G O OD NE IG HBOR
NEWS
MARCH 2022
Paid for by the City of West Jordan
M AYO R ’S M E S S AG E West Jordan is ramping up for spring! Our Parks Department is working hard to prepare all our city parks to open the first week of April. Can you believe our great city has more than 475 acres of open space and 350 acres of park properties? Just as public safety, water, and wastewater are a crucial part of public services, our parks and trails are also considered an essential part of the community. These spaces provide a place for us to get outside and be active. In return, our neighbors are healthy and engaged with one each other. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO PREPARE OUR PARKS? While city parks are never really ‘closed’ there are amenities that are unavailable in the colder months. Our parks department works to make sure everything is up and running when the weather warms up. Bathrooms and drinking fountains undergo annual pipe maintenance, sprinklers are checked, and landscape is prepared for new spring growth. WHAT’S NEW THIS YEAR? We are always making small improvements to our parks, but this year you may see some more noticeable improvements and additions. • Ron Wood Park now has pickleball courts. These courts are located just east of the tennis courts. • Maple Hills Park is a new park opening this summer. It will include a playground, basketball court, scooter loop, small bike trail, and more. (6400 West 7400 South) • Pocket Park in the Highlands District is scheduled to be completed this summer. The small park has a playground and pavilion. (6540 West 7800 South) USE OUR PARKS! HOW TO RESERVE A PAVILION: A city park is the perfect spot to gather your friends and family to celebrate. Reservation season runs the first Monday in April through the first Saturday in October. You can make a reservation our website. Parks are much more than just big green spaces with grass and trees. They are a place to watch your children grow, for you to participate in community events, and to gather with the people you love most. See a map of all parks and amenities on page 2. I love our parks so don’t be surprised if you see me ride up on my bicycle and say “hi”! Sincerely,
Mayor Dirk Burton
Neighborhood Watch – It’s Tax Season, Don’t Become a Victim With tax time quickly approaching, scam artists are upping their efforts to try to get your personal information. Tax-related identity theft occurs when someone uses your stolen Social Security number to file a tax return claiming a fraudulent refund. You may be unaware you are a victim until you receive an IRS notice, or you file your return, but it is rejected because your SSN already has been used. Here are some of the more common scams and what you can do if you think someone is trying to gain access to your personal information. • An unexpected email purporting to be from the IRS is always a scam. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email or social media to request personal or financial information. If you receive a scam email claiming to be from the IRS, forward the email to phishing@irs.gov. • An unexpected phone call from someone claiming to be an IRS agent, either threatening you with arrest or deportation if you fail to pay immediately, is a scam. In another variation, the caller requests your financial information in order to send you a refund. Report these calls and other IRS impersonation schemes to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484 or online at IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting. • If you discover, or receive an email from a website that claims to be the IRS but does not begin with ‘www.irs.gov,’ forward the link to phishing@irs.gov. Thousands of people will fall victim to these scams each year and tens of thousands of dollars will be lost to the scammers. Don’t be a victim!
GOOD NEIGHBOR NEWS: WEST JORDAN NEWSLETTER
PAID FOR BY THE CITY OF WEST JORDAN
GOOD NEIGHBOR NEWS: WEST JORDAN NEWSLETTER
PAID FOR BY THE CITY OF WEST JORDAN
Water in West Jordan — What you should know Save yourself a google search – here are the most frequently asked questions in our Water Department.
I’m putting in an irrigation system. What is my water pressure? The best way to get your precise pressure is to call us (801-569-5700) or submit a work order (bit.ly/WJSERVICE) to have the city come out and pull the pressure from your home and surrounding area. This is very useful for setting your in-home regulator or prior to installing a sprinkler system. If you are installing a sprinkler system, we highly recommend you design it for a lower pressure than what you are currently getting in case of a drop in pressure that we can sometimes experience in the summer months.
I’m installing a new water softener, what is my water hardness? The city buys most of its water from the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District. In the summer, the city uses an additional four wells to supplement the higher demand. The level of water hardness can fluctuate as the well water and Jordan Valley water blends. If you have additional questions, you are welcome to call public works and talk to a water quality specialist: 801-569-5700.
I turned on my faucet to get a drink and the water is off. Why wasn’t I notified and when will my water be back on? If your water meter is within a shutdown area for a leak, a repair crew may have had to immediately shut the water off to fix the repair. The department does its best to notify residents, but in an emergency, they have to act fast.
I got a blue door tag saying the water will be off – what can I expect? There may also be times where the city will schedule a shutdown to maintenance or modification work on the water system. The repair crew will visit affected residents at least two days prior. If you don’t have water and haven’t seen a notice from the city, call public works. 801-569-5700.
I went to get a drink and my water has a brownish tan color and/or has an odor This could be due to a number of things. This can happen with low usage, if there is a project in the area, if there has been an emergency water break, or if the department has been flushing and didn’t get a full exchange of water in the pipe. The best thing to do if this happens is to flush water through the highest flowing tap in the house, typically a tub faucet, and just let it run for a few minutes at full flow. This will flush the sediment through the indoor plumbing. If it doesn’t clear up, please notify the city, and our water quality specialist will make arrangements to meet with you and discuss what the next steps need to be.
