Holladay Journal | January 2023

For the first time in almost a decade, the City of Holladay has hired a federal lobbyist.

The decision is meant to help the city grab a bigger share of the money made available in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a federal law that’s earmarked a staggering $1.2 trillion for infrastructure enhancements across the U.S.

The move mirrors a nationwide lobbying blitz by smaller municipal entities traditionally uninterested in pursuing federal influence, according to recent accounts by the Washington Post, which has raised the competition—and cost— for lobbyists.

But if all goes to plan, the money will be well spent because the upside is significant—an opportunity at what Holladay City Manager Gina Chamness described in November as “maybe the most federal money that’s ever been available for communities like ours.”

The city has contracted with Barker Leavitt, a firm with deep connections to Utah’s congressional delegation, and whose client list includes myriad public entities—Utah Transit Authority and Wasatch Front Regional Council—along

By Zak Sonntag | z.sonntag@mycityjournals.com

with private companies in the healthcare and electronics industries, according to Open Secrets, a nonpartisan research group that tracks money is U.S. politics.

Coming in just shy of $100,000, the retainer marks the city’s largest ever lobbying outlay, a reminder that access comes at a cost, a reality to which the council is not naive.

“It kind of makes you squirm a little bit to think that you have to hire people to get access to funding. But the bottom line is that it ends up being money very well spent. Those lobbyists know where those pots of money are, what they’re specifically to be used for, and how to put your applications in,” said Mayor Robert Dahle in an interview, explaining that the city considered six firms and interviewed three before deciding on Barker Leavitt.

“Even though we went with the more expensive (lobbying firm), we think it’s going to be the best value long-term for the residents of Holladay. It’s more up front, but when you're talking about hundreds of thousands in potential awards, that extra money is not as significant as it might be in a regular budgeting process,” One

big ticket item leaders hope to pursue with the help of federal funds is the reconstruction of Highland Drive between Arbor Lane and Van Winkle Expressway. (File photo City Journals)

Dogs for the Blind provides an opportunity for volunteer puppy raisers in the Salt Lake area to prepare a golden retriever or Labrador in the first eight weeks to 18 months of a puppy’s life for formal guide dog training. Volunteers provide love, socialization and teach their guide dogs basic commands and house manners.

On a November Saturday afternoon, Guide Dogs for the Blind: Salt Lake City, an affiliate of the largest guide dog school in North America, offered an hour presentation sponsored by the Holladay Library on what it takes to raise a puppy for the role of taking care of a visually impaired partner. The dogs participating in the program are bred in San Rafael, California and are the best of the best dogs. Beginning at eight weeks, puppies having had all of their behavior and health checks are placed with volunteer puppy trainers. Volunteers teach their pups how to walk on a leash, basic commands including how to sit, to come when called, to go to bed, and how to behave in a variety of social situations.

Between 15 to 18 months old, the dogs are usually ready to relocate to the Guide Dogs for the Blind campus in Boring, Oregon for more formal training with professional guide dog mobility instructors. Formal training lasts from three to six months where the dogs learn how to take care of and keep their visually impaired partner safe. The training includes teaching the dog to be aware of its surroundings. For example, the dogs are taught to look up for tree branches or obstacles that are

Volunteers vital in guide dog training

By Collette Hayes | c.hayes@mycityjournals.com

hanging low, to watch for oncoming traffic and to look down for stairs and curbs.

According to Mickelle Smith, Guide Dogs for the Blind representative, only 50% of the dogs in training make the cut to be guide dogs. The dogs are bred to be working dogs and if not selected as a guide dog for the visually impaired formal training programing, they will go on to do other service-related jobs. The career change dogs will be trained to help diabetics manage blood sugar levels, provide PTSD and mobility assistance or serve as a K9 buddy for a visually impaired child who may one day consider a guide dog. Dogs selected to continue and complete formal training will be matched to a visually impaired partner during a graduation ceremony.

“Some of the things considered when matching a guide dog to a blind partner is the size of the dog, ease of handling and the dogs walking pace,” Smith said. “Volunteer trainers are welcome to attend their puppy’s graduation ceremony after formal training is completed and to present the puppy to their new partner. It’s a gratifying experience for volunteers to meet the dog’s new visually impaired partner and to realize how the dog is going to change the person’s life.”

Volunteer puppy trainer Christina Evans participated in the volunteer guide dog training program 20 years ago and she recently decided to participate once again and include her entire family. Training a guide dog is hard work but provides an opportunity for the children in the fam-

ily to learn how to care for and take responsibility for a puppy. Volunteers attend a dog training meeting weekly to learn how to train their puppy and to check on the progress the puppy has made.

“As volunteer trainers one of the most important things we do is socializing the dog,” Evans said. “It is important we train our dog to be well behaved in different situations including restaurants, airports or when using public transportation so the dog will be able to demonstrate good behavior in these situations when it is full grown. Of course, it’s sad when you take the dog back to move on to formal training. The dog has become a part of the family and you love the dog, but I kind of feel like it’s like sending a kid off to college. You’re sending them off to bigger and better things. There are a lot of sad tears, but also a lot of happy tears when realizing how this puppy has the potential to significantly change a person’s life for the better.”

Guide Dogs for the Blind is run by private donations. All guide dog services are provided to the visually impaired client at no charge for the entire life of the dog.

“The guide dog client is flown out to the guide dog campus free of charge,” Smith said. “The organization pays for the client to stay on campus for two weeks and then sends them home with follow up and vet care instructions.”

Thinking about becoming a guide dog volunteer? All costs incurred during the volunteer guide dog training program including food, toys and a crate are tax deductible.

Vet bills are covered by the organization. Weekly guide dog training meetings are mandatory.

For more information about be-

coming a volunteer with Guide Dogs for the Blind, contacts www.guidedogs.com/support-gdb/volunteer l

HOLLADAY TEAM

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Jane Evan’s job as a volunteer guide dog puppy raiser is to love her golden retriever/Labrador Fendi but also to teach Fendi socialization skills, basic commands and house manners. Fendi goes everywhere the family goes including to school, to restaurants and to visit with friends. (Collette Hayes/City Journals)

New survey shows where residents stand on key issues

By Zak Sonntag | z.sonntag@mycityjournals.com

From housing and development to environmental sustainability, Holladay residents weighed in on key topics and offered a snapshot of community sentiment in a new Y2 Analytics survey released in December.

The results show confidence in some areas, but concern in others.

The survey asked 706 adult residents to rate topics that included safety, representation, infrastructure, housing, city services, along with other issues of interest. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus around four percentage points and was fielded between Sept. 10 and Sept. 29, 2022.

Drop in optimism, quality of life remains high

General outlooks have slipped slightly but remain high with residents rating their quality of life positively in all five Holladay districts, with an average of 77 out 100, bolstered by a strong sense of safety, community and neighborhood aesthetics.

But even as satisfaction is high for now, the survey showed a significant drop in optimism regarding residents’ view of the city trajectory headed into the future.

