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By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com
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o, the city has not sold the current city hall, and no developer has yet made a serious bid for it. However, at a recent Murray City Center District (MCCD) Zone Workshop meeting, a city council member did indicate his willingness to consider a 10-story building on the site adjacent to Murray Park’s Ken Price Ball Field. At the Aug. 10 MCCD Zone Workshop, the minutes included the following account of City Councilmember Garry Hrechkosy’s (District 5) comments: “if preserving the historic feel at Block One was truly the priority, the city would need to financially incentivize new businesses to locate there and to keep rents low to attract mom and pop restaurants. That means being less restrictive in height at the current city hall property where the highest market value could be generated.” The minutes continue: “A discussion occurred about whether 10-story buildings were too tall in the MCCD, considering there is a 14-story hospital across Current Murray City Hall, lower left, borders Ken Price Ball Park and sits north of Murray Park’s State Street entrance. The city will sell the property when it moves
Continued page 9 to the new city hall. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)
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Murray pays $121,300 ransom to hackers By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com
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urray City paid a $121,300 ransom to hackers after the city identified unusual activity in its IT systems (including encrypted network files) for the Aug. 7 cyberattack. The attack hindered the functionality of both the phone system and online services. Mayor Brett Hales’ Chief Communications Officer Tammy Kikuchi said, “We continue to investigate this incident with the assistance of subject matter specialists who are working to confirm the full scope of the event. To try and provide details at this point would include mere speculation. Therefore, while the investigation is underway, we are unable to disclose specifics of the attack.” During the week of the hacking, Murray residents and businesses could not access city systems to pay utility bills or licenses. Also, city hall could not receive or make phone calls. In addition, the city was forced to forgive late fees due to computer system inaccessibility. The ransom was paid from Murray’s Retained Risk Reserve Fund, which handles uninsured losses. The risk fund provides coverage for up to a maximum of $350,000 for each general liability claim. The city also uses the Retained Risk Fund to purchase commercial insurance for claims more than the coverage provided by the fund. Recently, cities throughout Utah have been under attack by hackers. In September, Eagle Mountain City was the victim of a $1.13 million cyberhack by an online impersonator posing as a vendor working with the city on an infrastructure project. Clearfield reported that in 2021, hackers encrypted their computer systems and de-
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manded several million dollars. Kikuchi acknowledged that an investigation is ongoing, but also that the city is fully operational, and any impacted systems have been remediated. However, the city did not elaborate on whether residents’ and customers’ information had been impacted. “Should the investigation identify an impact to personal information, we will provide the appropriate notices as necessary,” Kikuchi said. According to cybersecurity firm GovPilot, “In today’s environment of near-constant information security threats, the local government workforce is the first line of defense against intrusion by criminals or hostile nations. The internet has made it easier for adversaries worldwide to attack even the smallest municipality, department or agency. Workers at all levels of government and across departments need to receive cybersecurity awareness training and establish proper behavior, habits, knowledge, and compliance protocols to protect critical information and systems.” The FBI states that the most frequent way these attacks start is with an email with a malicious attachment or a link. These links could unleash software that spreads throughout the system, allowing the hacker to access and control computer systems. “From the beginning, the city has been supported by a team of cybersecurity experts. Potential access points were quickly identified, and those access points have since been closed. All network systems were fully restored within seven days of the attack. The city has taken additional measures to create a more robust approach
Mayor Brett Hales reviews information on his administrative assistant’s computer. (Shaun Delliskave/ City Journals)
to cybersecurity. This ongoing process will take time to implement and finalize and includes continuing aggressive backup schedules, third-party assistance, and even more robust requirements to access the network and applications,” Kikuchi said. Murray City officials, the mayor, and the city council have been cautious in providing information to the public about the cyberattack. Status updates have not appeared on the city’s website nor as a matter
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of public record in meetings. When asked why information has not been more forthcoming, the city responded, “We appreciate the public’s patience and understanding. The city received several requests for information from local media and responded to those. As the investigation continues, the city will provide further updates as necessary and as relevant information becomes available.” l
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Martinez announces resignation from Murray City Council By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com
M
urray City Councilor Kat Martinez announced her resignation, one year shy of completing a full term in office. Martinez, who is making a career move to Oregon, has yet to provide a specific date, but according to her social media, she plans to stay on until possibly December. “I would love to finish out my term and always planned to do so,” Martinez said. “However, I received a job offer from Western Oregon University in their Research Institute. There I will continue to support the childcare industry and work to improve equity in early childhood education. The timing isn’t perfect, but this job opportunity is too good to pass up for me and my family’s longterm well-being.” Martinez was elected in 2019 with campaign promises of trigger locks for Murray School District families, creating a neighborhood cleanup plan similar to Salt Lake City’s, and making Murray more welcoming and inclusive. While the first two platform items did not materialize, she did make progress on her third promise. “I am very proud of what I have accomplished over the past three years here in Murray. I leave behind more crosswalks and additional crossing guards that keep our
residents safe as they walk throughout our community. I created and led a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, which ultimately led to the creation of an Equity Director position,” Martinez said. Concurrently, Martinez works as a trainer at the State of Utah Department of Health Child Care Licensing. Before that, she owned a daycare and was a middle school teacher. She was also involved in local Democratic Party politics and served on the Murray Arts Advisory Board. “I started working on issues related to the Murray Theater renovation as a member of the Murray Arts Advisory Committee over five years ago, and I am sorry not to see that project completed before I leave. My family and I will definitely come back and visit to attend an event in the renovated theater once it is completed,” Martinez said. Martinez’s term has not been without controversy. Just one month into her term, she sponsored a resolution in advance of Rep. Karen Kwan’s own resolution to endorse the Equal Rights Amendment in the Legislature. Typically, resolutions are vetted before the Committee of the Whole and take weeks or months to gather resident feedback. Instead, Martinez sponsored it without following standard procedures. While the resolution passed,
Kwan’s resolution failed at the capitol. Also, Martinez generated controversy during her comments on the Bullion Street zoning change, expressing her opinion that Murray needs higher-density development. She has not backed down from her comments. “Mixed-use development is the key to walkable neighborhoods and vibrant communities. More dense housing also means more affordable or accessible housing for the average Murray resident. Murray is not an agriculture or smelter-based community anymore. It needs to be allowed to grow and change with the industries and people it now serves. This can be done while maintaining a classic or historic aesthetic. There is always room for compromise and collaboration,” Martinez said. Asked if she has concerns about Murray’s future, Martinez expressed one. “I think the most dangerous thing in Murray is fear of change. There is a shortage of affordable housing, and decision makers and residents must be willing to put people before nostalgia. The expansion of ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) is a great first step, but in order to make Murray a place young families and working professionals can afford to live, more needs to be done,” Martinez said.
Along with other members of the Murray City Council, Kat Martinez attended training in Washington, D.C. (Photo courtesy of Kat Martinez, Murray City Council District 1)
State law prescribes how a city must replace a city council member. First, the city will invite applicants living in District 1 to apply for the seat. Each applicant will then be brought before the city council to answer a few questions, after which the council will select three candidates who will then be narrowed down to the final appointee. l
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Nov. 2022 | Page 5
From Murray High to the NFL: Braxton Jones is now a rookie starter for the Chicago Bears
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urray High School welcomed students for the first time in 1916. Until the mid1950s, the school was on the east side of State Street, and combined with Murray Junior High. Four years after MHS opened, a handful of well-heeled businessmen met in Canton, Ohio to discuss creating a sports league. In 1920 that organization was known as the American Professional Football Conference. It now earns $11 billion annually and is known as the NFL. Why the history lesson? Because in the first 100-plus years Murray High School and the National Football League were each operating, their paths crossed only once. But as of this year, that number doubled when Braxton Jones became the second Murray Spartan to make his way on to an NFL roster. Moreover, Jones has earned a starting position in perhaps the most challenging offensive spot, this side of the quarterback. At 6-foot-5¾-inches and 310 pounds, Jones is the Chicago Bears left (“blindside”) offensive tackle. Of all five offensive linemen on the field, the blindside tackle is under the most pressure to protect his QB from snarling defensive linemen, who are paid millions of dollars a year to knock him down. “I was never sure whether I would make it into the NFL—I guess no one ever is,” Jones said. “But I did always tell myself, whatever I was going to do, I wanted to be the best at it. I attack my opportunities. Rather than me choosing football, I feel like it chose me.” That, quite literally, is true. The NFL— specifically, the Chicago Bears—did choose Jones, on April 30, in the fifth round of the league’s three-day draft, held this year in Las Vegas. Once known as the “Monsters of the Midway,” NFL fans know Chicago has fallen on lean times in recent years. But those same fans know the iconic names that have filled Bears’ rosters for decades. Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski were Chicago Bears, pre-World War II. Sid Luckman and Bulldog Turner weren’t far behind them. The 1960s found Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus and Mike Ditka playing in the Windy City. And Chicago’s only Super Bowl winning team, in 1985, featured Walter Payton, Mike Singletary and a “punky QB” (Jim McMahon) who hailed from Roy High School and BYU. In short, Jones is joining a long pedigree of storied athletes in Chicago. With 34 inductees, the Bears have more players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame than any other. Ironically, that only other Murray Spartan to ever earn his way into the NFL was also a 6-foot-5 offensive tackle, just like Jones. Mark Koncar graduated from MHS in the early 1970s, played college ball at Colorado and was drafted by the Bears’ rivals, the Green Bay Packers, in 1976. His six-season NFL career
Page 6 | Nov. 2022
By Carl Fauver | c.fauver@mycityjournals.com
Murray High School graduate Braxton Jones impressed his new Chicago Bears coaches from day one this summer, earning a starting offensive tackle position. (NBC Sports Chicago)
ended in 1982, after one year with the Houston Oilers. Now, 40 years later, Jones is working to ensure his NFL career also lasts several seasons. So far, it looks like it could. “He’s already made a little Chicago Bears history,” said his mom Danielle Williams. “He’s the first rookie to start for Chicago at left tackle in 30 years. We are super proud and happy for Braxton. He’s kept working for his goal. He’s stayed the path. I always told him he would succeed—at whatever he did—if he stayed the course and stuck with his goals.” Like her son, Williams is also a Murray High School graduate. Mom received her diploma in 1995…Jones in 2017. Jones’ football life has been a whirlwind now, for about 20 months. COVID-19 postponed and shortened his “2020” football season, at Southern Utah University. The team did not play until spring of last year, a six-game schedule. Then, after just a couple of months off, the Thunderbirds played their normal 11game fall 2021 season. “I attended every one of Braxton’s football games from age 8 (when Jones played in Murray’s Ute Conference program) through high school,” Williams said. “I also attended all of his Southern Utah home games and many of the away games.” Williams and other family members also made their way down to Mobile, Alabama last February, where Jones played in the Reese’s (yes, the peanut butter cups) Senior Bowl. That was followed by Jones trip to Indianapolis the next month, for the NFL Combine, where representatives from all 32 of the league’s teams show up to see how high prospects can jump,
Murray High and Southern Utah University graduate Braxton Jones is one of 15 rookies on the 2022 Chicago Bears roster. (chicagobears.com)
how much weight they can left and how fast they can sprint 40 yards. But even after all that—and a handful of all-conference and all-American honors— Jones still wasn’t sure how the draft would go. But by then, he at least knew Chicago was interested. “Just a few days before the draft, the Bears flew their new assistant offensive line coach Austin King out here to work me out,” Jones said. “The workout was on the Murray High School football field. He took me through mobility and offensive line drills. I felt like it went well. But even after he left, I had no idea what was going to happen (during the NFL draft).” So, then that led to what his mom describes as “the most agonizing, horrifying event you can imagine”—the three-day draft. “Braxton’s agent said he might be drafted anywhere after, maybe the middle of the third round,” Williams said. “He was staring at his phone pick after pick, hoping a team would call over two days. We had a huge party planned, more than 100 people coming. Then finally Braxton got his call.” “The Bears called me just a couple of minutes before the pick,” Jones added. “Hon-
