Holladay Journal | October 2022

By Collette Hayes | c.hayes@mycityjournals.com

Afestive crowd gathered for Blue Moon Festival 2022 at Holladay City Town Hall in August for a night of art, music and local food. Bringing unity to the community as well as highlighting what makes Holladay a beautiful place to visit and to live, the event was filled with something for the entire family.

Holladay Arts Council executive director, Sheryl Gillilan, and her arts council committee organized an event that was informative and entertaining and included vendors, crafters and live band perfor mances. The event was co-partnered with Excellence in the Commu nity, a nonprofit organization whose vision is to harness the talent of Utah’s best musicians, and music was the centerpiece of the night. Kage Hughart Project, a four-piece blues/rock band started the night off with original rock favorites. The Hughart Project was followed by Ryan Shupe and The RubberBand who brought the crowd to their feet with bluegrass and American country music.

“People of all ages are here, babies in parents’ arms, and I was just introduced to a woman who was 98 years old,” Gillilan said. “The fes tival is literally a huge party bringing the community together where there is something for everyone. The vendors, the food, the bands— everything has been fabulous. None of this would be possible without the generous support of our sponsor Holladay Bank and Trust, my great arts council crew and all of the others who volunteer behind the scenes.”

The Blue Moon festival allows vendors, artists and musicians to

Holladay community gathers for the annual Holladay City Blue Moon Festi val. Thousands attended this year’s Blue Moon festivities which marked the events full return following two years of pandemic restrictions. (Collette Hayes/CityJour nals)

Holladay’s plein air contest entries to be displayed at Relics through October

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

The Holladay Arts Council put out a call for artists to participate in the fourth an nual Plein Air Holladay art contest and ex hibit. Painting started at the end of September and winners will be announced during a re ception at Relics Framemakers & Gallery (4685 S. Holladay Blvd.) on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 6-8 p.m.

The exhibit will run at Relics through Saturday, Oct. 29 and all paintings will be available for sale. Winners will be listed, along with images of their paintings, on the Holladay Arts website.

“Ben [Morrison] at Relics has been so generous to offer an exhibit for a month which for a plein air event is unheard of,” said Holladay Arts Council member Beckie Rock. “Usually, for a plein air event it lasts for the week that you paint and then you have the sale and you’re done. But we get to have all of that, plus a month-long exhibit which is really rare.”

Along with the plein air paintings, a quick draw competition will take place on Oct. 8 where 15 artists will paint something they can see from the Holladay plaza. They have four hours to complete the picture (from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) before the paintings are judged and put up for auction. Bids will be ac cepted in-person at Relics and online at Holl adayArts.org until Monday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m.

“We just love it and it brings the commu nity together,” Rock said. “You’ll have people who know nothing about the plaza event and they’ll walk through it and stay and watch and listen to the wonderful music or eat at the restaurants nearby.”

Plein air is French for “plain air” which means painting out of doors. A large group of plein air painters in Utah participate in these competitions, and artists do not need to live in Holladay to enter.

Beckie Rock

Stephen Stauffer is a plein air artist who took second place in the contest last year. After working in the corporate world for 45

years, Stauffer retired in 2011 and turned his focus to becoming a professional artist.

“The plein air events have become very popular,” he said. “I travel the country doing these events throughout the year. There’s a groundswell that’s beginning and it’s a fun way to join a group of artists. You look at the paintings and just stand back and think, none of this existed a week ago. It’s a great way to celebrate the world we live in.”

Stauffer often gets approached by chil dren while he’s painting and he enjoys their curiosity. He’ll let the kids paint on his proj ect, which they love.

“I always let the kids paint on my paint

ing if I’m out and about. You can always fix it or sometimes I’ll leave the marks they put on,” he said. “This event is a great way to cel ebrate the arts.”

Rock invites Holladay residents to attend the reception and to enjoy, or purchase, the plein air paintings during October. She said the event is a way to honor the beauty of the city and recognize the talented artists in the state.

