Census Bureau ey? counts of school-age children (ages 5-17). The purpose of Title I funding is to Any school with 75% of their student provide all children significant opportunity body population determined to be economi- to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality cally disadvantaged must be provided fund- education, and to close educational achieveing. Once schools at or above 75% economi- ment gaps. cally disadvantaged student population have The programs within a Title 1 school are been served, the district may serve other decided on an individual school-by-school schools in rank order, down to schools that basis. “Ideally in a plan developed by all are at or above 35% economically disadvan- stakeholders—principal, staff, parents and taged. sometimes students,” Lang said. A school must have a poverty rate of at Oftentimes schools will use the funds for least 35% to receive funds. increased training for teachers to respond to According to Max Lang, ESEA Pro- the unique challenges present in the school, grams and Related State Initiatives coordi- instructional supports and non-instructional nator at the Utah State Board of Education, supports such as behavior and mentoring, “Around 40% of Utah schools receive Title 1 counseling and prevention. Funds are also funding, in some form.” used for staffing of paraprofessionals. The state provides a list of schools that Another area of emphasis is parent and qualify for Title 1 funding available at: www. family engagement. Parents are encouraged schools.utah.gov. to come into the school and see how they can take learning strategies home to incorporate

How much money are we talking about? them with their children.

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Taylorsville Elementary is one of many Utah schools receiving Title 1 funding which is intended to provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps. (Ella Joy Olsen/City Journals)State Board of Education)

There is no class size requirement written into Title 1 law. “More and more research is indicating that class size alone doesn’t make a difference in educational outcomes,” Lang said. Solutions that focus solely on smaller class size are insufficient. Additional and unique approaches based on specific challenges within a school appear to be more effective. Title 1 funds may not be used for things like: food for meetings (unless the event is being held for the specific purpose of parent and family engagement), fieldtrips, intramural activities, uniforms and school supplies (unless necessary to support students who meet the definition of homeless). Also, no class rings, prom gowns or drivers’ test fees, according to the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Title 1 Handbook.

According to the audit report for the State of Utah, at this point Title 1 schools have been unable to wholly and sufficiently address educational inequities to raise student achievement. Disparities may be explained by family and community factors and resources, and are often underpinned by systemic inequities. The wide variety of family, community and systemic factors are not currently tracked in education data systems, but demographics appear to be stronger predictors of educational achievement than spending. Since some research suggests a tenuous link between spending and student performance, it’s likely not simply an issue of how much was spent, but how well it was spent to help students. auditor.utah.gov/kids/title-1-program. l

Does Title 1 funding work?

January 2024 | Page 5

Millcreek 2023

Left to right: Nico Golesis looks to round his defender during Skyline’s 1-0 loss to Wasatch in the semifinals at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman. The dangerous attacker should be back next year for the Eagles. (City Journals); Athlete Quinn Mason inches along the bouldering wall during the pro competition at The Front Climbing Club’s Di’namik Bouldering competition. (Photo courtesy of Alyssa Bokovoy and The Front); Skyline girls golfers (from left to right) Avery Kraatz, Elizabeth Hollbrook, Sarah Hollbrook, Ashley Lam, Tristyn Green and Tegan Halloran celebrate winning the 5A state championship. (Photo by Keri Kraatz) A parent takes a video of their kid swimming at the 5A state championships. (Roger V. Tuttle). Autumn colors inspired record visits to Millcreek Canyon trails. (Ella Joy Olsen/City Journals) The Skyline boys swim team celebrates its state championship. (Roger V. Tuttle)

Page 6 | January 2024

Millcreek City Journal

Left to right: Tina Njike was a force her entire career at Skyline, helping the team reach the semifinals this year as a 22 seed, where the Eagles fell to Bountiful. Njike, who is committed to Penn University, was selected to the 5A all-star game after averaging 15 points and 3 assists per game. (Roger V. Tuttle); Visitors enjoy roller skating and food trucks at Millcreek Common. (Millcreek Common) Millcreek leaders met with Sen. Mitt Romney at the end of March to talk about the city’s future. (Photo courtesy Romney Press Office) Children dance onstage during a live band performance by The Malibu Revue at the Friday Festival at Millcreek Elementary on June 9. (Photo courtesy of Venture Out!); Zions Bank employees paint a Millcreek home during Zions Bank’s annual Paint-a-Thon. (Photo courtesy Zions Bank)

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January 2024 | Page 7

Trail runners reach summit, raise 5K in the Primary Children’s Vertical Kilometer race By Jolene Croasmun | j.croasmun@mycityjournals.com

his was the first year for the Primary Children’s Vertical Kilometer (PCVK) race. It took place in November on the west side of Grandeur Peak. This endurance race was an opportunity to raise money for pediatric health care and research at Primary Children’s Hospital. There are not many vertical kilometer races in the United States. This type of race is more common in Europe. The vertical kilometer race is an uphill mountain race where there is an elevation gain of 1,000 meters or 3,280 feet. The PCVK was created from the friendship of Sean McKelvie and Dr. Josh Bonkowsky and their love of trail running. There were 15 runners and they raised over $5,000 with 100% of the donations going to Primary Children’s Hospital. The runners started at 7 a.m. at the trailhead on the west side of Grandeur Peak and ended at the summit. The winner was Griffin Briley at 41 minutes and second place went to

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Patrick Wilson at 50 minutes and 19 seconds. The top female runner was Abbey Benesh finishing at 71 minutes and 51 seconds. The race finished at 8:37 a.m. when the final runner reached the summit. If interested, donations can still be made on the website by going to www. pcvk.org. Any trail runners or hikers that want to test their endurance and raise money for a good cause can look forward to the second annual PCVK race in November 2024.l

Trail runners pose for a photo at the summit of Grandeur Peak after finishing the first ever PCVK endurance race in November. (Photo courtesy of Jed)

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Continued from front page her community relations manager, Grace Nielson, attended the event that recognized organizations and volunteers throughout the state making significant contributions in the community. “I was interested to see what other people had done. I was interested in their stories. It was just really fun to see that there’s a lot of people doing things that make a difference,” Dumas said. “We like our store to be well-known as trying to help the community.” Dumas extends an invitation to any school in the county to reach out to her for book donations. She works with new teachers trying to set up a classroom, or with organizations that work with children. She hopes her mission to help students love reading will change their lives, just like Franklin changed hers. “When I was in fifth grade, just so thrilled to be reading, I was like, wow, this is taking me to another universe,” Dumas said. “To me, a library or a bookstore is opportunity,” For more information, visit marissasbooks.com.