estly, that whole phone call is kind of a blur to me. I know I spoke to the General Manager (Ryan Poles) and (new Chicago Head) coach (Matt) Eberflus. But I was so excited, I don’t remember much about the conversation.” The Bears signed Jones to a four-year, $3,959,552 contract—none of it guaranteed. He did receive a $299,552 signing bonus. But he’d have to make the Chicago roster to earn any more. Now that he has made the team, his first-year salary is $705,000. That will go up a little each year, if he continues earning his roster spot. “I don’t pay that much attention to the money; my agent keeps track of that,” Jones said. “I haven’t bought anything very expensive. I am just not that materialistic.” But what about a car? You have to have one of those. Funny you should ask… “As a (Murray High School) graduation gift, we bought Braxton a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta—or actually, half of it—we told him he had to pay the other half,” Williams said. “It probably has 130,000 miles on it now. It’s the only car he’s ever had to himself. When he moved to Chicago, he had the Jetta shipped out to him.” Williams flew to Chicago two separate
Murray City Journal
Exactly 100 years after the school’s very first graduation, Braxton Jones received his diploma from Murray High in 2017, with proud mom Danielle Williams looking on. (Courtesy Danielle Williams)
times, in August and September, to attend Braxton’s preseason opener against Kansas City, and regular season opener versus San Francisco, both at Soldier Field. That second
game, on Sept. 11, was played in such a torrential downpour that later that evening, Chicago flooding was featured on the national news. “We were sitting on the front row, in the
endzone, for the 49ers game,” Williams said. “But honestly, the energy in Soldier Field was so incredible. I completely forgot about the rain. We just blanked it out. Finally, when the game was over (and the Bears had pulled the upset victory), I realized just how soaked we were. But what fun.” Jones was one of the dozen or more players who celebrated the win by running and sliding on the soaked stadium grass, like they were at a kid’s summer birthday party, with a Slip ’N Slide. Besides being a massive and athletic young man, Jones is also very highly thought of as a person: • “He’s a smart kid and a top-notch guy— very coachable”—Murray High School Head Football coach Todd Thompson, who was an assistant coach when Jones was a Spartan. • “Braxton is a great kid and we love having him around the facility (PNC Center at Halas Hall, Lake Forest, Illinois)” —Chicago Bears Football Club Communications Coordinator Ben Schmitz. • “I’ve been blown away by how fast he has developed. He continues to climb and get better and better and better” —Bears GM Ryan Poles. • “Braxton is very cerebral about football. He understands the insights of the game. He’s also one of the most coachable kids and best human beings I have ever met. Very respectful, with a great head on his shoulders. Mom Danielle did a fantastic job raising him with great core values” —Southern Utah University Of-
Belinda is a “Fresh” Voice for the Families of Murray, Taylorsville, and Millcreek After 12 years on the Murray City School District Board of Education and the Utah High School Activities Association Board of Trustees, I would like to take my experience and the knowledge that I have gained to the Utah House of Representatives and represent the citizens of our communities.
fensive Line coach Aaron Fernandez. Fernandez and Jones both say they try to live by a quote credited to the founder of the McDonald’s hamburger empire, Ray Kroc: “When you’re green, you’re growing. When you’re ripe, you rot.” “It means never be satisfied with where you are,” Jones concluded. “Coach Fernandez was always hard on me about the little things— making sure I was never comfortable. We talked about my goal to make it to the NFL. He helped me learn how to be focused and dialed in.” And at the same time he was “dialed in” on his football duties, Jones also completed his bachelor’s degree in marketing at SUU. For the record, according to the NFL itself, only 46% of its active players have completed their college degrees. Moreover, many of those players picked up their coursework again, after joining the league, in order to finish up. But putting that marketing degree to work can wait for Jones. At the moment, he is one of 15 rookies on the Bears roster, an incredibly high number. That means the team is giving youth an opportunity to prosper. The Chicago coaching staff is also all new. As this “Monsters of the Midway” rebuild continues, Jones appears poised for a robust NFL career, as Murray High School’s second graduate in “the show.” l
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Nov. 2022 | Page 7
After being granted a wish, caring young woman seeks to help teachers By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com
A
young woman born with a rare genetic condition graduated from high school with the help of special education teachers, and now she has decided to pay it forward. Julia “Jules” Reardon, with the help of Make-A-Wish Utah, provided Special Education Classroom Kits to educators on Sept. 26 at the Wishing Place in Murray. The kits are designed to help students like her feel confident in their ability to earn high school diplomas. Reardon’s condition is called Hemimegalencephaly, which causes intractable seizures. She has had to endure several brain surgeries and takes medication to get her seizures under control. In addition to this, she is also nonverbal and has cerebral palsy. Despite all this, she graduated from Mountain Heights Academy last May, with a 4.0 GPA. “I wanted to pay it forward because of a few great teachers who had helped me when everyone else, except my parents, was convinced I had no abilities. These teachers realized there was someone smart inside my severely disabled body. And once they found ways that allowed me to show what I knew, the sky has been the limit ever since. My experience inspired me to create this project to help other students do the same,” Reardon wrote. Reardon just found out that she has been accepted to the University of Utah for spring
2023 semester, where she hopes to study writing and become an author someday. Make-A-Wish, which helps children with critical illnesses, provides “wishes” that give kids the hope and strength they need to fight harder. Reardon wishes to help 22 low-income special education classrooms by providing a Special Education Classroom Kit, which includes tools that enabled her to succeed in school. Reardon wrote, “Originally, I wanted to get or upgrade sound systems in special education classrooms so students could hear the teacher better. When I was in class, between the rustling of papers, conversations around me, and all sorts of ambient noise, I had difficulty understanding what the teacher was saying—this made learning extremely difficult. Even when it was quiet in the room, some teachers spoke so softly that it was hard to hear them. However, this project was infeasible, so I needed to think differently about how I could help, and that is when I came up with the care kits for Special Education classrooms. “These kits include items that address sensory processing issues, self-regulation, time management, fine/gross motor skills, anxiety, and socialization, plus some basic supplies for classes with few resources. There are even programmable buttons to allow nonverbal stu-
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Julia Reardon, with the Special Education Classroom Kits in her home after they were filled. (Photo courtesy of Make-A-Wish)
dents to participate in class. Teachers can use these tools to help even their most involved students improve. Anything that enables the student to see even the smallest success is so significant. By turning a ‘no’ into a ‘yes,’ and then another ‘yes,’ and so on, these students can accomplish things even they did know they could achieve.” Not only did finding specialized equipment prove challenging, but so did locating the right places to provide them. Reardon wrote, “One of the difficulties was figuring out what to put in the kits that would do the most good. I knew the Skullcandy headphones were the project’s linchpin, but what other items to include would help the most students was challenging. However, it turned out that finding the schools that would benefit from receiving these kits was the hardest part. “My focus was finding Title 1 schools that had accommodated or extended core classrooms where the students had interaction with their non-disabled peers. It was hard finding the right person in the districts who could help. There was a point when I was ready to give up. However, once we (mom helped) started contacting teachers directly, plus a shoutout on a couple of Utah Special Needs Facebook pages, we got recommendations for classrooms and schools that needed help. From here, we got a huge list that we started calling until we found our 22 classrooms.” Each kit includes noise-canceling headphones, noise-reducing earmuffs, handwriting grips and writing aids, timers, programable buttons, fidget toys, and a tote for students to reuse. Additionally, each kit will include the following note and explanation from Reardon: “I am so excited to be sharing these kits with you. I hope you find something here that changes a ‘no’ to a ‘yes’ with at least one of
your students. As I am a person with severe disabilities like your students, I know that teaching us can many times be daunting and frustrating. But, like your students, we understand that it is because the path to reach us is sometimes so unclear. Please know that we see you trying, and we are so grateful that you refuse to give up on students like me. Because of a teacher that refused to give up on me, even though I gave her every reason to, I started believing in myself. And with the help of my parents, teachers, and every person who saw in me what I did not at the time, I succeeded. “Last May, I graduated high school, not just with a certificate of attendance but an actual, high-honors, mainstream diploma. I know my future has power and purpose, and that is why I put everything that helped me in a classroom setting in these kits. I wish I had unlimited funds to give you all the tech you might need, but these were the things that have been invaluable to me over the years, and I hope it helps you too. I hope you always remember that I believe in all of you.” Reardon felt the project was a huge hit and loved seeing the teachers feel seen and appreciated as they received her kits. She hopes to continue providing help for special education teachers and feels grateful for all those involved with her project. “I don’t think any of us realized how involved and complicated my wish was. I sure didn’t. But everyone there, especially Tiffany Bloomquist, one of my wish granters, never let on, and for that, I am genuinely thankful. Before this, I never really understood how amazing MAKE-A- WISH was. They figure out how to create a one-of-a-kind experience for each Make-A-Wish child that touches our hearts in such a permanent way, which is incredible,” Reardon wrote. l
Murray City Journal
Continued from front page the street from the current city hall (5025 South State Street) facility.” When asked to clarify, Hrechkosy said, “I think that we need to maximize value to our citizens and follow the zoning as laid out. We would need to look at every angle.” The city’s Future Land Use Map currently shows city hall as General Commercial. Hrechkosy was asked what he meant by being less restrictive regarding building height at the current city hall site, he said, “I would have to reassess the plans and specific areas before proceeding with a discussion or decision.” When questioned what the mayor’s office thought of Hrechkosy’s remarks in the minutes, Chief Communications Officer Tammy Kikuchi said, “The height restriction might be considered along State Street between Vine and 4800 South. However, keep in mind that land use is a legislative (city council) function and not an executive (mayor) function. Therefore, Mayor Hales supports the decisions of the city council on this issue.” Murray resident and historic preservation advocate Janice Strobell said, “Murray downtown desperately needs revitalization but not at the expense of removing our unique structures, which gives our community a character that cannot be duplicated, resulting in loss of community pride/ownership for their downtown. A big issue with the downtown future is the need to have a comprehensive plan for the whole downtown and not segment each property, selling to the highest bidder. If we are worried about what is going to give the city the highest tax return and not focusing on creating gathering places downtown where commerce, entertainment, and socializing naturally occur, I think we are missing the mark. “Sadly, with the highest revenue mindset we could find, we have lost our community, and the new developments may benefit us for the short term but become a poor revenue source far too quickly. It is important the city gets buy-in from its community prior to taking drastic steps that would alter our community. The comments received from the Edlen project open house and random survey provide some clear guidance for the changes the city can implement within the current downtown ordinance and provide a better framework for moving ahead.” The city will transition to the new city hall building in less than a year. At the Sept. 6 RDA meeting, the city announced that Orden Yost of Colliers International will act as the city’s real estate broker to sell the city hall property and the historic Murray Chapel (4886 Poplar St.). At the Oct. 4 city council meeting, City Attorney G.L. Christensen stated an
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Murray City Hall will be sold after the government moves its new offices. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)
appraisal was ordered for city hall. At the same meeting, Mayor Brett Hales said, “There is a lot of action on it.” According to Kikuchi, “Prior to hiring a real estate broker, the city was approached by many developers interested in purchasing the current city hall property after it is vacated when the new city hall is complete. Since the hiring of Orden Yost, there continues to be a lot of interest.” Also at the same meeting, Hrechkosy said, “My fear is that every day that passes, with the way the economy is going right now, we lose money. We want to make sure we get the maximum dollar for our citizens.” When asked if he received any input from constituents on the sale price and the need to sell city property immediately, Hrechkosy said, “I have not spoken to anyone, but I know that the economy has challenges right now and values are coming down. I want to get the most money for the citizens.” Rachel Morot of the Historic Murray First Foundation said, “Ultimately, Historic Murray First Foundation would love to see the old city hall/Arlington School bought by a developer committed to preserving and adaptively reusing the building to prevent multistory high-rise developments replacing it.” When the mayor’s office was inquired if there was any rush to sell city property, Kikuchi said, “‘Rush’ is not the term I would use. We are interested and excited to see what kind of offers and possibilities come from the real estate firm’s efforts to market the property. The city will take whatever time is necessary to assure that all offers are fully vetted, legal, and represent the best interest of taxpayers. The process will not be rushed at the expense of doing it correctly and transparently.”
