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SIX WOMEN TO SERVE ON SSL CITY COUNCIL By Bill Hardesty | b.hardesty@mycityjournals.com

n Nov. 16, South Salt Lake Mayor Cherie Wood and the South Salt Lake City Council acting as the Board of Canvassers, met to accept and approve the 2021 Municipal General Election results. Only 29.75% of eligible voters casted a ballot. This means that less than a third of eligible voters determined the future direction of the city. Mayoral results Mayor Wood won her fourth term as mayor. She gathered 1,777 votes (58.2%). A newcomer to city politics, Jake Christensen, collected 678 votes (22.2%), and Council Member Shane Siwik gathered 596 votes (19.5%). This was the first time SSL used ranked choice voting. While some voiced concern about the process before the election, the system worked. Thereby avoiding the expense of holding a primary election. Wood said of her win, “I ran for re-election on the continued commitment of building on the successes of the past 12 years. Investing in people, maintaining great neighborhoods and celebrating South Salt Lake resonates with voters. Residents like what they see and feel a part of our thriving community.” Campaigning was a positive event for Wood. “The opportunity to meet residents on their front porch enriches me personally and professionally. To hear their ideas, concerns and needs is civic engagement at its finest.” Wood said it is an honor to serve the residents and businesses of South Salt Lake. While citing that “the city’s successes have been great,” Wood added, “there is much work to be done to keep our city on the move.” The mayor says her “to-do list” for the next four years is based on her past 12 years. “My first three terms focused on large projects, developments and initiatives,” Wood said. “We are a city of quality neighborhoods, each with its own character and needs. I am looking forward to focusing on creating SSL City Council will now have six women serving the council. (Bill Hardesty/City Journals)

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Continued from front page neighborhood identities that preserve and enhance livability. We have set out to build a burgeoning downtown, support our small businesses and thriving Creative Industries Zone, celebrate our diversity at community centers and enliven our neighborhoods with active, inviting green spaces. Advancing all of these projects is on my to-do list for the next four years.” Wood looked back and said, “Initially, when I took office as mayor, many lofty goals to move our city forward were established. Roots for our Promise SSL Initiative were planted, we set out to create Master Plans citywide, review and analyze our approach to safety, solidify our thriving Arts Council, and saw the S-Line streetcar to completion.” Wood also said, “My priorities over the next four years will continue much of this work. I will seek to enhance and grow outdoor spaces, support safe and enduring neighborhoods, increase transportation and mobility options and see continued progress in our downtown, along transit lines and in the Creative Industries Zone.” Council member at-large This race was close, but Clarrisa Williams was elected with 51.65% (1,490) of the vote. Olivia Spencer gathered 48.35% (1,395). Williams is the first Navajo member of the city council. For the past 18 months, she has served as a member of the Planning Commission representing District 5. On her website, Williams wrote, “I am Tábąąhá (Water’s Edge People), born for Tódích’íi’nii (Bitter Water People). My maternal Grandfathers are Naakai dine’é (The Mexican Clan), and my Paternal Grandfathers are M ‘íí deeshgíízhíníí (Coyote Pass – Jemez Clan).” Williams was born and raised on the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona. She continues as a member of the Navajo Nation.

Journals T H E

In 2003, Willams and her husband moved to Utah to finish their education. They planned to move back to the Navajo Nation, but instead, they stayed. In 2010, they bought their first home in SSL. “South Salt Lake has moved from that ‘industrial’ city to becoming one of the best places to live,” Williams said. “South Salt Lake is the center of the Salt Lake Valley... more like the heart. The central location is ideal for families, young and old alike, to work and play.” She campaigned on seven issues. Her position statements are available at www. clarissaforssl.com. District 2 Corey Thomas was successful in her re-election bid. She received 54.88% (236) of the vote compared to 45.12% (194) for Sam Garfield. Thomas joined the council four years ago concerned about pedestrian safety and street lighting. While there have been some wins, Thomas wants to continue to work on these issues. “I want to continue working on pedestrian safety. I also want to focus more on street lighting. I want to see accomplished in our city to fix, add, or improve the streetlights so that our residents, business owners, and anyone visiting will feel a little safer,” Thomas said. She mentioned one of her key learnings these four years is that “I have learned that as a city we need to be smart about our yearly budget.” Thomas also wants to thank “all those that voted for me, my fellow council members for their support and, of course, my family and friends for helping me.” District 3 In the biggest win of the election, Sharla Bynum retained her city council seat with 68.18% (390) of the vote. Aileen Hampton won 31.82% (182) of the vote. Bynum is heading into her third term representing District 3. For the past two

Mayor Cherie Wood wins her fourth term. (Courtesy of SSL)

years, she has served as chairperson on the council. Looking back to her first election, Bynum mentioned that she was one of two females on the council. For the last two years, five women have been serving, and with the election of Willams, the council will have six women. “It’s truly exciting to be a part of history in the making,” Bynum said. She continued, “Over the years, I’ve learned much from our staff of experts. It’s important that we seek input from all stakeholders when making decisions. Most issues are complex and require significant research to properly address.” When she looks forward, Bynum said, “I would like to continue to lead the council in a collaborative manner addressing issues like crime prevention, water infrastructure and parking enforcement. Local politics are nonpartisan; our focus should be on solving problems that impact our community without divisiveness.” Bynum expressed gratitude to the people who supported her re-election. Howev-

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Clarrisa Williams wins election as council member at-large. Williams is the first Navajo to join the council. (Courtesy of Clarrisa Williams)

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GSD combined choir sings at Veterans Day concert By Bill Hardesty | b.hardesty@mycityjournals.com

he 66th annual Veterans Day concert was held virtually again this year because of COVID-19. The video was released on Nov. 11. The concert is online at: Ut.ng.mil; www.facebook.com/utahnationalguard; and www.youtube.com/user/ UtahNationalGuard. The concert was titled “Never Forget.” In addition to honoring veterans, the concert commemorated the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The concert featured the 23rd Army Band and Granite School District High School Choirs. The combined choir consisted of more than 500 students from all seven senior high schools. “Granite School District vocal directors have a longstanding commitment to honoring Utah’s veterans. Veterans Day is a great opportunity to provide the ‘why’ for students who are developing their performance skills. Students feel honored to practice and refine the pieces to a level of quality that properly shows appreciation to the veterans and their families,” Noelle Converse, director of curriculum and instruction, said. “This annual event raises the bar for vocal performance across the district. It is also a great opportunity for our choir directors to showcase the quality of their music programs and student performers.” Senior Master Sgt. (Retired) U.S. Air Force Sterling Poulson hosted the concert. The performances were at Olympus High School. Music The band and choir performed separately. There were traditional songs such as “America” (Choir), “The Stars and Stripes Forever” (Band), the “Armed Forces Medley” (Band), and the national anthem (Band). There were also new and unique numbers. The 23rd Army Band played “As All of the Heaven Were a Bell,” which was written to honor the NY firefighters for their efforts on Sept. 11. The title comes from a poem by Emily Dickinson titled, “I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain.” The band also played “Forge in Fire.” “This song was inspired by the transforming nature of fire,” Poulson said. “The men and women of our armed forces are forged into sharp swords through heat, fire and the strike of the human spirit.” The combined choir also sang “Oh America.” A song popularized by the Celtic Woman musical ensemble. The combined men’s choir sang, “Stouthearted Men.” The combined women’s choir sang “Wherever You Are.” The Military Wives Choir originally sang this song in 2020 as a love song. The combined choir also debuted an

S outh SaltLakeJournal .com

Students from the Granite School District combined choir sing at the 66th annual Veterans Day Concert. (Courtesy of Granite School District)

original piece by Cecil Sullivan, choir director of Cottonwood HS. His work is titled “For the Warriors.” The rock band “Article 15” sang “Mr. Red, White and Blue” by Coffey Anderson. A song telling of the courage and sacrifices of our armed forces. “Taps” was also played to honor all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Speakers Brig. Gen. Charlene Dalto, Land Component Command Utah Army National Guard, was the keynote speaker. “On Veterans Day, it is important that we take a moment and reflect on the patri-

otism, service, and sacrifice of all veterans, past and present,” Dalto said. Dalto also mentioned that less than 1% of Americans have served in the armed forces. The Utah PTA has partnered with the Honorary Colonels Corps and the Utah Army National Guard to sponsor an essay contest for nine years. The contest is open to all Utah students K-12 who have a parent, grandparent, brother or sister who serves now or has served in the military. This year’s theme was “Why Am I Proud of My Veteran.” Kinley Gorringe, a fourth grader from Lehi, won the elementary school divi-

sion and was awarded a $100 scholarship award. Jaeli Adams, a ninth grader from St. George, won the junior high division and was also awarded $100. McKenna Dillingham, a senior from Bountiful, won the high school division and was awarded a $300 scholarship award. “As governor, I am beyond proud of the Utah veterans who have served heroically in all of America’s conflicts,” Gov. Spencer Cox said in a video presentation. The Zions Bank Veterans Service award was given to Robert Pagnani. The award is given to individuals who have improved the quality of life for military personnel and veterans. l

December 2021 | Page 5

City, AARP, FitLot create exercise park geared to healthy aging

n Oct. 21, South Salt Lake cut the ribbon on an extension of Bickley Park, north of the Columbus Center. The new extension is unique for two reasons. The first is its focus—a park designed to encourage healthy aging— and secondly, it's the only one in the state. "Our city is always finding new ways to invest in people. Mental and physical health is a big challenge for many community members, and the pandemic made this especially acute. We knew one solution would be to encourage more outdoor fitness, and to our great pleasure, AARP and FitLot made this happen at just the right time. I couldn't be more thrilled to open the first FitLot in Utah and create an active space to foster healthy aging," said South Salt Lake Mayor Cherie Wood. FitLot’s focus "It's really been the goal of my administration and my team to invest in people," Wood said, "and so that means providing recreational opportunities for all ages. So today is a FitLot Park for adults. So, we're super excited about this." The focus of the FitLot Park is older adults, but any age group and ability can use the equipment. The Park is open anytime. "A healthy and active senior community is a top priority of South Salt Lake, but the high cost of gyms, the Coronavirus pandemic, and lack of transportation often limit opportunities for seniors," Julie Taylor, communications and outreach manager, said. “This outdoor and free amenity helps residents build strength, stamina, and balance; spend time outdoors improving mood and overall well-being; and stay connected to neighbors and friends." The Park has both moving and non-moving equipment. The non-moving equipment includes: pull-up bar, jump touch panel (measures vertical leap), vertical ladder (used to

By Bill Hardesty | b.hardesty@mycityjournals.com

South Salt Lake Mayor Cherie Wood checks out the outdoor exercise equipment at FitLot Park. (Bill Hardesty/City Journals)

work on leg muscles. It is also used for arm and core exercises), plyometrics sheet (a jump box), ab cruncher/leg lift bench, chin-up bar, and dip parallel bars. The moving items are: chest/back press, hand cycle, elliptical, and cardio stepper. There are step-by-step instructions on each piece of equipment. "This outdoor amenity is the perfect addition to our Bickley Park. We were so excited to design it as an all-ages, all-abilities playground and at last have a park next to our community center,'' said Sharen Hauri, South Salt Lake director of neighborhoods. "We sought to create a multigenerational playground, and the addition of a FitLot fully supports that vision. The center is a home base to a Promise SSL youth

The cut ribbon signals the opening of the FitLot Park, the only one in the state. (Bill Hardesty/City Journals)

Page 6 | December 2021

Residents start to check out the new outdoor equipment at FitLot Park. (Bill Hardesty/City Journals)

program, Head Start preschool and recreation leagues. It is another great way for parents, grandparents, and the whole community to stay active and spend time outdoors." The $125,000 park's price tag was paid with grant money. AARP was a significant donor. "When we first met with the City of South Salt Lake about nine months ago there was a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of energy around this, and everybody just said, ‘Yes, yes, yes. Let's get it done. Let's figure it out,’" Alan Ormsby, state director of AARP Utah, said. The AARP donation includes three years of programming which provides free fitness instruction classes at FitLot Park. AARP and FitLot "I'm so grateful that AARP has been thrilled over the last three years to build one of these FitLot in all 50 states and three territories. We do it because we love the community," Ormsby said.