From right, Marissa’s Books owner Cindy Dumas and community relations manager Grace Nielson, were presented with the Utah Hearts & Hands Award for their work in creating a library at Roosevelt Continuation School in Millcreek. (Photo courtesy of United Way)

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January 2024 | Page 9

Real answers about artificial intelligence in the classroom By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com Editor’s note: this is part of a series of articles about artificial intelligence in schools.

the things that they're doing that are making you want to call them that word,’ so even the feedback that it gives when kids are speaking in ways that they shouldn't, it still tries to redirect them positively,” he said.

hile many express concerns about how AI will affect their job or their way of life, Jordan School District employees are already using AI to improve their jobs and the way they teach. During their Nov. 28 meeting, members of the Jordan School District Board of Education approved a five year contract with SchoolAI, an artificial intelligence platform created specifically for schools and developed with input from Jordan District teachers who piloted it. “AI is here,” board member Darrell Robinson said. “No matter what, it's going to be our reality, so we felt that we needed to take control of it and figure out how to use it instead of banning it and fearing it.” Jordan School District is leading out among other districts with their early adoption of AI tools, while some other districts have banned AI, Robinson said. Jordan District representatives have been asked to share their approach to AI at a school board convention this month. Those educators who have been using AI tools for several months are excited to share the benefits of—and to address common concerns about—AI.

Concern: AI is not safe

Answer: Closed AI systems and cautious teachers keep students safe Amber Saffen, an engineering and robotics teacher at Jordan Academy for Technology and Careers, said caution, not fear, is a reasonable response to AI. “I think there's a lot of value in approaching any new tool with caution,” she said. “I would alleviate people’s fears by saying schools are aware. Just like we protect students from certain websites but encourage the use of others, we're protecting students from certain AIs. There are plenty of teachers and administrators who are excited about AI, who see the value but understand the risks, and are working so hard so that it is being implemented and that we’re teaching AI literacy, as well.” Jordan School District is committed to using AI and other technologies ethically and to providing guidance and support within the framework of being: Conscientious, Collaborative, Critical and Creative, as described on their website. The SchoolAI tool, which is being implemented district-wide, provides safeguards, data security and privacy protections that comply with federal student privacy laws. “It's a technology that we're just starting to use on a broad scale, and we'll continue to watch to make sure that we're getting all of the benefit and that we're mitigating and

Page 10 | January 2024

Concern: Using AI is cheating

Valley High School teacher Graham Bany demonstrates the AI he uses in his classroom to Congressman Burgess Owens. (Photo courtesy of Darrell Robinson.)

eliminating the risks that are associated with any new program,” Jordan School District Superintendent Dr. Anthony Godfrey said. “SchoolAI put a fence around artificial intelligence so that our information doesn't get out and we only let in the information that we want. So we have safeguards in place. We have a lot of training in place, and I'm really optimistic about the way SchoolAI is going to be used.” Graham Bany, a teacher at Valley High School, said SchoolAI is a closed system, unlike popular public AI interfaces. “Since the SchoolAI is trained on education content, it's a lot cleaner and easier than an alternative artificial intelligence,” he said. “So, when I create a rubric using SchoolAI, and a rubric using Chat GPT, I get really, really different responses from both of them, because SchoolAI is actually made to help us meet our goals with students.”

Concern: AI will replace teachers

Answer: AI will make better teachers “The teacher is not getting replaced by AI,” Kevin Morrill of SchoolAI explained. “They're just leveraging AI to be a better teacher, to be more prepared when they go in front of the class. They use our platform to do a lot of the heavy lifting. They get about 80% down the road using the platform on any given thing and then they can put on their creative hats, their experience, and then bake that into it. So we're seeing more prepared lessons, more prepared courses and units. We actually think that AI has the potential to increase humanity in the classroom by giving teachers more time to connect more deeply with students.” West Jordan Middle School teacher Andrew Holmes said using AI tools to accelerate productivity and reduce time spent

on lesson planning allows him to have more time to be a teacher and interact with his students. “I don’t think this is going to replace me—this is helping the overworked teacher do what they want to do,” he said. Many teachers save time by using AI tools for monotonous, time-consuming or complex tasks. “I regularly use the AI to help me draft an email to respond if I have a very upset parent,” District Math Consultant Amy Kinder said. “I still want to show parents that I care, but it takes so long to craft it, because you know someone's going to pick it apart. AI helps me draft great emails really fast.” She said AI only generates the first draft. “I look at it and re-edit it until it feels like a quality educator response with my flair on it—it's never just a copy/paste or anything like that,” Kinder said. AI is sometimes better than humans at responding appropriately and consistently to students’ behavior, too, Bany said. “Everyone's so scared of AI and language models and machine learning, but they also forget that the safeguards that are required to be put in place are actually helping with the ways the kids are getting direct one-to-one feedback from the machine that's more consistent than a human,” he said. Unlike a human, SchoolAI’s feedback to students is always positive and it redirects them when they get off-topic or behave inappropriately, he said. One of his high school students typed a negative comment about another student and the chatbot’s response impressed Bany. “It said, ‘Hey, you probably should consider not calling someone by rude names, but you should also still be sure to explain

Answer: It can be, so teachers are adapting Within SchoolAI, teachers have control and can set parameters for what the chatbot can and can’t do for students. It cannot be tricked into writing a student’s essay but will act more as a writing coach. However, students have access to AI tools without these kinds of constraints outside of school. They can find AI tools on the internet to help them study or organize their thoughts, but they can also find answers to cheat on their homework. “I think the tech has caused many pains for many math teachers,” Kinder said. “Because you can take pictures of math problems or you can Google any math problem and it will tell the answer, so it's like they're taking away the joy of solving it. So I think many of them don't see it as a tool just yet.” There are AI detectors teachers can use to identify AI generated content, which Saffen said aren’t even always necessary, because she can often tell when a student tries to pass off AI writing as their own. “ChatGPT does have a very particular voice to it,” she said. However, sometimes Saffen lets her students use AI-generated content, such as to write a paper explaining their engineering project. “I was not grading them on their ability to present the idea in writing,” Saffen said. “The writing was just a medium for them to get their idea into my head.” But she reminded her students that in other classes, using AI to write a paper is cheating. “I would totally 100% support and understand any English teacher who said you can't use AI, because what they're assessing is the person's ability to write,” Saffen said. To prevent students from using AI to cheat, Saffen said teachers will change the way they assess learning, just as teachers did when they realized they couldn’t keep calculators or the internet out of the classroom. “Teachers don't let you use spell check on a spelling test, but they let you use spell check on your essays, and that's AI or machine learning,” Saffen said. “I totally think it will come down to teachers adapting and figuring out and asking the question, ‘What am I assessing?’ And if the AI is not counteracting what you're trying to assess, then I don't think we as teachers need to be afraid of it.” Jordan District is already changing the way teachers assess students’ math skills.