Not all city councilmembers feel the city hall site should allow high-rise construction. The MCCD Zone Workshop minutes record: “Ms. (Diane) Turner said 10 stories was too high. Ms. (Pam) Cotter agreed.” “Murray City has problematic zoning, which has allowed a grossly outsized apartment building to replace the historic Murray First Ward and Carnegie Library buildings. It’s encouraging to see the city council working hard to correct the bad zoning that enabled a giant unattractive, high-rise apartment complex to overshadow our historic residential district. State Street frontage does make more sense for that kind of build than Vine Street,” Morot said. Murray City Chapel It was not until recently the city announced its intention to sell the historic chapel. Built in 1926, replacing a structure earlier destroyed by fire, the city purchased the building in 2017. The city also picked up the Murray Mansion, the Tea Rose Diner, and Murray Arts Center in that purchase. Currently, the city is transforming the Murray Mansion into the home of the Murray Museum. Speaking for the mayor’s office, Kikuchi said, “Orden Yost is marketing the Murray Chapel to any and all interested buyers. The city is interested in offers that will keep the restrictions intact and preserved, but all offers will be considered.” Vine Street property purchased At the Oct. 4 city council meeting, Mayor Hales also revealed the purchase of the Ariana Market property behind the Murray Theater (118 E. Vine St.). The city’s intent for this purchase is to provide parking and construction staging for the renovation of the Murray Theater. The purchase price was $675,000.
Consequently, at the same meeting, Councilmember Rosalba Dominguez asked Hales about purchasing the adjacent property on 120 E. Vine St. The mayor’s office confirmed, stating, “The city did inquire about purchasing the property located at 120 E. Vine St. for the same purpose.” Block One Since holding an open house and conducting an extensive survey about the Murray Block One downtown area (4800 State Street), progress on the site has been stagnant. While the city is reviewing information gathered from the survey, the development agreement with Edlen & Co. expired on Dec. 31, 2021. “When last discussed, Edlen & Co. are still interested in developing Block One. The RDA Board (city council) and city staff are researching modifications to the MCCD ordinance and will consider approval when ready. As a result, there has been no activity to secure a developer for Block One,” Kikuchi said. At the beginning of Hales’ term, he mentioned in an interview with the Murray Journal his desire for the Block One development to not go over three stories. Hale’s office was asked what design ideas were being pursued for that area. “…the mayor may have talked about not going higher than three stories. However, based on RDA Board (city council) discussions about the MCCD ordinance, city planning staff are researching and drafting proposed changes to the MCCD ordinance and will discuss with the Board when ready.”l
Nov. 2022 | Page 9
Murray Girl Scout calls for change in handling concussions
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urray Girl Scout Relena Pattison was performing with the Murray High School Color Guard team in 2019 when one of her teammates got hit. During practice, her friend tossed a 45 (a toss above the head at a 45-degree angle) on a flag and hit herself on the side of the head. “I’ve seen many injuries like this; drops on tosses are frequent, and I had a similar one myself when I got hit on the head with my rifle (a color guard prop),” Pattison said. Twenty minutes later, her teammate started to black out—she had sustained a concussion. “My friend still suffers from the longterm repercussions of her concussion, and we were very lucky that we caught her before she fell. I wanted to help prevent this from happening to anyone else,” Pattison said. Her friend’s experience spurred Pattison to call for change in how the Utah Color Guard Circuit handles concussions. She applied her efforts to the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a girl scout can earn. However, because the color guard isn’t classified as a sport, they don’t receive training for concussions, and she began to wonder if other teams also had
By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com this issue. “In the fall of 2020, I ran a survey where I reached out to almost every Color Guard in Utah, asking several questions like: how many team members are there, how often does someone get a concussion, and how many members are able to identify a concussion? The results of my survey found that, in the state of Utah, around one in every three members know how to identify a concussion in themselves or others, while the rate of concussion is about one concussion per every 10 people per year, and only one out of the 20 teams who responded had training for the students,” Pattison said. Pattison’s survey surprised her. She found that concussions are common among color guard teams and that a third of all teams know how to identify concussions. “With my information, I reached out to the Utah Color Guard Circuit and shared my findings with them, as well as a connection to the training required for sports teams in Utah. Sadly, the Utah Color Guard Circuit determined this to not be a pressing issue, so no changes were made,” Pattison said. The Utah Color Guard Circuit is a collection of guard teams in Utah run by
a board of members who organize competitions and team requirements in the state of Utah, usually during the winter season. According to Pattison, the board saw this as an issue for individual schools/school districts, and the training should be controlled by them. “Despite not getting global change, I didn’t give up, and instead created a website, howtocolorguard.org, with common symptoms and links to virtual training, and then shared this with the teams throughout Utah. I even received commitments from teams that they will start training students on the team,” Pattison said. Pattison’s website explains her project and story. The main portion of the website is dedicated to common concussion symptoms and online training courses (with cited resources as well). She hopes the website can reach out to many members of the color guards and provide resources for them so that they will be able to help themselves and their teammates when they
get a concussion, preventing the trauma from getting worse, such as in the case of passing out. “While I wasn’t able to get the systemic change I was seeking, I was able to light the sparks for change and give resources to those who need it,” Pattison said. Her efforts won’t be unproductive, as her website and advocacy for concussion awareness can be applied to earning the Girl Scout Gold Award. For that honor, a girl must design, implement, and take the lead on a project of her choice to make a difference in her community. Usually, the project takes over 80 hours of service. Also, the project must be self-sustaining for at least two years after the girl finishes. Pattison, the 2022 Murray High School salutatorian, is currently a math with pre-health major at Pepperdine University. She hopes to pursue a career as an anesthesiologist. l
Relena Pattison performs with the Murray High Color Guard Team. (Photo courtesy of Relena Pattison)
Page 10 | Nov. 2022
Murray City Journal
Recent high school graduate shares study strategies in new book
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tudy smarter, not harder. That’s what a recent area high school graduate advises secondary students. Emily Erickson graduated in 2021, but in the last month of her senior year of high school, she wrote the book, “The Art of the A: A Guide to Earning Straight A’s in Middle and High School Without Sacrificing Your Social Life, Sleep Schedule, or Sanity.” She self-published the 300-page book that is available on Amazon. As a 4.0 grade-point student who took 14 advanced placement classes, earned her associate’s degree while in high school, was named Utah’s business and marketing Sterling Scholar, finished first in her class of 563 students and was involved in seven clubs, Erickson said she was able to do so with eight hours of sleep per night and being able to do activities with friends. “I found that a lot of the information on the internet isn’t good advice. The people who write it, they haven’t actually gotten straight A’s themselves, or they haven’t actually done it recently, or really understand what it’s like to be a student now,” she said. “I also feel there’s a lot of books on the market of study tips for college students, but not really for middle and high school students—and not one written by a high schooler for high schoolers and middle schoolers.” In her book, she addresses the mistaken impression that a student needs to be brilliant to succeed in school. “There are a lot of misconceptions about what it takes to get straight A’s. A lot of people think that you have to be a genius to get straight A’s and while there’s some level of intelligence that you need, I don’t think you have to be prodigious in any way. If you’re strategic and you’re organized, and you have an idea for what you’re doing and know how to work effectively, it’s very possible for any student to aim to get A’s,” she said. “The idea that students have to work all day long, be completely obsessed with their studies, have no life outside of school, not have a sleep schedule and be under tremendous amounts of stress is a stereotype which is incorrect and harmful.” She used her knowledge of being a student today along with her strategies she used to write the book to help others succeed. “The perspective I wrote the book from is if you’re a student who’s struggling in school, and you ask how you can do better. The advice people typically give you is study harder, engage more in class or take good notes. Those are OK tips, but they’re kind of poor advice because they don’t ask the central question: what does it really take to earn straight A’s? The answer is really simple. It’s earning a high enough percentage on your assignments, your exams, your essays, your projects, everything you do in a class, so that at the end of this semester, you have enough points or percentage of points that your grade falls above a certain point cut off for getting an A,” she said. Erickson said she ensured what she was doing would affect her grade, not just complete busy work. “I asked myself, ‘How can I put in my time, effort and strategies in a direction that moves me toward that A instead of just saying, ‘take better notes.’ I questioned, ‘Why do we need to take better notes? What is the function of notes, how are they earning points?’ A lot of people will come home, and study and they’ll make their notes pretty, which doesn’t help get A’s because it’s the assignments that you turn in and are graded on that earns you points. Identifying that is a huge thing,” she said. With her assignments and tests, she tried to be effi-
MurrayJournal .com
By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com cient and effective. “In the book, I talked about different strategies for different types of assignments. I go into detail in the book on each type of assignment so like essays, how you plan and write and do those effectively and how you do daily assignments, math homework or just short things,” she said adding that she also shares specific strategies for long-term projects. She includes organizational systems so “you can succeed and handle things that are coming in when you get into the middle of the school year.” Even if you read her book at this point in the school year, Erickson has advice. “Start with making sure you put out any fires,” she said. “Make a list of what needs to be done, and then do what’s worth the highest number of points and due the soonest and then attack it as much as you can. Then refine your systems. Learn organization.” One section Erickson is especially proud of is a chapter titled, “Creating time out of nowhere.” “When I was a sophomore, I took five AP classes at the same time. My counselor was like, ‘You’re insane; nobody’s done that. You’re going to be stressed out of your mind and go crazy’ —and I kind of did at first,” she said, remembering she took even more AP classes her junior year. “Then, I realized there are periods of time throughout the day like when my dad dropped me off for school or was picking me up. I had a 30- to 45-minute window there. I had 30 minutes during lunch, and then we had advisory, which was a 30-minute study hall, and I realized if I used those times, instead of just talking with friends or wandering around having lunch and texting, like everybody does, then I could get two hours of homework time during the day that I never realized existed. When a student who feels overwhelmed by homework realizes this, it can really help. I made the choice to do homework at those times because I was at school anyway and I found that by finishing what I needed to do at school, I was left with the evenings free.” Erickson also addresses stress and burnout of high school students. “If you’re doing school right, stress can be a positive thing; it means you’re doing something that matters. I’d reframe that stress as if I was playing a game to get good grades and trying to learn to move forward in the world to make it fun. It’s a challenge to build mastery. I talk a lot about mindset and dealing with the game and doing it proactively in the book,” she said. That mindset extended to assignments, and she would see if she could concentrate on them and turn them in the same day. “I found that the times I was working most intense, were when something was due in 30 minutes. So, there’s the game there; I’d make the strategic game to not procrastinate and get it back to the teachers as if it was due sooner. I remember my English teacher would give out projects and assignments. I had this joke with her that she would finish her lunch and I would hand her my homework before the next period,” she said. Part of the trick, Erickson said, was to stay organized. She kept her papers and assignments in files at home so she could quickly review assignments or refer to them. “It’s really helpful to keep track of assignments. I’ve also had times where teachers have missed entering a grade, so I was able to go to my filing cabinet and pull it out and that really did end up saving my butt a couple of
Alta High School graduate Emily Erickson wrote a 300-page book on how to get straight A’s for middle and high school students. (Photo courtesy of Kyle Erickson)