AARP teamed up with FitLot in 2018. Their goal was to build an outdoor fitness park in each state and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. With the opening of the South Salt Lake location, there are now at least one in each state. According to the FitLot.org website, "FitLot was founded out of frustration by a father and son who simply couldn't understand why every neighborhood in America didn't have their own outdoor fitness park." Dr. Vadim Mejerson and his son, Adam, founded FitLot. It is a community health solution. The Mejersons believed FitLot Parks have "the power to improve the health and quality of life in neighborhoods throughout the country." Landscape Structures became the exclusive supplier for FitLot in 2018. Each FitLot Park is approximately 1,400 square feet, like the size of a playground. They are shaded and have a safe surface. l

With help from Aaron Wiet, director of SSL Recreation, older adults check out new outdoor equipment at FitLot Park. (Bill Hardesty/City Journals)

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December 2021 | Page 7

New incentive program aims to attract GSD subs

By Bill Hardesty | b.hardesty@mycityjournals.com

ranite School District (GSD) announced an incentive program to attract and keep substitute teachers in late October. “We are always exploring options to ensure we deliver on what students and staff need,” Richard Nye, district superintendent, said. “I implore anyone who has even considered the job of a substitute teacher to take a look at all Granite has to offer.” The program The program will pay a bonus to substitute teachers as they hit milestones: hourly subs who complete at least five jobs in one month will be given a $50 bonus on top of regular pay; hourly subs who complete at least 10 jobs in one month will be given a $100 bonus on top of regular pay; and hourly subs who complete at least 15 jobs or more in one month will be given a $150 bonus on top of regular pay. The first payout was Nov. 1 based on substitute teachers’ October jobs. The program is ongoing through the remaining school year. For example, a substitute teacher who works 15 jobs every month will get a $150 bonus each month. GSD decided to install the bonus program rather than raise base pay. “We have a set budget and don’t have the ability to increase wages long term. We do have lots of one-time money that can help address this problem short term,” Ben Horsley, chief of staff, said.

Granite School District implements a bonus incentive program for substitute teachers. (Photo from Pixabay)

The situation Horsley describes the situation as “very serious.” “While we have a larger amount of substitutes in our pool and are filling more positions than ever on a daily basis, the demand and need for personal and sick leave has gone up by over 50% even over last year,” Horsley said. On average, GSD uses 300-350 substitutes each day. When a substitute teacher can’t be found, some district-level employees can step in. In other cases, the school’s administration steps in. A final choice is to pay regular teaches a stipend who step in during their prep period.

Granite School District implements a bonus incentive program for substitute teachers. (Photo from Pixabay)

The pay A substitute teacher’s pay is based on the education obtained and the length of the assignment. For a person with a high school diploma, the hourly pay is $14.14 ($98.98 per seven hour day). For persons with an associate degree or two years of college, the rate moves to $14.67 ($102.69/day). For a licensed teacher or holder of a master’s degree, the rate raises $15.52 ($108.64). A

retired teacher is paid $18.29 ($128.03). If the assignment is 40 to 89 days, the rate is $20.93 ($146.51). If the job is 90 or more days, the rate tops out at $26.86 ($188.02). Substitute pay scales differ between school districts. “We find that most of our subs are also in other local district sub-pools, so they will pick and choose opportunities based on the distance to travel and grade level of

Page 8 | December 2021

the sub-job offered,” Horsley said. The opportunity According to the GSD website: “Substitute teachers are an integral part of the educational process in Granite School District. They have the opportunity to support the student educational experience. Principals, district administrators, and classroom teachers greatly appreciate the valuable work substitute teachers provide.” Horsley described the ideal candidate

as “someone looking for a flexible job, that enjoys being around kids. You get to pick where and when you want to pick up a shift/job and can filter for certain grade levels or locations to meet your needs.” He added, “This is more than just a job but an opportunity to serve your community and support our children in their education.” To apply, call the Human Resources Department at 385-646-4511. l

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Beloved ballet returns to Capitol Theatre for the holidays By Peri Kinder | peri.k@davisjournal.com

allet West’s most popular show and annual tradition, “The Nutcracker,” returns to the Capitol Theatre for live performances Dec. 4-26. It’s been two years since the holiday ballet was performed for a live audience, since COVID-19 shuttered entertainment venues in 2020. Audiences are eager to get back to live ballet as more than 13,000 tickets have already been sold and this year’s performance of “The Nutcracker” is expected to bring in the highest level of sales in 25 years. “Following the successful production of ‘Dracula,’ where many performances were sold out, demand for ‘The Nutcracker’ is expected to be high,” said Adam Sklute, Ballet West artistic director, in a media release. “We encourage all ‘Nutcracker’ fans to purchase tickets early so they have a seat and don’t miss out.” Made possible through support from The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, the $3 million production is a classic ballet in two acts based on the fairy tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann. The iconic score by Tchaikovsky will be performed live, featuring the Ballet West Orchestra. Choreographed by Ballet West founder Willam Christensen, “The Nutcracker” has evening performances at 7 p.m., matinees at 2 p.m., and a special holiday matinee on Christmas Eve at noon. Immediately following each matinee (except Dec. 24), Ballet West hosts a Sugar Plum Party where young audience members can join the Sugar Plum Fairy and other favorite characters from the ballet for a special treat. “Each year, hundreds of Utah children from across the

Artists of Ballet West perform in “The Nutcracker” at Capitol Theatre. (Photo courtesy of Beau Pearson)

Wasatch Front audition for the opportunity to perform in Ballet West’s ‘The Nutcracker,’ with just over 100 children being selected for the coveted roles,” Sklute said. “The story tells of a Christmas party at which little Clara, daughter of the house, receives the gift of a nutcracker from her mys-

terious uncle, Herr Drosselmeyer. After the party, she falls asleep and dreams of snow castles, sugarplums, and her nutcracker, which has turned into a handsome prince.” Ticket prices range from $25 to $104 and are available at BalletWest.org or 801-869-6900.l

As Utah’s Unemployment Rate Hits Record Low, Lack of Labor Lingers By Robert Spendlove, Zions Bank Senior Economist Utah’s unemployment rate hit the lowest level ever recorded in October. The Utah Department of Workforce Services’ most recent jobs report, released in November, shows that only 2.2% of the state’s workers are unemployed and actively looking for work. This historic low comes only 18 months after the state’s unemployment rate reached a record high of 10.4% in April 2020 at the onset of the pandemic. Utah’s job recovery from such a massive disruption has been impressive. Our state’s two-year job growth leads the nation at 3.7%, compared to a 2.2% job decline nationally. The state has added 58,500 jobs added over the past two years, with the construction; financial activities; and trade, transportation and utilities sectors growing the fastest. This job growth is limited, however, by the lack of available labor. Utah, like the rest of the nation, is struggling to find workers to fill job openings. A recent analysis from The Pew Charitable Trusts found that the ratio of jobs-to-jobless in Utah is more than

S outh SaltLakeJournal .com

Utah Unemployment Rate at Record Low 13.0% 12.0% 11.0% 10.0% 9.0% 8.0% 7.0% 6.0% 5.0% 4.0% 3.0% October 2.0% 2021 1.0% 2.2% 0.0% 1/1/00 1/1/02 1/1/04 1/1/06 1/1/08 1/1/10 1/1/12 1/1/14 1/1/16 1/1/18 1/1/20 Source: Utah Department of Workforce Statistics

2 to 1. Many residents who dropped out of the workforce during the pandemic have not returned. Even so, the labor force participation rate – an estimate of what percent of the state’s population is working or looking for a job – is the fifth highest in the nation. Labor force participation remained steady from September to October at 67.9%, though still below the 68.6% of two years ago in October 2019. The very tight labor market continues to cause wage pressure. Nationally, average hourly earnings were 4.9% higher in

October, compared to one year ago. This wage inflation, which is a welcome trend for workers, is placing more strain on employers, who are facing both the labor shortage and continued supply chain struggles. Despite these challenges, Utah’s economy – and the U.S. economy – continue to improve and recover. More people are returning to work as the latest wave of the delta variant of the Coronavirus subsides, vaccination rates increase, and the impact of enhanced unemployment benefits ends. l

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Just the facts—trained peer educators discuss sex education with students By Bill Hardesty | b.hardesty@mycityjournals.com

“M

y classmates recommended me, and I wanted to be part of a group that helps the community,” Olivia, 16, from Park City High School, said. “People think of it as such a taboo subject, but we are only allowed to talk about sex and sex education in factual ways,” Inanna, 17, from City Academy, said. “There is a lot of material that needs to be avoided or dealt with skillfully in order not to bring up anything that is conflicting with different values or beliefs,” Gabriella, 16, from Rowland Hall, said. Olivia, Inanna, and Gabriella are members of a Planned Parenthood Youth Council for 2021-22. There are three youth councils—Salt Lake County West, Salt Lake County East, and Wasatch/Summit County. In addition, Planned Parenthood is working with a rural expansion partner to create another youth council in the Vernal area. The Salt Lake County West Teen Council meets at the Planned Parenthood West Valley Health Center (1906 W. 3600 South). The central role for the youth council members is to be peer educators for sex education in grades seven to 12. While they can do one-on-one discussions, they are mainly trained to do classroom presentations. They serve for one year, starting in July

with a daylong retreat (pre-pandemic, a twoday retreat). They also meet every week for two and a half hours. This means at the end of their service; they have received about 100 hours of training. Youth council members are paid a stipend for their time. “We want the teens to know their time is valuable as is the material,” Annabel Sheinberg, vice-president of External Affairs Planned Parenthood, said. Subject matter Peer educators become knowledgeable on such subjects as: delaying sex; healthy relationships; family communications; HIV/ AIDS; STDs or STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections, which is the most current term); contraceptives; and sexual identity. The teen councils provide accurate information to their peers. “We bring up the subjects in a more factual way. Not as something we want to put our opinion on people,” Olivia said. “It is important that peer educators act as a resource for their peers. Answer their questions in an informal conversational setting,” Sheinberg added. “We’re not there to judge but to listen, provide information and support.” “We do a lot of training on how to answer value questions and to stay entirely

Planned Parenthood Teen Councils serve as peer educators on sex education. (Photo from Unsplash)

neutral. We don’t want to inject or impose our own beliefs,” Gabriella said. Peer educators are known by their peers and supported by their school’s administration. Planned Parenthood is upfront about what is presented. Presentations

The concept of peer educators is taking advantage of the power of peers in a teenager’s life. The notion is that teenagers are more likely to listen to a peer than an adult health teacher. The presentations are for grades seventh through 12th. “I recently taught seventh graders on

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healthy relationships, and it was very cool to guide them to make their own decisions on what a healthy relationship is for them. It was fun. It was interesting to watch these little people figure it out,” Inanna said. Teen councils respond to invitations primarily by health education teachers. The school district also approves the program. Parents must sign an opt-in form to allow their child to attend a presentation. Findings During the 2016-17 school year, a nationwide study was conducted to see the benefits of the teen councils and being a member of a council. In that school year, there were 1,627 formal presentations and 17,584 information educational sessions. Ninety percent of audience members said they learned something new, and 82% learned where to go for sexual health services. It was also found that teen council members were more likely to talk with their parents about sex than their peers (85% to 72%). In addition, 27% of teen council members reported having 15 or more conversations with their parents compared to only 10% of peers. The study also reported, “Teen Council members are more confident than their peers being actively engaged citizens and believe they can make a difference in their community or and in their belief.” The report shows that teen council

members are not more likely to be sexually active than their peers (54% compared to 45%). An outreach The teen council members had various reasons on why they participate. “Have an opportunity to have an outreach on other people. Teach them something and leave them with good values,” Olivia said. “Having an opportunity to make a lasting impact on anyone you interact with. Also, to give them accurate information, which is too often hard to find,” Gabriella said. “Pushing myself. Learning how to teach hard things. I want to be a teacher so learning how to teach is something I really want to do,” Inanna said. “I have found I really enjoy watching people figure things out and help them to understand better something that is so forbidden or difficult to talk about.” “Besides teaching and sharing, teen council members spend a day lobbying the legislature during their session,” Sheinberg said. Applications are gathered each May and are available online at Planned Parenthood Utah.