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West Jordan Middle School science teacher Andrew Holmes loves using AI tools in his classroom. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Homes)

Nearly all of the district’s middle schools are currently piloting a new interactive method of teaching secondary math skills through rich problem-solving. There is less opportunity to cheat because students solve math problems collaboratively instead of filling out worksheets on their own. “People think that AI is going to change how everything is done to such a degree that people won't be able to adapt,” Saffen said. “But teachers care about their students, and they care about knowing that their students learned the content. And so if we think that we are no longer able to do that, we will find a way. I’ve known some fantastic teachers and I know they’ll figure it out. It will just take a while. But I don't think AI is going to break everyone, I guess is what I'm saying.”

Concern: AI can’t be trusted

Answer: That’s true, so we make sure students understand that Kinder was initially distrustful of AI. “I did have trepidations about it— How is it creating this? Is this from a meaningful place? Can I trust it all the time to do that?” Kinder said. The solution to the problem of mistrust has been education. Kinder attended training sessions and webinars to learn to use and understand AI, which helped her feel more comfortable using it. Now she uses it to develop engaging math activities, to collect and organize information for presentations and to craft emails. Saffen, who uses AI for many tasks, always double-checks its work. “There's some forms of machine learning that we use, and as teachers we understand what it is we're trying to do, so we're able to identify the weaknesses in that,” Saffen said. When she introduces students to a new tech tool, there is always a conversation about the potential impacts and weaknesses in its capabilities.

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“The students are aware that AI is going to be helpful, but also has potential concerns,” Saffen said. “I had a student ask the chatbot, ‘Is this information I need to cite and how would I cite it?’ I was actually really impressed that my students are already thinking along the conversation line of ‘How do I make sure that just because I'm using an AI, I'm not plagiarizing any ideas?’” Teachers have been given the opportunity to get ahead of students on AI tools. Before SchoolAI was released district-wide, 100 Jordan District educators piloted SchoolAI and provided feedback that helped designers customize features according to teachers’ needs. For the first few months of the school year, only teachers had direct access to SchoolAI. “Having teachers on-board early on and engaging with it helps them understand the benefits of SchoolAI,” Godfrey said. “It also helps them help students be good digital citizens, and to use AI effectively and in a way that helps support their learning, instead of using it as a substitute for learning.” Saffen was impressed that the district offered AI training even before SchoolAI was in use in most classrooms. The Teaching and Learning Department provides regular training, as well as tips and support through their Instagram account and podcast. “There are a lot of very smart, very capable people who have been at the forefront of this and have been ready for it for a while,” Saffen said. Jordan School District has prioritized educating stakeholders to ease their concerns about AI in the classroom. “We'll continue to inform parents and the community about how SchoolAI is being used,” Godfrey said. “Ongoing training is available for teachers to help make sure that we're making the most of artificial intelligence in the classroom.” l

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Page 12 | January 2024

Millcreek City Journal

Winders connect Hollywood lines with spiritual beliefs in new book

or Mike Winder, it started as a college project. He was working on his honors thesis while studying history at the University of Utah, and he had no idea that it would turn into a book. But the story of his pioneer ancestor John R. Winder, who came to Utah from England, started Winder Dairy, became the “father” of the Utah State Fair and was later in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From that single thesis, Winder has become the published author of 14 books, his latest being “Hidden in Hollywood: The Gospel Found in 1,001 Movie Quotes.” “I’d always loved writing, and I found that after I did one book, you realize that hey, wait a minute, I can do more,” he said. “I also love movies. So for the last few years, I collected quotes from some of my favorites. I thought they could make a good book—tying some of Hollywood’s most famous lines into quotes or stories I’ve heard in church.” It was an ambitious project, taking over two years to complete. He knew he could use

By Tom Haraldsen | t.haraldsen@mycityjournals.com some extra help, so he turned to his 16-yearold daughter Grace who became his research assistant. “My dad said he wanted to write another book, and I asked him if I could help out with it,” Grace said. “We used a Google Excel sheet to pull out movie quotes and relate them to talks we’d heard in church General Conference or in lessons. Then we started compiling the book.” “It’s been a lovely Sunday afternoon hobby,” Mike said. “Some people like to binge watch Netflix, some people like to go golfing. I like to write books in my La-ZBoy.” Mike Winder has been active in local politics for years. He was mayor and on the city council in West Valley City and served in the Utah State Legislature. He currently is city manager for Millcreek. "In this new book, Mike seeks out the gospel principles to be found in cinema. There are topics and quotes from sci-fi, romance, thrillers, the classics, action films,

Westerns, and more," said Doug Wright, former host of KSL's “Movie Show,” in the book's foreword. "Although a compilation of wonderful quotes is certainly enjoyable and entertaining, it's the thoughtful commentary tying it all together with gospel insights that completes the book's purpose.” The book was a great opportunity for Grace, who is a sophomore at Granger High School, to embellish her own desire to write. “I’ve always loved writing in my classes, and just helping out with this book has spiked my interest in writing and maybe to become a journalist,” she said. “I tell my kids, this is my Minecraft, this is my Legos set. It’s fun to build and create things,” Mike said. “It’s fun to push a boulder up the hill and look and say, ‘Wow, we have come a long way.’” He said there are many times when he watches a movie and hears a quote or lyric that resonates with a teaching he’s heard at church. He cites an article he read in UtahValley360 magazine titled, “Who Said It: Dieter or Dumbledore?” referring to a series of quotes that could connect to either a Latter-day Saint apostle or the wizard from “Harry Potter.” “It dawned on me that there are a lot of cases where a line made in a movie could be a little nugget of gospel wisdom,” he said.