COUNCIL CORNER This month, the Council will be focusing on listening to your comments regarding redistricting for City Council district seats. If you are thinking, “Wait a minute, didn’t this already happen?” you’re probably not alone. Now that congressional, state legislative, and county council boundaries have been finalized, it is time for cities to revise their council boundaries. “A big challenge with redistricting the Council seats in West Jordan is that we have seen tremendous growth on the west side of the city within the last ten years,” explained Council Member David Pack. “This means that in order for districts to comply with the ‘one person, one vote’ principle, the boundary lines must be redrawn to ensure an equitable number of people reside within each district.” In the January 26th work session, the Council was presented three different
map options by the City Recorder. After some discussion, the Council determined that the “horizontal map”—which had districts spanning from east to west across the City—probably wasn’t the right fit for the community. Currently, the Council is still considering two maps; one divides the City into a quadrant (with revised boundary lines that accommodate recent population growth), the other divides the City into four vertical slices. “Redistricting is an important issue, which is why two public hearings will be held on the topic this month,” said Council Member Pamela Bloom. “Something that would be helpful for me to hear from residents is opinions on which redistricting map would allow for optimal representation from Council.” Residents can view the maps at https:// bit.ly/maps2022 and send comments to councilcomments@westjordan.utah.gov
Preparing for the next Natural Disaster This month two years ago, a 5.7 magnitude earthquake rocked West Jordan. Luckily for our city, the damage was not substantial, but it was a good reminder that any disaster can happen at any time. This is where the city’s new hire comes in – Meet Jeffory Mulcahy, West Jordan’s Emergency Manager. Mulcahy comes from Salt Lake County Emergency Management where he served as the planning specialist and worked in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Magna earthquake, 2020 windstorm, and other Presidential Disaster Declarations. Prior to that, Mulcahy was the Sandy City Emergency Manager. Before working for the city of Sandy, Mulcahy served in the U.S. Air Force where he retired after 32 years. While in the Air Force, he served as a Public Information Officer, then as an airborne cryptologic language analyst and superintendent of mission management, and lastly as the Command Post Chief at the Salt Lake Air National Guard Base. Mulcahy now volunteers with the American Red Cross as a Government Operations Liaison and with Team Rubicon as a Regional Emergency Planner. If you have any questions regarding personal, family, organizational, or business preparedness, you can contact him at jeff.mulcahy@westjordan.utah.gov or call 801-834-8502.
GOOD NEIGHBOR NEWS: WEST JORDAN NEWSLETTER
PAID FOR BY THE CITY OF WEST JORDAN
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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PLANNING COMMISSION
FREE COVID-19 VACCINE CLINIC
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
View the agenda at westjordan.utah.gov or watch at: bit.ly/WestJordan
Ron Wood Park 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
View the agenda at westjordan.utah.gov or watch at: bit.ly/WestJordan
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NEIGHBORHOOD CLEAN UP Public Works parking lot westjordan.utah.gov 7 a.m. – 3 p.m
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DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS
PLANNING COMMISSION
ST. PATRICK’S DAY
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Follow the City of West Jordan on Twitter & Facebook TWITTER: @CityWestJordan
View the agenda at westjordan.utah.gov or watch at: bit.ly/WestJordan
FACEBOOK: @WestJordanCityHall Visit Westjordan.utah.gov for direct links.
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CITY COUNCIL MEETING
JOINT COUNCIL & PLANNING MEETING
View the agenda at westjordan.utah.gov or watch at: bit.ly/WestJordan
View the agenda at westjordan.utah.gov or watch at: bit.ly/WestJordan
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West Jordan Neighborhood Clean-up
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The City of West Jordan offers three free dumpster drop-off programs throughout the year. Green waste and general waste dumpsters will be available in the Public Works Maintenance yard (7960 South 4000 West) between 7 AM and 3 PM.
• March 12, 2022 7am – 3pm, Public Works • June 11, 2022 7am – 3pm, Public Works • October 8, 2022 7am – 3pm, Public Works
The City of West Jordan 8000 S. Redwood Rd., West Jordan, UT 84088 Join the conversation! (801) 569-5100 West Jordan – City Hall www.wjordan.com
West Jordan Police Dept. 8040 S. Redwood Rd. West Jordan, Utah 84088 801-256-2000 801-840-4000 Dispatch
Staff will be onsite to assist with traffic direction and dumping instructions. Participants must bring proof of residency or city employment. (driver’s license, utility bill, or city ID badge) Most non-hazardous waste, June, or debris is permitted. Acceptable items include: • Building materials • Household items • Limited appliances (Freon must be removed prior to disposal) • Furniture • Yard waste (tree limbs, shrubbery, grass clippings)