Interviews are held during May and June, with selections by the end of the month. Most teen council members serve one year and can reapply for a second year. Therefore, there are more applications than openings. There are 12-15 members on each council. l

Planned Parenthood Teen Councils serve as peer educators on sex education. (Photo from Unsplash)

Salt Lake County giving residents opportunity to test out lifeguarding By Travis Barton | travis.b@thecityjournals.com

Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation is hosting a “Just-Try-It: Lifeguarding” for those ages 14 and up at the Dimple Dell Recreation Center. (Pixabay)

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alt Lake County Parks and Recreation is hosting a “Just-TryIt: Lifeguarding” for those ages 14 and up from 3 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 11 at the Dimple Dell Recreation Center (10670 S. 1000 East) in Sandy. “Being a lifeguard was something I always wanted to do and, as a teen, my dreams came true when I was hired by Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation,” said Amber Milne, recreation manager at Fairmont Aquatic Center, in a press release. “I worked as a lifeguard during high school and while in college. Now, 20 years later, I’ve made a career out of doing what I love while serving the community.” The parks and recreation department held the same two-hour event on Nov. 20 at the Northwest Recreation Center in Salt Lake City. It’s aimed to give anyone interested the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be a lifeguard. According the press release, individuals will “try lifeguard skills and activities, shadow a lifeguard, talk with lifeguards and management about the duties and responsibili-

ties of the position, play some pool games, and apply for a great and fun job.” It is part of the county’s efforts to fill lifeguard positions through employment benefits described as “paid training, flexible hours, great coworkers, professional development, and pay up to $16/hour depending on experience, position, and shift. Hired individuals will work at recreation centers throughout the county.” Parks and Recreation is also offering surge pay to cover harder-tofill shifts, Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. Employees working these hours will earn $6 on top of normal wages until the end of the year. This comes after a summer when the county was also facing a shortage in lifeguards. Attendees are encouraged to bring a swimsuit, a towel and a friend. Admission fees are waived for participants and no registration is required. Individuals interested in applying for a lifeguard or swim instructor position may apply at bit.ly/slcoguard. l

December 2021 | Page 11

Central Valley Water Reclamation budget increases by more than 5% By Bill Hardesty | b.hardesty@mycityjournals.com

entral Valley Water Reclamation Facility (CVWRF) approved their 2022 budget with little fanfare Oct. 27 including no comments during the public hearing. The budget included a 5.31% increase. But why should anyone care? Because the CVWRF budget is the first budget domino that flows upstream to impact taxpayers. The flow CVWRF, next to I-15 and north of 3300 South, is owned by seven entities: Cottonwood Improvement District, Granger-Hunter Improvement District, Kearns Improvement District, Mt. Olympus Improvement District, Murray City, City of South Salt Lake and Taylorsville-Bennion Improvement District. Roughly speaking, for SSL residents north of 3300 South, the city is their sewer entity. For SSL residents south of 3300 South, Mt. Olympus Improvement District is their sewer entity. This division is also true for water usage. "CVWRF costs for operation and capital improvements are paid for by the seven agencies based on their percent ownership in the facility. When our costs increase, that increase is passed through

to the seven entities that own CVWRF in proportion to their ownership percentage," Phil Heck, general manager, said. The percentage of ownership is determined by how much each entity uses the facility. The ownership percentage might change each month depending on such variables as growth within the entity. For example, as SSL grows, their ownership percentage will increase because more people are flushing toilets.

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The shares always equal 100%. The percentage formula is based on the amount of flow, BOD load, and the solids load sent to CVWRF each month. BOD stands for Biochemical Oxygen Demand. "It is the quantity of oxygen required by microorganisms for stabilizing, or using as food, the organic materials in wastewater in a specific time and at a specific temperature (usually five days at 20 degrees Celsius)," Heck said. "There is a standardized laboratory test for measuring BOD in wastewater, and the BOD concentration is a measure of the strength of wastewater. The concentration of BOD in wastewater can be converted to pounds of BOD using the flow, and this is referred to as the BOD load. The CVWRF plant normally receives around 100,000 pounds of BOD per day in the influent flow." The importance of BOD is if it is discharged into the Jordan River, "it will consume all of the dissolved oxygen in the water which will kill fish and other aquatic organisms." "Supplying oxygen to remove the BOD is one of the major costs for treating wastewater because it requires a lot of equipment, tanks and energy. CVWRF measures the BOD load discharged to the plant from each member entity and bills them for their share of the cost of treatment," Heck said. The term solids or Total Suspended Solids (TSS) refer to the amount of insoluble solids floating in the wastewater. "Removing, treating and disposing of TSS is another of the major cost factors in wastewater treatment," Heck said. "The solids are separated from the liquid in primary clarifiers, treated in anaerobic digesters, then they are separated from the remaining liquid by dewatering and hauled to an agricultural land appli-

cation site. CVWRF measures TSS load discharged to the plant from each member entity and bills for their share of the cost." Currently, Mt. Olympus has the largest owner percentage, and SSL has the lowest. See the chart for a complete list. Using the current percentages, Mt. Olympus estimated contribution for 2022 will be $44,239,107, and South Salt Lake's contribution is estimated at $7,791,135. Now that CVWRF's budget passed, each entity has started to work on its budget. It isn't a stretch to believe that if CVWRF's budget increased by 5.31%, the entities' budget will increase to cover their increased costs and CVWRF's costs. The last domino falls with a possible increase in sewer fees for residents and business owners. CVWRF budget One critical driver of the budget is personal wages and benefits. The 2022 budget contains a 5.2% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for all employees. The CVWRF budget report explained the need for the COLA by pointing out, "Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers) rose 5.2%. Food prices increased 4.6%. Energy prices jumped 24.9%, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.9% over the year." In addition, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in October a 6.2% increase year over year. A bright spot in the budget is that 2022 is the last year with high capital expenses. As a result, the capital budget decreased by $3.5 million from the 2021 level ($128 million to $124.5 million). It is projected that this budget line will continue to fall to under $40 million in 2023 and less than $20 million in 2025. l

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CottonCrest mountain biking team improves at state, athletes recognized for more than riding By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

or CottonCrest mountain biking coach Anthony Stowe, it’s hard to pick just one season highlight, even amongst the 18 student-athletes who biked at state. For example, Cottonwood High senior Rachel Arlen had a crash at the start, got up and rode. On her second lap she dropped a chain, fixed it and rode on, even passing other riders before the finish. “She finished her race despite the odds being against her—amazing sportsmanship and perseverance, fantastic athlete,” he said. AMES sophomore Jacob Arens lined up 96th and finished 61st making up 35 spots. “He is excited to be moving up to JVA next year and varsity as a future goal,” Stowe said. Another proud moment for the team was when Cottonwood senior Georgia Barry won a $1,000 board of directors’ scholarship based upon her personal battle with self-image. The senior rode in her last high school race at state. “She is a team captain. She is a captain because she really knows who she is and why she rides. For her, it’s not about the

win. It’s about the love, the environment, getting outside, enjoying the beauty and sharing all of it with her friends and family. I have learned more about coaching, equity and equality from Georgia than anyone else, a great young woman,” Stowe said. Hillcrest riders also made great strides. Junior Kenna Stowe passed 33 girls in her JVA race and junior Josie Paul in JVB made up 35. Junior Porter Bach moved up 78 positions bridging the five-minute gap between split 2 and 3. Sophomore Kolby Butler had “another amazing race,” knocking 26 of his competitors for a 114th place finish out of 203 riders in the boys JVA race. “We had some insane racing,” said Stowe, who placed fifth in the first-ever head coach race, edging out 2020 Olympian Haley Batten. “Our freshman boys had a crazy battle and some changes in placement that were surprising.” That included Cottonwood freshman Joe Evans beating 22 athletes and nearly catching Hillcrest’s A.J. Call, who finished as the CottonCrest freshman boys’ leader in 37th place. Evans finished 10 seconds later in 38th place. l

CottonCrest captain Georgia Barry smiles as she finishes the season’s first race at Solider Hollow. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

The Stars are back at Bruin Arena

By Greg James | g.james@mycityjournals.com

he Salt Lake City Stars are back playing basketball at Bruin Arena. It has been a long time. “The game and experience is definitely family friendly,” Stars basketball communications manager Derek Ahrnsbrak said. “We have some up-and-coming players on the team this year, including Thurl Bailey’s and Dwayne Wade's sons, Brendan Bailey and Zaire Wade.” The home opener (Nov. 17 after press deadline) will mark the first time the Stars have played in Salt Lake City since March 6, 2020. They play their home games in Bruin Arena on the campus of the Salt Lake Community College. The Stars began this season by dropping their first three games, all on the road. They hope playing in a friendly environment will change their results. “We have former NBA players on the roster and two current Jazz players, as well as players that spent time in Jazz camp this fall,” Ahrnsbrak said. Derrick Alston Jr. is one of the affiliate Jazz players on the Stars roster. (NBA teams can assign up to four athletes to their G League team.) His basketball career has come full circle. He began as a ball boy for the Houston Rockets. He spent his time grabbing rebounds for the players during warmups. Now he plays the game professionally. He was not highly recruited after high school, but with the help of a junior college coach he convinced Boise State to give him a shot. He averaged 14.2 points per game as a Bronco. He went undrafted out of college, but joined the Golden State Warriors G League team and eventually earned a tryout with the Jazz. His story is typical of what types of players spend time

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in the G League. Generally it is filled with up-and-coming athletes trying to earn a shot and some players trying to hang on to their careers. Carson Edwards, a 5-foot-11 guard, joins the Stars this season. He was the 33rd pick in the 2019 draft by the Boston Celtics. He played in 68 games over two seasons for the Celtics. Brendan Bailey and Zaire Wade have garnered the most attention this fall as members of the Stars. They have both come off the bench and averaged seven and five points respectively in the first few games of the season. “We have some great talent on the team. Our head coach is a first-class guy. This is officially his second season with the team,” Ahrnsbrak said. Head coach Nathan Peavy is starting his second season in the first chair for the team. He coached last year with the Stars in the G Leagues abbreviated season in Orlando. Because of the pandemic the league played its entire schedule in a one location bubble. He has been an assistant coach with the team for five years. “He (Peavy) is really a great guy and very down to earth. All of the staff with the Stars are great people. I encourage everyone to come check it out,” Ahrnsbrak said. Ticket prices for the Stars range from $10-35 and can be purchased on the Stars website. The G League functions as a headway league for potential NBA positions such as players, officials and front office staff. The league began as the developmental league in 2001 and in 2005 they gained a title sponsor, Gatorade, and changed the name to the G League. l

“This is an opportunity to see the Jazz future players and players from around the league,” Ahrnsbrak said. “The Stars of today can be the Jazz of tomorrow.”