“That’s when I began in earnest to write down lines or words that resonated with me.” “Hidden in Hollywood” is organized into 19 chapters with titles and subject matters such as “Lesson on Life” to “Death and Beyond.” Because most scripts are online now, Mike and Grace found them very searchable. The book also contains illustrations created by AI–unique drawings to the book that cannot be completely duplicated. It was the chapter on death and beyond that spoke to Mike, who lost his mother 12 years ago in a car accident, and has lost other family members in recent years. “Sometimes the movie quotes summarize everything nicely—whatever you believe,” he said. “In ‘Mary Poppins Returns,’ Emily Blunt said this, ‘Trust she’s always there, watching as you grow. Find her in the place where the lost things go.’” They said some things in writing this book never turned out exactly the way they first envisioned them, but in a lot of ways, they turned out better. Grace just wants people to find joy in the words of “Hidden in Hollywood.” “I hope that people can read it and learn something from it,” she said. “It’s a happy book. If you read a chapter of this book every night then you’ll be happier. It helps a lot spiritually and just in general.” l

Grace and Mike Winder, the daughter-father team that produced “Hidden in Hollywood.” (Photo courtesy of Winder family)

MillcreekJournal .com

January 2024 | Page 13

Trails, tourism among 2023 highlights for Salt Lake County

he Salt Lake County Council just wrapped up the budget for 2024, and now is a good time to look back over the highlights and lowlights of 2023. A reminder: budgeting is one of the primary jobs of the county council, providing ongoing funding for the many diverse, existing county programs. “Salt Lake County is proud to be one of only 29 counties in the entire country (there are 3,143 counties in the United States) that has a AAA bond rating,” Aimee Winder Newton District 3 county councilwoman and council chair said. “It means we run a good budget and rating agencies believe we will pay our debts.” County services include health and human services, county parks and recreation centers, tourism and culture, libraries, aging and adult services, mental health and criminal justice. A big snow year After a big snow year and a snowpack over 200% of normal, on April 13, 2023 County Mayor Jenny Wilson declared a state of emergency in anticipation of potentially devastating flooding. Affected were over 600 miles of creeks and canals within Salt Lake County. The county provided enough sand to fill 500,000 sandbags, and who can forget the community showing up to fill bags for themselves, and for their neighbors? The state emergency ended July 10, 2023, with much of the potential damage mitigated. “We were able to manage the runoff from such an incredible, record-breaking snowpack because of a combination of early planning, improved infrastructure, cutting-edge data, around-the-clock debris clearing, and a [spring] season of perfect weather,” said Wilson. Decades of infrastructure improvements since 1983 (year of the last major flood) greatly improved the ability of Salt Lake County Flood Control to control water flows and manage debris, as creeks, culverts and pipes were equipped to carry more water than they could in 1983. Flood control costs are an annual county budget line item and include personnel costs, ongoing maintenance, and annual dredging of sediment and debris from retention ponds and creek beds and run about $6.9 million annually. The cost for the flood emergency of 2023, itself, was approximately $1.8 million. New and improved trails “County residents have told us trail development is their number one priority over the past decade, based on needs our assessment surveys,” Patrick Leary, associate director for Parks, Trails & Open Space for Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation, said. “Desire for new and improved trails has consistently floated to the top of the list.” So in August 2023, Phase One of the Butterfield Trailhead Regional Park opened to the

Page 14 | January 2024

By Ella Joy Olsen | e.olsen@mycityjournals.com community. “The Butterfield trail system is located in the Oquirrh Mountains in the southwest corner of Salt Lake County and is a game changer for the region,” Leary said. “Now residents in this growing party of the county won’t have to cut across the valley to get to an easily accessible hillside trail system.” Butterfield includes over 13 miles of multiuse trails for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians within the Southwest Canyon Trails Network, and also provides a connector to Yellow Fork and Rose Canyon trails. Phases Two and Three (to be completed in the next couple of years) will include improved parking for 500 cars and equestrian vehicles, kiosks, improved restrooms and a maintenance facility. Uniquely, the Butterfield trail system is situated on reclaimed land which was once a mining site. It was created in collaboration with the county, Rio Tinto and the Bureau of Land Management. Another big trail milestone, the final phase of the Parley’s Trail, was completed in 2023. Parley’s Trail is an 8-mile east-west walking and biking trail connecting the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and the Jordan River Parkway, providing a corridor through neighborhoods to parks, schools, churches and rural areas and running through portions of West Valley, South Salt Lake, Millcreek and Salt Lake City. “We’re lucky because this is a trail system that has been consistently funded with bonds, grants, federal, state and county dollars since about 2004, so construction has been ongoing” said Walt Gilmore, associate division director of Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation, and who has also worked on the trail project for 21 years. “This final phase was expensive, about $6 million dollars, and included two bridge structures to get over the Jordan River, but we can celebrate that it’s finally complete.” Mental healthcare access Currently, a new Huntsman Mental Health facility is under construction in South Salt Lake on 3300 S. 1000 West, a centralized location with access to major transportation corridors. “On one side is the jail and one side is a homeless shelter,” said Mark Rapaport, CEO of Huntsman Mental Health Institute. “And as we know jails right now are one of the largest inpatient mental health facilities in the country. And we also know the majority of the people who are homeless have an underlying mental health disorder. So this facility will allow us to be near where some of the people with the greatest needs are.” This new center, the Kem and Carolyn Gardner Mental Health Crisis Care Center, will be completed in late 2024 or early 2025, but in the meantime there is an ongoing mental health and homelessness crisis. So to bridge the gap in care, in 2023 the

Six members of the Salt Lake County Council after their meeting to deliberate on the 2024 budget on Nov. 21, 2023. L-R: Suzanne Harrison, Arlyn Bradshaw, Aimee Winder Newton, David Alvord, Dea Theodore, Laurie Stringham. (Photo Aimee Winder Newton)

Flooding on 1700 South on the evening of April 13, 2023 following a record snow season. (Salt Lake County)

county appropriated $2.5 million from federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to retrofit the existing Huntsman Mental Health facilities (near the University Hospital) to create a receiving center, giving those in crisis a place to go that isn’t a jail or an emergency room. At the receiving center, mental health professionals have 24 hours to get patients settled and stable, to get them connected to community resources, and to figure out a path for recovery. “The center has 12 beds, and though occupancy varies from day to day, utilization has

been high at about an average of nine beds occupied,” Kevin Curtis, crisis services director at Huntsman Mental Health Institute, said. “And the average length of stay is about 10 hours.” 2023 funding also covers 17 months of staffing until the new center is finished. The temporary adult receiving center is located at 501 Chipeta Way and is open 24/7. After the new center in South Salt Lake opens, the renovated adult receiving center will likely be focused on mental healthcare for juveniles and children. “The receiving center is a place where