times,” she said. Especially for high school seniors, she said make sure organization and strategies are in place for assignments “as you may be trying to fill out these college applications or traveling for scholarship interviews. Having the ability to have things on autopilot and just having the systems in place to keep you on track when you have other priorities going on. That’s huge as a senior.” “The Art of the A” is Erickson’s second book. The current University of Utah student wrote a book about education reform titled “Unlearned: A Student’s Perspective on Bridging the Divide Between Schooling and Educatedness” during the COVID-19 Alta High School closure in 2020. “The best part of writing this book was just thinking about what I did. It forced me to go back and reflect on everything that I’ve learned all throughout my K through 12 education, about studying and homework and all the strategies and the experiences I had with teachers,” Erickson said. “I realized everything I’ve learned over the years would be lost unless I could share it with someone, maybe a little sixth-grade girl who was like me and really wants to succeed academically in school. Maybe she’s going to find my book and will develop a solid strategy and find inspiration. Just knowing that my experiences may have that positive impact is really cool. It brings things full circle for me.”l
Nov. 2022 | Page 11
Donations sought to brighten Cottonwood High students’ holidays By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
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hen Black Friday comes around, consider picking up some extra board games, art kits, basketballs, curling irons, socks and stocking stuffers for Cottonwood High School’s neighborhood day of service. On Dec. 10 morning, between 9 a.m. and noon, Cottonwood PTA will accept donations for the school’s Christmas Extravaganza, which provides items for students to give to family members, said Jennifer Young, who is on the Cottonwood PTA planning committee. Donations can be dropped off at Cottonwood High, 5715 S. 1300 East. “The students just love this,” she said. “They look forward to it. They come and the thing is they get to go shopping. We have all the donations set up, so they pick out things for their family. It’s so neat to see how much they’re excited to be able to give gifts to their families. We open it up to any student and many of them are refugees and came here with nothing so getting a fuzzy pair of socks or a fleece blanket means the world to them. The students can only go through all the tables once, but last year one boy saw a doll stroller for his sister, and he pretty much flew past a few of the tables because he had his eye on that for her. It's emotional to watch these kids. This is their only opportunity for many of these kids to do anything for their families.” After the PTA gathers the donations, they set up tables in the lunchroom with items so students can pick up items at a set time on Dec. 13. Everything is free, but because of such demand, students may be limited on some items, such as one sports ball, she said. “The sports balls are huge; the students usually pick those out for their siblings. They love picking out board games that the whole family could play together. We usually get a ton of
games and they’re just grabbed up. It’s incredible. Blankets are huge. They love giving a new blanket at Christmastime. The students also love choosing socks for member in their family,” she said, adding that hats, mittens, scarves, lotion, nail polish and candles also are popular amongst students. “Every student gets a gift card. We get a lot of Walmart and Target gift cards that are donated, in $20 amounts.” Monetary contributions also are accepted, and with the funds, items are purchased to fill in the gaps of donations, Young said. Last year, the Extravaganza benefitted 761 of Cottonwood’s 1,600 students. “We really want to try and reach out to the whole community for more donations because we have an even greater demand,” she said. “We ask for everything to be new because these are gifts for their families and everything in their life is always gently used or secondhand. This is the one time of the year they get new items, which is amazing.” While this is Young’s fourth year helping with the event, she said it has been going longer than that. At that time, the PTA was able to help about 100 students. Many of the students who pick items at the Extravaganza also are the ones who regularly use the school’s pantry. Young estimates it serves about 150 students every Monday and Thursday it’s open. The pantry opened in January 2017 when there was a realization that students were too hungry to focus on their homework during an after-school tutoring program. “We realized many of these kids were only eating what food they got at the school, so we decided to start the pantry,” she said, adding that more than 50% of the student body quali-
Tables full of donated items last year awaited Cottonwood Heights students to select items to give to their families. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Young/Cottonwood High)
fies for free or reduced lunch. “There’s a definite need. A lot of our students are cooking for younger siblings because parents are working and aren't home, so they come twice a week after school to get anything they want.” Donations for both the Extravaganza and pantry come from families and neighbors as well as members of St. Vincent de Paul Parish and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “We love that this is a huge community event, people helping other people, giving so these students can have a great Christmas, too,” Young said. “Seeing these kids be so excited, it makes it the ‘funnest’ day of the whole school year. The Christmas Extravaganza really is just an amazing event to be a part of and to witness.” l
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Pay attention and slow down say school crossing guards to drivers
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reen and black ribbons are tied on posts at the intersection of an Orem neighborhood in memory of an 11-yearold who was struck and killed in a crosswalk by a motorist. Harm to a child is a constant fear amongst school crossing guards as they say there has been an increase of motorists who speed through school zones and crosswalks, or become distracted and aren’t being cautious to pedestrians, or may have forgotten that they need to stop until everyone is out of the cross walk. The issue isn’t just in Orem. Last spring, 11-year crossing guard Lorena Marcotte stood in the intersection of Isla Daybreak and Top View near Eastlake Elementary in South Jordan when her crossing guard partner Heidi Cook alerted her to a car entering the intersection that was “rolling right through the stop, heading right toward the girl.” “She didn’t see us, despite wearing big yellow jackets, having orange cones set up and having our stop signs up. She was just zoned out,” Marcotte said. After jumping out in front of the car, the driver “slammed on her brakes. Thankfully, she wasn’t going that fast,” Marcotte said. Thanks to their quick actions, the girl safely made it to school and the mother wrote the crossing guards a note of appreciation, said DeAnn Bland, South Jordan Police Department crossing guard supervisor. Bland said it’s important for motorists to be aware of their surroundings, especially in school zones. “The longest drivers ever tend to stop is just a matter of seconds,” she said. “A few seconds matter. It meant all the world to that mother and her daughter.” Earlier this school year, on the afternoon on Sept. 22, 10-year crossing guard Lisa VanWagenen was crossing a fifthgrade student at the intersection of 1000 East and 11000 South in Sandy when a motorist entered the crosswalk while both VanWagenen and the student were in the crosswalk. “I was out there and I’m like, ‘Are you really going to hit me?’” VanWagenen said. “Then the driver saw me and stopped, and I proceeded to make sure the kid got across safely. I had told the kid, ‘Stay, wait’ because I didn’t know if the car was going to stop or not.” A week earlier, VanWagenen’s crossing guard partner, Stacey Sierer had a nearmiss in the same intersection when a car entered the intersection after she crossed a second-grade student who was on his way to Altara Elementary. “He was still in the intersection and…a car came and turned left and I was
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By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com still standing out there with my stop sign,” she said. “There was another that morning who was going straight through. I had to stop him literally with my stop sign and say, ‘You can't go through here while I'm in the middle of the crosswalk.’ He just kind of shrugged.” Sierer admits that crossing students with traffic is concerning. “It gives me anxiety. When there are kids around, I'm watching, but otherwise I look away,” said the second-year crossing guard. “I love the kids and the hours works with my schedule. It’s a fun job except for worrying about the traffic and if you’ll survive.” While VanWagenen said, “most are pretty respectful,” she estimates at least three or four motorists attempt or drive through the intersection every day while they are crossing elementary schools. She said that often drivers don’t wait their turn and will proceed with the car in front of them. “Everybody's in such a hurry and they speed up to stop so they can say ‘I was here first’ so they can proceed,” VanWagenen said. “They should just set their alarm five minutes earlier or deal with being late. We all need to be observant and find patience to make sure these kids are safe.” Sandy crossing guard supervisor Janice Parker said that throughout Sandy there have been such incidents, including having had two of her crossing guards hit by drivers in the past five years. “We get lots of speeders; one car was going 50 mph in a 20 mph speed zone,” she said about a motorist recently driving by an elementary school. “We have issues everywhere; there's really not a specific area that is worse than another one.” The crossing guards say that it gets “scary” when motorists proceed or turn into the intersection before they’re out of it and that’s when they try to educate them. “I'll say, ‘I'm still holding the stop sign. I'm still in the intersection’ and try to remind them. I try to be nice and not try to be scolding, but it’s hard when they try to run me over,” VanWagenen said. “I’m here because I love these kids and want to keep them safe.” In a school crossing walk—the one commonly referred to as a “ladder,” “zebra stripes” or “piano keys”—all pedestrians and the crossing guard need to be safely on the sidewalk before a motorist can enter it. These, and reduced school speed zone beacons, are determined through safe-walking routes which meet regulations, Sandy City Transportation Engineer Britney Ward said. “The intersection at 10th East and 11000 South is really busy,” she said. “It's a high traffic area with a lot of trips, a lot
While crossing an Altara Elementary student, crossing guard Lisa VanWagenen stopped a car from proceeding into the cross walk to ensure the student safely made it across the street. (Photo courtesy of Stacey Sierer)
of vehicles and a lot of students there. There's just a lot going on there.” Even with safety precautions in place, Ward recommends “pedestrians should always be cautious when crossing the road and look and check if there are vehicles coming first. They can't just count on the drivers suddenly seeing them or paying attention or seeing that there’s a crosswalk there.” VanWagenen and Sierer are among 52 Sandy crossing guards who cross children 40 minutes in the morning before school and 30 minutes after school. While crossing guards undergo training, their priority is to ensure the safety of the students. However, when the crossing guards have time to capture photos of the motorists who violate the law on their cell phones or jot the license plate down, they are instructed to turn it over to Parker, who works with the Sandy Police. Parker said violators can be issued tickets. “There's three things that are really issues: speeding through a school zone; going through crosswalks that are occupied; and talking on your cell phone and not paying attention,” she said. “People just need to realize crossing guards are there to keep your children in Sandy safe and they are among our everyday heroes every day. So slow down, pay attention and have some patience.” l
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Nov. 2022 | Page 13
Grant Elementary Peer Leadership Team learns leadership, builds community By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
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rant Elementary sixth-grader London Pehrson recently learned perseverance is part of being a leader. After quickly applying last year to be part of the school’s Peer Leadership Team, she didn’t get selected. “I wasn’t on top of it; I submitted it last minute and didn’t answer the questions well,” London remembers. “I missed out on helping set up things and planning fun activities. This year, I turned it in early. I was more responsible and communicated what my strengths are and why I wanted to be a leader. I realized from my mistake that I can be a leader and set an example to encourage others to get involved and make good choices.” She and 17 other student leaders, who represent every classroom, met in early October, bonding as a team, learning leadership traits and planning both the school’s celebration of Unity Day and Red Ribbon Week. This is the first year that students are planning the drug and alcohol prevention and education week as historically the school’s PTA oversees it, said Sierra Marsh, Grant’s school PLT adviser and social worker. “The PTA asked if we wanted to take it on, so we have a framework to work
from and the PLT is taking it from there,” she said. “We have a component to tie into our school theme of celebrating life and are incorporating reasons to stay drug free for each day.” On Monday, students planned to celebrate something they like; Tuesday, celebrate their family and culture; Wednesday, their future; Thursday, friendship; and Friday, their school. PLT was still deciding activities to hold during the Red Ribbon week lunchtimes as well as Unity Day, which was the week before on Oct. 19. It’s the fourth year the school has celebrated the national day. “It’s a day where we can take a stand and be united against bullying and recognize how important acceptance and inclusion are,” Marsh said. “These two events being held really closely together, but they also are very well aligned. With this year's theme being celebrate life, this team is also learning about celebrating one another, being united and supporting each other.” Third-grader Olivia Stamos was a little nervous, yet excited that PLT was overseeing something new. “I want to have the week to make a difference and help others,” she said. “I think by having a positive attitude, we can help other kids.”
