Herriman Journal | February 2023

“ You’d have to live under a rock to not know that we’re getting a lot of water this year, so that’s a really good thing,” Herriman City Councilmember Sherrie Ohrn said during a January meeting.

As the council’s liaison to the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District board, Ohrn presented some information to the council about the state’s current drought conditions.

“We use Trial Lake as our measuring point because it feeds a lot of different river basins, and the snow water equivalent up there right now is 15 inches, and that’s a lot. It exceeds what our peak usually is,” she said.

The state has received so much winter precipitation, in fact, that many of its key reservoirs (at least in the north) could fill back up to regular levels for the first time in years.

“In an average year, we usually get 100,000 acre feet of water. This year, based on some of the calculations, we might end up with 200,000 acre feet. Coincidentally, our reservoirs are down about 100,000 acre feet,” Ohrn said. “We might have an opportunity to fill our reservoirs this year, which would be great. But that’s just our reservoirs around here. That will not fill Lake Powell or Lake Mead. We’re not out of this water issue.”

Later in the same meeting, Public Works Director

“Dozens of doctors told me that there was nothing more that they could do to expect to be in a wheel chair. I went from the top 1% in the army Special Forces to being in so much pain that I could not tie my shoe or hold my new daughter. I did physical therapy and pain killers for years, but nothing worked. Finally, I went to Dr. Smith and I improved exactly as he told me I would. I couldn’t believe it! My wife cried, “I have my husband back.”

—Steve M., Army Special Forces

D.C. CSCS

Jordan District asks legislators to prioritize support of high quality educators

TheJordan School District Board of Education hosted a breakfast for state legislators Jan. 11 to share their educational priorities and to answer questions from representatives preparing for this year’s legislative session.

The Board asked for support from lawmakers as they focus on providing safe working and learning environments at schools and in recruiting and retaining high quality educators and educational support professionals.

“We understand that the fundamental thing that makes education great, that affects the lives of individuals, are great educators,” Board First Vice President Niki George said.

In his Supercast podcast, Jordan School District Superintendent Dr. Anthony Godfrey regularly highlights outstanding employees who have an impact on students. One of the teacher-student relationships he featured was Bingham High School sophomore Claire Burnham, who has become a national youth storyteller because of the support of her teachers at Jordan Ridge Elementary. Burnham and her sixth-grade teacher Frankie Walton shared their story with the legislators at the breakfast.

It reminded the legislators of the teachers that have had an impact on their lives.

“My ‘Mrs. Walton’ was Mr. Young,” Rep. Mark Strong (house 47) said. “I had him three classes a day for my entire senior year of high school. I still talk to him—every few months I call him.”

An intern for one of the state representatives shared that the only reason she had good attendance during her senior year was because she had a connection with her choir teacher.

Rep. Jordan Teuscher (house 44), who attended Jordan District schools, said, “Each

r nals

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By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com

of my elementary school teachers was really amazing,” but he remembers specifically his fifth-grade teacher. “I just remember being given more responsibilities and being looked at differently from a teacher than I had in the past.”

Teuscher still sees his AP political science teacher, Scott Crump, who taught the class at Bingham High for 25 years, and now works as a green coat at legislative sessions. Jenicee Jacobson, who is now an administrator at West Jordan High, was Teuscher’s debate teacher his senior year and helped him become who he is today. “She really took an interest in us and found ways for us to be able to accomplish the things we wanted to do,” he said.

Godfrey’s podcast also highlights the behind-the-scenes workers such as aides, nutrition workers, custodians, bus drivers and other support personnel who are critical to creating a successful educational environment for students. Currently there is a shortage in these positions—custodial crews are the most short-handed right now. The Board told legislators their current priority is to be able to provide competitive pay to fill these positions.

“It's easy to look at a school, and the teacher, but we have so many people that play a huge part in the education of our children, and we hope that we can recognize all of those needs,” George said. “Students are constantly receiving extra help through education support professionals, receiving experiences in the lunchroom and receiving relationships through school bus drivers.”

Board members also reported on how legislative funding has been spent. Their priorities have been employee pay, school safety and mental health resources.

They took time to answer questions

legislators had about topics such as student attendance and discipline and the procedure for banning books.

Bingham High School ProStart students provided the food for the breakfast and the Madrigals Choir performed two songs.

JSD hosts a legislative breakfast every year before the legislative session. Last year’s legislative breakfast was particularly productive. It took place at Herriman High School, which on that day happened to be implementing the test-to-stay protocols the governor had put in place. When the lawmakers saw the procedure in action, they

immediately texted the governor about the problems with the protocol.

“It was a very striking moment,” Associate Superintendent Mike Anderson said to lawmakers at this year’s breakfast. “It was thanks to your jumping in at that point that we were able to get some things changed rather quickly at the state level.”

Godfrey said the entire state benefited from the lawmakers’ efforts that day.

“That’s the best example of us working together in really difficult times,” he said. l

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Some of the state legislators and board members in attendance at the Jordan School District Legislative Breakfast held Jan. 11. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)

Jordan District’s seventh-graders discover career agricultural opportunities

At the Salt Lake County fairgrounds, there were animals — alpacas, goats, birds, wild horses; fruits and vegetables apples, peaches, pumpkins; as well as animal skeletons, tractors, flowers, water experiments, healthy-eating diagrams and more.

It was Jordan School District’s sixth annual agriculture day. More than 4,800 seventh-grade students from all the district’s middle schools, including its virtual middle school, learned from 56 different organizations about agriculture, said Shauna West, Jordan School District’s career and technical education assistant.

“Seventh-graders in the state are required to take a college and career awareness class, with 17 of those days being devoted to agriculture,” she said. “We decided to hold this event to help our teachers educate seventh-graders about all aspects of agriculture.”