Macio Teague (#31) of the Salt Lake City Stars drives to the basket against the Oklahoma City Blue during an NBA G League game Nov. 5. (Photo courtesy of the Salt Lake City Stars)

December 2021 | Page 13

Cottonwood volleyball falls short of state berth after an entertaining play-in game versus rivals By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

t isn’t often that you get to play a rubber match against your rival. But for the Cottonwood volleyball team, it just so happened that in order to earn a berth in the 5A state volleyball championships, the Colts would have to defeat their rivals Hillcrest at Hillcrest, in a play-in game Nov. 1. The two schools split their season series at one match apiece going into this rubber match. Hillcrest took the first from the Colts on Sept. 9, while Cottonwood turned around and won on Oct. 10. This was the Colts first and only win of the year. The Colts would get this rare third opportunity to stick it to their rivals for a second time in a row on a Wednesday night in Midvale and get their second win of the season. The Colts, however, would fall 19-25, 22-25 and 22-25 in a highly competitive single-elimination match to Hillcrest, the rubber match for the two crosstown rivals. Down one set to zero, the Colts stormed ahead 12-7 in the second set of this play-in game that also served as a rare third reprisal of a rivalry, but Hillcrest

Page 14 | December 2021

took the lead back at 20-17. A furious rally in which the Colts and their rivals traded serves gave Hillcrest a slim 22-19 lead and the Colts some life in this second set of the do-or-die match. Service errors by Hillcrest plagued the home team throughout the match however, and so with some timely defense at the net as well as critical kills from senior Ali Tripp, the Colts stayed in the second set. But Hillcrest would prevail ultimately in the second set as well by the score of 25-22. The Colts came out ready to play in the third set, benefiting from poor service from their rivals as well as more timely offense from their senior captain Tripp to take an 11-8 lead. Cottonwood extended the advantage to 17-12, utilizing Tripp’s size, power and length from the right side of the court. For a team with a new head coach in Astraya Lassig, she made it clear the goals she wanted this team to reach in 2021 and one was being better in their attack. “Our game is really focused on offense. Learning that a point is a point and

it doesn't matter how we get it,” said the new Colts coach. “We have put a lot of focus on controlling where we are hitting the ball and just learning how to put it away,” Lassig said. As would be the case in any rivalry game though, Hillcrest was ready, scoring the next three points. The Colts would then move ahead at 19-15 but Hillcrest started hitting aces. Another furious rally and ace brought Hillcrest even with the Colts at 19-19, forcing Cottonwood’s Lassig to have to call a timeout. Some miscommunication between Colts players led to several receiving errors after that, and Hillcrest capitalized by scoring the next four points, putting the Colts in a 23-19 deficit—one that Lassig said must get better. “Our side out percentages are really low and that's the only reason we are not winning right now. Side out percentage has to be at 60% or more to win,” Lassig said. “We are in the 20s to 40s right now across the whole program. No one is quite finishing all the rallies even though we ral-

ly well at the moment. So side out percentage is my biggest focus at the moment.” The Colts, who have been working on improving their service game all season long, would storm back and score on an ace and two-handed block to cut Hillcrest’s lead to as little as 24-22, but the crosstown rivals would deal the final blow on a return that was too hard to handle. The Colts finished their season at 1-20 overall, and will lose Tripp to graduation unfortunately. The Cottonwood head coach saluted the senior for her service to the team. “She is a great leader,” Lassig said. “She is the most committed and just always making sure that things are taken care of.” But, the future looks bright for a Cottonwood team that battled all season long with young players, added Lassig. “Ten seniors graduated last year creating a whole new varsity team,” said Lassig, who singled out Kennedy Covili and Kya Budge as players to watch in 2022. “We are super brand new—with most returning next year.” l

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www.sslc.gov

December 2021 Cherie Wood, Mayor 801-464-6757 mayor@sslc.gov

South Salt Lake City Council Members LeAnne Huff, District 1 801-440-8510 lhuff@sslc.gov Corey Thomas, District 2 801-755-8015 cthomas@sslc.gov Sharla Bynum, District 3 801-803-4127 sbeverly@sslc.gov Portia Mila, District 4 801-792-0912 pmila@sslc.gov L. Shane Siwik, District 5 801-548-7953 ssiwik@sslc.gov Natalie Pinkney, At-Large 385-775-4980 npinkney@sslc.gov Ray deWolfe, At-Large 801-347-6939 rdewolfe@sslc.gov

City Ofﬁces

8 am to 5 pm 801-483-6000 220 East Morris Ave SSL, UT 84115 Animal Service 801-483-6024 Building Permits 801-483-6005 Business Licensing 801-483-6063 Code Enforcement 801-464-6712 Fire Administration 801-483-6043 Justice Court 801-483-6072 Police Admin 801-412-3606 Promise 801-483-6057 Public Works 801-483-6045 Recreation 801-412-3217 Utility Billing 801-483-6074 Emergencies 911 Police/Fire Dispatch 801-840-4000

CITY NEWSLETTER

Season of Sharing: Small Acts for a Big Impact Building a thriving community takes, well, a whole lot of people. We are so fortunate that South Salt Lake is full of great people who serve and give back in countless ways. In my experience, the power of a community is exponentially greater with each person who brings something positive and different to the table. So in the spirit of the Holidays, I want to share some of my favorite ways to contribute. Many take just a small Mayor Cherie Wood financial or time commitment but have a big payback. • Volunteer. The gift of time is one of the most valuable things you can share. Help us plan out our new community garden at Fitts Park, or teach digital literacy skills at The Community Opportunity Center (The Co-Op). Love to celebrate? Then volunteer for Mural Fest or the July 4th Parade. Have a unique skill set you would like to share? Reach out to us at connect@sslc.gov. • Host a donation drive. Food, school, hygiene, and household supplies can be donated to the Promise Community Resource Pantry, or to one of South Salt Lake’s several nonprofit partners (see suggestions on p. 4 and 7). • Clear a storm drain. Storm drains need to be clear of ice, leaves and debris to prevent flooding and keep waterways clean. • Plant native. Local wildlife needs our support. Monarch butterflies are at risk of extinction, the Milkweed plant is the only plant they eat and lay their eggs on. Hungry butterflies need nectar plants, which also keep the birds and bees wellfed all summer long. Plant some diversity and avoid using toxic herbicides on your lawn and garden, and you will see the payoff!

• Attend City meetings. Building strong neighborhoods start with strong civic involvement. Wherever your interest lies, attend City Council meetings or participate in meetings like Neighborhood Watch. Many are also held or broadcast online. The current City calendar of events can be found at sslc.gov. This year, I saw many of you in action, in service, and ﬁnding ways to raise up our community. Thanks to those who see a need, do what they can, pitch in, donate, spread the good word, and make South Salt Lake a wonderful place to live. Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season! —Cherie

Over 40 residents gathered to show their support for gaining a partnership with Wasatch Community Gardens in order to bring a new community garden to Fitts Park in 2022.

At the new Community Opportunity Center (The Co-Op), Lucas Horns, sits down to help a resident navigate on a computer. We need more volunteers like you that can assist others to gain digital skills!

• Adopt a hydrant. It is simple to help your local ﬁreﬁghter. While shoveling walks this winter, be sure to clear the snow away from a hydrant on your street. • Help out furry friends. Volunteer or donate food and supplies to our Animal Shelter. Contact, jenica.laws@sslc.gov. See page 6 to learn about our Angel Paw Tree. • Show a neighbor you care. Especially those who are elderly, have a chronic illness, or those with special needs. Check-in on them, offering to run an errand, or help clear their leaves and snow.

What’s Neighborhood Night? We organized an evening at Riverfront to allow residents to socialize and ask questions about our city departments, services and programs, like Promise!

City News SSL City Council Meetings

CITY COUNCIL CORNER

In-Person or Watch Live: video.ibm.com/channel/sslc Wednesday, December 1, 7 p.m. Wednesday, December 8, 7 p.m.

SSL City Planning Commission Meetings Thursday, December 2, 7 p.m.

No Garbage Pickup Delays in December Place cans curbside on your typical collection day.

City Ofﬁce Closures Thursday & Friday, Dec. 23-24 Friday, Dec. 31

By Ray deWolfe, At-Large The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a rift in the thinking of the role of personal freedom as it relates to societal freedom. It is common knowledge you are not free to run your car into somebody else’s. There are consequences. Freedom often has limits, especially when it affects the freedom of another. The debate on masks, vaccinations, mandates, lockdowns, etc. are often viewed as a tug-of-war battle between my freedom and your freedom. I’d argue the real tug-of-war is between freedom and responsibility. To speak more about the role of responsibility, I’d like to quote a Holocaust survivor and renowned psychiatrist, Victor Frankl. He wrote a bestselling book detailing his experience called “Man’s Search for Meaning.’ Here’s a passage from the book: “Freedom, however, is not the last word. Freedom is only part of the story and half the truth. Freedom is but the negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness. In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness. That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.”

A phrase used by founding father Patrick Henry, “Give me Liberty or Give me Death” should not be used as a Get Out of Jail Free card to disregard society’s obligation to responsibility. Your liberty, more frequently than not, does not start and stop with only yourself in mind. I’ll use a metaphor borrowed from Sir Isaac Newton – For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. People often neglect this fact, which realizes that what you do has an impact on others. We must pause to think if our actions, which we sometimes claim are within our personal liberties, are acting responsibly. A responsibility to maintain an overall free society. Our freedoms are not at risk when we are held responsible. In fact, I believe Viktor Frankl argues quite the opposite. Our freedoms are most at risk when we lose sight of our responsibility. If we want to continue to be a great country, then Responsibility must accompany Freedom. We must show the world we can handle the weight – nay, the societal burden of Freedom by acting Responsible enough to keep it. Note: Opinions expressed here may not be representative of all Members of the City Council.

When it Snows: Winter rules to abide by

Farewell and Thank you for Your Service! Ray deWolfe, City Council At-Large, and Chair, Jordan River Commission

Winter is here, and that snow is on the way! Public Works is hard at work keeping the streets clear, here are a few things you can do to help out. Parked vehicles impact snowplow operators. Avoid parking on any city street between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Remember that it is illegal to park on a street or in an alley for more than 72 hours consecutively, and to leave unlicensed/unregistered vehicles, or detached trailers on the street.

SWEARING IN CEREMONY You’re invited to the swearing in of elected ofﬁcials: Mayor Cherie Wood City Council Members: Corey Thomas Sharla Bynum Clarissa Williams

January 3, 2022 • 12 p.m.

Columbus Community Center • 2531 South 400 East

South Salt Lake City Council Action Report Summary Full agendas, minutes, handouts and video recorded meetings available at: sslc.gov/city-government/council-meeting Date 10/27/21

Agenda Item Ordinance to allow for curbside glass recycling

Subject Enacting Section 13.72.400 and Amending the Municipal Code to allow for Curbside Glass Recycling

Action Approved

Next Step No further discussion

10/27/21

Ordinance creating a Stormwater Utility

Approved

No further discussion

10/27/21

Adopting Residential AntiDisplacement and Relocation Assistance Plan Consent Agenda from 10/27

Enacting Chapter 13.25 Creating a Stormwater Utility and Amending to ensure compliance with The City’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Permit A Resolution adopting a Residential Anti-Displacement and Relocation Plan as required under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 See Above 10/27

Moved to the Consent Agenda for November 3rd

No further discussion

Approved

No further discussion

11/3/21

Public Safety Keep Your Property & All of Us Safe this Holiday Season

Our Main Goal: No Holiday Fires!