Have you ever wondered what is going on today? Biblical prophecy is being fulfilled right before our eyes.
PLT also oversees Kindness Week and partners with PTA for Teacher Appreciation Week. This year, they’ll also organize White Ribbon Week to teach their peers the principles of being safe online. PLT also leads the national anthem and school song at assemblies and shares the morning announcements. Grant’s Student Advocate Lindsay Preece said PLT students are the leaders of the school. “They are kiddos that can be looked up to by other students,” she said. “As educators, we need support; we can't be everywhere at one time. These students, who are representing their classes, can take information and collaborate with their classes, and then they can bring back feedback and collaborate as a team. This way, we can hear all our students’ voices.” First, she said, they were learning how to work as a team through leadership activities. One activity addressed “leadership doesn’t mean being successful all the time; leadership can mean collaboration,” Preece said. After dividing the team in half, each group was given puzzle pieces and they were timed how quickly every member could contribute to putting it together. However, unknown to them, they were only given half the puzzle.
Students solved half the puzzle and realized the other half of the team had the rest of the puzzle and they needed to merge the pieces together to complete it—all in a total time of 8 minutes and 51 seconds, faster than Marsh projected. “We studied what kind of leader you want to be, now we’ll learn how to build a great community,” Marsh said. “We want you to think about ‘am I doing the right thing, the right way, at the right time and for the right reason’ for our community.” Sixth-grader Lya Ruiz is a returning PLT member. “I like talking with other people and last year, I was able to go to a class I represented and get ideas from that class,” she said. “We’re learning how to help other people, to show kindness and be good leaders.” For Lya, there is something more. “I've always been shy, and in PLT last year, it helped me make friends—and it's still helping me make more friends,” she said. “I’m making friends from other classrooms and I'm talking to more people. When we do projects, it makes me feel good because I know it’s helping these people I’m meeting and becoming friends with.” l
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801.263.7385 301 W. 5400 S. Murray Sunday: 11 a.m. & 6 p.m. Wednesday: 7 p.m.
Page 14 | Nov. 2022
As part of a team-building exercise, members of Grant Elementary’s Peer Leadership Team work together to realize they need missing pieces from the rest of the team to complete the puzzle. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
Murray City Journal
NOVEMBER 2022 FREQUENTLY REQUESTED NUMBERS
Mayor’s Message
MAYOR’S OFFICE
Grant Elementary . . . . . . 801-264-7416
Volunteers Make Murray Successful
mayor@murray.utah.gov 801-264-2600 5025 S. State Street Murray, Utah 84107
The volunteer spirit is alive and well in Murray! Earlier this month, we invited all of those who volunteer for programs, activities and organizations in Murray to a special gathering in their honor. With Thanksgiving coming up, we thought it a perfect time to say ‘THANKS’ for all they do and their willingness to serve. Here are their names so you can personally thank them when you see them!
Heritage Center (Senior Programming) . . 801-264-2635 Hillcrest Jr. High . . . . . . . 801-264-7442 Horizon Elementary . . . . 801-264-7420 Liberty Elementary . . . . . 801-264-7424 Longview Elementary. . . 801-264-7428 Ken Price Ball Park . . . . . 801-262-8282 Miss Murray Competition (Lindsey D. Smith) . . . . . . 801-699-2288 McMillan Elementary . . . 801-264-7430 Murray Area Chamber of Commerce.. . . . . . . . . . 801-263-2632 Murray Arts Advisory Board (Lori Edmunds) . . . . . . . . 801-264-2614 Murray Boys & Girls Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801-268-1335 Murray City Cemetery . . . 801-264-2637 Murray Community Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801-264-7414 Murray High School . . . . 801-264-7460 Murray Museum . . . . . . . 801-264-2589 Murray Parks and Recreation Office . . . . . . . 801-264-2614 Murray Parkway Golf Course . . . . . . . . . . . . 801-262-4653 Murray Park Aquatics Pool . . . . . . . . . 801 290-4190 Mick Riley Golf Course (SL County). . . . . . . . . . . . 801-266-8185 Parkside Elementary . . . . 801-264-7434 Riverview Jr. High . . . . . . 801-264-7446 Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation . . . . . . . . 801-468-2560 Salt Lake County Ice Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801-270-7280 The Park Center . . . . . . . . 801-284-4200 Viewmont Elementary . . 801-264-7438
Brett A. Hales -Mayor
ARTS & ADVISORY BOARD* Christy Anderson* Traci Black Nancy Buist* Clark Bullen* Steve Cottam Adele Crockett Jeff Evans* Ruthann Gibbs Susan Gifford Debbie Hansen Gloria Hyland Richard Hyland Matt Jacobson* Peter Klinge, Jr.* Jenelle Klinger Vince Klinger Emma Lyon Cami M. Munk* Haley Oliphant* Robert Wyss* FALL SOCCER Joe Anderson Justin Baker Jill Brewer Sam Brown Dave Chandler Kelly Christensen Jason DeMann Olivier Diby Gabriella Eberspacher Rhett Gardiner Rebekah Gibson Christopher Hanks Jodi Holman Brian Jenson John Klunker Creed Larsen Jeff Martin David McCarty David Meyer David Morfin Alex Moyes Taylor Nelson Kelsie Oliver Rob Orton Tyler Raines Matthew Ripley Aaron Slivka Abe Sloan Stephen Smith Jared Steffensen Bryan Stoker David Terrazas Alicia Vail
Amy Voorhees Brett Wells Jordan Whitney Gregory Woolston FLAG FOOTBALL Aaron Bangerter Chris Bench Mclean Boddy Brady Brinkerhoff Jeff Buckwalter Joy Chrisensen Justise Coleman Mike Day Matthew Dibb Joe Fitisemanu Chris Francis Markus Gotz Jill Hakes Rob Hakes Davis Hansen Mckay Money Waylon Nielson Brandon Orton Hank Pyle Kevin Scheid JR. JAZZ Kevin Alexander Chris Anderson Damon Anderson Nichole Archer Bryan Bailey Collin Barrett Haley Binggeli Gary Christensen J Colby Christensen Ty Christensen Andrew Collette Jaynell Cooper Sr. Shane Cross Cody Curtis Rebekah Davies Craig Davis Kent DeMill Tony Despain Heather Eliaba Brian Fait Chase Frantz Makelle Francis Bruce Gale Dustin Hales Taryn Herrera Christopher Ipson Barrett Johnson Eric Johnson Rod Kearl
Zach Kingston Chase Knaphus Bill Lambourne Jaclyn Lee John Leone Eric Loveless Seth Metcalf Diminick Milburn Marlow Mitchell Greg Moffitt James Morse Andrew Nelson Melissa Nelson Todd Nelson Brittan Parker Brent Peterson Ben Picklesimer Hank Pyle Kellan Robbins Nate Sanders Kevin Scheid Daniel Scott Colby Shelton Bridget Sorge Jeff Sperry Michael Stapley Alicia Stevens Marc Struthers Eric Szymanski Ben Teran Cory Teran Nate Thompson Blaine Tingey Calvin Tisi Alex Torr Tobin Tran Sarah Tripp Ethan Tucker Cory Tueller John Vuyk Jordan Wertz Samuel Wheeler Neleon Wilkerson Jeremy Wood Scot Woodbury Tracy Woodbury MAX SOCCER Carla Christensen Steve Christensen Brent Gardner Amanda Habel Tiffany Lamb Jim Mckenna Luke Mead Kaycie Mead Heidi Nakaishi
Zach Nakaishi Robert Toone
Patricia Howell Bonnie Hunt Margaret J Jacobs PARKS & REC COUNCIL Cora Jckowski & ADVISORY BOARD* Vicky Johnson Kimberlee Bird* Sandra Jones* Ted Maestas* Connie Kalm Brian Plamondon* Mark Knowlden Daren Rasmussen* Denis Land Sunshine Szedeli* Sheila Laughlin Ronald Liljegren SENIOR REC CENTER Larry Limberg & ADVISORY BOARD* Terry Long Dee Adair Sue Longson Andersen, Lynn* Gloria “Jean” Lopez Maureen Andrus Joyce Lowe Owen Andrus Jenny Martin Gil Avellar Joyce Maurer Sherry Avellar David Maynard Sharon Baxter* Karen Maynard Bob Beaudoin Karen Murakami Patricia Bell JoAnn F Nielsen Sue Benton Elva “Ellie” Oaks-Green Crayola Berger Alex Orton Linda Bernini Gayle Phillips Roberta Bird Jan Phillips Janice Blanchard Glenn Rasband Jerry Budd Richard Rawson Dennis Burbidge Kirt Rhoads Mark Burton Jean Roestenburg Ray Burton Aaron Saathoff Shannon Burton Karl Schatten* Susan Callaway Adam Schweitzer Christine Clark Michael Searle Richard Clark Lisa Shadrick Bobby “Bob” Cleckler Alan Smith Ruth Cleckler Ashton Snelgrove Shellie Collram Gregory Waldron Barbara Connell Charles Hank Williams Cindy Cook Rod Young Charlotte Cox Johanna Dehaan SHADE TREE Marilyn Dillard COMMISSION Fredric Doddridge Darin Bird Jennifer Duignan Janice Evans Jim Duignan Geneal Nelson Ginny Duncan Judith Payne JoLynne Edwards Joan Fackrell SPRING SOCCER Donna Gaydon Nathan Allen Felecia Graves Marin Allred Rebecca L “Becky” Harris* Justin Barker Susan Hatcher* Jake Barney Kathy Horne Tayler Buck Edward Houston Emily Chandler Kathy Houston Matt Chase Dee Howard Ben Currey
Matt Dearing Mark Dunn Nathan Ellsworth Ray Fisher Nate Hildebrand Thomas Howa Ellen Irion Tom Jackman Hayden Johnson Justin Keetch Brandon Kerby Kris King Keith Larson Melanie Lawrence Bernice Litka Aitanna Low Derek Merkley Allison Jr Mobley Jessica Mohebbi Riley Murray Celeste Nilsen Chantel Olsen Ben Pehrson Aaron Pugh Mauricio Rascon Katie Reed Benjamin Rivera Chelsey Rose Danile Sarfati Brad Schreck Lisa Sheffield Peter Smyth Bridget Sorge David Strong Jessie Swider JD Talbot Jenn Thacker Ana Valiente Garry Wellisch Andrew Wilcox Sam Wiscombe Scot Woodbury Rebecca Woolston Maria Yates T-BALL & COACH PITCH Ryan Abeyta Joe Agostinelli Brandt Anderson Preston Andrew Diana Barlow Jordan Berroteran Anthony Clark Jennifer Clark Rob Dahl Peter Deardeuff
Kinsey Eborn Tyrel Einfeldt Jake Flanigan Phil Haglund Ben Hess Ambria Hilton Ashley Iverson Albert Jarvi Mckenzie Jensen Tom Jerant Casey Koch Kaylynn Lobach Steve Matteson Todd Morlock Alan Nelson Kelly Nichols Anthony Pickens Jeff Skanchy Zac Sybrowsky Mitch Tate Sam Watson James Wilks YOUTH VOLLEYBALL Bobi Carlisle Jake Esmore Danile Higbee Pilialoha Kuahulu James Morse Pepper Pehrson Josh Sandberg Cynthia Smith Tracy Woodbury BOARDS & COMMISSIONS: BOARD OF APPEALS Bill Carnell Mark Burton Richard Kester ETHICS COMMISSION Todd Allen Susan Gregory Dustin Matsumori Dan Fazzini Duane Jess HEARING OFFICERS Scott Finlinson Jim Harland Bill Rowley LIBRARY BOARD Ali Lyddall Dustin P. Lewis L. Sage Fitch
Again, THANK YOU for helping make Murray the Best City in Utah!