Under half of respondents, 45%, say that Holladay is heading in the right direction, a six point decline since 2019 and an 11 point drop from 2017. And only 40% of respondents say the city is better today compared to five years ago.

The downward trend reflects concerns over traffic, growth, and housing—issues cited as top concerns for survey respondents.

“They’re seeing more cars on the roads. More congestion in their neighborhood…and some of those things are giving them pause,” said Kyrene Gibbs, vice president of research at Y2 Analytics.

Political atmosphere affecting the outlook?

Pollsters believe perceptions of local issues are commonly impacted by what’s happening at state and national levels, which is something that Gibbs sees happening in Holladay.

“We always see attitudes about the direction that a community is headed dip during competitive election cycles. I think there is something to be said for the political atmosphere,” Gibbs said, alluding to the November 2022 statewide senate race.

Gibbs also pointed out that concerns about the broader economy influence respondents’ attitudes toward local issues, too, even though they fall outside the municipal purview.

“Certainly economic considerations play into optimism about the future. When inflation is going up, residents are less likely to say the community as a whole is headed in right direction. I strongly suspect that is part of what we’re seeing here,” Gibbs said.

Inflation and combative campaigns aside, the bigger frustration relates to what’s happen-

ing right in the neighborhood, with residents citing discontent with the increase in subdivision and high-density development they fear will change the character of the community.

As a result, perhaps, Holladay’s planning, zoning and building services ranked lowest on list of city services.

“Part of me thinks some of this rating is related more to pessimism generally. Attitudes about growth and pain points around growth are seeping into various aspects of residents perspectives,” Gibbs said.

Despite concern around growth, residents were more amenable to certain styles of development, with a high portion of respondents showing support for single-family garden courtyard homes with shared open space. While only one in four residents were interested in seeing more mixed-used developments.

Sustainability

Residents showed a unified front on sustainability, with 84% of residents who said it is at least somewhat important that the city become a more sustainable and environmentally friendly city moving into the future, and 53% who said it was very important.

Residents were interested in pursuing sustainability through tree planting, water conservation, and efforts to reduce carbon emissions and waste management; respondents showed strong support even against a hypothetical 9% increase in energy utility bills.

Community events top list

Residents expressed high satisfaction with community events—including things

like the Blue Moon Festival and Concerts on the Commons—that topped the list of city services with an average rating of 70 points. City parks and open spaces also scored strongly.

Although residents would like to see more sidewalks, and 59% believe sidewalks need more maintenance.

Council’s approval rating: “Congress would be envious”

The survey delivered a resounding paton-the-back for the city council, who respon-

dents rated very favorable with 79% of residents approving of how the mayor and council fulfill their jobs.

“That is a phenomenal approval rating for elected bodies. Congress would be envious,” Gibbs said.

Although just over half of residents said their city tax dollars provide good or excellent value, a decline from previous surveys. l

Traffic, growth and housing were among top concerns for survey participants. (City Journals)

Concerts on the Commons scored strongly for residents. (City Journals)

Holladay 2022

Councilman Ty Brewer takes the oath of office at Holladay City Hall Jan. 6. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

A Medusa sculpture by Bekah Latham of Olympus High in its early stages at the Art Olympics. (Heather Lawrence/City Journals)

Olympus’ Madaleine Moran (kneeling) congratulates teammate Eliza Arveseth for a first-place finish in the 200 medley relay at the 5A State Championships at Brigham Young University. The Olympus girls team finished with 287 points for the state championship. (Photo by Roger V. Tuttle)

Heidi Baer is a second-grade teacher at Howard Driggs Elementary School. In March she was surprised with an Excel Award. (Granite Education Foundation)

Kathy Hess is an English teacher at Cottonwood High. In March she was surprised with an Excel Award. (Granite Education Foundation)

Honorees from UPD join the Holladay City Council for their work breaking up a major burglary ring along the Wasatch Front. (Bill Hardesty/City Journals)

Holladay’s Adria Favero finished fifth at the USATF National Junior Olympics in December to help her 11-12-year-old girls team to a national championship. (Photos courtesy Kristen Favero)

A sign of the times. Mayor Rob Dahle speaks to those in attendance at Holladay City Hall after being sworn in virtually as mayor. Dahle stayed home as a precautionary measure after his wife was exposed to someone with COVID. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

“Best Holladay Scene” was created by three generations of artists: Amy Stephens and her daughter, Bird, and her mom Lisa. (City Journals)

The Olympus High girls lacrosse team won the state championship in May, beating perennial power Park City. (Justin Adams/City Journals)

With another championship, the Olympus boys basketball team has earned its place as one of the top programs in the state over the past decade. (Photo by Roger V. Tuttle)

Carly Donahue, center, is all smiles on May 13 when she was officially named GSD Teacher of the Year. She splits her time between Fox Hills Elementary in Taylorsville and Crestview Elementary in Holladay. (Granite School District)

There’s always a buzz in the air on opening night, and this one was no different. Families, friends and community members gathered at Olympus High in October for the fall musical “Footloose.” Students rehearsed for months, and the show had it all—dancing, singing, rebellious teenagers in church, a real car on stage.

But it wasn’t just the teachers and performers who made it a success. Olympus’s stage crew, a group of 25 dedicated students led by teacher Jackie Fredrickson, made the lights go up and the sound come on. They put in hundreds of hours before and during the show to get everything just right.

“The stage crew is sometimes an ‘invisible’ part of productions at Olympus, but they work hard and make me proud,” Fredrickson said.

The stage crew at Olympus is a class, but it also requires time outside of school. Some say they “lived” at the school during musical rehearsals, just like the cast did.

Stage crew is in charge of creating the sets used in productions. Just off stage right is a large storage area and workshop. It’s full of the ghosts of productions past—random mismatched chairs, a working door on wheels and huge painted backdrops.

“I really like building sets and taking

By Heather Lawrence | h.lawrence@mycityjournals.com

things apart,” said senior Joe Van Dan. Van Dan is a stage crew pro and has done every job there is.

“In addition to building sets, I’ve been on lights, sound, stage right and left manager, and fly manager. Jackie [Fredrickson] is always here, but at this point we can pretty much run a show on our own,” Van Dan said.

Freshman ShyAnne Ginner is still learning the ropes. “I took this class because it sounded fun. I wanted to make things and hang out with friends. I’ve learned a lot, and I like painting and perfecting sets,” Ginner said.

Students Lola Johansen, Anna Hanson and Arabella James said stage crew has taught them to plan and prepare. Copious notes are made in the scripts for productions. The notes tell the stage crew when to move the curtains up and down, which props need to be moved on and off the stage, and all the details that keep the show running smoothly.

But they learned you should always expect surprises, especially when you’re driving a car on stage.

“In ‘Footloose’ there was a scene with a car, and someone decided we should use an actual electric car. During one of the performances we pulled it up on stage to the point we’d marked. Someone thought it should be

The Olympus High stage crew sits in the storage room among their ghosts of props past. (Heather Lawrence/City Journals)

thing, then that happens!” Johansen said.

Students in stage crew love theater, they just prefer staying out of the spotlight.