“It’s fun because it’s all Holladay. Every one who paints, paints within the boundaries of Holladay,” Rock said. “Our community does wonderful cultural things. We should be doing this in every little city we can.”l

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Stephen Stauffer, a professional plein air artist, took second place in the 2021 Plein Air Holladay contest with his entry, “Cottage of Treasured Memories.” (Courtesy of the Holladay Arts Council)

Professional artist Nick Rees won the Plein Air Holladay contest in 2021 with his entry titled “Road Side Chimisa.” (Courtesy of the Holladay Arts Council)

Usually, for a plein air event it lasts for the week that you paint and then you have the sale and you’re done. But we get to have all of that, plus a month-long exhib it which is really rare.

Incorporating culture into language classes during Hispanic Heritage Month

By Heather Lawrence | h.lawrence@mycityjournals.com

Thousands of Granite School District stu dents take Spanish classes every year. For many, it’s their first insight into not just the language but also the culture of Spanishspeaking countries. Hispanic Heritage Month in September and October gives teachers an opportunity to show their students how culture and language are entwined.

“We don’t tell our teachers to implement culture in their classes, but when you under stand culture, your interest in the language grows. Cultural immersion through food, mu sic, dance and art increase interest,” said No emí Hernández-Balcázar.

Hernández-Balcázar is a Fine Arts Spe cialist in Curriculum and Instruction in Granite School District. She is also a working local art ist with close ties to Mexico.

“In Mexico people appreciate culture a lot. Art is accessible because on Sundays the museums are free, so that’s what people do. We have a rich tradition of film, art — everything,” Hernández-Balcázar said.

Hispanic Heritage Month became an offi cial U.S. holiday in 1968. It begins Sept. 15 be cause that’s the day when five Latin American countries celebrate their independence. During the month, Hernández-Balcázar runs several workshops and classes on Day of the Dead and other cultural celebrations.

At Olympus High, Spanish teacher (and native of Spain) Chantal Esquivias likes to in clude cultural discussions in class. In Septem ber, she dedicated a class period to discussing Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

Esquivias shows the class a slide of the Kahlo painting “Self-Portrait on the Borderline Between Mexico and the United States.” She asks them to use it to answer the pregunta del día, or, question of the day.

“I went to the Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico City with my family once. I don’t re member a lot — I was about 10 years old,” said junior Will de la Garza during the class discus sion.

de la Garza has Hispanic heritage through his dad’s family. He said his Spanish fluency used to be much better when he was younger and the family traveled through Mexico often.

“I’ve taken Spanish in school for two years, but I actually spoke it when I was younger,” de la Garza said.

“When my dad’s family came to the U.S. from Mexico, they dropped a lot of their cultur al practices — it was lost because of prejudice. But I am proud of it. I love celebrating the dif ferences. I love that I have a last name that’s different,” de la Garza said.

de la Garza said that his Spanish comes in handy when he’s out in the community and meets someone who speaks Spanish and not English. It happens sometimes while he’s at work at The King’s English bookshop.

“Making an effort to speak Spanish helps people feel more comfortable,” de la Garza said.

Brock Perreca is also in Esquivias’s class. He’s a senior who’s taken Spanish off and on since eighth grade.

“I really like having a native speaker for a teacher. (Esquivias) teaches us about culture, differences in accents and funny jokes from other countries. If I wasn’t in this class, I’d have no idea about other traditions and holi days,” Perreca said.

He said Hispanic Heritage Month is a good idea because learning about other peo ple’s differences makes you more well-round ed.

“I think it’s important to have knowledge of what other cultures are out there, especial ly if you’ve only lived in one place most of your life. It makes you a more understanding person, which is good because our world is so connected,” Perreca said.

Hernández-Balcázar agrees, but adds that if people were more open to accepting other cultures as “normal” instead of “other,” we might not have to have specific dates to cele brate them — they’d be part of our everyday lives.

“When you are Hispanic, you are Hispan ic every day. This celebration has a lot to do with representation. Multicultural art education is important: if students don’t see themselves represented in art, they don’t own the creative

process or the arts in general,” Hernández-Bal cázar said.

Hernández-Balcázar grew up in Mexico and now lives in Utah and works with many different cultures in the art and education worlds. Her experiences have informed her idea of what is “beautiful” or worthy to be called art.