The broad spectrum showed sheep shearing to drone use in agriculture. Students learned about things ranging from the price of machinery that gets wheat onto a dining room table to the importance of good nutrition.

“We’re hoping students learned the important part that agriculture plays in their everyday life, that their bread does not come from the shelf, their milk does not come from the refrigerator. We wanted to give them an opportunity to see and smell and feel what it’s all about, to get that hands-on experience,” West said.

She said teachers prepared students beforehand and about 120 Future Farmers of America and science high school students set up for the day as well as escorted student groups in rotations and answered their questions.

Elk Ridge career and technical education teacher Steven Asp was overseeing two groups of his students through the rotations.

“I want my students to become aware of all the different career clusters, and agriculture is a big one,” he said. “I love that students are getting exposed to where food comes firsthand from people in the industry to having the opportunity to learn about clubs and careers in high school and college. This is much more interactive than a discussion and I love that we’re getting out of the classroom to experience it.”

Elk Ridge seventh-grader Ola Hamadi was excited to see the sheep and to learn about them. She and classmate Emery Ross just learned that they needed to have plenty of vegetables and protein to eat healthy.

They had listened to Jordan School District nutrition coordinators Lisa Totorica and Jodie Bowles.

“We taught them about the five groups

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com.com

of food on ‘My Plate,’” Totorica said.

Bowles said that not all the students were aware that Jordan School District offers students breakfast with fresh bread every morning.

“We talked to them about some of their favorites – chicken sandwiches and spicy orange chicken – and they were able to understand the nutrition of the meals,” she said. “It’s amazing how smart they are.”

Students rotated to learn that alpacas, the shortest member of the camel family, have an average lifespan of 22 years, and then to learning about aviation technology in agriculture for a college class choice. They also learned about wild mustangs in nearby Butterfield Canyon and how a high school student adopts and trains horses, and how she rides them now to compete for prizes.

Horticulturalist Crystal Trentelman shared with students her knowledge and love of plants and answered their questions, such as why her strawberry plant has pink flowers instead of white.

“I’m a Utah State student, but I also work for Progressive Plants and in both cases, I really like to be involved in the plant community and share with anyone interested about plant education,” she said. “I talked a lot about plant breeding, work-

ing on different genetics to make those things happen. The kids were really asking some intelligent questions. I just am so jealous of these guys getting to learn about these options while they’re young.”

Elk Ridge seventh-grader Amalia

Vallejo appreciated learning from Trentelman that working with plants is a peaceful career and one which also can focus on need and beauty with plants’ different colors. She also liked learning about the different programs available at Utah State University.

West Jordan Middle School student Naomi Fisutalia Hamilton said through her rotations, she learned that most breads are made from part whole wheat flour and part white and can share that with her family.

West Jordan science teacher Allyson

Jellito said she can tie what they learned into her class discussion.

“I really like the pods with ducks, chickens and horses and dogs since they’re learning about the diversity of life,” she said. “We can use those to determine what is living, what isn’t living, and particularly how to care for living things themselves. I’m going to bring this back to my class to implement.”

Parent Dan Hastings was escorting a group of seventh-grade students.

“It’s cool that these students are exposed to as much as possible here,” he said, remembering he helped farm and ride horses where the district offices now stand. “There are so many more choices in agriculture today.” l

Horticulturalist Crystal Trentelman shared with students about plant breeding at Jordan School District’s annual agriculture day. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Alpacas were a highlight amongst Jordan School District’s annual agriculture day for seventh-grade students. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

During Jordan School District’s sixth annual agriculture day, current and former high school students shared with seventh-graders how they found success breaking wild mustangs. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

At Jordan School District’s sixth annual agriculture day, more than 4,800 seventh-grade students were engaged in learning about everything from animals to farming equipment. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Salt Lake County grant supports the Utah AIDS Foundation’s community health center

The Utah AIDS Foundation has been a compassionate voice for people struggling with HIV/AIDS for nearly 40 years. In 1985, when the Utah Department of Health reported 17 people in the state living with the disease, UAF was established to address the need for public information while offering assistance to those dealing with HIV/AIDS.

What began as a crisis hotline with a handful of volunteers grew into an organization dedicated to championing mental and physical health issues for those living with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

Now, a $2 million grant from Salt Lake County will help UAF create the first LGBTQ+ community health care center in Utah.

“It’s a game-changing grant,” said Ahmer Afroz, executive director of the Utah AIDS Foundation. “Finding funds for capital projects is quite difficult, so the support of the council and the mayor was game-changing. Our goal at UAF is to make impacts on health equity and reduce health disparity. If we can make quality, culturally competent health care accessible to everyone, we can make strides to achieve health equity in a real tangible way.”

Located at 150 S. 1000 East, UAF provides HIV case management, linkage to care and HIV and STI testing. Last year, the nonprofit added a mental health component by hiring a full-time therapist and demand soon exceeded availability. As the need for mental health services expanded, the foundation hired another therapist and will hire a Spanish-speaking therapist this spring.

As members of the LGBTQ+ community search for services that feel safe, UAF felt the community clinic was

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

a natural step, based on a model used by health centers across the country.

“It will all be in the same location,” Afroz said. “One side will be mental health, one side will be medical, and programming is upstairs. It’s a unique model and that’s why we strongly feel it will make an impact in the community.”

Offering social activities, clinical care and a mind/ body/soul approach to healing, UAF provides services for any person living with HIV/AIDS or anyone who is part of the LGBTQ+ population. Services are provided whether a person is insured, uninsured, undocumented or underinsured.

UAF is the largest tester for HIV in the state and case managers serve nearly 200 people living with the disease. The foundation’s medical director, Dr. Susana Keeshin, is one of the top infectious disease providers in the state and sits on the board of the American Academy of HIV Medicine.