“I used to perform in things, but it triggered anxiety. With stage crew I can dress in black and be a part of making the show work but it doesn’t make me anxious. I have fun building things and am learning to run the spotlight,” James said.

James thinks some actors notice the stage crew, but she hopes that more people will “get it.” “Without us the show would not go on,” James said.

Some families have performing in their blood, but Hanson has stage crew in hers. Her dad is the executive director for performances at Red Butte Gardens.

“I’ve been back stage ever since I was little, and I see a career path in this industry. I went to work with my dad and helped move props and was there during sound and lighting checks,” Hanson said.

Hanson and the other stage crew members all agree their knowledge is a blessing and a curse. They find themselves critiquing any show they attend.

“Whenever my dad and I go to a show, we always point out things like static in the speakers or fuzzy mics. It’s like now I can’t ‘unhear’ it,” Hanson said.

Arik Uremovich finds the same problem, but with curtains. “I work stage left and the fly station (the rigging system for the curtains). I work hard to make sure the curtains are at the perfect position. When I see someone doing a bad job on curtains, it just bugs me,” Uremovich said.

Working the fly system isn’t simple. There’s a complicated system of 33 separate pulleys, each connected to a curtain and a weight. The curtains are hung throughout the stage so focus can be drawn to specific areas. Pulling a curtain up and lowering it down are matters of using body strength and balancing the weight.

The “stage crew left” as they’ve come to be known is a group of some students who like to work on stage left, which includes the fly station. This year, there’s been a trick to labeling the flys—one member of the crew, Ender Adams, is color blind.

“We had to come up with a whole new system where we only use red and green labels so we can do things safely and quickly,” Uremovich said.

Uremovich and classmate Natalie Crofts co-managed the “Footloose” show. “We found we work well together, and good backstage managing is crucial. We learned to delegate and had good teamwork,” Crofts said.

Crofts and Uremovich got high praise from their peers. “If Natalie and Arik don’t go into stage managing for a career, that would just be sad. They are really good, and they made us a good team,” said Charlie Bishop.

Teamwork is essential when the stage crew has to create in reality what theater teacher Robin Edwards envisions.

“Robin has very high standards. She’s pushing us the whole time—making buildings, improvising sets and giving us notes during tech rehearsals. It can be stressful, but the result is that our shows look amazing. We get lots of compliments, and our set design for ‘Footloose’ was awesome,” said senior Logan Black.

Black, who plans to work in stage crew in college, said the high standards have gotten into his head.

“I’ll go to a show at Hale with my grandma, and the whole time I’m commenting on the sets, what they’ve done, how they’ve done it. She says, ‘Can you just stop talking and enjoy the show?’”

The stage crew runs the sound mixer and lighting during assemblies and also when the theater is rented to outside productions. “They do a lot for us. They’re very valuable and a big part of the school’s success,” said assistant principal Jordan Kjar.

The mixer is about halfway back in the auditorium. The lighting booth is at the very back. It’s a small room with chairs, a desk, a window looking out to the stage and a computer. The walls are covered with encouraging notes.

A big folded card on the wall made of black butcher paper reads, “What the audience sees,” on the front, and there’s just one big rectangle drawn to represent the stage.

Inside the card reads, “What’s really going on,” and the rectangle is now filled with a flurry of activity. Shapes and dialogue bubbles on every side displays everything the stage crew does during a show.

To design lighting for a show, Olympus uses industry-standard professional lighting software. With it, the lighting for an entire show, detailed within slices of seconds, can be meticulously planned.

“Footloose’s” lighting was designed by senior Ben Barton, who liked the creative freedom he was given for the

show.

“I joined stage crew three years ago because I wanted to see what it was like behind the scenes. I love theater, but I don’t want to be on stage. This way, I’m involved without being in the spotlight,” Barton said.

Barton’s involvement is exactly what the stage crew program is designed to create: students who learn career-directed skills and accept responsibility for their work. It makes Fredrickson proud to know she can give them an assignment and they just get it done.

“In the last show we needed a stained-glass window for a church scene. I told the students, ‘It needs to look like this,’ and they ran with it. They really took ownership, and it was great to see them do that.

“They work so hard,” Fredrickson said. “They deserve to be highlighted and appreciated." l

Stage crew teacher Jackie Fredrickson explains that the computer in the lighting booth is equipped with industry-standard software, allowing students to learn how to plan an entire show’s lighting. (Heather Lawrence/City Journals)

“If we have leftover paint from a project, we use it to put our handprint over here on this wall,” the

stage crew explained in the huge work-

room off the stage. (Heather Lawrence/City Journals)

The view from the back: this is what the stage crew sees as they’re quickly moving props on and off during productions and hoping you don’t see them. (Heather Lawrence/City Journals)

Dahle said.

The apparent perquisite for a lobbyist, albeit, runs counter to the Biden Administration’s stated goal of making the funding accessible to communities without recourse third parties; the White House published a 365-page guidebook along with the administrative website Build.gov to make the process easy for municipalities to navigate.

“This guidebook is another step in our effort to be as transparent as possible, so you know what to apply for, who to contact, and how to get ready to rebuild,” explained Mitch Landrieu, the administration’s Implementation Coordinator, in the introduction to the Building a Better America guidebook.

Even still, cities like Holladay, which has a long record of wrangling free money from other pots of funding, are willing to pay top dollar for a specialized firm for a better shot at federal earmarks.

The new approach underscores that the city is getting serious about repairing its “old bones,” a reference to its outdated infrastructure and over $75 million in unfunded liabilities as shown in the Holladay@20 report.

One big ticket item leaders hope to pursue with the help of federal funds is the reconstruction of Highland Drive between Arbor Lane and Van Winkle Expressway, an area troubled by drainage and utility issues, and where community members have pushed for better multimodal transportation.

According to the American Association of Civil Engineers (ASCE), roads like Highland Drive play a key role in economic vitality, as an ASCE report from 2021 argues that underfunded infrastructure chips away at the country’s GDP through lost productivity.

Since the passage of the mixed-used Holladay Cross-

roads Zone, a gateway district and key commercial contributor on the city’s southside, the need for an efficient multi-modal Highland Drive corridor will increase, city leaders say.

Also on the shortlist of funding priorities is implementation of the Wasatch Boulevard Master Plan. In addition to making the corridor more pedestrian friendly with enhanced accommodations for cyclists, the plan aims to improve traffic safety conditions on the Boulevard that saw 271 crashes in the period between 2016 and 2021, according to collision data cited in the plan.

Other desired projects relate to storm water systems, including an imminent conveyance system repair in District 3’s Meadow Moore area, which City Engineer Jared Bunch says must be attended to in order to prevent the potential for property damage.

“We have a lot of old metal pipes that are approaching or even exceeding their lifespans. They are corroding or deteriorating and they need to be rehabilitated or replaced,” Bunch said. “Storm drain systems are needed to protect properties from storm water.”

In this way the city reflects troubles faced by the state as a whole, with the ASCE giving Utah’s storm water systems a middling “C+” grade in their 2020 infrastructure report card.