Millcreek City Journal

Ribbon cutting for the Huntsman Mental Health Institute receiving center. At the receiving center, mental health professionals have 24 hours to get patients settled and stable, to get them connected to community resources, and to figure out a path for recovery. (Aimee Winder Newton)

police officers can bring those who are struggling with a mental health crisis to get immediate help,” County Councilwoman Winder Newton said. “It’s less costly than care in an emergency room and a better place to get help for minor offenses than in jail.” Conventions and Tourism Tourism is a big part of county government as tourists and convention attendees generate tax revenue, thereby saving Salt Lake County residents (taxpayers) money. Visit Salt Lake www.visitsaltlake.com is a private, nonprofit corporation responsible for the promotion of Salt Lake as a convention and travel destination. In partnership with Salt Lake County, it is the marketing arm tasked with attracting and providing support for conventions and leisure travelers. A couple of successful conventions of 2023 illustrate the diverse groups courted by Visit Salt Lake for their convention needs. As an additional perk, business travelers, after being impressed with Salt Lake, will often return for leisure travel. The first is the Society of Child Research & Development Convention. Salt Lake competed against Denver, Atlanta, St. Louis, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Toronto to secure this convention. The organization anticipated their convention in Salt Lake would attract 4,100 attendees, but it far exceeded expectations, and 6,400 attendees attended the event. These visitors spent $6.2 million while in the community. Another of note is the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. This convention attracted nearly 12,000 attendees who spent approximately $11.6 million. The SHPE leadership was so pleased that Salt Lake has been selected to host this convention again in 2027, 2030, and 2034. County Library Services In a tight budget year the county was still able to put an additional $280,000 into digital library resources such as audio and e-reader materials, in an effort to reduce wait times for these popular items.

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Additionally, late fees will be waived for children. This program was piloted during the summer of 2023, based on the concern that late fees are a barrier to lower income families coming to the library to borrow books and other learning materials and was deemed a success. After three months, if the materials are still not returned to the library, the cost will be charged to the cardholder. The 2024 library budget contains $115,000 from the Library Fund to replace the potential lost revenue from fees collected. County Rec Centers free pass for youth In an effort to improve mental and physical health for youth, the county has provided budget dollars to provide a free annual rec pass to all youth (ages 3-17). The program, called My County Recs Pass, will likely be rolling in early summer 2024, to give the centers time to staff and prepare additional programming. “We’re seeing a rise in mental health issues for teens and youth, and according the U.S. Surgeon General, something that can help is social connection, getting out there and doing something active with other people,” Newton said. “This is a great program because the county is in the business of improving mental and physical health to residents.” There are age limits, in that children under the age of 10 cannot attend without a parent, and in that case only the parents would pay, but the county is hoping this will provide more active family time. The My County Recs Pass program is projected to cost $2.3 million annually. This cost represents the personnel and operational costs, in addition to the reduction in revenue from youth pass sales. “However, we are expecting some new revenues from adult passes purchased by parents and increased sign-ups for programs,” said Robin Chalhoub, director of community services for Salt Lake County. “We did not add that [increased revenue] to the proposal and we are excited to see how it increases.” l

January 2024 | Page 15

Coaching is an important part of the success of youth sports participants. A good coach helps teach each participant the skills to become better. (Greg James/City Journals) Youth sports teams like Hunter Cyprus baseball teams can get the opportunity to travel to championship tournaments, the cost of those opportunities can be immense for its families. (Greg James/City Journals)

The cost of youth sports has skyrocketed—can your kids still play?

By Greg James | g.james@mycityjournals.com

here are many opportunities for families that can afford to pay for sports, but the costs are climbing. The gap between those who can afford to pay-to-play and those who cannot is growing wider. “The cost for everything this year, including team fees, equipment, travel, lodging and tournament fees is up. I probably spend $10k,” Kenny Hart said about his daughter's travel softball team experience. “Next year we are going to Canada in the summer. I will spend $3,000 just for that one tournament with travel and lodging for 10 days.” Hart’s 15-year-old daughter Kira plays accelerated softball in the summer and fall. She also plays with Grantsville High School in the spring. In the late summer, Stephanie, Kira’s mom, posted on Facebook: “Six hours in the office, five hours driving, four new mosquito bites, three hours watching games, two girls in the back seat and one smile on my kid’s face when she hit the ball over the fence and hit the scoreboard.” Playing youth sports can be a satisfying experience, but some families have to choose to play or pay the bills. The fees for accelerated sports have become extreme. “My sixth-grade son tried out and made a seventh-grade AAU basketball team,” said an irate parent who wished to remain anonymous. “The program fees are $1,000, because of the steep cost I approached the team principal and asked if

Page 16 | January 2024

the playing time was going to be even. I was assured on two separate occasions that because the team was not elite and only competed locally everyone gets essentially even minutes. Come the first tournament my son played four minutes in the first game and six minutes in the second game. I asked the coach and he got offensive and asked me not to approach him about playing time.” Accelerated teams are not the only ones with high costs. High school teams can be just as expensive. “In high school, she (Kira) wrestles that is about $500. Her high school softball fees were about $1,000,” Hart said. “I couldn’t do it if I had more than one kid.” The choices families have to make to provide activities for their children can be enormously difficult. Some choose to stop playing because of the cost, try to work second jobs, or fundraise enough to lessen the burden. “We have absolutely had to tell the kids they can’t do everything they wanted to because of the cost,” said Stephanie Taylor, a parent of two cross country runners at Hunter High. “We have several kids and it is impossible to afford it with all of them. Our kids have done sport in shifts.” Advisors on money.com suggest choosing your children's sports wisely. According to a playgroundequipment. com study, 61% of families say youth sports cause a financial strain. They sug-

The Outliers are a junior league hockey team that plays several seasons at the Accord Center in West Valley. The junior hockey league focuses on developing players to be drafted into the NHL. (Greg James/ City Journals)

gest knowing ahead of time the probable cost. According to their study ice hockey, skiing, field hockey, gymnastics and lacrosse are the most expensive. The UHSAA only supports lacrosse in that group and Cyprus, Granger, and Hunter do not currently have teams. The others are considered club sports, but the local schools do not have a direct affiliation with any of them. The cost could be part of the reason, but diversity may be another. West Valley residents tend to gravitate to football and soccer rather than lacrosse and skiing. A former Granger High School sophomore transferred to Bingham to play hockey. “That is where Ed’s friends from his

travel team all go to school,” said parent Ed Rappalye. “We went through open enrollment to give him the chance to play.” The cheapest sports to be involved in according to the website are track and field, cross country and skateboarding. West Valley has built a locally renowned skate park near the fitness center. The park is full on any given weeknight and weekend with adults and kids. There are other ideas to help control sports costs: stay and play locally; resist the urge to join an expensive travel team; skip the brand new equipment; volunteer to coach it may come with a discount; research ways to pay; and set realistic goals. Less than 2% of high school students get a scholarship for college at the Division 1