Along with medical and mental health services, UAF offers educational presentations, including HIV 101 which is a basic understanding of HIV infection and transmission and how to reduce risk. The trained volunteers can give presentations anywhere in Utah.

The foundation also offers food bank services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS and the UAF Thrive program encouraging healthy movement, nutrition, community and education. For more information, visit UtahAids. org.

“There’s a lot of pieces to what we do,” Afroz said.

“It’s been a long time of needing to grow. We were able to get into a new building and expand our services. One of the biggest gaps we’re seeing in Utah is looking at clinical care and general LGBTQ+ competent care and HIV care. We hope to open in June 2023. We really want to be able to celebrate Pride Month with the launch. It’s really amazing.” l

The Other Side Village provides a unique solution to chronic homelessness

It’sa revolutionary idea. Build a neighborhood where the chronically homeless can learn how to own and care for a home, be a good neighbor and invest in building a community. It’s the mission behind The Other Side Village and will become reality this summer.

Located at 1850 W. Indiana Ave., The Other Side Village’s pilot phase is an 8-acre area that will include 85 homes, each ranging in size from 280-400 square feet. Most of the homes will be given to those who sign up for the Welcome Neighborhood program, some will be used for staff and community buildings, and several will be used as shortterm rentals to raise money to support the project.

“This will create a place for those who haven’t really fit into other places, so they can build their own sense of identity and their own sense of safety,” said Samuel Grenny, manager of Welcome Neighborhood. “It’s a peer-led model, so everything that happens in the community is determined by members of the community and it gives them the ability to define their safe, shared space in a way that is best for them.”

The Salt Lake County Council approved a $2 million investment to support the village which isn’t just about homes for the unsheltered, but creating a social system and culture that changes lives.

Welcome Neighborhood is a program that transitions people out of the homeless lifestyle and into The Other Side Village community where people are invested in personal growth and home ownership. When a new occupant arrives, they are given guidance to adjust to the new environment. This includes help with drug or alcohol addiction, mental health counseling and classes in how to be a member of a

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

therapeutic community.

“The only criteria is we don’t allow sex offenders or people convicted of arson charges. They must be chronically homeless and interested in living in a clean and sober community,” Grenny said. “They must have a desire to improve their life. This is permanent supportive housing, not a transitional model.”

Part of the program is teaching residents how to have healthy, strong relationships with each other. They’ll learn life skills like how to keep a neighborhood clean and how to resolve conflicts. It borrows from a housing model that shows people need base-level resources, like having a roof over their head, before asking them to take on challenges like personal growth and addressing health issues.

“People actually want expectations to be had of them,” Grenny said. “People actually thrive when they feel they’re capable of something. The Welcome Neighborhood is where people spend two, three or four months identifying and working on core areas that are important to them and will help set them up for success with their housing so they’re not cycling through it.”

After the resident completes the program, they are allowed to choose their forever home in The Other Side Village. Welcome Neighborhood is already working with future residents and 17% of the homes are taken. By the time the village opens in the summer, Grenny expects the first phase to be 25% full.

“Really core to our model is the self-reliance aspect, teaching skills to individuals to live as self-sufficiently as possible,” Grenny said. “We hope everybody gets to be

the best version of themselves. We have a social enterprise where neighbors are able to work, making $14 an hour. They learn job skills and all profits go to paying for the operational needs of the village.”

Salt Lake City gave The Other Side Village a 40-year lease on city-owned land to develop phase one of the project. The $2 million investment from the Salt Lake County Council will help fund the phase, estimated to cost $14 million. For more information, visit TheOtherSideVillage.com.

“This budget is an example of what we can accomplish when we all work together for the greater good,” said Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson. l

(From left) Shiya Zeng, Ahmer Afroz, Ellie Echeverio, Ryan Gibbs, Bobbi Farnsworth, Chelsea Mitchell and Jared Hafen work at the Utah AIDS Foundation, which just received a $2 million grant from Salt Lake County to support the capital costs of the foundation’s new community health center. (Photo courtesy of UAF)

The Other Side Village in Salt Lake City was given a $2 million boost from the Salt Lake County Council. The village offers a safe community for those transitioning out of homelessness. (Rendering courtesy of The Other Side Village)

Herriman nurse honored as Western Governors University’s 300,000th graduate

When Ashley Rawlins graduated from Western Governors University in November, with a master’s degree in informatics, she was part of a cohort that included the university’s 300,000th graduate.

WGU held a celebration in January, recognizing the 300,000 students who have received degrees at the school since its inception in 1997. The school’s mission is to expand access to quality, affordable higher education through online courses. It was founded by 19 U.S. governors and has students in all 50 states.

“Initially I got a nursing degree from WGU and because I enjoyed it so much, I went back to get my master’s in informatics,” Rawlins said. “I’d looked into WGU initially because they had the flex model where it was one of those things where you could go at your own pace. I could still be present with my kids while studying.”

Not only did the Herriman maternity nurse earn her master’s degree, but she’d given birth to her third child in September, just a couple of months before she completed her program.

Ismar Vallecillos, WGU director of regional operations, said Rawlins is exactly the type of student the university attracts. Women make up nearly 70% of the student population at WGU and one-third of graduates earn degrees in the health industry.

“The graduate we highlighted was a woman,” Vallecillos said. “She showed up with her four-month-old baby. She completed her masters while pregnant with her son. She was the example of why this works. These are career women who are supporting their households. Some of them are single and some of them aren’t but the idea is they have family obligations along with work obligations. On top of that, they’re trying to get their education. The flexibility of WGU is really inviting to a lot of these women so they don’t have to stop their lives to finish their careers.”