Holladay City has seen impressive results from its state-level lobbying efforts, according to the mayor, which makes the council confident in its decision to retain Barker Leavitt. Local lobbying firm Capstone Strategies, for instance, was instrumental in the $4 million award to the city for the recent reconstruction of 3900 South from Olympus High to I-215.

“Our experience with our lobbyists has been terrific and they turn every penny we pay them,” Dahle said.

Now the city is stepping up its lobbying game and chas-

ing even bigger sums.

Councilmember Paul Fotheringham during a November meeting summarized the council’s thinking: “To maximize being able to get our share (of federal funds), it takes that type of expertise, and you can’t get it unless you spend a little. You got to spend it to get it.” l

City Engineer Jared Bunch said, “Storm drain systems are needed to protect properties from storm water.” (File photo Cassie Goff/City Journals)

Did you make a New Year’s resolution this year?

The most popular New Year’s resolution that appears on people’s lists year after year focuses on health and physical wellness such as exercising more, getting more sleep, losing weight, and making healthier choices when eating. However, after one week only 75% are successful at keeping it and only 46% end up keeping it after six months.

Working with a dietitian can actually provide many benefits to attaining this goal of being a healthy new you in 2023 and beyond. Benefits include:

• Nutritional advice that is tailored just for you

• Help managing chronic diseases or illnesses

• Assistance navigating special needs such as food allergies or sensitivities or recent weight gain or loss

• Education in understanding of nutrition, including what that looks like while shopping at the grocery store, cooking a meal at home or eating out

I recently sat down with Melanie Taylor, a dietitian with Harmons Grocery, to talk all things healthy eating in hopes of helping you keep and reach those health and physical wellness goals. “Fueling when you’re starting a new exercise regimen or just for overall health is really important,” Taylor said. “We tend to cut calories and cut food, but you’re not going to be able to get what you want out of your workouts or your activities if you’re not properly fueling your body at all times.”

So, when it comes to focus on fueling our fitness goals Taylor provides the following tips:

• Pre-workout needs to start with a good source of carbohydrates one to two hours prior to your workout (fruit, breads, grains)

• Post-workout is a good time for well-rounded meals or snacks with some protein, carbohydrates, and heart-healthy fats typically 30 minutes to one hour after you end a workout (nuts and seeds, avocado toast)

Dehydration peaks during the winter months as we tend not to have the thirst perception as we do when it’s warm outside. Whatever your water drinking goals are, Taylor suggests adding some variety by trying sparkling water, infused water, herbal teas— whatever helps in staying hydrated. Just make sure to stay away from the dehydration culprit—soda.

Those with high blood pressure, high cholesterol or have a family history of heart disease should watch their sodium intake, but it’s even more vital to get a rainbow-colored variety of foods—purples, greens, reds, oranges, etc. Taylor suggests that cooking methods such as roasting vegetables can help bring out natural flavors of produce and therefore can help us in having a good variety of foods in our healthy eating plan.

When it comes to meal plans the top five are Mediterranean, gluten free, Paleo,

Healthy eating in a new year

By Holly Curby | hello@hollycurby.com

vegan and low carb whole food diets. “Pick the one that you will be able to maintain forever,” Taylor said. “Don’t fall for these fad type of diets and things that are a quick fix. If it’s something that you aren’t willing or able to do for your whole life, it’s probably not going to be a beneficial eating style for you.” Regardless of meal plans, the following can help you eat nutritiously:

• Portion out food so that you don’t overeat

• Plan out your menu for the week to avoid the temptation of eating out every night or snacking on junk food

• Pre-pack snacks that are high nutrient quality foods (nuts, hard boiled eggs, string cheese, fruit cups, parfaits) to take with you on the go to avoid grabbing those high calorie snacks from convenient stores

• Pre-prep meals for those busy days (prep meals in bulk, make freezer meals for future last-minute options, pre-chop items needed for meals throughout the week)

• Check nutritional and dietitian labels when shopping in the grocery store to help make better choices when selecting various food items

Harmons Grocery makes label reading much easier with their gluten free, vegan free, dietitian’s choice, and other nutritional labeling in stores. They also offer convenient park and load, and if you join their complimentary loy-

alty program you can save money on gas and earn free food. Harmons also offers cooking classes, one-on-one nutritional counseling, tailored recipe recommendations, nutrition seminars and more. Connect with a dietitian or sign up for a class at harmonsgrocery.com. Here’s to achieving those health and physical wellness New Year’s resolutions where you’ll be on your way to eating healthy in 2023.

Want more help in figuring out all the puzzle pieces to eating healthy in this new year? Learn more from Melanie on Holly’s Highlights podcast, season 4, episode 1. Holly’s Highlights podcast is available at www.hollycurby.com wherever you listen to podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, or just say, “Alexa, play Holly’s Highlights podcast.” l

Harmons dietitian Melanie Taylor prepping for a nutritional tour. (Photo courtesy of Holly Curby and Harmons Grocery)

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Across the United States, there’s a need for blood every two seconds. Whether it’s used for traumatic injuries, cancer treatments, illness or surgery, products used from blood donations are lifesaving. But in Utah, only about 3% of the eligible population donates blood on a regular basis.

The American Red Cross in Utah provides blood to more than 50 hospitals in the state, including Primary Children’s Hospital, but since June, blood donations have been down by 20%.

“This summer, we got to the point where doctors had to put off elective surgeries because of a lack of blood,” said Sheri Van Bibber, an ARC district representative director. “We have to donate for each other. We can’t just go buy it.”

When COVID restrictions eased, blood donations increased as people could get a free antibody test with each donation. But now, blood supplies are steadily dropping. Van Bibber said one factor for the drop is that many blood drives that used to be held

in businesses haven’t been scheduled because employees are working from home.

Another factor is that high schools and college campuses have been closed for the summer, so donations from the education sector have also gone down, although fall blood drives are ramping up again.

“I think everyone was so tired of lockdown. People really did come out during the pandemic to donate. But now we’re working to maximize resources because our hospital needs didn’t drop.”

Utah is one of only 37 states that allows 16-year-olds to donate blood and many teens have become donors. Additionally, some regulations have changed, allowing more people to give blood. For instance, anyone who received a tattoo can donate three months after the procedure, instead of six.

The ARC believes the eligibility to donate blood should not be based upon sexual orientation and is working to achieve this goal, but the ARC’s

With blood donations down, the American Red Cross of Utah is hoping to get new donors to give blood. (Adobe stock photo)

With only 3% of eligible Utahns donating blood, the American Red Cross needs more donors

current guidelines state blood donations from gay men must be deferred for three months from the most recent sexual contact with a man. The ARC recognizes this policy has caused hurt and alienation in the LGBTQ+ community and is having conversations with its partners to get the deferment eliminated.

Another recent change allows people who spent time in England from 1980 to 1997 to donate blood. In the past, the fear of transmitting the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, banned all donations. But two months ago, the ban was lifted.

“Even if anybody was over in Europe during the ’80s, they can now donate,” Van Bibber said.