Message from SSLPD Chief Jack Carruth

Message from SSLFD Chief Terry Addison

The holiday season is here and many in our community are helping by serving others. Please consider donating, to local nonprofits and charitable organizations that are in need of extra provisions such as donated food, clothing, ﬁnancial support and basic care items. This year, the South Salt Lake Police along with the generous support from the South Salt Lake Honorary Colonels helped provide complete Thanksgiving meals to over 60 families in our community. As always, it was a great and memorable experience. I’d like to share some crime prevention tips to better ensure that your possessions remain in your possession. Criminals can be sneaky but most often take action due to access and opportunity. Here are a few ways you can deter theft during the holidays. • While shopping, do not carry multiple bags, even if you have to take multiple trips to your vehicle. Place packages and items in the trunk and properly secure them. • If you carry a purse, do not leave it in a shopping cart unattended. It takes only a few seconds for someone to take your valuables and personal information. • If you order online, use an address where someone will be home to retrieve the package(s), or a work address. The longer a package remains on the porch visible the more likely it will be stolen. • Do not share vacation and travel plans on social media. Secure your home and garage while traveling. Share your activities once you’ve returned home. • Do not drink or drive. Have a designated driver or utilize a cab or ride-share option.

The South Salt Lake Fire Department would like to remind you about fire safety. The celebration of the season brings increased usage of electric lights, candles, space heaters, fireplaces and Christmas trees. Our main goal is to eliminate all emergencies due to Holiday fires.

Help keep your property and us all safe this holiday season.

If in Doubt, COVID-19 Testing is a Good Idea If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested as quickly as possible. Finding positive cases and beginning isolation early can prevent you from exposing others. Symptoms of COVID-19 may look like other common illnesses, like strep throat, colds, ﬂu, or allergies. To ﬁnd the most current schedule for free rapid mobile COVID-19 testing clinics, visit coronavirus.utah.gov.

HOLIDAY LIGHTS

• Inspect lights each year for frayed wires, gaps in insulation, broken or cracked sockets. • Do not overload electrical outlets. • Do not leave holiday lights on unattended. • If you use holiday lights outside, make sure they are rated for outdoor use.

CHRISTMAS TREES

Wednesday, December 1, 2021 9-10 a.m. Délice Bakery & Café 2747 S State Street Join SSLPD and community members to enjoy the morning and get to know our local law enforcement better.

• The key to a safe Christmas tree starts at the sales lot. Try the “Tap Test”, lift the tree up, and tap it on the ground. If any needles fall off, this tree is already too dry. Look for another tree. • Keep your tree watered. Without daily watering, your Christmas tree could become highly ﬂammable. • Never use outside lights on your Christmas tree. These lights can produce enough heat to dry out your tree and increase the chance of ﬁre. • Turn lights off when leaving your home and before going to bed.

CANDLES

• Keep candles at least 12 inches away from walls, curtains, trees, and decorations. Extinguish all candles when you leave the room or go to sleep. • Never leave a child or pet alone with a burning candle in the room. • Make sure candles are in a stable, non-combustible holder.

FIREPLACES

• Have your chimney inspected annually and cleaned and repaired as needed.

Neighborhood Watch Meeting

Dec. 2, 2021 3:30 p.m. Visit sslc.com for virtual event link.

Men’s Resource Center Neighborhood Meeting Dec. 15, 2021 3:30 p.m. Join us for a monthly conversation via Zoom. Visit sslc.com for the link.

• Always use a ﬁreplace screen to prevent sparks from ﬂying into the room. • Allow ashes to cool completely before disposal. • Store removed ashes in tightly covered metal containers, never in boxes or bags.

PORTABLE SPACE HEATERS

• Keep portable space heaters at least three feet away from walls, curtains, bedding or other materials that may burn. • Turn off portable space heaters when you leave the room. Never leave them on when you go to bed. • Plug cords only into outlets with sufﬁcient capacity and never into an extension cord.

The South Salt Lake Fire Department wishes you and your family a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.

Members of the SSLFD try out the new chin-up bars at the FitLot at Bickley Park.

Community Happenings SSL Community Development would like to highlight three organizations that do wonderful things to give back to South Salt Lake residents and the surrounding region. FREE BIKES 4 KIDZ

UTAH FOOD BANK

fb4kutah.org | 2250 South Main Street

Utahfoodbank.org 801-978-2452 3150 South 900 West

Free Bikes 4 Kidz is a non-profit organization helping all kids ride into a happier, healthier childhood by providing bikes to those most in need. How it works - Every year they host a Collection Event(s) where the public donates their used bikes. Bikes are taken to a warehouse where volunteers clean, refurbish, and make repairs. Meanwhile, they partner with community organizations and other non-profits to identify qualified recipients. In early December, these families attend the Distribution Event where the kids get to pick out a bike and helmet all their own. Interested in getting involved? Visit our website for volunteer opportunities (No mechanical experience necessary!) or to help out financially. IG: @fb4k_utah | Twitter: @fb4k_Utah | FB: Free-Bikes-4-Kidz-Utah

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF UTAH Bbbsu.org 801-313-0303 2121 S State St. Suite 201 Big Brothers Big Sisters provides adult mentors to children who may be facing challenges such as poverty, single-parent households, incarcerated parents, or other factors. The mentors help each child to realize the strength of their own potential. BBBS helped over 1,000 Utah children in 2020! IG: @bbbsutah Twitter: @bbbsutah FB: BBBSUtah

The Utah Food Bank has a mission to ensure no one in the state of Utah goes hungry. Utilizing community partners and volunteers, the Food Bank was able to deliver over 70 million pounds of food representing more than 58 million meals last year. Through strategic partnerships, every dollar donated to the Food Bank is able to provide the equivalent of more than $8 of food to those in need. IG: @utahfoodbank Twitter: @utahfoodbank FB: Utah Food Bank Other nonproﬁt organizations in our community: Utah Community Action—utahca.org Odyssey House—odysseyhouse.org Volunteers of America—voa.org The Road Home—theroadhome.org NAMI Utah—namiut.org

SHOP LOCAL THIS HOLIDAY SEASON STOP! Before you click on that “Buy Now” item online, think about shopping locally this season. For Foodies (and who isn’t?), we suggest purchasing gift cards from one of several South Salt Lake restaurants, bakeries, distillers, breweries, and coffee shops.

WESTERN ART GLASS westernartglass.net 2345 S W Temple Western Art Glass is a retail supplier of glass, tools, supplies and materials for stained, fused and mosaic glasswork. As a teaching space, they can work with all who are interested in working with traditional stained glass or the kiln-formed route to get there. Beyond offering commissioned one-of-a-kind works of art, they can fabricate unique glass art and repair or restore stained glass panels; including lamps.

SIGNED AND NUMBERED Signedandnumberedshop.com | etsy.com/shop/signedandnumbered 2320 S W Temple In 2008, husband and wife team Phil and Leia opened Signed & Numbered, a store that offers custom framing, art, and limited edition prints. Operating as a 100% wind-powered business, their award-winning craftsmanship is accomplished by hand and sustainably, reclaiming used wood whenever possible, which lends to each a unique “signed, numbered and ﬁnished” look.

Community Happenings VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Help South Salt Lake bridge the digital divide by becoming a digital navigator! As a digital navigator, you’ll meet one-on-one with community members to help address their digital needs from acquiring a low-cost computer to signing up for internet service to learning fundamental tech skills. Volunteers do not need to be particularly proﬁcient at computer skills. Rather, we are looking for outgoing volunteers who enjoy helping others and are accepting of people from all backgrounds. For more information or to sign up, connect with Lucas Horns at lhorns@sslc.gov.

Resident and local Senior Advocate, James Brown sits down with SSL Chamber of Commerce President, Gary Birdsall as they discuss the future potential of The Co-Op as a workspace for interviews, meetings and nonprofit organizations.

All-Ages FitLot Comes to Bickley Park

In attendance at the FitLot dedication were Ida and Laurie Bickley, who volunteered for years at the former Columbus Library, and are for whom Bickley Park is named.

It is no surprise that the ‘City on the Move’ is now home to Utah’s first FitLot. The new outdoor exercise station adds to the recently opened Bickley Park at 2508 S. 500 East. The outdoor fitness station was generously donated by AARP and designed by FitLot. The grant from AARP also includes three years of programming which will ensure free fitness instruction classes at the FitLot. “Our City is always finding new ways to invest in people. Mental and physical health are a big challenge for many community members, and the pandemic made this especially acute. We knew one solution would be to encourage more outdoor fitness, and to our great pleasure, AARP and FitLot made this happen at just the right time. I couldn’t be more thrilled to open the first FitLot in Utah and create an active space to foster healthy aging,” said Mayor Cherie Wood. “This outdoor amenity is the perfect addition to our Bickley Park. We were so excited to design it as an all ages, all abilities playground and at last have a park next to our community center,’’ said Sharen Hauri, South Salt Lake Director of Neighborhoods. “We look forward to energizing our residents here - no matter their age or fitness level,” said Aaron Wiet, Director of the SSL Recreation, “One of our main purposes is to enhance the quality of life for all residents and keep our community strong, and the new FitLot does exactly that.”

Seeking FitLot Fitness Instructors

From local resident, Lisa Burke, “I attended this and it is a wonderful new fitness area. My friend, Margaret, was visiting me from southern Utah and she was so impressed with the new park, our Mayor and her staff and employees who have worked so hard to make this happen. I love South Salt Lake!”

Certiﬁed Pilates, yoga and ﬁtness trainers are needed and will be paid to teach classes starting in Spring 2022. To learn more contact SSL Recreation Director, Aaron Wiet at awiet@sslc.gov.

Community Happenings Season of Sharing in SSL There are those of us less fortunate who deserve all the love a community can offer. For your consideration, we’ve created a “very good list” of simple ways to give back and boost the spirits of our community. The Youth City Council has created a holiday gift wish list for several of our local families. These items include basic need items, holiday and monetary gift card donations. Is there a home in your neighborhood that is exceptionally merry and bright? We’d love to recognize them this holiday season. Please share details, including photos at: connect@sslc.gov.

Mural Fest 2022 Call For Your Business Walls To submit your wall for the Mural Fest 2022, contact Lesly Allen at lallen@sslc.gov.

Art Class for January: Intro to Zentangle w/ Linda Rios

Zentangle Method is a fun mindful art form that almost anyone can do. Using a pen and a paper tile, even non-artists can create beautiful art. In these 4 weeks, you will learn the Zentangle Method and create several pieces of art. Likely you will enjoy increased focus, creativity, self-conﬁdence, and a sense of well-being. There are no mistakes in Zentangle, no expected outcome, no top or bottom. No art experience needed! Wednesdays 6:30-8:30 p.m. January 5, 12, 19, 26 Register at sslarts.org

BASIC NEEDS IDEAS: • Cleaning supplies (laundry detergent, dish soap, disinfectant wipes, all-purpose spray cleaner, etc.) • Paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, tissues) • Toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc.) • Personal hygiene items (toothpaste/brushes, deodorant, feminine products, diapers)

HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS: • • • • • • • • •

Board and Card Games Puzzles Holiday Popcorn Tins Gingerbread House Kits Hats, gloves, scarves, cozy socks Footballs, basketballs, soccer balls, etc. Art supplies Toys and gifts for all ages Gift cards (Grocery and Gas) in $25 increments

MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS:

Donate online at sslpal.org by clicking on the DONATE NOW button at the bottom of the page with a note that says, “YCC Season of Sharing”.

Bring unwrapped items to Promise South Salt Lake at City Hall (220 E Morris Ave. 3rd Floor) by Friday, December 10th. Contact Edward Lopez at elopez@sslc. gov with any questions.

Promise Health Center Close to Home Midtown Community Health Center provides a medical facility to individuals and families from South Salt Lake. They provide medical, dental, behavioral health, and pharmaceutical services to patients with or without medical insurance, in a culturally and linguistically competent way. They also provide enrollment assistance for Medicaid/CHIP and the Marketplace. Midtown Community Health Center 2253 South State Street 801-486-0911 midtownchc.org

Utah Afterschool Network’s Frontline Staff of the Year

SOUTH SALT LAKE CENTRAL PARK COMMUNITY CENTER PROMISE

AFTERSCHOOL

PROGRAM

RECREATION

DEPARTMENT

The SSL Recreation Department helps build community unity through the Power of 3: People, Pride, and Programs - Providing for a better quality of life. Contact the Recreation Department for information on youth & adult sports, special events & programs, or room rentals.