Reaching 300,000 graduates has been no small feat for the university that has only existed for 25 years. Vallecillos said the milestone demonstrates the need for flexible, affordable, online programs that help students achieve educational goals without the added stress of attending in-person classes.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a monumental shift in how education used online learning. Traditional enrollment for WGU used to be working adults in

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Initially I got a nursing degree from WGU and because I enjoyed it so much, I went back to get my master’s in informatics. I’d looked into WGU initially because they had the flex model where it was one of those things where you could go at your own pace. I could still be present with my kids while studying.

Ashley Rawlins

their mid-30s, looking to upscale or shift careers. But now, the school is seeing a trend of 18- to 24-year-olds choosing online classes over traditional education, with close to a 300% enrollment increase for that age group.

“Put together with our cultural belief of one-by-one, that’s 300,000 individual lives that have been able to change their finances or their careers through education,” Vallecillos said. “I think we’re part of the solution.”

Rawlins, who works at Riverton Hospital-Intermountain Healthcare, said the online classes were perfect for

her schedule, plus her ADHD made it difficult to pay attention during in-person classes.

“Sitting in a class for two or three hours was excruciatingly difficult. Western Governors was great for me because I could focus and learn in the way I’m used to. That’s why I went back for my master’s.”

Of the 300,000 graduates of WGU, 37% are first generation, 28% are ethnically diverse and 69% are female. Learn more about the university at WGU.edu.

“You are capable of doing anything and everything,” Rawlins said. “Western

Governors is definitely a way to pursue that. If you put your mind to something, you can accomplish it. No matter how hard it seems.” l

Western Governors University recognized it’s 300,000th graduate at a celebration in January. The school was founded in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors to offer affordable higher education in all 50 states. (Photo courtesy of WGU)

Herriman maternity nurse, Ashley Rawlins, was honored as the 300,000th graduate of Western Governors University. She gave birth to her son two months before her graduation in November. (Photo courtesy of WGU)

Tiny device brings huge improvement for refugee students

High tech translation earbuds will soon be a normal part of classroom instruction at Herriman High School for some of the 200 students who are identified as English language learners, many of whom are refugees and immigrants.

Many of these students come to Utah and are immediately enrolled in high school classes in which they don’t understand their teachers but are too overwhelmed to ask for help.

“They don’t have the courage to say, ‘I don’t understand this,’” Luis Pulido said, a Herriman High sophomore from Venezuela.

The earbuds work with a phone app which can translate speech into multiple languages and dialects at the same time so both teachers and students understand each other.

Herriman High School Assistant Principal Julie Scherzinger said this device will prevent misunderstandings.

“It’s allowing for instruction to occur, because students can get all the instruction in their language and ask questions in their language, and it comes back to me in English and then I can answer them in English and they get the answer in Spanish,” she said.

By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com

Pulido, who has lived in the United States for just over a year, has used the earbuds and said they are a helpful tool.

“The teachers understand you if you don't have the words in your mind at that moment, and you understand the teachers,” he said.

Pulido said he, like many students who are just learning English, has been intimidated to take upper-level honors and AP classes. He said this tool will enable everyone to reach their full potential, allowing them to take classes that have not been accessible before because of language barriers.

“Those classes have technical language that I don’t understand right now, but I will. The earbuds will help me with that,” Pulido said.

Scherzinger said it is common for students who have excellent transcripts from their home country and are very smart to remain in general classes because of their language skills.

“Even with the scaffolding that we have in place and the accommodations we have in place, it is an uphill battle,” she said. The earbuds will allow students to continue progressing in their education despite the linguistic challenges.

Scherzinger said when students struggle with language, it affects their ability to learn, which can then affect their mental health and whether or not they choose to stay in school and graduate.

She said the earbuds are an effective solution to many problems these students face.

“It removes barriers, is what it does,” Scherzinger said. “It removes barriers so that equalizes the playing field for our immigrant students and multilingual students.”

Herriman High staff members are always looking for ways to help students. Principal Todd Quarnberg said costs have always been a prohibitive factor for these types of devices, but that once they saw these earbud translators in action, they decided to make it a priority to find a way to purchase them.

They applied for funding from Live Daybreak’s school grant program. A large portion of students attending Herriman High live in the Daybreak community. Students and staff demonstrated the earbuds at a Live Daybreak board meeting and were awarded $17,500, which will purchase about 58 devices.

“It was a very compelling project,”

MONICA HINZ, DO, JD

Monica Hinz joins Granger Medical Clinic as a recent graduate of University of Florida, Jacksonville’s pediatric residency. Following residency she served as a chief resident for one year. As a native Floridian, she and her family have loved moving to Utah this past summer and are enjoying all the natural beauty and outdoor activities that Salt Lake City area has to offer. Dr. Hinz is of Columbian descent and is fluent in Spanish.

Dr. Hinz is passionate about not only helping her patients grow, but also ensuring the entire family unit is thriving.

Jenny Nigbor of Live Daybreak said. “We don't normally fund to that amount, but they had a real need and our board was more than excited to be able to support them in that way.”

The first devices purchased will go to students who most need them and to front office workers and counselors “to change the dynamic of being able to speak to the public,” Scherzinger said.

Five years ago, the only office staff member that spoke Spanish was the school resource officer, Scherzinger said. Now the school administration prioritizes hiring bilingual and culturally competent employees.

“Every new hire we've required to either be ESL-endorsed or willing to go back and pick it up,” Quarnberg said.

The number of support staff and new positions at Herriman High continues to expand to meet the needs of refugee students and their families. These include bilingual homeless liaisons, study skills teachers and aides and counseling center staff, some of whom are English language learners or first generation immigrants themselves.