“The things I grew up with, the things

that give me comfort and what I teach to my children, are part of my everyday life. Hispan ic culture has so much to offer, and Hispanic Heritage Month gives us an opportunity for multicultural education,” Hernández-Balcázar said. “We study these things because they are important, they deserve respect and equal ap preciation.” l

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• Received the prestigious "Taxpayer Advocate" award from the Utah Taxpayers Association in recognition of efforts to avoid tax increases and improve efficiency

• Believes in bipartisanship in working with Democrat and Republican colleagues

• Widely recognized as a trustworthy, dedicated and hard working public servant

• Baseball coach and Boy Scout leader

• Graduate of The University of Utah...go Utes!

• Married to JoLynn Turner and are parents of 4 children with 9 grandchildren

• Business executive. Founder and President of Snelgrove Travel Centers Inc. Celebrating 30 years in business

Spanish teacher and native of Spain Chantal Esquivias takes a day during Hispanic Heritage Month to teach her Olympus High students about artist Frida Kahlo. (Heather Lawrence/City Journals)

• Supports well funded Police for safe neighborhoods

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Holladay’s Chalk Our Walk Festival returns for its third year

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

The threat of rain couldn’t keep artists away as Holladay held its third annual chalk art festival. After last year’s event bat tled rain and weather, organizers and chalk artists were grateful for a sunny day to illus trate the sidewalk in front of Holladay City Hall (4580 S. 2300 East) Sept. 17.

“Events like this bring people togeth er, which is a trite phrase, but I think it’s true,” said Drew Quinn, Holladay City coun cilmember. “It gives people a chance to come to city hall and mingle with their neighbors and share their talents.”

There were 14 entries in this year’s fes tival, ranging from students to professionals. Holladay Mayor Rob Dahle helped judge the

entries which he said was difficult due to the number of exceptional chalk artists. All win ners received cash prizes.

Scout Wilkins, 9, won the 10 and under category with her depiction of an elk at sun set. Sofi and Wren Wheatly took the 11-18 student category and the Kolonusz-Partee entry won the family group.

Lexie Daley’s image of the Beast (from Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”) won the professional category and Laurie Pop’s Hal loween cat took the adult amateur honors.

Vivian Wilson, 13, and Brynn Ashton, 12, are students at Olympus Junior High School. Their chalk art entry of On Nom from the “Cut the Rope” video series earned

them the Best Duo prize.

“We did this before and we really liked it,” Vivian said. “We thought we’d try it again.”

The Best Holladay Scene was awarded to the triple-generation team of Amy Ste phens, her daughter, Bird, and her mom, Lisa Stephens. Their Holladay Honey Garden en try detailed the best things about the city.

“We love the earth and gardens and na ture,” Amy said. “Those are things we love about Holladay.”

For more information about the event, visit HolladayArts.org. l

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

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Laurie Pop’s Halloween cat won rave reviews from the judges and took home the Adult Amateur honors. (City Journals)

Olympus Junior High students Vivian Wilson, 13, and Brynn Ashton, 12, won the Best Duo title for their depiction of On Nom. (City Journals)

Scout Wilkins, 9, won the 10 and under category with her depiction of an elk at sunset. Scout likes to participate in a variety of arts activities within the city. (City Journals)

The winning Family entry was designed and creat ed by the Kolonusz-Partee family. (City Journals)

Lexie Daley’s vibrant image of the Beast won the professional category at the Holladay Chalk Art festival at Holladay City Hall. (City Journals)

Sofi and Wren Wheatly’s peacock won the 11-18 student category at the Holladay Chalk Art festival Sept. 17. (City Journals)

Continued from front page

promote and market their talent and their products. Barbara Brandeburg, a plein air artist, was encouraged by her daughter, a Holladay resident, to sell her landscape scenes at the festival. After a successful career designing quilt patterns under the name of Cabbage Rose, Brandeburg turned off her sewing machine and picked up a paint brush to create art that depicts a gen tler time and the quiet and calm of nature.

“After my husband died four years ago, I decided to begin painting to fill the morning hours,” Brandeburg said. “I start ed as an outdoor painter which is called plein air. I then moved to studio work and larger paintings. Most of my smaller paint ings were done on location and are more spontaneous.”