For the 100,000 Americans diagnosed with sickle cell disease, most of them African American, blood transfusions are a critical treatment. With no cure for sickle cell, blood donations from a close blood match are vital, but donations from this population remain low.

“We need more African Americans to donate because they hold the antibody to help each other,” she said. “That’s a huge piece that we’re working on.”

First-time donors are asked to show ID and then get a mini-physical and discuss their health history. The actual donation procedure only takes 5-10 minutes followed by 15 minutes of rest while en-

joying a snack. Donors can give blood every two months.

The ARC app allows donors to see where their blood gets used and shows their blood type. Identifying blood type is usually a $150 test that must be prescribed by your doctor but it’s free for those who donate.

One donation can impact three patients as a pint of blood includes whole blood, plasma and platelets. Platelets are used for people who don’t have enough white cells, which means their blood doesn’t clot. Plasma is used with burn patients.

“We take care of all the needs here in Utah and if there’s an emergency like tornadoes or hurricanes or floods or fire, in those areas, the blood drives get shut down,” she said. “So we pull together extra resources and we send resources to where it’s needed.”

For more information about blood donation or to find a drive near you, visit Redcrossblood.org.

“It’s good for your body to kick out that pint. It gets the old red cells out and gets new red cells replenishing, so it ups your energy level,” Van Bibber said. “We’ll take care of you for a minute while you’re taking care of others.” l

For: 3D mammograms that detect signs of breast cancer.

By: experts trained in early detection.

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At Holladay Hills, a lot of big, new things are in the works, but some things will remain the same—sort of.

The Holladay Planning Commission in December voted to approve the preliminary site plan for the “adaptive reuse” of the Macy’s building, the primary structure for Block B of the Holladay Hills development and sole remaining landmark of the former Cottonwood Mall site.

Rather than demolish the building, developers will repurpose the three-story structure for mixed-uses, with ground-level retail and upper-level office space.

The approval also moves the project closer to a long-awaited mile marker: with the completion of Block B, Holladay Hills will meet the minimum requirements to trigger its Tax Increment Financing (TIF), which effectively relieves tax pressure on developers.

TIF agreements are a common municipal tool used to incentivize private development.

Once the TIF threshold is triggered, it will enable the developers to build parking decks and additional infrastructure to support concurrent uses and help speed the completion of the remaining project blocks, according to Chris Lawson, who represented

By Zak Sonntag | z.sonntag@mycityjournals.com

the developer during a December planning commission meeting.

“It’s a pretty exciting milestone,” Lawson said.

Lawson said lease agreements for the office space are in the works and the space of now is reserved for two separate tenants. However, the architecture allows for anticipated reconfigurations to accommodate multiple renters on each level.

The plan alters an earlier vision of the broader development by shifting the primary plaza to now be between Block B and Block C, meant improve pedestrian experience and produce flow between the two blocks.

The adaptive reuse lends a sense of history to the development and immortalizes a structure community members associate with an era—even if some of its memories are sour, namely a community feud over the 2018 “Holladay Quarter.”

With the closure the Cottonwood Mall, the Holladay City Council undertook a sweeping rezone of the site in connection with developers for the Holladay Quarter, including Ivory Homes.

Residents decried the ensuing development proposal, however, and organized a referendum to overturn it. After residents won the referendum, the council appealed

to the courts, where the issued was eventually decided by the Utah Supreme Court in a ruling that sided with residents, stating that the breadth of the rezone constituted a legislative decision, as opposed to an administrative decision, and was therefore subject to

the referendum outcome.

Thereafter, the area reverted to a 2007 Site Development Master Plan (SDMP), under which Holladay Hills was permitted in 2019. l

The Holladay Planning Commission in December voted to approve the preliminary site plan for the “adaptive reuse” of the Macy’s building, the primary structure for Block B of the Holladay Hills development and sole remaining landmark of the former Cottonwood Mall site. (File photo City Journals)

Happy New Year friends of Holladay! Maybe it’s because I’m approaching 60 years of age, or that I grew up on 70’s rock music, or that I was raised reading books published on paper, but… 2023? Really? It sounds like a year out of a futuristic Orwellian novel or a Terminator movie. Indeed, we have been through some disaster movie-style national and even global upheavals, so it seems I must concede the future is already here. Fortunately for all of us, we are riding out these storms in the oasis of Holladay.

With a new year now in front of us, it is a great time to take stock of the past year, acknowledge our blessings and good fortune, learn from our mistakes, and establish goals for the coming year. At City Hall, I am astonished at how fortunate I am to serve in such a great little town. Holladay is full of generous and talented people who love to make life better for all of us. From our creative, talented staff and volunteers to our dedicated public safety officers, I can’t come up with a city that is more fortunate than we are in Holladay.

Growth/Change/Renewal

The word “growth” is often a dirty word in a well-established suburb like Holladay. I’m frankly a little nervous about mentioning the word. The thing about growth is that in healthy environments, growth is a natural result. Healthy entities, including municipalities, tend to grow/change/evolve…and that’s a good thing. Unhealthy entities tend to stagnate and even die. But growth can be beautifully managed like my neighbor’s garden or allowed to roam wild like an unkept empty lot.

At City Hall, the City Council and staff are committed to keeping Holladay healthy and to managing the growth and change that is inherent in a healthy place like Holladay. Though the members of your City Council don’t always agree on how to apply our mutual values for managing growth to a specific set of facts or a specific request for change, we are all committed to Holladay’s long-term health and to thoughtfully managing growth and change.

Speaking of growth and change, stay tuned next month for another update on the Cottonwood Mall / Holladay Hills redevelopment project directly from developer.

Be nice.

Some things change, others don’t. Choosing kindness always has and always will trump the alternative. But I will be the first to admit that it’s not always easy. Not long ago, I had a constituent complain to me in a manner I didn’t appreciate. Though I was grateful for his taking the time to point out a problem that needed attention, my response was not nice though it felt powerful in the moment, I have since felt childish, weak, and remorseful for not choosing kindness. It takes effort. Make the effort. Choose to be nice.

New First Time Grandparent.

I’ll try to say this kindly, but you’re all second fiddle now. I have a grandson (mic drop). That is all.

By Council Member Paul Fotheringham District

Winter Parking on the Public Streets

By Chief Justin Hoyal, UPD Holladay Precinct

During the winter months, we are continually encouraging motorists to slow down, drive carefully in the snowy conditions and watch out for emergency vehicles and snowplows. During these months we generally see an increase in the number of traffic accidents, and that is the reason for these continued reminders. However, one thing that often gets overlooked is parking on the streets when the snow is falling.

The City of Holladay has an ordinance that says “It is unlawful for any person who owns or has possession, custody or control of any vehicle to park or knowingly allow to be parked any vehicle on any street when it is snowing or snow is accumulating on the street during the months of November, December, January, February, March, and April…” What this means is that if it is snowing or snow is coming down on our city roads, you cannot park your car on the street. This is important because it gives the snowplows space to navigate through our streets and gives them room to push the snow

off the travel lanes.