Students who are new to the country take an English Language Development

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class. Last year, there was just one class; this year there are five. They also participate in the Latinos in Action classes. Last year, English language learners participated in a Be the Change program to break down social barriers. At the beginning of this school year, a Hall of Flags with 32 flags representing each of the home countries of students was created.

Pulido said he feels the support of teachers, administrators and school staff members.

“The school has done good with it,” Pulido said.

The support of students extends to their families. With community donations and funds from the Jordan Education Fund, the school provides beds, blankets, food, clothing and school supplies to refugee students and their families.

“When that parent walks in the door with a heavy load, the goal is that we can really help where we can, lift where we can,” Scherzinger said.

The number of minority students attending Herriman High has jumped from 5% in 2018 to 28% this year, the majority of whom are immigrants. About 60 new refugee students enroll each semester, and with the border opening again, Scherzinger expects that growth to continue.

Quarnberg said it takes a lot of school funding just to make the system work and that breaking down each barrier costs

money. He and his staff are committed to break down barriers, address shortfalls and create new positions to help their students access a quality education. l

Justun Edwards presented some numbers to the council about water use in Herriman City.

From 2020 to 2021, the city decreased its total water usage from 3.77 billion gallons to 3.19 billion. As of November 2022, the city was at 2.99 billion gallons.

“The statistic that’s interesting is the percentage decrease. Last year there was a lot of messaging from the governor’s office all the way down to municipalities, and our residents responded. We had about a 14% decrease last year,” Edwards said.

As for Herriman City, they were able to reduce water usage by 27% in 2021 and by another 12% this year.

“At all of our facilities and parks, we’ve had substantial decreases. I’d like to commend our parks department for making tremendous strides,” Edwards said. “They’ve instituted some best-management practices such as weekly inspections of irrigation systems, modified irrigation schedules, installed flow sensors and replaced old controllers.”

“People are trying hard and working hard to make these changes. It’s also important for us as a city to show that we are leading by example,” Ohrn said.

The council urged residents to not get complacent about water conservation de -

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spite the good news. After all, there’s no guarantee of more wet winters like the one we’ve experienced this year, and there’s also a lot more demand for water coming down the pipeline.

Non-English speaking students wear these translation earbuds to access classroom instruction in real-time alongside their peers. (Photo courtesy of Julie Scherzinger)

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On Tuesday, Jan. 17, the Salt Lake Bees announced their intention to move from their current home in Salt Lake City to a new stadium to-be-built in Daybreak by 2025.

“The Larry H. Miller Company will build a baseball stadium in Daybreak, a master-planned community in South Jordan, Utah, for its Triple-A baseball team, the Salt Lake Bees. The privately financed stadium will serve as a year-round entertainment anchor for the fast-growing southwest quadrant of Salt Lake County. Construction will begin this year, and the stadium will open for the 2025 baseball season,” the Bees announced in a press release.

While the exact location of the future stadium is not yet known, it’s expected to fall somewhere between the Trax line and Mountain View Corridor and between Lake Avenue and South Jordan Parkway.

The move comes about a year after the Larry H. Miller company purchased 1,300 acres of undeveloped land in the Daybreak area.

“The Larry H. Miller Company has been a collaborative partner, considering all aspects of the impact this business decision will have on the community. The

The Bees are moving south

By Justin Adams | justin.a@thecityjournals.com

South Jordan City Council and I have appreciated working with them and look forward to continuing our partnership on additional plans for this area,” South Jordan Mayor Dawn Ramsey said.

Mayors of neighboring cities all chimed in on the news.

“While the stadium won’t be located in Herriman, it will still become an economic driver for our entire region! Exciting to see these types of amenities headed to our area,” Herriman Mayor Lorin Palmer said.

“Just heard the news that the Bees are moving to South Jordan. Very close to our community off of Mountain View Corridor. I know I’ll be attending more games with this move,” Mayor Trent Staggs said.

As for resident reactions, many expressed concerns about how the new stadium might impact parking and traffic, among other things.

“As a homeowner who lives close to where this new stadium will be located, I have serious concerns about providing an adequate amount of parking so that the surrounding neighborhood streets will not be negatively impacted with overflow,” said one commenter on the Daybreak Facebook post announcing the move. l

The Salt Lake Bees will play for two more seasons at Smith’s Ballpark in Salt Lake City before moving to a new stadium in Daybreak.

What Herriman’s state representatives are working on this legislative session

By Justin Adams | justin.a@thecityjournals.com

On the Saturday before the Utah State Legislative session kicked off, Sen. Dan McCay and Rep. Candice Pierucci met with constituents at Herriman City Hall to talk about some of the bills they’re working on this year.

McCay said one of the big issues for him this year is taxes. The state’s budget has a surplus of $3 billion, money which McCay and several others see as justification for lowering taxes.

“One of the efforts of myself and a few others is to push the income tax as low as we can. The goal is to be at 4.5%,” he said. The current state income tax rate is 4.85%.

He also said he’s looking at adding new tax credits.

“We have decreased below population-replacement levels so we’re looking at creating a tax credit that will benefit expectant mothers so they can claim the credit while they’re expecting,” he said.

McCay is also the sponsor of SB-31, the bill that would change Utah’s official flag, following a yearslong process. One resident who attended the open house questioned the need for the state to change its flag.

In response, McCay said he used to feel the same way. In fact, he was on a committee that had previously turned down the idea. But what changed his mind was attending a conference in a building that had all 50 states’ flags displayed in a

large hallway. He realized that about half of all the states’ flags consist of a blue background with some kind of state seal or crest in the middle, including Utah’s previous flag. That led him to believe that maybe Utah should consider adopting a flag that would be a little more distinct.

“Good flags are simple. They’re so simple that a child could draw them. Their colors are 2-4 basic colors. They have to have memorable symbols that connect with the people. And it has to be designed well, such that you see it up on a flagpole, you can see the symbols and recognize it from a bunch of other flags,” he said.