Joelle Rasmussen Vicki Matsumori Jessica Miller Kirsten Woodbury MCCD DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE Ray Beck Kiersten Davis Daniel Hayes Andy Hulka David Hunter MURRAY HISTORY ADVISORY BOARD Janice Blanchard Wendy Parsons Baker Dana Dmitrich Laurie Densley Mildred Horton Arilyn Jensen Lynette Lloyd Wendy Richart Rebecca Santa Cruz Laurel Anne Shepard PERSONNEL ADVISORY BOARD Bob Dunn Denny Mecham Mike Romero PLANNING COMMISSION Jake Pehrson Michael Richards Lisa Milkavich Travis Nay Maren Patterson Jeremy Lowry Ned Hacker PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY BOARD Allison Garrison Andrea Washburn Brian Lohrke Deborah Crane John Prestwich Wayne Manu Anthony Scott Goodman
* Also a Board Member with added responsibilities.
THE PARK CENTER HOURS Monday - Friday
5:30am - 9pm
Saturday
7am - 5pm
Sunday Closed Sundays until Nov 6th
• • • •
9am - 2pm
THE PARK CENTER HOLIDAY HOURS Wednesday, Nov. 23
5:30am-6pm
Thursday, Nov. 24
7am-12pm
Friday, Nov. 25
8am-9pm
Swimming Pools Cardio area Weight room Fitness classes
Game Tables Pool Table Ping Pong Table Air Hockey Foosball Table 1 hour of childcare
• • • • •
•
•
(if you child is on the membership and over 2 years old)
Outdoor Pool (Summer only) Sign up on MCREG.COM for Play programs Pickleball, Volleyball and Basketball play
RECREATION | THE PARK CENTER 202 E. MURRAY PARK AVE.
MCREG.COM MURRAY.UTAH.GOV
NOVEMBER 2022 MURRAY SENIOR RECREATION CENTER 10 East 6150 South, Murray, Utah 84107 801-264-2635 seniorrec@murray.utah.gov murray.utah.gov/140Senior-Recreation-Center mcreg.com
AARP Smart Driving Class Date: Tuesday, Nov. 22 Time: 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Cost: $20 AARP Members otherwise $25 (payable day of class); register now. Space is limited to 12 participants. The next class will be held in January 2023
DANCE
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Closed Saturday and Sunday Check our website for any changes in programs.
DAILY LUNCH BY CHEF OMAR LIMON
Date: Tuesday through Friday Time: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Cost: Cost is $5; prior registration not required
SPECIAL EVENTS Family Concert Series Date: Monday, Nov. 14 – Company B (jazz music) Time: 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Cost: Free; no appointment needed open to all ages and doors open at 6:00 p.m. Veterans Brunch Date: Monday, Nov. 7 Time: 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Cost: $1 for Veterans, $8 for everyone else; register beginning Monday, Oct. 10 Thanksgiving Meal Date: Wednesday, Nov. 16 Time: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Cost: Cost is $10; Register now Holiday Meal Date: Friday, Dec. 2 Time: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Cost: Cost is $10; Register beginning Tuesday, Nov. 8
CLASSES Ceramics Date: Tuesday and Thursday Time: 9:00 a.m. – noon Cost: $1.50 each class plus cost of supplies Grief Support Date: Friday, Nov. 4 Friday, Oct. 18 Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Cost: Free; Register now Vital Aging: Managing Holiday Blues Date: Tuesday, Nov. 15 Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Cost: Free; register now Statutory Advance Directive Date: Friday, Nov. 18 Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Cost: Free; register now Caring for the Caregiver Date: Monday, Nov. 21 Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Cost: Free; register now
Line Dance: Beginning Date: Tuesdays Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Cost: $10 for the month; register now Thursday Evening Social Dance Live Music provided by Tony Summerhays Date: Thursdays Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Cost: $5
EXERCISE Daily Exercise Classes – check our current newsletter for the schedule
PROGRAMS Hand and Foot Card Game Date: Mondays Time: 12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Cost: Free Bridge Lessons Date: Mondays Time: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Cost: Free Mexican Train Dominos Game Date: Thursdays Time: 12:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Cost: Free
Santa will arrive by “Fire Engine Express” to magically light Murray’s Christmas tree. Following the tree lighting, Santa will visit with children inside City Hall and hand out a special treat. Parents, please make sure your children are properly dressed for the cold weather and remind them to bring a letter to Santa. We look forward to this most Wonderful Time of the Year!
HEALTH SERVICES UVU Health Screening Date: Wednesday, Nov. 2 Time: 10:30 a.m. – noon Cost: Free; no appointment necessary Blood Pressure Clinic by Harmony Home Health Date: Thursday, Nov. 10 Time: 10:30 a.m. – noon Cost: Free; no appointment necessary Haircuts Date: Wednesdays Time: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Cost: $10; advance appointment required Massage Therapy Date: Thursdays Time: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Cost: $20 for half-hour or $40 for hour; advance appointment required
TRIPS Wendover Date: Thursday, Nov. 10 Time: 8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Cost: $22; register now
www.mcreg.com
REDUCING SPEED LIMIT The City will be reducing the speed limit east of 900 East on 5600 South, Vine Street and 6400 South to 30 mph. This is being done to make the speed limit consistent with connecting streets west of 900 East and improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and motorist alike. Crews will begin replacing speed limit signs on Vine Street early next week and will follow with 6400 South and 5600 South. Digital message boards will be placed on each street for approximately 2 weeks to inform drivers of the change.
Resident on Display Carl Christensen’s artwork and photography was on display August September in Murray City Hall, main hallway display case. Stephanie Swift is our current Resident on Display, featuring her work October – November. You can view Stephanie’s artwork during City Hall operating hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
Haunted Tales 2022 Showcase Participants.
HAUNTED TALES! Thank you to all the students, parents, and creatures who participated in our annual Haunted Tales writing competition! You can read all of the entries in each category (if you dare) on our website (murray.utah.gov/1694/Haunted-Tales). Winning entries: “Monsters Creeping” by Emmy L & Leah F. (Poetry) “The Haunted Sleepover” by Clara N. (Short Story) “The Young Girl and the Cat” by Eleanor W. (Short Story) “The Doll Maker” by Ellen C. (Long Story) “Camping in the Woods!” by Joe M. (Long Story) “The Great Halloween Escape” by Lucy H. (Long Story) “The Monster in the Corn Maze” by Victoria W. (Long Story) “Possessed by My Nightmares” by Fable B. (Long Story) “Hallo the Ghost” by Jade M. (Picture Book) “The Little Witch” by Kit W. (Picture Book)
JURIED ART SHOW The Annual Murray City Juried Art Show is being held at the Murray City Library from October 26 to November 16, 2022. Entries include 2D and 3D artwork or different styles and mediums. People’s Choice voting is available at the library front desk until November 16th by 5:00 pm. The Murray City Library is located at 166 East 5300 South and is open Monday – Thursday 9 AM – 8 PM; Friday – Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM; closed on Sundays.
VETERANS DAY, 1991 Major General Arnold Bagley with Mayor Lynn Pett and other military officers at an event commemorating Veteran’s Day in 1991. (Digital image copyright 2003, Murray City Corporation. All rights reserved.)