We have already seen several snowstorms in November and December, including some that lasted several days. During those storms, we have had to issue citations to the cars parked on the roads. We want to help our snowplow drivers do their jobs so that the snow can be cleared, which makes the roads safer for everyone.

If you want to make a parking or traffic enforcement request you can send a request online at our “Report Traffic Concern” form on the city website. If there is a situation or need for an officer to respond, and it is of a non-emergency nature, you can call our non-emergency dispatch center at 801-840-4000. In any situation, if there is an emergency, call 911.

We are asking for your help. When a storm is forecasted, please move your car off the street. Working together we will be able to get the streets clear of snow and make it safer for everyone to travel through our great city.

Holladay Library Happenings

Growing Microgreens at Home

Saturday, Jan 21 at 11:30 am

Microgreens are 10-40 times more nutritious than their grown parent plants. Learn how to grow these tasty gems in as little as 6 days and bring green into your kitchen during the winter months.

Great Reads Book Club

Tuesday, Jan 10 at 7 pm

Book club for kids and a caring adult. Lively discussions, activities, friendship, and fun. Great for 8–12 year olds.

January’s Book: The List of Unspeakable Fears by J. Kasper Kramer

As always, for a full list of library events they can go to https://events.slcolibrary.org/events

2022 Fun Facts About Your Animal Shelter

By Salt Lake County Animal Services

As the largest, no-kill, the municipal animal shelter in Utah, Salt Lake County Animal Services is an extremely busy place. The staff sees a variety of animals throughout the year from big to small: horses, goats, cows, pigs, snakes, pet spiders, turtles and obviously the traditional, dogs, cats, guinea pigs and rabbits. Here are just some Fun Facts from this year.

Adoptions, Rescues & Return to Home 2,600 Pets were adopted or sent to rescue! Another 1,500 went home to their owners.

Pet Food & Treats

Over 21,000 pounds of food and treats were fed to shelter pets.

Volunteer & Foster Hours 32,500 Volunteer Hours 915 Pets to Foster Homes = 93,000 Foster Hours

Spay & Neuter Clinic 3,300 Pets were sterilized by our in-house clinic.

Humane Education Presentations

Over 5,000 children and adults attended our community presentations.

For more on how to get involved, adopt, license, microchip, or donate, visit AdoptUtahPets.org

*All numbers were from 1/1/2022 -11/1/2022

CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS:

Rob Dahle, Mayor rdahle@cityofholladay.com 801-580-3056

Ty Brewer, District 1 tbrewer@cityofholladay.com 801-550-8747

Matt Durham, District 2 mdurham@cityofholladay.com 801-999-0781

Paul Fotheringham, District 3 pfotheringham@cityofholladay.com 801-424-3058

Drew Quinn, District 4 dquinn@cityofholladay.com 801-272-6526

Dan Gibbons, District 5 dgibbons@cityofholladay.com 385-215-0622

Gina Chamness, City Manager gchamness@cityofholladay.com

PUBLIC MEETINGS:

City Council

– rst and third Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. Planning Commission

– rst and third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.

CITY OFFICES:

Mon-Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. • 801-272-9450

4580 South 2300 East • Holladay, UT 84117

Community Development 801-527-3890

Finance 801-527-2455

Justice Court 801-273-9731

Code Enforcement 801-527-3890

NUMBERS TO KNOW:

Emergency 911

UPD Dispatch (Police) 801-840-4000

UFA Dispatch (Fire) 801-840-4000

Animal Control 385-468-7387

Garbage/Sanitation 385-468-6325

Holladay Library 801-944-7627

Holladay Lions Club 385-468-1700

Mt. Olympus Sr. Center 385-468-3130

Holladay Post O ce 801-278-9942

Cottonwood Post O ce 801-453-1991

Holliday Water 801-277-2893

Watermaster - Big Cottonwood Tanner

Ditch system - Art Quayle 801 867-1247

Yellow Dot Program

By Capt. Dan Brown, Unified Fire Authority

Auto accidents are some of the worst kinds of calls firefighters respond on. You never really know what you’re getting into. How many patients will there be? How bad are the injuries? Will they need extrication? Are there hazardous materials leaking? Do we have a safe area to work? All of these things are in our heads as we respond to these types of calls. Many times, patients are unable to communicate with us due to the severity of their injuries, which can hinder us from giving the best medical care possible. Knowing a patient’s medical history is vital to us as first responders and for care given at the hospital.

This is where Utah’s Yellow Dot Program comes in. Utah started this program in 2012 and it provides first responders with valuable information such as medical history, medications taken, and emergency contact information in the event an accident victim cannot communicate with us. For those of you who have heard of the Vial of Life program, it’s very similar. Here’s how to participate in the Yellow Dot Program in four easy steps:

There are multiple locations where you can pick up Yellow Dot Packets:

Salt Lake City Library Locations

Salt Lake County Library Locations

Utah Highway Safety Office

Or to request materials or a class contact: Jamie Troyer, RN 801-585-2991 jamie.troyer@hsc.utah.edu

This is a great program and east to participate in. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at dbrown@unifiedfire.org.

Thanks and Stay Safe, Holladay!

2022 Community Survey Results Now Available

The City of Holladay, with the help of its consultant Y2 Analytics, recently conducted a community-wide resident survey from September 10-29, 2022. This marks the 3rd time Holladay has gathered information using this tool, with a community-wide survey last issued in 2017 and resident input surveys issued in 2019 when the city was weighing a potential property tax increase.

The 2022 survey invitations were sent to a sampled group of residents from the publicly available registered voter file via email and text message, and questionnaires were completed online. 706 Holladay residents of the estimated 31,000 population participated in the survey, which results in a margin of error of +/- 3.6% points. The data was weighted to reflect the demographics of registered voters in Holladay, specifically in regard to age, gender, home ownership, ethnicity, and city council district. Here are the key findings:

CITY SERVICES & COMMUNICATIONS

• When it comes to city services, residents are most satisfied with Fire & EMS, garbage collection, police services, snow removal services, City parks & open spaces, animal control services, and the recycling program.

• Police services generally receive positive reviews, receive the largest share of residents’ service improvement budget allocation, and are the most frequent recipient of funds. In addition to police services, residents also prioritize Fire & EMS, surface maintenance on streets, and City parks & open spaces when making budget allocations.

• Residents would prefer receiving their information about the city in two main ways: 1) Email from the City (43%); 2) City insert in Holladay Journal (24%). There is an opportunity for increased reach through emails as residents prefer to receive emails from the City, but do not currently use this channel.

NEIGHBORHOOD & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

• The amenity or additional development residents would most like to see in Holladay is a small shopping center (38%), followed by housing and mixed-use developments.

• Residents most often say that single family homes fit well with their neighborhood (42%) and a small shopping center would fit in somewhere else in Holladay (40%).

SUSTAINABILITY & ENERGY

GENERAL HEALTH OF THE CITY

• Overall, residents are satisfied with the way the City is being run with 79% saying they approve of the Mayor and City Council. On average, Holladay residents give a score of 77 out of 100 for the city’s quality of life, with consistently high ratings across all council districts.