Pierucci said that she is working on 15 bills, but highlighted three specifically.

One is a religious freedom bill that would protect students’ rights to wear religious clothing during sporting events.

“I was really surprised when the Muslim Civic League approached me over a year ago and said that several of their young women had been told that they couldn’t play volleyball or basketball with their hijab on. They were told they would have to remove it to play. More recently in Herriman, a couple of our team members on a club team who are Sikh were told they had to remove their turbans to play,” she said.

Another of her bills would restrict China from purchasing land in Utah.

“You hear that and might wonder if that’s really a problem, but they’ve actu-

ally attempted to purchase the land that’s right next to the Tooele army area and Dugway proving ground. So this is an issue and this would just put an absolute prohibition on that,” she said.

Pierucci is also the sponsor of HB215, a bill that has garnered a lot of attention.

The bill would increase public school teachers’ compensation by about $6,000, but also sets aside $42 million for a scholarship program benefiting qualifying students who attend private schools or other alternative education options.

“One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard is that as a legislature we continue to pour money into education but we’re not seeing it trickle down to teacher salaries. So part of this bill is that it will increase teachers’ compensation by roughly $6,000. It also gives parents more options to customize their kids' educational experiences. A parent can apply for the Utah Fits All Scholarship program, and they can receive this scholarship money to direct towards homeschooling, private schooling, a coop, etc,” she said.

Given that a similar “school choice” bill was passed and subsequently overturned by voters in a 2007 referendum by a 25-point margin, some critics see the bill as a way to force school vouchers through by using teacher raises as leverage. l

Herriman’s elected representatives will be hard-at-work on Capitol Hill from Jan. 18 to March 3 for the annual legislative session. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Mountain Ridge narrowly edges out Herriman on the mat

Photos by Justin Adams | justin.a@thecityjournals.com

TheMountain Ridge and Herriman High wrestling teams met on Jan. 11 for a cross-town duel. The Sentinels got off to a large lead early after their first several wrestlers won their respective matchups. But the Mustangs fought back and narrowed the gap. They ultimately fell short though, losing to Mountain Ridge by a final score of 42-38. l

Salt Lake County invests $5 million in open space

Whenthe Salt Lake County Council certified its 2023 budget, it included an unprecedented $5 million investment in open space funding. The funds will be set aside to create additional trail systems, park space and improvements in the canyons.

It’s a larger amount than is historically allocated for open space because there were lots of one-time dollars available from the American Rescue Plan Act that must be used before 2024. While no specific open space projects are targeted with this funding, the council will have the funds they need to purchase properties, green-light proposals or approve expenses as projects come forward.

“As property continues to appreciate and our county eventually expands out with people coming and moving here and bringing development, we want to make sure we are ahead of the game in keeping open space for our residents,” said Salt Lake County Councilmember Aimee Newton. “We know it’s a priority for our residents to have plenty of open space to recreate outside and spend time with their families.”

An additional $85 million in ARPA funds will be used for deferred maintenance, the largest investment in deferred capital maintenance in the history of the county. Some of these projects have been put off for more than a decade

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

and the upgrades will improve the efficiency and sustainability of county facilities.

“This year was an interesting budget because while our ongoing funds were tight with inflation and salary increases, we had a ton of one-time dollars,” Newton said. “We had a bunch of ARPA funds we had to use, and we put a lot of funds toward deferred maintenance which we know will save taxpayer dollars down the road.”

By approving the budget, the council agreed to a tax increase for the Salt Lake County Library service area. The increase will be approximately $30 per household annually, for the average home valued at $560,000. The funding will help modernize the county’s library system and address inflationary pressures. County residents have not seen an increase to the County Library tax in 10 years.

Other initiatives in the budget include funding for active transportation projects including safer sidewalks and bike lanes, waterwise upgrades to the irrigation infrastructure in county parks and facilities, and a matched grant to Centro Cívico Mexicano to support planning for a new center that will replace the aging facility.

An additional $2 million investment in the Other Side Academy Tiny Home Village will help provide solutions for the unsheltered

in the county and a $2 million grant given to the Utah AIDS Foundation will support the capital costs of the foundation’s new community health center.

For more information about the Salt Lake County budget, visit SLCO.org.

“The 2023 comprehensive budget provides historic support to health, quality of life

initiatives, homeless system assistance and environmental sustainability investments,” said Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson. “Additionally, all of the county’s priority deferred maintenance was funded including much needed improvements at parks, recreation centers and buildings throughout the county system.” l

The Salt Lake County Council’s 2023 budget invests a record $5 million to create and improve open space projects in the county. (File photo Justin Adams/City Journals)

AsProvidence Hall High School student council members discussed plans for four formal and semiformal dances for the year, they came to the issue of whether they could really ask students to buy another dress or another suit.

“It can be a lot of work to figure out what dress do I want, on top of already having to pay for day dates and dinners that are slightly more expensive than if you just went fast food, and paying for dance tickets,” Student Body President McKenzie Capito said.

If students buy a new dress for each dance, it can add up to several hundred dollars.

“You want to look nice, you want to present yourself, so it makes sense that you want to spend this money,”Student Body Vice President of Activities Giovanna Garcia said. “But it's not always the most affordable. Sometimes, personally, I don't go out of my way to buy a dress for that reason. That's one of the reasons I sometimes think I don't even know if I want to go to this dance because the effort of choosing a dress‒it takes time.”

Capito and her friend spent an entire day going from store to store last year, and still didn’t find a dress for prom.

While some students borrow dresses from their sister or friends, it’s not always an option because of style or size differences, Garcia said.