Promise South Salt Lake also has a team of Family Liaisons that can help facilitate access to community resources and programs.

801.412.3217 | sslc.gov/department-listings/recreation

Coordinator: Patrick Holman-Hart pholman@sslc.gov | 801.386.4949 | @PromiseSSL

PAL

Prabina Rai exempliﬁes what it means to “love the youth you serve” and has a talent of connecting with youth at the James E. Moss program. She has worked with Promise South Salt Lake at Moss for two and a half years and has become a key piece of the program for both youth and staff. Through the stress of COVID-19, Prabina could be found with her joke book, sharing a laugh with youth and bringing joy to anyone around her. As an English Language Learner herself, Prabina knows how to empower youth to work through any challenge with pride and conﬁdence. Her dedication and ability to reach each young person on an individual level make her a priceless asset to the Moss team. Most importantly, she is simply an outstanding human being who works hard, cares deeply, and adds fun to everything she does.

SSL

Central Park Community Center houses a free afterschool program by Promise South Salt Lake. This program provides homework help, prevention curriculum, recreation activities, dinner, and more. Open to all SSL youth in grades 1-12. Registration required.

BOXING

AFTERSCHOOL

PROGRAM

Central Park Community Center is home to the PAL Pete Suazo Boxing Gym and Boxing Program (sponsored by the Police Athletics and Activities League/PAL and operated by Promise SSL), where youth from 8-18 can participate for free in boxing, coaching, exercise, and tournaments.

RESOURCE

PANTRY

The Resource Pantry offers a place for any community members to receive items they need, including food, school supplies, hygiene items, and other household / basic needs items. The pantry is staffed by the Promise Family Liaison Team who can help connect individuals to other resources. The entrance is located on the west side of the building. 801.455.1729 | promise@sslc.gov | @PromiseSSL

Coordinator: Patrick Holman-Hart pholman@sslc.gov | 801.386.4949 | @ProimseSSL THE

ENGLISH

CLASSES

CHILDCARE

English classes and childcare for participants provided in partnership with Utah Community Action and Horizonte. Monday - Thursday, 9 - 11 am and 11 - 1 pm nikki.vandijk@utahca.org | 801.410.5733

WELLNESS

BUS

The Wellness Bus helps communities to make healthier lifestyle choices. Learn how to manage prediabetes and help prevent Type 2 diabetes. They provide free screenings, counseling/coaching, referrals to needed services, and health education. Every service is free, fast, and safe. Thursdays, 3 - 7 pm 801.587.5257 | wellnessbus.org

CENTRAL PARK COMMUNITY CENTER 2797 SOUTH 200 EAST SOUTH SALT LAKE CITY 84115 CITY

THE

MOVE!

@PromiseSSL | @SouthSaltLake

Utah organization celebrates 10 years of empowering local women By Hannah LaFond | h.lafond@mycityjournals.com

n Nov. 13, guests gathered at Venue 6SIX9 in downtown Salt Lake City for a black-tie gala to honor nine outstanding women. Those celebrated women were the 2021 graduates from WoWUtah. “WoW” stands for “Women of Worth,” and the Utah-based nonprofit works to help women who have overcome difficult circumstances such as addiction, abuse or disease. The women selected for the program go through a year of workshops and training to help them gain self-worth and give them the tools they need for a fresh start. Each of the women is paired with a mentor, a volunteer who is there to help through the entire journey. Along with teaching them valuable life skills, each participant is given a makeover. According to WoWUtah’s Facebook page, they are gifted a collection of business attire and casual clothing selected by a team of stylists. “So she can feel confident and beautiful in her personal and professional life.” They also give each graduate formal wear and shoes for the gala event. While the program usually spans a year, the graduates at Friday’s event had been with WoWUtah for two years. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, workshops and classes that usually would have taken place in person switched to online. As a result, WoWUtah decided to keep the same participants for another year so they could better experience the program. Gala attendees enjoyed watching videos made by the 2021 graduates to highlight their achievements. Following their video, each graduate walked across the stage, just like in a classic school graduation. Then they were invited to say a few words about their experience, all of them finishing with the proclamation of “I am a woman of worth.” Barbara Moeller, who graduated from the program in 2012, now sits on WoW’s Chair of Mentees. Speaking about her experience, she said, “WoW helped me to find out how amazing it is to be myself. I had gotten lost under the pressures and circumstances in life. The program gave me the tools to defend myself against challenges that eroded my self-worth. The magic is being paired with a mentor for a journey of self-discovery. I not only found my worth again but learned to be responsible and accountable for how I comport myself.” Along with honoring the 2021 graduates, the gala also celebrated the 10 years WoWUtah has been in operation. Judee Guay, who founded WoW and now works alongside COO Marie Jess to keep it running, spoke about the organization’s beginnings. She started WoW after she got a second chance at life. Guay recalled her years spent in an abusive marriage and how hopeless she’d felt. Hopelessness, only made worse by autoimmune diseases she was suffering

Page 22 | December 2021

Judee Guay, the founder of WoWUtah. (Courtesy of WoWUtah)

from at the time. But, slowly, she was able to put the pieces back together. She left the abusive marriage, lost 100 pounds, and started to heal. Going through such a life-changing experience made Guay want to help other women overcome their struggles. So, she started WoWUtah in 2011. Though she had a vision, Guay said their first gala was nothing like the event that evening. “If anybody had told me that 10 years later this would be here, I wouldn’t have believed them,” she said, looking out at the crowd. The guests were also invited to participate in a silent auction to raise money for WoW’s continuation. The auction included prizes such as theater tickets, gift baskets, romantic getaways and several cakes. The evening presenter and a member of WoW’s advisory board, Ty Bennett, joked that he’d won several cakes that his children had bid on for him. Speaking of how WoWUtah has operated and will continue to operate on donations, Guay said, “[WoW] has been supported by volunteers, including the directors, executive board and advisory board. No one has received remuneration, and it will stay that way with all donations going toward the women being served now and in the future.” After presenting the graduates, Guay and Jess took turns presenting awards to those who’d helped WoWUtah throughout its 10 years. One of the award recipients included Chad Hymas, a highly respected international speaker who is also on WoW’s advisory board. Hymas was given the Inspiration Award. Sheri Thompson, who’d come all the way from Arizona for the event, was given

Members of WoWUtah’s board with founder Judee Guay and husband, Lewie Guay, at the center. (Courtesy of WoWUtah)

WoWUtah gala venue. (Courtesy of WoWUtah)

the Soul Sister Award. Guay told The City Journals, “Sheri's incredible connection with her WoW sisters and the mentees is why she is so deserving of this award.” They also surprised Bennett, the presenter, with the Legacy Award, for being with WoW from the beginning. Guay finished by surprising her COO Jess, and her husband, Lewie Guay, with the Founder’s Awards.

After the awards, they finished the evening by inviting the women of WoW to perform a special musical number. They stood on the stage to sing “Breaking Free; Becoming My Best Me,” WoW’s official theme song, written by Nina Angela Lee, the president of Wow’s Executive Board. WoWUtah will be helping another group of women in 2022 as each year they select from a pool of candidates.l

S outh Salt Lake City Journal

Cottonwood boys cross country team places sixth at 5A state championships By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

ince the summer, the Cottonwood Colts boys cross country team has been practicing every day, early in the morning, and almost always along the rolling hills of the Cottonwood Complex. On Oct. 27, just as the weather was getting more chilly, the Colts showed why they are a team on the rise at the 5A state cross country championships. Paced by Timothy Thompson in 75th place who completed the course at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City in 17 minutes and 11 seconds, the Colts as a team had their best showing at the 5A State cross country championships in several years. Thompson was the Colts top finisher in a time of 17 minutes and 52 seconds. Skyelar Limburg crossed the finish line in 124th place, while Seth Dunn was in 135th in a time of 17:58. Naaman Orbezua-Black was next for Cottonwood in 162nd in 18 minutes and 36 seconds, Colby Merryweather 173rd in 19 minutes and nine seconds, and Ethan Despain rounded out the Colts finishers at the 51 state tournament in 179th place in a time of 21 minutes and three seconds. The Colts boys had several good meets leading up to the big finish at state, includ-

ing the final divisional meet that determined which schools in Class 5A would qualify for state. Under head coach Jason Baker, the Colts boys were the last team to have qualified for the state championships at the divisional meet at Lakeside Park in Orem Oct. 13, finishing 12th overall in Division B out of 16 schools. For a boys team that finished fifth overall out of seven schools at its Region 7 meet at the Cottonwood Complex back on Sept. 30, having a culmination at the state championships of all of their hard work the past two years—the Colts boys didn’t qualify in 2020—was big for the program’s future. Thompson and Dunn had already finished in the top 15 at region on the friendly confines of the rolling hills that comprise the complex—a course these Colts have been training on nearly every morning since the summer. In all, the Colts boys sent six runners to the state championships on the boys side, and all six completed the race. The girls cross country team, which finished in 16th place overall in Division B at the divisionals, and seventh at the Region 7 meet, did not qualify for the state championshipsl

The cross country state championships took place at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City. (File photo Julie Slama/City Journals)

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S outh SaltLakeJournal .com

Guaranteed not to clog for as long as you own your home, or we will clean your gutters for free! December 2021 | Page 23

Former NBA coach hosts basketball camp By Catherine Garrett | c.garrett@mycityjournals.com

tah native Barry Hecker, who coached in the NBA for more than two decades, continues to teach the game of basketball to young players. During the winter holidays, he will host a camp Dec. 27-29 from 9-11 a.m. at the Sandy Recreation Center, located at 440 E. 8680 South for boys and girls in grades fourth through seventh. “These camps are all about the basic fundamentals of basketball,” Hecker said. “We focus on quality fundamental instruction, we work hard with a lot of discipline and structure and we have a lot of fun. When these kids walk out of there, they know they’ve been taught and improved.” The cost of the camp is $75. Registrations are open online by visiting www. sandy.utah.gov/registration and clicking on “Activity Registration.” The veteran coach, who lives in Murray, said the values he has learned from his basketball coaching journey—beginning at Oxon Hill High School in Maryland and spanning through Salt Lake Community College and stints with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies—are invaluable. Being able to share those prin-

ciples of hard work, teamwork, unselfishness and persistence, along with the physical skills of the game itself, with others thrills him. “I don’t care who I coach or when I coach,” Hecker, who has worked with current Jazz players Mike Conley and Rudy Gay, said. “I simply enjoy teaching the game. It’s great to see a smile on someone’s face as they experience success. If you help somebody, you’ll be somebody.” Hecker has conducted clinics all over the world for more than 40 years, including many since his retirement from coaching in the NBA. He said he particularly enjoys working with the youth. “If you teach skills, that leads to confidence and that confidence can allow anyone to do anything they want,” he said. “I have more fun with young kids than with the pros. In the NBA, you have guys who are making millions and they don’t listen. These kids are making nothing and they’ll listen to you.” l Former NBA coach Barry Hecker, who coached Jazz player Rudy Gay back in Memphis has been hosting basketball camps for more than 40 years. (Catherine Garrett/City Journals)

Big eSports online tournament held for local students By Greg James | g.james@mycityjournals.com

he idea of gamers living in their parents’ basement and never seeing the light of day is no more. In the fall festival held in November, 695 Utah high school and middle school students gathered online in a friendly eSports competition. “The ability of eSports to be online at any time makes it possible for us to hold a large tournament,” co-owner and operator of The League Esports (TLE) Danny Jacobson said. “We both got into eSports years ago for a local company, LDS Gamers,” co-owner and operator of TLE Shawn Fisher said. “We decided to open our community and host games. We were contacted by some high school organizations and through networking it has become a national and worldwide opportunity.” The Fall Festival sponsored by Ken Garff eSports at Cottonwood High School was the largest school event held in the state with 221 middle school and high school teams gathered online Nov. 11-12. In the 5A and 6A division 24 schools were represented. Teams played Smash Bros Ultimate and Rocket League. Each game can be played as teams and supports quick timed battles. RL (Rocket League) was played in teams of three. It is a vehicular-style soccer game. Both games are popular games with youth competitors and could be adapted to a large online gathering. “My teacher brought it up in a class and Rocket League is a game I like to play, so I signed up,” a middle school student that goes by the user name Elimantor said. “I like competing against my friends.”