• Residents express some concerns about the City’s trajectory moving forward, with fewer residents reporting they feel the City is headed in the right direction than have in years past. Residents’ major concerns are focused on traffic, growth, and as is the case with many other cities along the Wasatch Front, housing availability/affordability.

WASATCH FRONT WASTE & RECYCLING

Curbside Christmas Tree Collection

We will be collecting Christmas trees during the month of January. For collection, fill out a Curbside Tree Pick Up Request Form on our website (www.wasatchfrontwaste.org), or call the WFWRD office at (385) 4686325. Place your undecorated trees on your curb and they will be collected the day after your regular collection day during the month of January. If we don’t get your tree one week, we will be back the following week. Please call our office, or chat with us on our website for additional information.

• Please remove all snow off the tree

• We cannot accept trees with decorations, lights, tree stands or flocking.

• Do not place the tree in your garbage, recycling, or green waste can.

• If the tree is over eight feet tall, please cut it into smaller sections.

• We cannot accept artificial trees

• About 4 out of 5 residents agree that it is important for Holladay to become a more sustainable, environmentally friendly city. Residents are most in favor of preserving and planting trees (69%) and water conservation (62%).

• Approximately 7 out of 10 residents express interest in participating in the Community Renewable Energy Program (CREP), even if it means increasing their monthly electricity bill. Interest is relatively stable across all increase amounts tested, suggesting high willingness to pay.

You can view the full survey presentation that was shared with the City Council on December 8, 2022 as well as the topline survey results at www.cityofholladay. com. The City Council will use the survey results to inform their policy priorities and budget allocations for the coming year.

Exercise for a good cause at Cottonwood High’s inaugural winter charity 5K

By Andrew Hegewald | a.hegewald@mycityjournals.com

What does running a 5K have to do with puppies? To most people, not much. But to Cottonwood High School’s Student Body Officers, they saw an opportunity—combine wintertime exercise with helping Best Friends Animal Society. Proceeds from race entry fees will go toward supporting this organization.

These SBOs have a tradition of supporting good causes over the years—they have helped such organizations as Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Cottonwood High student pantry and The Humane Society of Utah to name a few. The students understand the importance of giving back to the community and the adult advisers are just there to give guidance and help when needed.

“It is important to let the students organize and pull off this event—I’m just here to support where I can,” said Brett Merkley, SBO adviser and social studies teacher at Cottonwood.

On Dec. 3, at 8 a.m., the students were ready to run. The race was originally scheduled to be outdoors, circling the school grounds twice in order to get to the necessary 5 kilometers or 3.1 miles. However, due to temperatures below 30 degrees, they moved it indoors.

Fifteen participants showed up to the

event, which included students and teachers, parents and kids and even a dog. While the turnout for this event was low due to the late notice, the message was clear: this CHS community wants to give back to the community. Merkley said the turnout would have been better had the charity assembly not been canceled due to a short school day due to the snowstorm, preventing the word from getting out.

The runners ran around the interior school hallways 10 times to get to the required 3.1 miles. It was originally scheduled for 13 laps, but then one of the runners announced that his watch said he had already run 3.1 miles after 10 laps and was done. Upon hearing that news, Merkley announced, “Sorry guys, you only have to do 10 laps.” Some runners thought it was a joke; others didn’t question and gladly stopped after 10; one runner who had finished even did a few extra laps with another runner who was a bit slower, just for support.

Their reward for this effort? A cookie at the finish line, good exercise, camaraderie and, perhaps most importantly, a sense of purpose.

Senior Talmage Winward, SBO-communications, summed it up: “Every time I got tired, I thought to myself, ‘Just think of the puppies!’”

l

You may choose a burial plot, urn garden, scattering gardens, columbarium niche, or memory wall at our on-site crematory. Whether your family would like a direct cremation without a ceremony or would like to enlist the help of our funeral planners for a memorial ceremony, we are here to help. Choose traditional funeral services or life celebrations to honor the life of your loved one.

As you plan the end-of-life services, there are dozens of decisions to make during an emotional time. LET OUR TEAM HELP YOU choose urns, vaults, and memorials. We can also help with flower arrangements, catering, and grief resources.

2022 Economic Trends Carry Over into New Year

By Robert Spendlove, Zions Bank Senior Economist

he last year brought both economic highs and lows, from soaring inflation to the lowest unemployment rate ever recorded in the Beehive State. For better and worse, we’ll see some of these economic currents carry over into 2023:

Recession fears linger. Recession fears loomed in most of 2022 as the Federal Reserve ramped up interest rates, consumer sentiment plunged, and the Gross Domestic Product contracted during the first half of the year. While the U.S. economy avoided a recession last year, thanks in part to robust consumer spending, the threat of recession persists. For one, the Treasury yield curve inverted, meaning that investors are willing to pay higher interest rates on short-term bonds than longer-term ones. Historically, this has been a warning signal that a recession could be on the way.

The labor market shines. The labor market was the star of the 2022 economy. As of August, all jobs lost in the pandemic were recovered. The unemployment rate is back down to 3.7% nationally, nearly as low as the pre-pandemic unemployment rate of 3.5%. Utah’s unemployment is nearly the lowest in the nation, measured at 2.2% in November. Yet, businesses are still struggling to find workers amid the Great Resignation

and shifting demographics. The labor force participation rate showed little net change in 2022, and the lack of available workers will carry into 2023.

Consumer sentiment remains historically low. Utahns and Americans expressed discontent in the economy in 2022. In the middle of last year, consumer sentiment fell to the lowest point recorded in the 70-year history of the University of Michigan’s Survey of Consumer Sentiment. The Kem C. Gardner Institute’s much newer Utah-specific index also sank to a new low last summer. While attitudes about the economy have improved slightly, ongoing inflation continues to erode consumer confidence. Consumer sentiment matters because attitudes about the economy drive behaviors like spending and investing, often acting as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Global shocks roil markets. The economy has yet to fully emerge from the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. Supply chain snarls and recent protests in China continue to disrupt markets and strangle growth, while the war with Russia and Ukraine further hindered pandemic recovery. These global distortions make understanding the economy difficult and bring ongoing uncertainty in 2023.

Historic interest rate hikes. The Federal Reserve boosted its benchmark interest rate, the federal funds rate, from zero to between 4.25% and 4.5% in 2022 — the highest rate in 15 years. The Fed has said it plans to continue tightening credit to tame inflation, with more rate hikes expected in 2023. Although the amount of expected rate increases will be dramatically lower than in 2022, the Fed is expected to maintain higher rates for a longer period.

Inflation persists. Inflation was one of the biggest economic stories of 2022, peaking at 9.1% in June 2022 — a lifetime high for people under 40. In the Mountain region, prices grew even faster, hitting double digits earlier this year. While inflation has slowed to 7.1% nationally and 8.3% in our region, it’s still being pressured by hot wage inflation and remains well above the Fed’s target rate of 2%. We’ll likely see more price cooling in 2023, but it will take some time to get inflation down to historical levels.