“No one wants to be left out,” Garcia said. “People want to have fun, they want to go to these dances and you not having a dress or a suit shouldn’t limit that opportunity.”

To address the concerns, the 28 mem-

Prom dresses: the dilemma, the solution

By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com

bers of the student council decided to build a lending library of formal and semi formal wear for boys and girls that students can borrow to attend school dances. They named it Project Riot Runway by shortening the name of their mascot, the Patriots, into Riot. They believe the name reflects that this resource is for everyone, not just one small group of students.

Members of the current and past student body and their families have donated some items already. The student council is now asking community members for donations of formal and semi formal dresses, accessories, suits, ties and shoes in good condition. Capito said recycling these pieces of clothing is a more sustainable option than throwing them away or storing them away for years.

Donations are being accepted at the front office of Providence Hall High School located at 4557 W. Patriot Ridge Drive. Questions can be directed to gneves@providencehall. com.

Providence Hall High School’s prom is scheduled for the end of April. The students hope Project Riot Runway will have enough inventory by then to accommodate every student who wants to find something in the collection that they feel comfortable wearing.

“The more sizes you have, the more options you have, the more confident you’re going to feel in what you’re wearing,” Garcia said.

The student council budget will cover dry cleaning costs. Students will also have the option to purchase an outfit, with proceeds going toward maintenance and stor-

age costs of the collection. Capito hopes that when students have the option to borrow clothing instead of buying it, more of them will attend school dances.

“We save them that $100 that they spend on a dress and instead they can spend that on tickets,” she said. “That directly reimburses us because we have more student participation coming in the dances and more tickets sold, which in turn continues to fund the project and everything else that we do within the school.”

The student council is always looking for motivation to encourage student involve-

ment in school activities and is confident the council will continue to maintain and grow the collection beyond this school year.

“We've expressed the interest that if it were able to get big enough and we had enough dresses, potentially expanding to the other big high schools in our area and getting them involved as well,” Capito said. l

Providence Hall High School students hope to have a large selection of formal wear options to borrow to attend the prom. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)

Members of Providence Hall High School’s student council sort through donations of formal wear for their Project Riot Runway. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)

The Invention of the Year

Throughout the ages, there have been many important advances in mobility. Canes, walkers, rollators, and scooters were created to help people with mobility issues get around and retain their independence. Lately, however, there haven’t been any new improvements to these existing products or developments in this field Until now. Recently, an innovative design engineer who’s developed one of the world’s most popular products created a completely new breakthrough . . . a personal electric vehicle. It’s called the Zinger, and there is nothing out there quite like it.

“What my wife especially loves is it gives her back feelings of safety and independence which has given a real boost to her confidence and happiness! Thank You!”

–Kent C., California

The first thing you’ll notice about the Zinger is its unique look. It doesn’t look like a scooter. Its sleek, lightweight yet durable frame is made with aircraft grade aluminum so it weighs only 47.2 lbs. It features onetouch folding and unfolding – when folded it can be wheeled around like a suitcase and fits easily into a

backseat or trunk. Then, there are the steering levers. They enable the Zinger to move forward, backward, turn on a dime and even pull right up to a table or desk. With its compact yet powerful motor it can go up to 6 miles an hour and its rechargeable battery can go up to 8 miles on a single charge. With its low center of gravity and inflatable tires it can handle rugged terrain and is virtually tip-proof. Think about it, you can take your Zinger almost anywhere, so you don’t have to let mobility issues rule your life.

Why take our word for it? Call now, and find out how you can get a Zinger of your very own.

Call now and receive a utility basket absolutely FREE with your order.

The Zinger folds to a mere 10 inches.

Once in a lifetime, a product comes along that truly moves people. Introducing the future of battery-powered personal transportation . . . The Zinge r.

Available in Green, Black and Blue (shown)

The Zinger and

Zoomer Chairs

are personal electric vehicles and are not medical devices nor wheelchairs. They are not intended for medical purposes to provide mobility to persons restricted to a sitting position. They are not covered

Joystick can be mounted on the right or lef t side for rider ’s comfor t

Drone delivery service coming to Herriman

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a drone delivery service coming soon to the Walmart store in Herriman at 5056 W. 13400 South. Walmart’s store manager Brock Rose is excited to get the delivery program up-and-flying.

“The drone flies off and customers are supposed to get their order within 30 minutes from the time they placed the order,” Rose said. “It’s pretty simple.”

Walmart partnered with a third-party company, DroneUp, to provide the delivery service that can go to any home within a two-mile radius of the store. The Herriman Walmart is one of only two Utah locations testing the service, with the second store in Lindon.

For a delivery fee of $3.99, customers can request drone delivery for any of the 10,000 eligible items and the total delivery must be under 10 pounds. The drone will fly up to 100 feet in the air, go to the customer’s home and drop off the package, via cable, at the designated location.

Rose isn’t sure why the Herriman location was selected as a test site, but he’s ready to be part of the process.

“There was a lot of research that went

into the decision, like demographics,” Rose said. “DroneUp worked with Walmart to start up in these locations, I don’t know the reason we were selected. But we’re happy to have it. We’re excited.”

Testing is still underway and a start-date for drone delivery hasn’t been announced. There are many Federal Aviation Administration requirements the service has to comply with before launching, including safe flight plans that don’t fly directly over parked cars and creating a way for drones to get up and over the building.

“They’ll fly in a designated path that’s been approved by the FAA and that drone will put the item where it needs to be,” Rose said.

Walmart has expanded its drone delivery network to 36 sites in Utah, Virginia, Texas, Arizona, Florida and Arkansas. DroneUp has completed more than 6,000 deliveries for the retail giant.