Millcreek City Journal

or 2 level. Most players earn scholarships and college playing opportunities by earning good grades. There are many companies like All Kids Play and Every Kids Sports that offer individual and organizational grants to help more youth play. These organizations encourage players to keep playing citing the countless benefits playtime, exercise, competition and teamwork can have. According to health.gov, 73% of parents believe sports improve their children's mental health. The benefits of playing children's sports include lower rates of anxiety and depression, lower stress and higher confidence. A University of Kansas study showed that students who participated in high school sports were 10% more likely to graduate than their peers who did not. West Valley City, for example, offers youth and adult sporting activities. They include volleyball, pickleball, basketball, flag football and tennis. The city also maintains 27 parks. The largest city park is Centennial Park with 77.6 acres. Salt Lake County also has Decker Lake and Hunter Park in the city boundaries for residents. The City Parks Alliance maintains that parks help residents maintain a healthy weight and can save them an average of $1,800 per person in healthcare costs. Many experts also claim that a well-main-

tained park can increase home values nearby. There are still good reasons to play sports in accelerated or AAU-type programs. The competition is better and teams are organized to play against similar-skilled opponents. Applying the skills learned in practice over multiple tournaments and games is beneficial. Certified coaches can help your players get better by teaching them the skills they need. Playing time is not guaranteed but by learning and earning their place the players become better. Playing sports is fun and advanced-level teams can give players the chance to be seen by collegiate coaches and organizations. Players earn opportunities to play at the next level by performing in high-level games. The high school teams are not the place colleges are shopping for talent anymore. As kids lose opportunities to play with elite teams it also impacts the opportunities to play in city recreation leagues. The number of participants has diminished in recent years. This impacts the communities. The children lose physical activity and social development chances and have a lack of healthy lifestyles. “I love to watch my grandkids wrestle. I would pay the cost no matter what,” Dennis Johns said.l

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January 2024 | Page 17

Hollie Warner knows food scarcity, so her group serves kindness every Friday By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

ollie Warner knows what it’s like to experience food scarcity. When she was a child, she knew if she didn’t get school lunch, she was out of luck because dinner and breakfast weren’t guaranteed. At age 10 she started babysitting and cleaning salons so she could have enough money to buy food. So, even when she was a single mom with four boys, making less than $30,000 per year, Warner knew she needed to help others. She looked for volunteer opportunities that her children could be involved with, but many of the organizations had minimum age requirements. “My children couldn’t do it because they were too young, so I decided to do it myself,” she said. “It’s not like I made a lot of money, but I figured out how to utilize what I had. We kind of get caught up in ourselves but it’s our job to serve each other.” Warner made an effort 10 years ago to take food, clothes and other supplies to downtown Salt Lake. She and her sons did it sporadically until about seven years ago when they formally created Friday Friends. Every Friday, they take warm food and clothes, and human connection, to the unsheltered population. Along the way, friends and businesses have jumped in to help, pitching in with

money, time and donations. She credits Mike and Lisa Neibaur and Cathy Jorgensen with helping her to keep the project afloat. “I don’t know if I’d have been able to keep it going this far without them,” she said. Before the pandemic, Friday Friends would set up a mobile soup kitchen where they distributed warm soup, fresh fruits and snacks. Now, the group puts together nearly 150 food packages each week that they give to those in need. Every Friday morning, Warner loads up her SUV and takes donations downtown near the Rio Grande Depot. She’s often asked if she’s afraid to be around unsheltered people or if she’s worried about her safety when interacting with them. “As a society we’ve been taught that they’re all addicts, or they’re crazy or we’re going to be stabbed,” Warner said. “But they’re just people and the reality of life is, we’re all one paycheck away from being in the same position.” Over the last decade, she’s made many friends with the people she serves. When her son turned 9, he wanted to take cupcakes downtown to share his birthday with the people he’d grown to love. So they made 100 cupcakes and distributed the treats. As people realized it was his birthday, the whole crowd began singing “Happy Birthday.” That mem-

Every Friday, South Jordan resident Hollie Warner and members of her group Friday Friends bring food and friendship to the unsheltered population in Salt Lake. (Photo courtesy of Warner)

ory still makes Warner emotional. “I think people have forgotten in today’s world what it’s like to show love. It can come in any form. Maybe a bag of apples or a box of granola or sending $5,” Warner said. “I think we get caught up in the idea that the problem is so big, we don’t know what to do, so we’re going to do nothing. But every small contribution makes a difference.” Friday Friends goes through several cases of water each week, plus fresh fruit and vegetables, tortillas, granola bars and other food items. There is also a need for warm clothes, underwear, socks, gloves and tarps. During Halloween, she reached out to her Facebook community to gather leftover can-

dy to take to youth living on the streets. Warner accepts donations at her home in South Jordan where she lives with her partner and their blended family of seven children, plus an exchange student. Anyone interested in donating or getting involved can reach out to her on Facebook for more information. For those who’d like to donate money to Friday Friends, Warner’s Venmo is @Hollie-Warner-1. “This little village of people have come together, and because of that little village, over the last 10 years we have fed over 30,000 people,” she said. “It’s not because of me, it’s because I’ve had people who believed in what I believed in.”l

Home prices up, sales down in Salt Lake County

espite the headwinds of high mortgage rates and housing prices that have pushed many potential buyers to the sidelines, homes in Salt Lake County saw slight uptick in prices in the third quarter. Figures released by the Salt Lake Board of Realtors show the median price of a single-family home in Salt Lake County increased slightly to $594,125 during the period of July through September. That’s up 1% from $589,900 in the third quarter of 2022. The increase in prices came amid mortgage rates that hovered around 7% for much of the period. “This is why we have seen home sales decline across the Wasatch Front over the past 18 months,” Salt Lake Board of Realtors chief economist Dejan Eskic said in a press release. Single-family home sales totaled 2,103 units in the third quarter, a decline of 11% from a year earlier. Weber, Davis, Utah and Tooele also saw a drop in homes sold during the third quarter. The average time single-family dwellings were on the market during the quarter was 27 days, up from 22 days in 2022. Condominiums in Salt Lake County saw a 1% decrease in median prices to $410,000 but, again, pesky mortgage rates on top of the high asking prices pushed sales down 4% during the third quarter.