Overall, 2023 is expected to be a year of economic moderation. Inflation will slow as higher interest rates cool economic conditions. We’re already starting to see signs of price moderation in areas like construction, motor fuel and used cars. While we haven’t seen this yet, the labor market should begin

to soften as employers cut back on expansion plans in the next year. This process may be uncomfortable, but it is a necessary part of resetting an economy that has gone through many shocks over the past few years.

Robert Spendlove is senior economist for Zions Bank, a division of Zions Bancorporation, N.Al

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Granite School District doubles down on efforts to prevent illnesses this winter

By Lizzie Walje | l.walje@mycityjournals.com

While statistics affirm that the chokehold of COVID-19 has lessened, in a September White House press briefing, federal health officials claimed that with an average of 400 deaths each day, this number of fatalities is “still too high.” Moreover, as we enter the long stretch of winter, it’s become evident that COVIDhas joined the ranks of routine illnesses Americans should highly consider vaccinating against. What are these other routine illnesses? Most notably, winter marks flu season, and according to a recent post by the Salt Lake Tribune, Utah is currently facing what might just end up being its worst season in a while as cases and hospitalizations surge.

“This uptick comes after flu cases decreased dramatically in the first years of the coronavirus pandemic, and Utah isn’t alone—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported similar trends across the country,” the article stated.

Incidentally, there’s yet another illness making the rounds this holiday season. The respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, is surging in cases across the country. As of November 2022, cases of RSV and other respiratory illnesses are showing sharp increases across the country. The main demographic affected? Children.

With a triple threat of illness on the horizon, schools across the nation, including those in Granite School District, are working hard to remind parents and students to remain vigilant against illness and not to be fooled by the shift back into normalcy. Just because social distancing is no longer actively enforced, doesn’t mean that risks aren’t present.

Granite School District took to its social media pages to remind students and families of the following: “Cold and flu season is here and although COVID-19 case counts in the Granite School District have remained low, we’d like to remind students and families about the proper protocols for staying home when sick. If a student is feeling sick or demonstrating any symptoms of Covid-19, or any other illness, they should stay home.”

As of now, testing is particular-

ly helpful because if one is ill and can rule out COVID-19 as the cause, they can take further action to get tested for RSV, the flu, or other respiratory infections. Taking control of your health and getting a proper diagnosis can help dictate the best course of treatment. Moreover, because RSV is largely affecting children, it’s yet another illness families should be aware of. With children spending more time in close quarters during the colder months, maintaining wellness becomes a districtwide priority.

“If you have symptoms, we highly encourage that you test,” Granite School District asserted on their Facebook page. “Those who test positive should isolate for five days. Please see our website for Health Department Guidelines. Masks (including KN95) are available for students and staff upon request at your school.”

As always, vaccines are one of the most effective ways to ward off illness and remain healthy during the winter months. It is advised that those who are eligible should consider receiving a COVID-19 booster and a general flu shot. Especially children who will be interacting in close quarters for the next handful of months.

In an effort to mitigate cases, Covid-19 vaccines remain free, and appointments can be scheduled at major retailers such as Walgreens, Walmart, and CVS. Grocery store pharmacies also have availability for appointments and stock of both COVID-19 and flu vaccines. For those who haven’t received a COVID-19 or flu vaccination before, it’s never too late to get your first dose. These vaccinations have been proven effective and are considered beneficial for the vast majority of people.

As for schools? The biggest takeaway is for students to self-isolate and stay out of the classroom if they feel sick. Although COVID19’s overall threat level has decreased, what we have learned from its presence remains helpful. Social distancing, isolation, and masking up help reduce the spread. These safety measures aren’t just helpful for COVID-19 mitigation, but for preventing the spread of the flu and RSV.

For more information regarding districtwide policies and responses to COVID-19 and other illnesses, Granite School District has guidelines on its website, including protocol for students who test positive. l

Granite School District is providing families with helpful tools to combat winter illness including promoting vaccinations and staying home when sick. (Flickr)

From the people who brought you Syncrete, nepotistic construction contracts and the ThrU Turn fiasco intersection, comes a mind-boggling project guaranteed to be unnecessary and over budget: the Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola.

The Utah Department of Transportation isn’t known for its rational, effective projects. It spent years studying the LCC traffic situation before making the wrong decision, but at least they didn’t go with the Little Cottonwood zeppelin.

Color me unimpressed with UDOT. Take 5400 South. Please. I travel this road every day and I know UDOT doesn’t understand east-west travel. Going from my home in Kearns to the I-15 interchange in Murray includes nearly 20 stoplights along that 7-mile stretch and I usually hit every. single. one.

There was a legend that if you drove exactly 42.3 mph, under the light of a full moon, you could travel 5400 South without stopping at one red light. Not true.

I blame my road rage on UDOT.

So, let’s talk about the gondola. With UDOT approving the nearly $600 million project, it must have overwhelming support. Nope. Local mayors, residents, environmental groups, Bigfoot and county leaders don’t want this to happen. A majority of the tens

Peri Kinder Life and Laughter

of thousands of public comments are against the gondola.

Just a hair short of sketchy, Snowbird quietly bought land that could (will) be used for the gondola station at the base of Little Cottonwood. When the time comes, Snowbird will sell or donate (ha-ha) that land to the state.

Hikers, fishermen, sightseers and climbers don’t want the gondola. They don’t want to ride the entire length of the gondola system if their destination isn’t a ski resort. I guess UDOT could add a base-jumping experience if you want to parachute out of the gondola halfway up the canyon. But it will probably have an extra fee.

Measuring 8 miles, it will be the longest gondola system in the world and includes nearly two dozen towers, averaging 185 feet high. That’s about 17 stories. UDOT said the towers will be placed up the canyon by helicopters, like they’ll gently rest on the forest

floor where tree roots will wind around the base to hold them down, becoming part of the natural landscape.

No. Each tower will have a huge concrete base, requiring boulders and trees to be demolished. Not only that, but construction could disrupt animal migration patterns, pollute the watershed and highlight UDOT’s decision-making legacy.

UDOT explored options like rideshare programs, electric buses and road tolls that are less invasive, especially when trying to solve a traffic problem that only happens a few days a year. But those alternatives aren’t expensive and ridiculous, so that was a “no” vote from UDOT.

When you factor inflation, the project’s cost will be about $72 gajillion, paid for with “mystery funding” which we all know usually means “taxpayer dollars” in some fash-

ion. Even if you’ve never skied a day in your life, your tax dollars will probably help pay for a system designed by ski resorts, for ski resorts.

We’ve riddled this country with aging infrastructure. Obsolete railways, cables, steel and wiring lie unused and rusting. When the gondola becomes outdated, our grandchildren’s grandchildren will be stuck with the awful towers standing forever in the sacred space of Little Cottonwood.

UDOT’s track record is abysmal. I remember when it spent $700,000 to remove the stupid ThrU Turn on 5400 South. UDOT said the intersection wasn’t a mistake, just unnecessary.

That could be UDOT’s tagline: Building unnecessary mistakes. l

HOLLADAY