Participating stores have a DroneUp delivery team on-site with certified pilots managing flight operations to ensure the drones are operating within federal guidelines. l

Walmart will start a drone delivery service at the Herriman store located at 5056 W. 13400 South. (Adobe stock photo)

Utah must be nimble to adapt to an evolving landscape

Irecentlytoured Lone Peak Hospital in southern Salt Lake County. This facility, in the heart of one of the fastest growing areas of Utah, must adapt to the constantly changing economic and demographic landscape. Although the hospital opened its doors only 10 years ago, it just completed a major expansion, including nearly doubling its bed count and expanding its women’s services, surgical services, and interventional radiology services. It is also expanding into other communities, including Herriman, Riverton, and South Jordan.

To survive and thrive in our changing environment, all businesses must remain nimble and responsive to the needs of a growing population.

Our state continues to grow. Utah’s population topped 3.4 million last year, and grew by more than 61,000 people, according to the recently released 2023 Economic Report to the Governor. This is like adding a new city the size of Herriman every year. And Utah remains one of the fastest growing states in the nation.

Our birth rate is slowing. One of the traditional unique characteristics of Utah’s population growth is that because of our high fertility rate, most of the population growth has come from “natural increase” — the number of births minus deaths in the year. However, in recent years Utah’s fertility rate dropped and is now lower than South Dakota, Nebraska,

By Robert Spendlove, Zions Bank Senior Economist

and North Dakota. But Utah recently saw a resurgence in births. For the first time since 2008, Utah births increased, topping 46,000 in 2022.

Migration is driving our growth. On the other hand, Utah has seen a migration surge in recent years. The Utah Population Committee estimates that net migration (in-migration minus out-migration) brought more than 38,000 new residents to our state in 2022. This represents 62% of the total population growth in Utah and it is the highest number of people moving into the Beehive State in a single year.

Growth is a struggle and a blessing. There is no doubt that our state has struggled under the weight of high population growth and high migration. Population growth puts greater strains on roads, schools, housing, public utilities, natural resources, and social services. It is vital for civic leaders across the state to appropriately plan for population growth and build the infrastructure necessary to support these new residents. And we must all adjust to higher demand for our limited resources as the population grows.

However, while population growth produces challenges, it is much better than the alternative. Many states in our country are currently experiencing the struggles of population loss. In these states, governments struggle to fix roads, bridges, and infrastructure; businesses struggle with decreasing demand as customers move away; and housing price growth slows or drops as people leave. On the other side of the world, China just announced that for the first time since 1961 the country’s population shrank. A shrinking population will cause the supply of workers to shrink, which may cause productivity and overall economic growth to languish.

Supporting the needs of China’s aging population will place a greater strain on workers and taxpayers as the dependency ratio increases.

Utah is blessed to have unmatched natural beauty, a high quality of life, and a strong and vibrant economy. Businesses are attracted to our state because of our strong and growing workforce, which is driven by strong population growth. And nimble companies and communities will be able to thrive in our growing state. l

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If you’d told me 20 years ago that I’d be a yoga instructor, I’d have laughed hard enough to tear a hamstring because I was very inflexible.

I took my first yoga class as a dare. My tennis instructor laughed at how tight I was and challenged me to try yoga. I hated every minute of that stupid class. I hated the words and I hated the poses and I hated the teacher and I loathed downward facing dog with a fiery passion.

But I realized my tennis instructor was right. My muscles were as tight as two-byfours, but less bendy. So I kept going back to yoga. Hated it every single time.

After about two months of practicing yoga, I noticed, little by little, my flexibility was improving. I could almost touch my toes without the usual amount of grunting and tears. My hips didn’t scream out loud while doing pigeon pose. My shoulders dropped away from my ears, where I’d held them at strict attention for decades. Even my back stopped hurting each time I rolled out of bed.

I grudgingly had to admit yoga wasn’t the hippy-dippy dumpster fire I thought it was. But learning the poses was just the beginning. As I explored yoga’s history, philosophy and favorite recipes, I came to realize yoga was a lifestyle that encouraged, nay demanded, self-love and com-

Peri Kinder Life and Laughter

passion.

Yikes. As a lifelong subscriber to self-loathing, I wasn’t sure how to handle that type of ideology. Just like when I started the physical practice, I took lots of tiny, baby steps toward accepting myself as a worthy human.

Fast forward 20 years and not only do I teach yoga but I LOVE yoga with a fiery passion. Yoga has changed me in so many ways. I used to be sarcastic, cynical and snarky but after studying yoga for so many years, I’m a sarcastic, cynical and snarky yoga instructor.

See. People change.

I’m also much less judgmental. I’m not so hard on myself and I give most people the benefit of the doubt. Most people. Maybe someone can propose a bill that would require our legislators to take a yoga class each morning before discussing the divisive and harmful bills proposed

this year. OK, when it comes to our lawmakers, I’m still pretty judgmental.

Being a yoga instructor is super silly. As an instructor, I get to say things in class that don’t make a whole lot of sense, and my students listen to me!

I’ll say, “Breathe in through your collarbones, breathe out through your kneecaps. Inhale to fill up your armpits, exhale to release tension in the ear lobes.”

Or I’ll instruct students to “Melt into the mat, send energy out of your fingertips, ground through your sitz bones, wring out your body and lengthen the crown of your head.” And I’m totally serious. (Laugh emoji)

My yoga practice has evolved from trying to do the most difficult poses and making my students sweat and swear, to focusing on deep stretches and stress-reducing breathing exercises.

It isn’t about who can be the bendy-est or the one who can hold crow pose for five minutes. It’s about appreciating what my body can do today. Not what I think it should do or what I want it to do tomorrow, but what it can accomplish right now.

I appreciate all the yoga teachers who took this rigid block of a body and mind and transformed it into a pliable, warm and accepting human being. My hamstrings thank you. l