Page 18 | January 2024

By Darrell Kirby | d.kirby@mycityjournals.com In West Valley City, the slowdown in home sales was more pronounced than in the county in general. In ZIP code 84119, which encompasses the eastern third of the city, single-family home sales went from 100 in the third quarter of 2022 to 73 in the same quarter of this year for a decline of 27%. The media price also fell 5% from $420,500 to $400,000. ZIP code 84120 in the central part of the city saw a 15% drop in sales—92 units to 78— as the median price went from $450,000 to $447,450. ZIP code 84128 covering the northwestern part of the city also trended downward in home prices and sales. The good news for buyers is that mortgage rates were at their lowest level in early December than they were for a number of weeks. After pushing 8% in late October, they had dropped to 6.625% to 6.875% in early December for a fixed rate on a 30-year loan at some of the larger local financial institutions, giving potential buyers the opportunity to see a significant savings in their monthly payments than just weeks earlier. “We’re starting to see more potential buyers interested,” said Austin Roberts, a loan officer at City Creek Mortgage. He added that with a decline in rates approaching 1.5%, buyers of a home around $500,000 would see their

Homes are sitting on the market longer in West Valley City because of high prices and interest rates. (Darrell Kirby/City Journals)

payments drop by around $500 a month. “It is absolutely a material change and increases affordability for home buyers.” Lower rates could attract more people back to the housing market. Conversely, that additional competition for housing could help push up prices and negate the savings of lower rates. According to a recent report in U.S. News

& World Report, economists expect home loan rates to stay at 6% or higher through 2024. Rates below 6% could return in 2025. Roberts concurs with the near-term forecast for rates. “I think (mortgage) rates will steadily decline as the Federal Reserve cuts rates next year,” he said. “I think we will definitely have lower rates within the next year.” l

Millcreek City Journal

Eight ways to combat change fatigue this new year By Holly Curby | hello@hollycurby.com

e all are no strangers to change. Whether it’s a New Year’s resolution, a shift in our career, alterations in our physical appearance, or even the family dynamics morphing as families grow— children go off to college, loved ones move, and parents age—change is a constant factor in our lives. Instincts might be to resist the change or simply feel overwhelmed by it, both of which may be leading indicators of change fatigue. According to an article by Dr. Lydia Moussa on LinkedIn, change fatigue includes the following symptoms: apathy (disengagement), negativity (cynical or complaining), stress (anxious) and burnout. Change fatigue can have a significant impact on our lives, from personal disappointments like unrealized dreams to professional challenges like unmet career goals. It's an exhausting experience that can lead to questioning our purpose and identity. However, it's during these times of change that self-reflection becomes vital. The following resources can help us take a look at our lives in hopes of beginning to understand our passions, needs, and ultimately, our unique purpose. 1. The love language test. This is a concept of Gary Chapman’s where in his book “The 5 Love Languages” he helps us understand how we receive love (physical touch, quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, or even acts of service). This tool helps us understand how we feel appreciated and loved, as well as how we tend to show appreciation and love to others. This test is helpful in any relationship from coworkers and friends, to children and spouses. Learn more about the love languages on Holly’s Highlights podcast Season 3 Episode 3. 2. Personality tests. Personality tests such as 5 Voices, Strength Finders, Myers-Briggs, and Disc help us put a name to our behaviors and inherit traits and passions. This could be understanding you are an introvert and therefore help give you some ideas on how to engage at a social gathering, to even the importance of setting boundaries in balancing such socials with much-needed alone time to refresh and recharge. Personality tests can also help you identify your strengths and how to use them in careers, teams and personal goal setting. 3. Spiritual gifts. From administration, giving, and leadership to service, ministry or teaching, if you are a person of faith this can be a valuable tool in every aspect of your life, career and volunteer work. Keep in mind this is not the fortune teller of what you need to do—it is more of a guide as to what comes naturally to

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Listen to the full episode on change fatigue on Holly’s Highlights podcast. (Holly Curby)

you. Local churches will often offer spiritual tests, or you can visit giftstest.com or sdrock.com. 4. Bucket list. According to a study from Stanford, bucket lists can help you “live a life with hopes and aspirations.” They identify values, goals, milestones and experiences as all having significance in both reflection and identification as to what your lifetime will include. When making a bucket list you might see a common theme that can help you create focus in pushing forward toward what you want in life whether it be job-related, relationship-wise or simply helping motivate you to identify “What’s next?” 5. Dreams. As we navigate the changes in life, it’s essential to reignite some of our childhood dreams. Have you wanted to travel? Take part in certain activities or accomplishments? Be in a certain profession? Permit yourself to tap into your inner child and dream. What part of those dreams can you start implementing or pursuing today, and what’s stopping you now from pursuing them? 6. Goals. When we get in a rut of change we can find ourselves going down a spiraling path, but if we have a goal set before us—something to achieve, to work toward, to look forward to reaching—we are more apt to make progress in living a more authentic and fulfilling existence. In five years you can either look back and see you are still in the same spot, or you can look back and see even a few things accomplished that got you a step further to reaching your goals. Write down some goals that are specific and attainable as well as dates to reach them by—then go for it. Download my free “Get it Done Goal Planner” on hollycurby.com/resourc-

Fulfilling something on his bucket list, Peyton Curby traveled to Alaska with his family. (Holly Curby)

es or check out Holly’s Highlights podcast Season 2 Episode 1 regarding goal setting in a new year. 7. Value/priorities. What is important to you? And where does that rank in your priorities? Once we identify our values and our priorities, it can help us ensure our actions align with our authentic selves. This can help us understand what boundaries should be placed and therefore help us live a more fulfilled life of purpose. Season 3 Episode 26 on Holly’s Highlights podcast can help us unpack more on boundary setting to protect these values and priorities. 8. Personal Mission statement. After you’ve looked at the results from your love language, your personality, your spiritual gifts, your bucket list, dreams, goals, values, and priorities then you can better answer questions such as: Who am I? What’s my purpose? What’s next? Check out Holly’s Highlights podcast Season 3 Episode

15 for assistance on how to do a family mission statement. Next time change fatigue hits, this personal mission statement can help you navigate through the changes so that you keep in alignment with what matters to you. Amidst life’s constant changes, these resources help us align our actions with our true selves all while embracing a growth mindset, trying new things, challenging our perspectives, exploring our passions, forgiving ourselves of any regrets, having a grateful heart, turning our pain into purpose, accepting our flaws, and believing in ourselves so that we can combat succumbing to the fatigue of change. Learn more on Holly’s Highlights podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, Tune-In, and at www.hollycurby.com.l