Page 24 | December 2021

“A tournament this large had never been held in Utah. Some schools had multiple teams, some schools had as many as 30 kids,” Jacobson said. “The goal would be to hold it as an in-person event eventually, but lots of logistics would need to be figured out. Rocket League and Smash Bros are two of the most popular and they are good family-friendly games.” League of Legends is also a popular game that will be introduced into a big tournament, but the speed of games in Rocket League and Super Smash fit better into the large tournament. “The goal of this particular event was not to see who the very best was. We wanted the most participation and the opportunity to get kids to play with others from all over the place,” Jacobson said. Ken Garff eSports, iTeamUSA and Code to Success have pinpointed that gaming can develop potential workplace applicants. Jobs including coding and cybersecurity has many Silicon Slopes companies seeing the opportunity to find possible future employees. “This is a great gateway to introduce these jobs by finding kids that like to play video games,” Jacobson said. “Kids can go on to college and pay for it through games. We also have high school quarterbacks, soccer stars, and even band kids that like to play games when they get home. It is not an absolute that if you play games you live in your mom’s basement. Some of us are older and we own our basements,” Fisher said. The online community has helped many students

Big eSports online tournament held Caption: Rocket League is one of the most popular eSports games. West Jordan and Mountain Ridge high schools played an online match. (Photo courtesy of TLE)

with mental health conditions. “Just like anything there are negative things if you look for them. The community involvement can help with kids that can be introverted,” Jacobson said. “Gaming is a big sense of community. That is a reason we started TLE was to make a safe place to play and make new friends. Some of my best friends I have never met.” Like a local recreation center, TLE holds gathering points for gamers to gather and play competitive video games. “As we started ‘adulting’ we wanted a place where we could play our games, just like rec leagues play basketball or softball. Gamers can play competitively in college and earn scholarships or job offers. That is how we got started,” Jacobson said. l

S outh Salt Lake City Journal

Immerse yourself in art at new Leonardo exhibit By Justin Adams | justin.a@thecityjournals.com

here’s a new way to experience classic works of art at the new IDEA space at the Leonardo museum in downtown Salt Lake City. The acronym stands for “Immersive Digital Exploratory Art.” Occupying a large chunk of the museum’s second floor, the new space may seem sparse when the lights are on—large blank walls, a few mirrors, some benches and cushions for visitors to sit on. But turn off the lights and fire up the dozens of projectors strewn across the ceiling, and suddenly you’re flying through Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” or are nestled peacefully in Monet’s lush gardens. Each scene of artwork transforms seamlessly into the next with animations that bring each piece to life. Accompanying the artwork is an occasional voice-over that provides context for the artwork, but more often a piece of music; from classical music for the Romantic period to jazz music for the post-modern. The exhibit, Immersive Art Series, was created by Universal Exhibition Group and has previously been shown in Moscow, Dubai, Belgium and Switzerland. The Leonardo will be its first home in North America. The series consists of five shows, each centered around a different era or theme. The first show being played at the Leonardo is ti-

tled “Monet to Kandinsky” and features the work of “10 artists who revolutionized the art world.” The next show that will be added to the rotation focuses on the Italian Renaissance. “[The Leonardo] is the perfect space for this because it’s all about science, technology and art and that’s exactly what this is all about,” said Steve Boulay, COO of Magic Space Entertainment, a local company who partnered with the Leonardo to build the IDEA space and bring the Immersive Art Series to Utah. Although he’s surrounded by world class entertainment throughout his career of bringing Broadway productions to cities around the world, Boulay said there’s something “different” about this exhibit. In fact, he said he spent three hours just sitting in the space and enjoying the show all by himself. Although the IDEA space was built with the Immersive Art Series in mind, Boulay and the Leonardo envision many other uses for their investment. “If we have the space, we can also curate local content. We’re going to be able to do things like have shows based on Utah history or shows that highlight Utah artists,” he said. “I think you’re going to see shows here for a decade, which is fantastic.” The new space is also a perfect addition to the Leonardo as the country slowly

Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” fills the walls (and even the floor) of the Leonardo’s new IDEA space. (Justin Adams/City Journals)

emerges from the pandemic, said Executive Director Alex Hesse. “This new space is very open, it’s ‘no touch,’ and we can also restrict how many people are inside. It’s a very COVID-friendly experience,” she said. “It

also feels joyful, inspiring and uplifting and that feels very important to all of us at this time.” Tickets for “Monet to Kandinsky” are now available through the Leonardo’s website, www.theleonardo.org. l

A place of remembrance opens to honor Utah veterans By Darrell Kirby | d.kirby@mycityjournals.com

oe Day ran his right hand along several names imprinted on the Memorial Wall of the new Utah Veterans Memorial in West Valley City on a cool, cloudy Veterans Day in November. An Army veteran from 1990 to 2013 during which he trained Afghan troops from 2006-07, he stood in silence as he looked at the names of some comrades he served with in Afghanistan, including some who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to America. “It’s wonderful to see them memorialized like this,” Day said. “It brings back a flood of memories, and I’m just proud that they sacrificed and served the way that they did.” A ceremony was held on Nov. 11 to officially open the Utah Veterans Memorial. What was three acres of vacant land south of the Utah Cultural Celebration just six months ago is now a monument of remembrance for about 2,900 Utahns who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces in military conflicts from World War I to the Global War on Terror that started in the 1990s. Highlighted by the 75-foot-long, 8-foot high Memorial Wall, the plaza is surrounded by U.S flags and those of each branch of the military. Twenty-nine benches representing each of Utah’s counties are placed around the site to allow for visitors to take the time to remember the service of the men and women who went to war and never made it back or those who returned

S outh SaltLakeJournal .com

with physical and mental scars. The idea of a Utah Veterans Memorial was largely spearheaded by West Valley City Mayor and Air Force veteran Ron Bigelow. He gauged the interest of several cities in Salt Lake County before it was determined that West Valley City was the best place for it. Addressing a crowd of veterans, state and local government officials, and U.S. Reps. Burgess Owens and Chris Stewart of Utah, Bigelow said that while other Utah cities and towns have places to recognize veterans and war dead from those local communities, the new memorial in West Valley City has a broader focus. “We wanted to (honor) all of the veterans from the state of Utah who had lost their lives in combat.” Bigelow praised the fundraising efforts that resulted in the $1.3 million in mainly private and business donations to finish the first part of what is planned to be a three-phased project over the next few years as additional money is raised. “We’re going to move from this to building a pavilion for groups to gather, we’re going to put monuments up for different conflicts, and eventually we’ll have a building where veterans can congregate, where we can have occasional exhibits to remember the role that those who preserve our freedoms have played in our country.” Rich Beaudoin of West Valley City joined with dozens of other people in strolling the

Army veteran Joe Day pauses at the Utah Veterans Memorial Wall to remember comrades who died while serving in America’s military conflicts. (Darrell Kirby/City Journals)

grounds of the plaza and looking at the long list of names on the memorial wall. He served 26 years in the Navy. “I think this is an awesome tribute. I hope a lot of people can come and see this.” When asked what feelings came to mind as he scanned the names, Beaudoin choked back tears. “Sacrifice of the families,” he replied. “Each one of these names impacts the timeline of the world. Maybe they could have been the father of a couple of doctors who cured something.”

Day said visiting the memorial wall was worth it. “It’s going to mean the world to a lot of veterans and to a lot of families that can come here and remember their loved ones.” “We hope it will be a place of contemplation to help us never forget the debt we owe to them (veterans) for preserving our freedoms and the very lives we live today,” Bigelow concluded. The memorial was designed by EDA Architects and built by Okland Construction of Salt Lake City. l

December 2021 | Page 25

Measuring the impact of ranked choice voting By Justin Adams | justin.a@thecityjournals.com

his election cycle, multiple cities in the Salt Lake valley opted to take advantage of a pilot program for ranked choice voting, made possible by the state legislature. As opposed to a traditional election, where voters must select one candidate, RCV allows voters to rank any number of candidates according to their preference. Proponents of the method point to the benefits of making the switch, from encouraging more candidates to run and increasing voter turnout, to making elections more fair and less antagonistic. While some of these benefits aren’t easily measured, some of them can be. So, how did this round of RCV experimentation turn out? To get a sense of how much RCV impacted local elections this year, The City Journals took a look at the numbers for a few key metrics. First reporters compared the number of candidates and voter turnout to the same races held in 2017. Then reporters asked the question: did RCV actually change any of the election results? Number of Candidates There were eight cities which took part in the RCV pilot: Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake, Millcreek, Cottonwood Heights, Sandy, Draper, Midvale and Bluffdale. Riverton would have but only had one candidate for each election. Within those cities, there were 17 races that utilized RCV. (A couple races would have used RCV, but it ended up not being necessary because there were only two candidates.) There were 73 combined candidates who ran in those 17 races, an increase from 63 candidates who ran for those same positions in the primary stage in 2017. However, that increase is almost completely accounted for by one city, Sandy, which saw an increase of three to eight candidates in its mayoral race and from two to six candidates in its race for an at-large seat on the city council. Cottonwood Heights was another city that saw an increase in candidates, with five candidates competing in both its mayoral race and one of its city council races (compared to three in each race from 2017). Salt Lake City saw the biggest decrease in its number of candidates, with two fewer candidates vying for its second district seat and three fewer candidates vying for its seventh district. Voter Turnout How about voter turnout? Does giving people the chance to rank multiple candidates encourage more people to participate? Not according to this year’s races. Of the 17 races we looked at, there was a total voter turnout of 115,851. That’s up just a little bit from 2017’s turnout of 115,008. Recognizing that there are a number of possible variables that can impact turnout for a given race, here are a few of the outliers in this category. Remember, this is comparing 2017 to 2021. A Bluffdale race for two seats on its council increased from 1,418 ballots counted to 3,344. Salt Lake City’s first district race saw an increase from 1,621 to 3,381. Despite having seven candidates vying for two at-large seats, Draper’s voter turnout dropped 20%, from 10,853 to 8,610. Even in Sandy City, which had a hotly contested and crowded mayoral race, turnout decreased from 23,007 to 21,246. Did it impact results? Under RCV, the ballot counting process takes place over several rounds. After the first round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their ballots then revert to those voters’ second choices. This creates the possibility that whichever candidate receives the most first-place ballots, won’t actually win the election. You might have a candidate who receives the third-most votes in the first round end up winning the election

Page 26 | December 2021

Election assistant Becky Overacker helps first-time voter Zyon Bruce in Draper where they held ranked choice voting for the first time. (Mimi Darley Dutton/City Journals)

because they built a broad base of support and was able to win the majority of the second place votes. So, did that happen in any of these elections? For the most part, no. In almost all the races, the candidate who received the most first-place votes went on to win the election. The one exception being Millcreek’s District 2 race, in which Jeremiah Clark held a narrow lead after the first round of votes, but ended up losing to Thom Desirant by nine percentage points. So what? Based on this initial look at some of these metrics, it might seem like RCV made a huge impact on this year’s elections. But Stan Lockhart, a spokesman for Utah Ranked Choice Voting, said that it’s too early to draw long-term conclusions about the effectiveness of RCV. “Twenty-three cities in Utah used ranked choice voting this year, and it was the first time for 21 of those 23 cities. We need to be careful in extrapolating too much,” he said. In regards to measurables like number of candidates and voter turnout, Lockhart said those have always been driven more by local issues. If there’s something controversial that’s taken place at the city level, like a tax increase or a land use decision, that’s more likely to drum up interest in an election than a change to RCV. A better measure of RCV’s success, according to Lockhart, is how voters felt about the process…a question that Utah RCV teamed up with Y2 Analytics to help answer. “I think the most important metric that we should focus on is voter satisfaction. How did the voter feel about the experience of ranking their vote. And the survey vote shows as high as 90% of the voters thought it was easy to use,” Lockhart said. Additionally, 62% of poll respondents said they liked voting with a ranked choice ballot.