Creative artists of the food kind were also there. A California native, avid snow boarder and tiramisu chef, Paula Williams now lives in the Salt Lake Valley. She be gan making tiramisu for her coworkers who along with local food writers in Salt Lake encouraged her to go into business selling this Italian dessert.

“Twisted Tiramisu offers up to 43 fla vors and counting,” Williams said. “Sum mer events such as the Blue Moon Festi val are so important for us because you’re meeting the public and the customers you are selling to. Twisted Tiramisu provides tiramisu for most all special events in cluding weddings, anniversaries and birth days.”

Unified Fire Authority and Unified Police Department-Holladay Precinct were on hand during the festival to provide in formation and to answer questions about safety and ongoing support they provide

for the community.

Holladay resident Peter Monson and his daughters Aspen and Emerson, attend the festival every year. The family enjoys the delicious food from the local food trucks, the many vendors and the talented musicians.

“My favorite things about the Blue Moon Festival are getting my face painted and getting balloon art,” said Emerson, age 9. “I’m really hoping I get to see the Blue Moon at the Festival, but I’m not sure that is even possible. It would be so cool.”

The Blue Moon Festival will be held next year on August 26, 2023. For infor mation on how to become involved in next year’s festival, visit the Holladay Arts website at www.holladayarts.org. l

American country music and bluegrass group, Ryan Shupe and The RubberBand, take the stage at Holladay Blue Moon Festival. Thousands attended this year's Blue Moon festivities Aug. 27 in Holladay City Hall Park which marked the events full return following two years of pandemic restrictions. (Collette Hayes/City Journals)

Peter Monson and daughters Aspen and Emerson enjoying face painting and balloon art at the Blue Moon Festival on Saturday, August 27. Thousands attended this year's Blue Moon festivities which marked the events full return following two years of pandemic restrictions. (Collette Hayes/City Journals)

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“I always knew I wanted to work in the field of medicine, specifically mind-body work,” she said. “The acupuncture program drew me in. It provided a holistic framework to treat all sorts of illness and disease.”

Located at 2258 E. Fort Union Blvd., Suite B6, in Cottonwood Heights, Wild Sage Acupuncture is a place for women struggling with PCOS, endometriosis, adrenal fatigue, weight issues, menopause or infertility. Sewell also offers cupping therapy, a treatment to help resolve chronic muscle tightness and pain, and she uses Chinese herbal medicine and key supplements to treat or prevent disease.

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Families and employees at Holladay schools say ‘Boo to the Flu’ at vaccination events

Granite District schools held their annual Say Boo to the Flu clinics in September. The events coincided again with parent teacher conferences, which made it a convenient time to get a flu vaccine to the whole family. During the events, anyone who wanted to could get their flu vaccination, regardless of insurance status.

“We come every year, and I bring the whole family,” said Amanda Alldredge of Hol laday. Her son Owen is a sophomore at Olym pus High, which is where she, Owen and her four-year-old son Charlie got their flu shots in September.

“It’s so convenient. My husband and I have to do it in two shifts—he’ll take some kids to their school and then I take some to the other school. But we really like to come and know that we’ve gotten our flu vaccines for the year,” Alldredge said.

Clinics are run by Community Nursing Services. CNS is a Utah nonprofit that has been around since 1928. They work with big organizations, including school districts, and send nurses to events to get a lot of people vac cinated at once.

There is a little bit of paperwork to fill out so that CNS can bill your insurance. But they also offer “reduced and no-cost flu vaccines… to individuals and families who are uninsured

and unable to pay,” according to the GSD flyer. They also say they will donate $2 back to the schools for each “eligible immunization” ad ministered during the events.

Ben Horsley, chief of staff at GSD, said bringing these clinics to the schools benefits everyone.

“We are appreciative of these clinics of fering our families and employees an oppor tunity to get access to critical vaccinations in time for the flu season. It makes a huge differ ence in keeping our schools healthy and safe throughout the winter,” Horsley said.

Clinics were held at all GSD Holladay schools: Cottonwood Elementary, Crestview Elementary, Howard Driggs Elementary, Oak wood Elementary, Spring Lane Elementary, Bonneville Jr. High, Olympus Jr. High and Olympus High School.

The shots given were for the annual flu vaccine; there were no COVID-19 vaccines or boosters offered at the events.