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Millcreek City Journal

Millcreek council approves funding for pickleball courts in Canyon Rim Park By Sara Milano | s.milano@mycityjournals.com

n a recent Millcreek City Council meeting, a pivotal decision was made regarding the funding and construction of much-anticipated pickleball courts in Millcreek. Public Works Director John Miller provided a comprehensive update, revealing both progress and challenges in the journey to bring this community project to fruition. Originally budgeted at $800,000 two years ago, the pickleball court project faced unexpected delays. Approval from the neighboring Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a crucial step in the process, took longer than anticipated, resulting in a significant delay. This delay, combined with the impact of inflation on construction costs, led to a significant increase in the project’s overall price. Miller expressed his initial concerns to the council, stating, “I came to the council a couple of months ago concerned about the pricing of our pickleball courts. We bid it, we know what the prices are. I wasn’t concerned enough. Our last estimate was about $1 million, and our low bid came in at $1.26 million.” The approved plan outlines the construction of 10 pickleball courts within Canyon Rim Park. Miller emphasized a community-centric approach to design, aiming for the courts to serve as both a recreational space and a visually appealing park for the neighborhood. Two of the 10 courts will be

slightly larger “championship” courts, catering to enthusiasts seeking a more competitive experience. A paved parking lot is also part of the construction plan. Despite the higher-than-expected costs, the council displayed a strong commitment to the project. In a move to fulfill promises made to the community, a budget amendment was approved that allocated $1.2 million for the pickleball courts. However, this left a shortfall of $66,000. Mayor Jeff Silvestrini expressed the community’s long-standing anticipation, stating, “We’ve promised the community this for a long time….I think it’d be a mistake not to build all 10 courts…our community will use them and enjoy them, and it will never be cheaper than now to build them.” Assuring that the additional funds would be secured, Silvestrini emphasized the importance of moving forward with the project. The low bid for the construction contract was approved, setting the stage for construction to begin in spring 2024. As Millcreek gears up for the construction of new pickleball courts, the community eagerly anticipates the recreational and social benefits they will bring. The sport has grown in popularity in recent years, and approval of funding reflects the city’s dedication to enhancing the quality of life for its residents through recreation and development. l

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A rendering of the layout for the new pickleball courts in Canyon Rim Park. (Millcreek City)

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Lahaina: Rising from the ashes—rebuilding a community devastated by wildfires By Dylan Wilcox | d.wilcox@mycityjournals.com

n August 2023, the picturesque town of Lahaina on the island of Maui, Hawaii, faced an unprecedented crisis as devastating wildfires swept through the former capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The fires not only threatened the natural beauty of the area but also had a profound impact on the lives of residents. Len Tomas Napala whose parents lived in Lahaina for decades said their house was completely lost. “My parents are super hardworking people who spent their lives working for the hospitality industry in order to save for their dream home. They were so proud when they finally got something they could call their own. The images after the fire has left them heartbroken. It is something they couldn’t even imagine,” Napala said. The Lahaina wildfires were a nightmare come to life for the residents of this idyllic coastal town. The flames rapidly spread through the dry, drought-affected landscape, consuming homes, vegetation, and businesses in their path. Many residents had to evacuate their homes, leaving behind cherished possessions and memories. The fires not only took a toll on physical infrastructure but also had a profound emotional and psychological impact on the community.

Lahaina after the wildfires in August 2023. (AP Photo)

Residents lost their homes, businesses, and, in some cases, even loved ones. The Lahaina wildfires were a stark reminder of the unpredictable and ruthless nature of these natural disasters. The effects were felt not only by the people directly impacted but also by the entire community, as the devastation

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brought into sharp focus the vulnerability of life on an island paradise. Royal Hula Kalua-Santiago, a student at Utah Valley University whose family lived in Lahaina, organized a donation drive to send goods from those in Utah straight to those affected by the fires. “I saw the fires Wednesday night, couldn’t sleep at all,” Kalua-Santiago said. “I felt so helpless. But thankfully the next morning I saw a post from my cousin, her mom, who works for United Airlines, was doing a shipment to Maui, and they were seeing if people wanted to donate [goods to those affected].” Kalua-Santiago then got with her team and began getting the word out via social media to drum up support. Hundreds of cars drove by UVU from Aug. 10 until Aug. 14 to donate everything from clothing to diapers and other necessities. The multicultural student services at UVU had to act fast as a shipment was scheduled to leave in less than a week. “We then worked out our logistics, because since we were holding a drive in Orem, we’d need a

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day at least to get everything up to Salt Lake. But once we made our plan, we went with it,” Kalua-Santiago said. Over 100 volunteers showed up to collect donations from individuals across the state. In the end, the donation drive was a huge success. “We filled four big 26-foot U-Haul’s, two 12-foot trailers from our UVU drive alone. Plus, all the donations my family were collecting in Northern Utah,” Kalua-Santiago said. The road to recovery for Lahaina is a challenging one, but the spirit of the community remains strong. Residents are determined to rebuild their lives and their town. Several initiatives have been undertaken to restore Lahaina's vibrancy and safeguard it against future wildfires. Napala reminisced how her kids would play in the backyard which her son described as a “jungle” full of fruit trees. “I am very devastated that my parents’ home and my hometown have been destroyed,” she said. “We are very sad but staying strong.” l

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Millcreek City Journal

A Bitter Pill

’m at the point where each doctor visit starts with “Well, at your age…”. I need to get my liver rotated, my heart valves oiled, my lung filters changed and I need a lot of bodywork done. Nips and tucks won’t do it, I need parts replaced and a complete undercarriage overhaul. I’ve got 99 problems and the cost of health insurance counts for at least 90. When I found myself without health insurance at the end of last year, I jumped on Healthcare.gov to explore my “affordable” options. The site states that four out of five people can find a plan for $10 or less a month, after tax subsidies. What they don’t tell you is that the fifth person has to get a third job, sell organs on the black market or start printing money in the basement to afford a healthcare plan. As I scrolled through my health insurance options, I got irrationally angry. Plans started at around $500 per month, with deductibles ranging from $7,500 to Lamborghini. Keep in mind, this was for one person, not an entire family with pets and farm animals. Since I had to register by the middle of December, my email was flooded with reminders from the site. Have I registered? Why not? Did I forget? Did I become independently wealthy? Did I decide to use the money for something fun instead?

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No. On the day before the deadline, I put on my adulting hat and signed up for health insurance. I’m still irrationally angry. I am seriously considering Alternate Healthcare Plan B, which is file for bankruptcy in the event of a major medical emergency. Still haven’t ruled that option out. I also have Healthcare Plan C: try not to get sick or need a blood transfusion or get concussed or go for an ambulance ride or break a bone. No emergency room visits. Just good old-fashioned stubbornness and denial. There are also herbal remedies and a variety of healing crystals that don’t actually solve my internal issues (there’s only so much power in a rose quartz) but it’s cheaper than an MRI. Or there’s always my mom’s answer to any illness when I was a kid: a spoonful of paregoric. The opium-based medicine made me feel very sleepy and hazy. But, for now, I’ll end up paying at least

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