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Nov. 2022 | Page 19
Twin Peaks Elementary under consideration of closure
T
win Peaks Elementary’s days may be numbered. On Granite Board of Education’s Nov. 1 agenda is the ongoing discussion and decision-making of possibly closing Twin Peaks Elementary. Twin Peaks, built in 1966, is in an established, aging Murray neighborhood. It is the smallest school in Granite School District with 225 students. “A final decision has not been made. It’s on all three school closure proposals, but the decision rests with the Board,” Ben Horsley, chief of staff with Granite School District, said, adding that the Board also is scheduled to make a second vote at the Dec. 6 meeting and that any anticipated changes would take place for the 2023-24 school year unless the Board indicates otherwise. He said that since February, the District’s population analysis committee had evaluated more than two dozen possibilities before presenting the three options to the community. The committee also discusses feedback from the 90 meetings it has had with stakeholders before it will make its final recommendation to the Board. Also being considered for closure in all three options is Spring Lane Elementary, which is the second smallest school in the Van Winkle-700 East corridor study area with 280 students. “We assessed all the feedback that we got in our community meetings last spring, it was very clear. Spring Lane and Twin Peaks have lost a majority of their boundary population to special permits. In other words, people have already left those schools for a variety of reasons and gone to their neighboring schools. So, it did not make sense that we continue to try to keep those schools open and especially because they are older facilities, we wouldn’t want to have to rebuild something unnecessarily,” Horsley said. In each of the three options, one of three other schools— Lincoln, Moss and Millcreek—also are under consideration of closure. “At the end of the day, the Board doesn’t have to follow any recommendations we make,” he said. “As long as we go through the process, and we’ve identified the schools that are potentially going to have boundaries adjusted or closed. They can ultimately do what they see as appropriate, including keep every one of the 25 elementary schools open.” Although that is a possibility, Horsley said, “In recent history, I have not seen the board vote contrary to an official PAC recommendation. That’s the reason why it’s taken us nine months to get to this point where we came to these recommendations. They are based on a lot of expertise and public feedback.” In the past five years, Granite School District has closed Oquirrh Hills, Westbrook and Sandburg elementary schools. “Our population as a whole is declining, and we expect it will decline an additional few 1,000 students. We will go back to the west side, and likely close a few more locations, then come back in 2024 and evaluate the farthest eastern portion of the district. We anticipate closing between 12 and 14 elementary schools districtwide in total,” he said. While Twin Peaks students feed into Bonneville Junior and Cottonwood High, Horsley doesn’t anticipate any closures for junior highs or high schools. Much of the reason determined for closing elementary schools is to level the population of students to be roughly 550 students. “We peaked at 78,000 kids in the ’80s and ’90s. Right now, we have roughly the same number of facilities that we had so we have a lot of small elementary schools,” he said. Examining nine elementary schools in the current study,
Page 20 | Nov. 2022
By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
Twin Peaks Elementary, which was built in 1966, is on all three of Granite School District’s boundary proposals for possible school closure. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
Horsley said those schools averaged 366 students enrolled, which was not at the optimum level. He said with closing three schools, it would bring that number up to an average of 550 students. He said that with less than three teachers per grade level, schools typically have split-grade classes; it’s difficult to team teach; there’s a lack of parental choice to match a student’s learning style; it can be harder to maintain a PTA, school community council or even get volunteers in the classroom since there are fewer parents to draw from; teachers can be overworked as there are fewer faculty members to fulfill the same number of school committee assignments and funding per pupil is reduced, which results in less support staff and program supports. “Overall, it’s not fiscally responsible or a good use of District resources,” Horsley said. “We do expect some growth on the west bench in the Cyprus network, but the rest of our District is maturing, and our populations are stabilizing at lower amounts than when those schools were originally opened.” If the school board closes Twin Peaks, Horsley said faculty and staff will not lose their jobs. “Faculty are not assigned to buildings; they’re assigned to students. So, they follow students. Even though we’re reducing the number of facilities, we’re not reducing the overall number of kids. We do not anticipate any staff losing their jobs as a result of closures, because we would need those individuals to serve another school location,” he said, adding that with attrition and retirements, usually there are more positions open than people to fill them. If any of the schools close, Horsley said that likely “those facilities would be used as lifeboats as we rebuild other schools. The overwhelming likelihood is that they will continue to be used as schools, maybe for different campuses
on temporary basis, or for specific programs. As we continue to use a lot of those facilities (that have already closed) the District and Board are reluctant to dispose of any property. Depending on the condition of the facility, it might be leased out for other opportunities, or it might be demolished and made way for open space within that particular community. But because we don’t know exactly what schools will be closing at this point in time, we’ve not made any specific plans.” Last spring, Twin Peaks had 56.6% identify as ethnic minorities, and 34% English language learners, Principal Rebecca Spence said. “We have such a diverse culture here,” she said then about her Panthers. “Cultural night has been very ingrained in the culture of the school. This is just an opportunity for us to remember how lucky we are that we have people from all cultures that we get to learn from.” Horsley said that if schools close, their traditions, such as culture night, may not. “It’s important for those schools embracing those communities look and evaluate the opportunities that exist to welcome those students and those families; that would include also embracing some of those traditions and opportunities,” he said. Spence, who in 2021 became Twin Peak’s principal as her first administrative appointment, had ideas to increase enrollment as she knew it was a possibility then that the doors may close. “There’s lots of rumors about whether or not it’ll stay open, but there are no immediate plans to close it,” she said then. “It’s just a really great school with a great community that’s just kind of aging.” l
Murray City Journal
Nature’s Virus Killer Copper can stop a virus before it starts By Priscilla Schnarr
www.copperzap.com
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Missing from this picture is the former beauty salon and Poplar Street, which have become a parking lot for city hall. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)
November City Hall update
M
By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com
urray said goodbye to two longtime fixtures of 4800 South, La Femme Beauty Salon (Hair Studio 48) and Poplar Street. These mark the final demolitions of the city hall project, as the former building and road become a parking lot. Replacing Poplar Street, Hanauer Street now extends from 4800 South to Vine Street. In addition, the city plans to turn Hanauer
and Box Elder streets into opposing one-way streets. The beauty salon at 48 E. 4800 South started as a home that later added a storefront. The building once housed the Ex-CelCis Beauty College in the 1950s. Hair Studio 48, the last business to occupy the store, retained the La Femme Beauty Salon sign installed in 1968. l
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Nov. 2022 | Page 21
Your Murray “Good Neighbor” Real Estate Resource Passionate about giving back to our community!
Murray High’s unified soccer team parades into the stadium for the state championships. (Julie Slama/ City Journals)
Murray crowned state champions in unified soccer
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Page 22 | Nov. 2022
By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
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laying on Real Salt Lake’s home field after Miss America Emma Broyles sang the national anthem, Murray High beat Riverton High’s Silverwolves Oct. 4 at the second annual Show Up for Unified Sports Special Olympics State Soccer Championship game to win the state championship in its division in unified soccer. They were congratulated by Broyles, Miss Utah Lindsey Larsen, Utah’s First Lady Abby Cox and RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath. Unified soccer, a program of Special Olympics Utah in partnership with the Utah High School Activities Association, allows student-athletes with and without disabilities to play on the same team. While the teams are coed and play competitively five versus five on a smaller sized soccer field, the focus is on development of skills, friendship, understanding and sportsmanship as often players on either team will cheer for one another. Murray started the season with two
teams playing at a regional tournament Sept. 20 at Hunter High where the school’s competitive team took second and its player development team placed third. Then, they played in the state playoffs Sept. 30 where the competitive team qualified for the state championship. Murray player Braedon Domiguez played alongside his brother, Turbo. “It’s hard; I have to kick the ball fast to pass or else I could get hurt,” said the second-year player. “I like having my best buddies there to help and cheer me on.” From more than 30 high school unified soccer teams in the area, 16 teams advanced in their respective divisions to the state championship games and participated in the parade of athletes. A small, but vocal crowd of students, parents and cheerleaders rallied the Spartans. Other area high school teams that competed in the soccer championships or playoffs include Alta, Brighton, Jordan, Hillcrest, Hunter and Skyline. l
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Managing Grief in the Holidays
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William G. Hoy is educational consultant to Larkin Mortuaries in Salt Lake City. Following a career of care for the dying and bereaved for a Long Beach, California-based hospice program, since 2012, Dr. Hoy has been Clinical Professor of Medical Humanities at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Next spring, Larkin Mortuaries will host a seminar series featuring Dr. Hoy. For more information on Larkin’s educational program, please call 801-363-5781 or email skehl@larkincares.com.
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Holidays in grief can be particularly challenging with familiar and sentimental sights, sounds, and smells reminding us our loved one is not here. Because this period of the year is built around relationships, a death in the family can make these weeks very difficult. But rather than attempt to just “grope our way” through these special days, there are ways to grow personally through the holidays as grief becomes transformative for us. Saying goodbye to a loved one is anything but easy, especially if well-meaning friends and family members expect you to just “get on with your life.” Allow time and space for grieving and crying this holiday season. Keeping a journal can provide a vital opportunity for reflection during the holidays. These weeks will not be the same as before because of the “empty chair” at the table so the pain is inevitable. A list of favorite holiday activities might be quite lengthy but make that list anyway. The list might include many holiday traditions such when the house is decorated, when and where worship takes place, and in whose home the family meals are shared. Though it is impossible to do everything “just like when Mom was here,” you can evaluate what you do for the holidays and determine, with your family’s help, which of those traditions you want to preserve. In evaluating holiday traditions, consider creating something new. Lighting a special candle, purchasing a unique holiday decoration, providing gifts to a needy family, or hosting an international student can become meaningful holiday traditions. Well-meaning friends or family may want you to attend parties and gatherings, hoping to “cheer you up” but take control of your schedule and do only as much celebrating as you feel ready to do. Choosing which events to participate in acknowledges that grief is a tiring experience. Even under the best of circumstances, holidays can be taxing so attempting to attend every event, party, or celebration may bring about total exhaustion. Instead, say “no” to some well-intentioned invitations. Simply remind friends, “My energy level hasn’t returned to where it was before he died; thank you for understanding my need to decline.” Pay close attention to physical well-being, too. Adequate rest, good nutrition, and moderate exercise is essential for the grief process. Lean meats with fresh fruits and vegetables are better choices than sugar- and fat-laden treats. If your health care provider approves, a brisk walk or other moderate exercise can help you feel better physically and emotionally. And eating a healthy diet coupled with moderate exercise is a remedy for insomnia for many mourners. Be sure to consider the spiritual aspects of life, too. Because holidays have spiritual roots make sure to include time for worship and reflection during this period. Volunteering to help others or making a memorial contribution is a meaningful way to put feet to faith during the holiday season. While it is inevitable to face pain at the holidays, following these suggestions can help bereaved individuals and families find transformative growth during this special season of the year.