Cottonwood Elementary School principal Teri Cooper said she and many other school employees and families love the service and take advantage of it each year.

“It’s very convenient. It’s easy for parents to just pop over after meeting with the teach ers and get their flu shot. It makes it accessible to everyone, especially parents who might not

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H olladay C ity J Pournal age 10 | o C tober 2022 By Heather Lawrence | h.lawrence@mycityjournals.com

Charlie Alldredge, 4, came to the flu shot clinic at Olympus High with his mom, Amanda, who said she brings her kids every year because it’s so convenient. (Heather Lawrence/City Journals)

Wasatch Charter School invites their neighbors to the annual Harvest Festival Oct. 15

By Heather Lawrence | h.lawrence@mycityjournals.com

Wasatch Charter School at 1458 E. Murray-Holladay Road invites its neighbors to the annual Harvest Festival on Oct. 15. The event is hosted by the Wasatch Family Foundation and run mostly by its stu dents, kindergarteners to eighth-graders. The outdoor event runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Families will enjoy hands-on crafts, live musical performances, shopping local artisans and savoring tasty treats. Visitors will find art, homemade goods, a commu nity bake sale, food trucks and more,” said Lyn Spataro, member of the Wasatch Family Foundation governing board.

Some of last year’s highlights were a

pumpkin rolling contest, apple cider made by students while you wait, and donations from local bakeries. Popular booths included jew elry artists, fabric arts and wood turning. All funds raised support the school’s specialized programming.

Visitors are asked to park at Creekside Park adjacent to the school or at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints parking lots nearby which have given parking per mission for this event.

“Harvest Festival is a showcase for all we do,” Spataro said. “Infuse the season with magic all while supporting children’s educa tion.” l

Harvest Festival takes place on the campus of Wasatch Charter School, 1458 E. Murray-Holladay Road on Sat., Oct. 15. Booths, student performances, food trucks and more will be there 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Heather Lawrence/City Journals)

Teachers, parents and students work together to make apple cider at Wasatch Charter School’s 2021 Har vest Festival. (Heather Lawrence/City Journals)

The popular apple cider stand which sold hundreds of freshly made cups of cider and taught students about production and business will be back at Harvest Festival in 2022. (Heather Lawrence/City Journals)

Wasatch Charter School seventh-graders make apple cider to sell at one of the many Harvest Day booths in 2021. (Heather Lawrence/City Journals)

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My Platform:

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DEMAND JUSTICE!

Daniellle Ahn believes in delivering justice and giving a voice back to victims by ending plea deals with repeat violent offenders. Daniele Ahn will deliver justice and get tough AHN crime!

Reasons why I am running?

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

I will not tolerate domestic violence and will ensure victim's rights are protected.

HOMICIDES These have recently increased 46% in Salt Lake County (see link, slide 7). This must be turned around!

SEXUAL ASSAULTS

As DA I will prioitize the prompt screening of sexual assault cases and will coordinate survivor peer networks to guide victims and survivors through the criminal justice system.

DE-PROSECUTION POLICIES

H olladay C ity J Pournal age 14 | o C tober 2022 I reject the adoption of de-prosecution policies as they are stronly correlated with increased homicide rates.

Cleaner Air

By Council Member Drew Quinn District 4

During the past few years, the City of Holladay has taken steps to improve the quality of our air. Holladay is an idle-free city. City ordinance prohibits idling for more than two minutes, except at a traffic signal or as instructed by a police officer. I hope that you support this effort with your compliance. In addition, Holladay has installed a two-vehicle charging station for electric vehicles close to the Holladay Village Plaza.

We are also excited about being part of the Community Renewable Energy Program (aka Utah 100 Communities). Holladay is one of 18 communities in Utah participating in this program which aims to procure net-100% renewable electricity by 2030 on behalf of their residents and businesses. This program was created by the Utah legislature in 2019 when it passed House Bill 411. I have the opportunity to represent Holladay on the Community Renewable Energy Agency Board, together with Holly Smith, our Assistant City Manager.

This program is the first of its kind in the nation. It created a partnership between municipalities and a major utility to hasten the utility’s adoption of electricity produced by renewable energy. Rocky Mountain Power will administer the program.