Learning curve Lockhart acknowledged that there can be a little bit of a learning curve when it comes to RCV, both for candidates and voters. For candidates, the implementation of RCV opens up another component of campaign strategy that they normally wouldn’t think about: coordinating with other candidates and forming coalitions. For example, a group of two or more like-minded candidates can encourage their voters to rank them in the top three spots. Lockhart said he didn’t see a whole lot of such coordination in the races which used RCV. One exception was for one of the council races in Salt Lake City, where two candidates jointly paid for a postcard advertisement, where one candidate was featured on one side, and the other candidate on the flipside. There’s also a learning curve for voters, who might not realize the power they have by taking advantage of the ranked choice feature. If a voter only ranks one or two candidates and those candidates get eliminated, that voters’ ballot becomes “inactive.” In a close election, a large number of inactive ballots represents voters who could have potentially swung the election one way or another. That’s exactly what happened in Sandy, where the top two candidates for mayor were separated by just 21 votes. However, there were over 4,000 inactive ballots (voters who had chosen to not rank either of the two finalists). If voting is all about using one’s voice, Lockhart suggested that fully ranking every candidate on the ballot is voters’ best way to maximize that voice. “If those voters had ranked more candidates, they would have been more relevant in that round,” he said about that Sandy mayoral race. l

S outh Salt Lake City Journal

December holidays beyond Santa Claus and the Nativity By Karmel Harper | k.harper@mycityjournals.com

“

How can we have Christmas without a Christmas tree, Mom?” -Kevin McCallister, “Home Alone.” Kevin asked this question as his family was packing for their holiday trip to Paris, France. Taking a vacation during the holidays was unheard of for the 1990 movie audience, but introducing this concept added to the storyline, character development, and message of Home Alone. We all remember the rained-out trip, a mother’s determination to be with her son for Christmas, and the message of forgiveness between parent and child. But nowadays, more and more families are opting to follow the McCallister tradition to teach their children another message: that memories last longer than objects. Instead of clicking on Amazon links, families are clicking on hotel and cruise line websites to enjoy a vacation getaway during the Christmas holiday in lieu of physical presents. Herriman’s Cassidy O-Keef Ratliff’s family took cruises during Christmas in 2017 and 2018. “The memories last a lifetime and my kids talk about it all the time and long to do it again. Presents are forgotten mostly within a couple of weeks. It helps parents find calmness and enjoy the events leading up to the holidays,” Ratliff said. When Herriman’s Kim Capilli Carpenter was a child, their family visited Mexico during the holidays. “The vacation was the big family gift and it was amazing. My mom would pack our stockings and fill them with all of the essentials for the beach and set them under one of those little one-foot Christmas trees in our hotel room. Speaking from ex-

perience I can guarantee you and your kids would trade these kinds of trips for all of the presents in the world,” Carpenter said. Herriman’sAlisonTaylorsaid,“Myparentsdidthisonce.It’sbeen49years nextmonth,andmysistersandIwiltalkaboutit!” Jozettte Barker-Loumis, a travel advisor in Herriman said, “I book clients for Christmas a lot! As a family we go as well.” Barker-Loumis said the most popular holiday destination is Mexico as it is easy on restrictions and close to Utah. However, not everyone is sold on the idea of a Christmas getaway. In a poll of Herriman residents on the Herriman Happenings Facebook page, of the 569 responses, 41 said they will never take a vacation away for the holidays as they believe that Christmas is to be celebrated at home. For families with young children, trips can be too daunting and the magic of Christmas is still alive and well with little ones. Santa Claus visiting children on a cruise ship or a hotel room just does not have the same magic as visiting your own home. “I don’t feel like Christmas at home is about remembering what gifts they got,” Herriman’s Nicole Dom Christoffersen said. “It’s about remembering the feelings and the excitement of being with cousins and family we don’t see as often. In fact, my daughter is saving up for something really expensive she wants to buy and I expressed to her that she might feel bummed asking for money when everyone else is getting something fun to play with that day. She said, ‘I’m not worried about it. Gifts are fun but I’m most excited to hang out with Grandma and do puzzles and play

The community candle lighting to celebrate Hanukkah at Sue Tice’s synagogue. (Photo courtesy of Sue Tice.)

with my cousins.’” Herriman’s Denise Fritz said, “My vote is home for the holidays, but a family gift would be a trip. The holiday season of putting up the tree, great smells of cookie baking, gingerbread house decorating, and relatives coming together. That’s what great memories are. Trips are fine but at another time.” Another option to have the best of both

worlds is to give a vacation as the major family gift for Christmas but take the trip after Christmas. This strategy avoids the rush of holiday travel. Herriman’s Tauni Smith Hawker said, “At times, the vacation is the day after Christmas. Other times, it’s a few months after Christmas. The ones later are awesome because we had Christmas and the excitement building up to the vacation.” l

Two Menorahs (or Hannukiahs). The one on the right says Shalom and the one on the left says Hanukkah. They’re accompanied by some dreidels and some Hanukkah gelt. (Photo courtesy of Sue Tice.)

S outh SaltLakeJournal .com

December 2021 | Page 27

South Salt Lake Jr. Jazz youth basketball is back By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

he leaves of fall are returning in full, orange bloom. But, so is Jr. Jazz youth basketball in all of its orange basketball glory according to Dustin Permann, South Salt Lake recreation coordinator. The immensely popular program was back on the South Salt Lake recreation schedule this November after a two-year hiatus sidelined it due to continued Covid-19 transmission in the community. There were four divisions for the league

that started with a practice night on Tues. Nov 16 and it continued through Thursday, Dec. 16. The pre-K/kindergarten and 1st/2nd grade divisions played their games on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while the 3rd/4th grade and 5th/6th grade divisions competed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The kids played six games in total, competed in two practices and received two tickets apiece to the Utah Jazz game Dec. 20 against fan favorite and reigning

NBA Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets—one that will be a game to remember. Last year had Jr. Jazz participants in the community participating in virtual activities—ones that the kids pre-K and up to sixth grade could do from the comforts of

their own homes.

Other programs have resumed full operations in the South Salt Lake rec program, including outdoor soccer which concluded in late August and adult pickleball in early November—both of which were played at Central Park. l

After a two-year hiatus, youth basketball is back in South Salt Lake. (Stock photo/Pixabay)

Page 28 | December 2021

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Karen Lang says experience will serve her well as West Valley City’s new mayor By Darrell Kirby | d.kirby@mycityjournals.com

est Valley City has the first female mayor in its 41-year history. City councilwoman Karen Lang was elected in November to lead the city she has called home for 37 years. She defeated fellow city council member Steve Buhler with 58.5% of the vote to become the ninth mayor of Utah’s second most-populous city. She will succeed Ron Bigelow, who did not seek a third term. “It’s sort of weird, but it’s going to be fun,” Lang said of the somewhat surreal feeling of winning the mayorship. Lang believes her city council experience serving District 3 in the northwestern/ north-central part of the city since 2012 will help her represent the entire city of 140,000 people. “I think having that 10 years behind me is going to make it a lot easier and more impactful.” She lost a previous bid for mayor to incumbent Bigelow in 2017. Lang plans to meet with the city council to exchange ideas on the future course of the city. “I have some ideas myself of what direction we want to move,” she said, citing continued expansion of the city’s economic

development efforts as one such initiative. Prior to the primary election in August, Lang laid out other goals if elected mayor. “Key issues I would address as mayor are a responsible budget, managed land use, public safety, maintenance of city roads and city properties,” Lang said. “We have little land available for development. We need to plan carefully for the best use of vacant land and be mindful to plan for redevelopment of older properties.” The new mayor and her husband, Brian, are longtime owners of Oakbridge Greenhouse. “Luckily for me, I’ve got a great spouse and great help at the greenhouse that will free me up (to tend to her mayoral duties),” Lang said. “I have some good support around me that will enable me to do my job very easily.” In January, the mayor’s office in four of Utah’s six largest cities will be occupied by women: Salt Lake City (Erin Mendenhall, elected in 2019), West Valley City, Provo (Michelle Kaufusi, elected last month to a second term), and Sandy (Monica Zoltanski, elected in November as the first female

Karen Lang will become West Valley City mayor Jan. 4, 2022. (Darrell Kirby/City Journals)

mayor after serving on the city council). “Boots to the ground and get working,” Lang said, looking toward her swearing in Jan. 4, 2022.

On that date, Buhler will end three terms as the District 2 councilmember, opting to run for mayor rather than seek reelection to the city council. l

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S outh Salt Lake City Journal 10/20/2021 12:18:52 PM

I Saw Mommy Kicking Santa Claus

he holidays have arrived. Snow is falling, candles are aglow, the smell of cinnamon wafts through the air, and somewhere in Utah a middle-aged woman is screaming at a Walmart cashier because the store is out of the candied cherries she puts in her fruit cake. Blame the supply chain, but it’s not just dried fruit running low; it’s patience, compassion and the ability to be a nice human being. If you’re on TikTok, along with videos of flying reindeer and holiday proposals, you’ll see flight attendants being punched, teachers yelling at students, customers throwing coffee at baristas and whales capsizing kayaks. Even whales have had enough. You’d think being isolated last year would make us happier to interact with fellow humans this holiday season, but it seems to be the opposite. Social distancing and isolation has taken our stress levels to nuclear proportions. We’re reacting like the Tasmanian Devil, whirling ourselves off a cartoon cliff. News programs broadcast warnings about packages stolen from porches and backseats, felons posing as Salvation Army bell-ringers and spiteful elves spying on children and reporting back to Santa. Poor Kris Kringle will deliver a lot of coal this year . . . well, not coal because it’s

Life

Laughter AND

PERI KINDER

destroying the planet. Maybe since wind power is a sustainable coal alternative, Santa can bring naughty people a stiff, gusty breeze. We’re living in a heightened state of fear, and fear is the opposite of what we should feel this time of year. This season of love and light and joy has been co-opted by those who would divide us. The farther apart we get, the less we are able to see each other. Here’s an idea. What if we put all talk of politics on hold for December? That would be one month of no talking heads and finger-pointing and dire social media memes. What if we vowed to share only positive stories and heartwarming videos, and ban all holiday music featuring Alvin

and the Chipmunks? Let’s use this time to digest more than nine pounds of mashed potatoes and three types of pie. Let’s digest how we’ve treated each other during the last year, and try to do better. Even I, a freakin’ humor columnist, have received more angry emails and phone calls in 2021 than the previous 17 years combined. Whether it’s Democrats, Republicans, Big Bird, mask mandates, cancel culture or fruitcake, our division is growing. Any day, I’m expecting leaflets to be flung out of helicopters explaining how the COVID vaccine is turning us into carnivorous, zombie dinosaurs. Aren’t you tired of it all? Remember when Christmas meant acts of service and goodwill to all mankind? What can you do to return to love this holiday season? Maybe less judgement and more connection. Maybe less yelling and more listening. Maybe it’s taking a plate of homemade cookies to a neighbor. Maybe it’s building a bridge instead of a wall. Maybe it's apologizing and swallowing our inflated egos. This holiday season, it’s your job to love your neighbor, even the one you don’t agree with. Even the ones yelling at the Walmart cashier. They might need the most love of all.

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