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Murray City Journal
Hillcrest Junior High students connect with teachers, peers through after-school program By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
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illcrest Junior High ninth-grader Alex Bohorquez is writing a fiction story and learning how to solve different math problems instead of hanging out at home, dabbling in art or gearing up for snowboarding season. “We’re going to write a story that we may try to publish, and it will be a full story instead of just learning the components like we normally do in class,” he said. “I’m also in the Math Olympiad. I’m learning a lot of different math kind of questions and concepts that they don't really teach you normally in school curriculum, so this has been good.” Bohorquez is one of dozens of students who have found an interest ranging from bicycling to Dungeons & Dragons at Hillcrest Junior High’s after-school program. This year, Hillcrest began offering its after-school program, along with Horizon and Parkside elementary schools, after receiving funding in part by the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant as well as funds from each school’s Teacher Student Success Act, said Missy Hamilton, director of elementary teaching and learning. The Hillcrest program is supported by the administration. Teacher Morgan Lami said she and colleague Gabriel Smith had been wanting to offer a Dungeons & Dragons club for years, but in the past, they weren’t given the nod from administration. Under the new administrators, Principal Claustina Reynolds, Assistant Principal Sam Salinas and Intern/ Assistant Principal Lia Smith, they were encouraged to have it be part of the after-school program. Lami, oversees the program, with Smith and other teachers leading break-out sessions. When students arrive, they have a school-provided snack and spend an hour working on their homework, she said. “That's part of the grant,” Lami said. “Our funding is based on them doing something academic. So, we start with homework to make sure that they're getting the help they need. The kids come to do it and we have English, math and social studies teachers here to answer questions and help.” For the second hour, students can choose from the different activities offered each day before being given a sack dinner from the Utah Food Bank. “Dungeons & Dragons is our most popular, but there’s chess, writing workshop, Math Olympiad, stage crew, basketball in open gym, arts and crafts and they do anything from painting pet rocks to today, doing manicures. We started a biking group on Mondays, the more proficient bikers go out
MurrayJournal .com
and bike, and on Thursdays, one of our math teachers teaches kids how to ride a bike. We have a lot of kids who have never ridden a bike. I saw a video of one of the kids riding a bike for the first time and he was beside himself, just so happy,” she said, adding that 10 bikes were donated to the school’s program. Lami said STEM activities will be introduced into the after-school programming as well as badminton, service projects, possibly e-games and a cookie per month program. There are teachers who are offering to be part of the program. “A lot of us kind of jumped at the opportunity to be able to connect with kids in a different non-academic way and this worked out perfectly,” said Lami, who has taught English and French for five years. “Kids are more likely to learn from someone who they trust and when you interact with them in a different way, you're able to build that trust and relationship. We can ask them, ‘How's your character you’re building right now?’ or ‘How is your chess strategy going?’ and kids realize their teacher knows them and their teacher sees them. They feel safe, and when they feel safe, they’re more likely to listen to you and know we care about them.” Smith said that for some students, activities like Dungeons & Dragons, a fantasy tabletop role-playing game, provides a needed opportunity. “We've provided the research, these kids need to learn how to socialize, they need to learn how to do teamwork, they know how to compete and obviously they're competing by killing goblins and things,” he said. “These kids don't play football, basketball or do sports, so they need a team where they can work together and have the opportunity to have those learning factors.” Lami said students appreciate the chance to “do the fun part” as well as get their homework done before going home. “I think a lot of these students if they weren't in here in the after-school program, they would be just right outside waiting for parents to come get them or leaving school campus and hanging out. It's nice because it works out that they can just hang out here, and they stay because they want to,” she said. Teacher Jen Allred-Salvesen offered “a nice pampering thing, kind of self-care” with manicures. “I think the after-school program is creating a safe place where they can meet together and hang out and get to do experiences like this with friends,” she said. “This is a healthy way of being able to grow and learn and be with each other in positive ways. It builds community in our school. I teach math, but by doing this after-school
Hillcrest Junior High teacher Gabriel Smith offers Dungeons & Dragons as a part of the school’s new after-school program as an opportunity for students to learn teamwork. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
Hillcrest Junior High teacher Jen Allred-Salvesen said the new after-school program allows students a safe place to interact informally with teachers and peers and to have fun. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
program, I get to see so many more kids and they meet me, another person in our building that they recognize, and they get to learn we all have different things we do outside of our classroom in a non-formal way.” Bohorquez said that he’s glad the program began. “I like hanging out with teachers in a
less formal way, where it’s not about needing to get something done, but more of you’re here, so it’s more of a now thing,” he said. “It’s fun to see those teachers and that personality and the same thing with friends that I only see at school. Now we can choose to come here, learn something fun and hang out.” l
Nov. 2022 | Page 25
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Murray City Journal
Murray Fire Department to Murrayites: Check your smoke alarms By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com
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ire erupted on a balcony at the Spring Tree Condominiums on Oct. 9. The couple residing in the unit slept soundly as the fire spread through the upper parts of their home. Fortunately, a neighbor was awake, saw the fire, and roused the couple to get out. Later, they reported not hearing any smoke alarms. Ironically, the fire happened on the first day of Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 9-15, and the Murray Fire Department reminded everyone to check their fire alarms and ensure they have them in the right places. “We encourage all residents to place one smoke detector in each bedroom, and one in each gathering area within the home,” Murray City Fire Chief Joseph Mittelman said. “For your kitchen, you can avoid false alarms by not placing them above the toaster or stove area and placing it across the room and in the high point of the ceiling.” According to the National Fire Prevention Association, in fires where smoke alarms were present but did not operate, two of every five (41%) of the smoke alarms had missing or disconnected batteries. Dead batteries caused one-quarter of the smoke alarm failures. Also, the association recommends testing your smoke alarms at least once a month. Furthermore, they recommend changing the smoke detector’s battery once a year and replacing the sensor at least every 10 years. “Your local hardware stores are a great place to purchase smoke detectors. If you are struggling to install your alarms or are lower income, we have a great Red Cross partner you can contact for smoke detectors. Murray Fire Department serves as one of their many volunteers for installing these smoke detectors,” Mittelman said. Murray FD visited city elementary schools during Fire Prevention Week, providing fire safety assemblies to all second-grade classes and sending home assignments as a family activity. These assignments are designed to increase awareness of how to prevent fires and develop family escape plans. “We are holding a coloring contest with the coloring books we will deliver. One winner from each school will win a really cool prize,” Deputy Fire Marshal Steve Roberson said. Because fire can spread rapidly through your home, the NFPA says residents may have as little as one or two minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds. Escape plans should have a meeting place, and once you get out, stay out; let the fire department rescue your pets. “Our top three areas of concern are permanent power supply through extension cord use, storage of oily rags for home projects, and youth access to matches or lighters. Murray Fire suggests making sure you never use extension cords for permanent power supply and never overload a circuit. When possible, use surge protectors, dispose of oily rags in a prop-
MurrayJournal .com
er metal container, and always store ignition sources away from children,” Mittelman said. As wireless devices have increased, so have wired power cords. The Electrical Safety Foundation International reports that roughly 3,300 home fires originate in extension cords each year, killing 50 people and injuring 270 more. They especially recommend that you don’t overload extension cords, and if you are heavily reliant on them, consider installing additional outlets. “Kitchen fires account for 44% of all residential fires. We encourage all residents to evaluate their kitchens and remove the combustible material such as paper, cardboard, oils, chips, etc. from being stored around their ovens, toaster, and other heating devices,” Mittelman said. Mittelman also believes Murrayites could prevent more fires by simply being more aware. “Always choose to investigate the smell of smoke when in question. Remember that early notification is key for successful fire suppression and minimizing water damage,” Mittelman said. If you would like to see if you qualify for a free smoke alarm, you can request one at the American Red Cross webpage at redcross.org. l Murray FD talks to Liberty Elementary second graders. (Photo courtesy of Murray FD)
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Page 28 | Nov. 2022
hen Mark Kristensen’s son Matt was 4 years old, he was diagnosed with mucopolysaccharidosis, a rare genetic disease. They were told he would probably not make it to his 12th birthday. Not only did Matt celebrate his 12th birthday, but he lived another four years before he passed away in 2002. His life inspired the creation of the Angel’s Hands Foundation, an organization that is now his legacy. “It started with 10 families that had a child with MPS in Utah,” Kristensen said. “Our mission has evolved over the years to improve the quality of life for individuals with rare or undiagnosed medical conditions.” Because they understand the financial implications of having a child with a rare disease, Kristensen and his wife Roxann started Angel’s Hands to help families pay for things insurance wouldn’t cover like therapy equipment, specialty strollers and bikes, travel expenses for medical purposes and deductibles or coinsurance payments. “Utah’s medical community is fabulous but when you’re working with these rare diseases you might have to travel to Boston or Dallas and no insurance will pay for the travel and lodging and meals when you do that,” Kristensen said. “Anything that could improve the quality of life for families, we’ll consider assisting with.” Kristensen said Matt influenced many people throughout his short life. He was the unofficial No. 1 fan/mascot for the Utah Grizzlies ice hockey team and dyed his hair green during the team’s season. He also ran the smoke machine with the Grizzlies’ mascot, Grizzbee. Matt wanted Kristensen to read him every Grizzlies article in the newspaper so he could talk about the team’s season at the games. In the 20 years since Matt’s death, Angel’s Hands has helped hundreds of families. Kristensen considers it a paying forward for the wonderful people who helped his son. “He was so social that people didn’t know what his cognitive limitations were,” Kristensen said. “He was loved by everybody and had a charisma that not every kid has, but a lot of special needs kids do. I call it the ‘It Factor’ where people just want to know them and befriend them. He was one of those.” The organization founded for their son has allowed the Kristensens to offer assistance to other families like theirs. Angel’s Hands will help pay for home or van modifications, track systems that allow parents to move older children around the house,
By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com
Bri (left) enjoys one of the many activities Angel’s Hands organizes for children and their families. (Courtesy of Angel’s Hands Foundation)
therapy hot tubs and specialty camps. “Let us pay for the things we can pay for and you take your money and enhance the quality of your life by taking a family vacation,” he said. “Back when we were dealing with my son, we would spend that money on medical bills instead of taking a vacation. There are families that won’t ask for help because pride is a powerful thing.” Angel’s Hands receives a lot of community support. Friends and families have organized motorcycle rides, hockey and golf tournaments, and car shows to help raise money and the Friend Raiser Gala on Nov. 13 at the Viridian Event Center (8030 S. 1830 West) in West Jordan brings in lots of financial resources.
Local high schools have also held fundraising events for the group with students from Herriman High, Mountain Ridge and Bingham High donating tens of thousands of dollars. “We are very blessed with great people who support us,” Kristensen said. “The money is secondary. We’ll make good use of the money, but the fact that young people are doing service for others, that just melts my heart.” The nonprofit is a 100% volunteer organization with 95% of donations going to families. To learn more, visit AngelsHands.org. l
Murray City Journal
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Barking up the wrong tree
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y dog Jedi started barking at cars. All the time. I don’t know why but my best guess is she a) hates cars, b) loves cars, c) wants to scare cars or d) she needs a ride to Petsmart to pick up some jerky treats and tennis balls. I stop her from dragging us both into traffic by creating a distraction, usually with yummy treats. I tell her to look at me, hoping to snag her attention away from the tempting Hondas and Toyotas with their tantalizing and rumbly engines. Sometimes she continues flinging herself toward cars but once she realizes a treat is coming, in the form of mozzarella or pepperoni, she usually stops barking and waits to be rewarded. Not really rocket surgery, but it works. Someone suggested Jedi’s barking could be a reaction to stress which is probably true because we’re all as stressed as a Yellowstone bison being approached by human-shaped idiots. Jedi also feels the urge to run outside at 3 a.m. to bark at neighbor dogs, tree shadows and (probably) aliens. Her woofing seems to be important. It’s like breaking news in the canine world. I can’t yell at her to be quiet because then we’d both be barking at three in the morning. Plus, she’d translate my yapping as, “You are doing such a good job at howling, Jedi. Please, continue louder. Some neighbors might still be asleep.” Once the noise levels drop, I check social media where barking has been elevated to an Olympic sport. Viral TikToks catch people in the act of snarling at each other. Twitter feeds show a slow regression back to our caveman roots where everyone spoke in grunts and howls.
Peri Kinder Life and Laughter
Parents bark at teachers and librarians. Drivers bark at each other. Customers bark at grocery store cashiers, and let me tell you, cashiers don’t get paid enough to put up with
that baloney. Restaurant guests bark at the waitstaff, which usually ends with a footprint on your waffle. Y’all bark so much, I think some of you might have rabies. Dogs bark because they’re excited, hungry, bored, scared, tired, playful and frustrated. The trick is to distract them and teach them a different way to communicate. Humans also need a different way to communicate, because barking isn’t working. It doesn’t matter if you’re barking in fear or anger or fatigue, your message gets lost in the noise. Every time. Have you ever screamed at someone and thought, “Boy, I really think I got my point across. I feel so heard”? Yeah, me neither. On the opposite end of the rainbow, my daughter had a teacher who only spoke in a whisper. The kids had to be quiet to hear what she was saying. It was kind of creepy talking to her because she’d forget she was talking to an adult and keep whispering. Maybe there’s a happy medium between barking and mumbling. I know, let’s call it “civil discourse” where our conversations actually promote understanding and connection. Revolutionary! Instead of talking to prove your point, can you kindly explain why you hate avocados, without melting into a puddle of sweat? Can you avoid the gnashing and spittle that comes with barking and just talk like a human being? It might take practice but maybe if we calm down, our families will settle, our communities will rebuild and our civil discourse will improve. Less barking, more listening. And lots of treats. l
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Nov. 2022 | Page 31