Initially, each community, whether a city, county or township, made a decision to participate. The Holladay city council voted in December 2019 to be a part of this groundbreaking endeavor. Since that time, the Community Renewable Energy Agency has been formed, with a board of directors comprised of two representatives from each participating community. The board meets once a month and meetings are open to the public. The Agency has three committees: the Communications Committee, the Program Design Committee, and the LowIncome Plan Committee. Each committee is working to craft its part of what will be presented to the Utah Public Service Commission at the end of this year.

Once the program is in place, each Rocky Mountain Power customer in Holladay will be enrolled as a participant, with an option to opt out if desired. All participants will see a small charge on their monthly statements that funds the activity of the program. The final cost will not be known until after the Utah Public Service Commission gives it approval. When the cost is calculated, sometime in 2023, Holladay will have one final chance to decide if participation is in the best interest of our residents.

We feel that this is a way for our residents to be part of a substantial effort to clean our air and improve our lives, at a small financial cost. We may not be a large city, but we can make an impact as we join our neighbors Millcreek, Cottonwood Heights, Salt Lake City and others across the state in this endeavor. Together we can make a difference. For more information, visit www.utah100communities.org

That’s a Wrap: 2022 Construction Season Delivers Huge Gains for Holladay

By Jared Bunch, Director of Public Services

It’s been a busy 2022 construction season in Holladay with a lot of construction on our roads, storm drains and other facilities. As the dust settles, we’re happy to share what was accomplished over the past few months. The completed projects were primarily funded by the 2021 property tax increase, new storm water utility fee and bond proceeds.

• Repaved 112 roads totaling 38 lane miles, equal to approximately 16% of all asphalt maintained by the City.

• Mapped and assessed the condition of the city’s storm drain system, making multiple emergency repairs to collapsed pipes and uncovering 90 buried manholes. Approximately 80% of the city’s storm drains were mapped. Ongoing efforts are being made to complete the entire system.

• Overhauled #4 heavily used Holladay Village crosswalks with sturdy, public-road grade materials.

• Beautified and increased fall safety at the City Park playground by replacing the wood chip surface with a new rubber surface. This also included the benefit of providing an ADA accessible route from the parking lot to the lower field.

• Enhanced the landscaped median island near the intersection of Highland Drive at the Van Winkle Expressway to a xeriscape to inspire and encourage water conservation in the community.

• Complete needed bridge repairs crossing Big Cottonwood Creek on Cottonwood Lane and Kings Row Drive.

• Upgrades to the City’s canal at grates and along the bank to increase safety for staff and reduce flood risks.

This work reflects the support of our residents, leadership of the Holladay City Council and recommendations from the Holladay@20 Citizen Advisory Group’s strategic planning process.

The City of Holladay staff along with our partner contractors are also committed to being good stewards of public funds and delivering projects on-time and on-budget.

We’re just getting started: the upcoming 2023 construction season will be equally busy, bringing more improvements to support a high quality of life for all of us in Holladay. Sign-up for direct email updates as this work moves forward at cityofholladay.com/departments/administration/stay-informed/

Adopt a Catch Basin

It’s a great day to check the stormwater catch basin grates on your street! If there are leaves or debris covering the catch basin grate, rake them up now. Don’t sweep or blow your leaves into gutters or canals. If you have a catch basin in your neighborhood, adopt it and keep it clear of leaves and debris. Could someone on your block use a hand with their leaves? Adopt their catch basin to help. Keeping drains clear is a simple way to prevent flooding and keep our waterways healthy!

Holladay Library Happenings

Family Book Club

Thursday, October 6th at 7pm

Families get together for book chats and fun and engaging activities monthly, October-December. Light refreshments. Register for each month separately.

After School Crew

Wednesday, October 19th at 4pm

Drop in each 3rd Wednesday* of the month for active, hands-on discovery, social interaction and fun! Light refreshments served. Geared toward kids ages 6-11.

Check out library activities at events.slcolibrary.org/events

WASATCH FRONT WASTE & RECYCLING Fall Leaf Collection

OCTOBER 2022

As the temperatures cool down and we begin fall, WFWRD will begin our seasonal fall leaf pickup service.

Starting October 15, residents can pick up leaf bags* at:

• Holladay City Hall: 4580 S. 2300 E.

• Holladay Lions Fitness Center: 1661 E. Murray Holladay Blvd.

• Holladay City Library: 2150 E. Murray Holladay Blvd.

Leaf Bags can be dropped off ONLY at:

• Cottonwood Ball Complex: 4400 S. 1300 E. (on north side)

PLEASE DO NOT Drop off filled bags at City Hall

*WFWRD leaf bags are limited and available while supplies last. We request that residents take only one roll of leaf bags per household. Residents can also use and drop off their purchased bags if they contain only leaves.

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

Tackling Food Waste

By Samantha DeSeelhorst, Sustainability Analyst

Is there any household chore more disliked than cleaning out the refrigerator? For some, it could be the sight of expired food or the thought of wasted money that makes their stomachs churn. For others, though, their disdain for this chore might stem from the sizeable impact that food waste has on sustainability.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, food waste comprised a whopping 24.14% of the national landfill capacity in 2018. This means it takes up more space in American landfills than plastics, glass, metals, or any other garbage.

This preeminence is even more staggering when considering its environmental impact. At its basic level, food waste translates into resource waste. When food is discarded in a landfill, not only is the food itself wasted, but so are the resources that were used throughout the food’s lifecycle, including the water used to grow it and the fossil fuels used to transport it. Once discarded, food waste also translates into harmful emissions. When food is thrown away in a landfill, an abundance of methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide, is produced as the food sits beneath stifling layers of other trash.

The good news? Reducing food waste can be as easy as it is rewarding. Consider these simple techniques to reduce your food waste footprint:

1. Buy Less

Before heading to the grocery store, take inventory of the food remaining from your last shopping trip. If ingredients remain from last week’s recipes, plan this week’s menus accordingly to use up these existing ingredients.

When new ingredients must be purchased, plan your list ahead of time and only buy what you’ll really use. While large quantities of a product, such as a buy-one-get-one sale, may seem like a good deal, avoid purchasing them unless you know you’ll use them in their entirety.

2. Store Smarter

Once you get your food home, take care to store it properly for maximum freshness. Most vegetables should be placed in high-humidity drawers of the refrigerator, while most fruits should be placed in the low-humidity counterparts. Consider using your freezer to extend the life of items such as bread, sliced fruit, meat, or leftovers.

3. Divert Excess

Despite your best efforts, you may end up with food that you just can’t use. If the food has not yet expired, consider donating it to a local food bank to help community members facing food scarcity. If an ingredient is past its prime, compost it instead of throwing it away. As a rule of thumb, fruits, vegetables, eggshells, coffee grounds, and tea leaves can be composted. Avoid, however, composting animal products such as meats, oils, egg yolks, and dairy.

To learn more about preventing food waste, visit: www.epa.gov/recycle/preventing-wasted-food-home

Let’s Get Leashed!

Fall is here and it’s time for you and your pup to roam the neighborhood, the parks, and the trails. Before you bound out of the house grab a leash and those poop bags.

LEASH LAWS

Many violators of this ordinance will claim that they’re pet is friendly, or less aggressive when on leash. But Salt Lake County Animal Services would remind you not everyone likes a “friendly” off-leash dog, nor do other dogs that are on leash. A leash is not an optional accessory, it’s the LAW to wear one. If you and your dog are caught being off-leash, and it’s not a designated off-leash dog park, you will get a ticket and will pay a fine.

PACK OUT THE POO

It’s the law to clean up after your dog, if you get caught not picking up their poop, expect to pay a fine. This is another public nuisance violation. Be a considerate neighbor or hiker and carry poop bags to clean-up after your dog when they defecate out on an adventure, whether it’s in the neighborhood or on a busy hiking trail, you must pick it up.

THE LAWS

Curious about the ordinances in your city or township? Check out AdoptUtahPets.com and visit our “Laws” section to look up the ordinances in your area. Need to contact an officer? Call dispatch at 801-840-4000.

UFA UPDATE

By Captain Dan Brown, Unified Fire Authority

You may have seen us training on a room on Murray Holladay Road in the middle of September. A homeowner was nice enough to let us train on their house before it was demolished.

These types of training opportunities are both rare and invaluable to us as firefighters. While we have an excellent training facility in Magna, with structures we can practice cutting roofs, forcible entry, search and rescue, fire attack, and many other things, training on an actual house is much more realistic. We have all been inside our training buildings dozens of times, and while it’s still good training, being able to cut on a roof we’ve never been on, or simulate a rescue from a house we’ve never been in, creates a more realistic scenario. Here are some of the things we trained on this house in detail:

VERTICAL VENTILATION:

Have you ever wondered why firefighters are always on roofs during a fire? It is to perform something we call vertical ventilation. By cutting a hole above and as close to the fire as possible, smoke, steam, and other products of combustion are released from the building. This helps us by improving visibility, and creating more favorable firefighting conditions for interior crews.

FORCIBLE ENTRY:

Many times we need to make entry into a locked building. This includes both fire and medical calls. Crews LOVE forcible entry training and we fight to get to train on acquired structures first. With so many different types of locks on both doors and windows, getting to try and access real life structures is very good training.

FIRE ATTACK:

Fire Attack is what we do. Simply put, it is the process of putting water on the fire until it goes out. In more detail, it involves fire apparatus placement, connecting to a fire hydrant, hose selection and number of hoses, nozzle selection, choosing how and where to enter the structure, and advancing the hose line to the fire. These all vary from every house and every fire.

We do a scenario where a fire is in the kitchen, then one in the bedroom, then an attic etc. Practicing fire attacks on acquired structures is perhaps the most valuable training we get. FYI, we do not actually light these on fire. We “smoke” the buildings up with fog machines to simulate low visibility, but no actual fire or smoke.

SEARCH AND RESCUE:

Along with fire attack, performing search and rescue on acquired structures is invaluable. Trying to navigate a building that we’ve never been in with low visibility is very difficult. This is what makes this type of training so valuable. We perform simulated rescues in bedrooms, basements, or anywhere else we can think of. We bring “victims” out doors, windows, and down ladders. Anywhere we can think of.

We love what we do, and I always say we have the best job in the world. Training on a real house is something we chomp at the bit at. Thanks for reading and Stay Safe Holladay!

Nature’s Virus Killer

Copper can stop a virus before it starts

By Priscilla Schnarr www.copperzap.com

Scientists have discovered a natural way to kill germs fast.

Now thousands of people are using it against viruses and bacteria that cause illness.

Colds and many other illnesses start when viruses get in your nose and multiply. If you don’t stop them early, they spread and cause misery.

Hundreds of studies confirm copper kills viruses and bacteria almost instantly just by touch.

That’s why ancient Greeks and Egyptians used copper to purify water and heal wounds. They didn’t know about viruses and bacteria, but now we do.

“The antimicrobial activity of copper is well established.”

National Institutes of Health.

Scientists say copper’s high conductance disrupts the electrical balance in a microbe cell and destroys it in seconds.

CopperZap® and put it on the market.

Soon hundreds of people had tried it. 99% said copper worked if they used it right away at the first sign of bad germs, like a tickle in the nose or a scratchy throat.

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“It saved me last holidays. The kids all got sick, but not me.”

The EPA recommended hospitals use copper for touch surfaces like faucets and doorknobs. This cut the spread of MRSA and other illnesses by over half, and saved lives.

“I am shocked! My sinus cleared, no more headache, no more congestion.”

“Best sleep I’ve had in years!”

The strong scientific evidence gave inventor Doug Cornell an idea. He made a smooth copper probe with a tip to fit in the bottom of the nostril, where viruses collect.

When he felt a tickle in his nose like a cold about to start, he rubbed the copper gently in his nose for 60 seconds.

“It worked!” he exclaimed. “The cold never happened. I used to get 2-3 bad colds every year. Now I use my device whenever I feel a sign I am about to get sick.”

He hasn’t had a cold in 10 years.

After his first success with it, he asked relatives and friends to try it. They all said it worked, so he patented

As thousands more tried it, some found other things they could use it against, including: Colds, flu, new viruses and variants, sinus trouble, cold sores, canker sores, strep throat, nighttime stuffiness, morning congestion, nasal drip, skin infections, thrush, warts, styes, and ringworm.

The handle is curved and textured to increase contact.

Copper can kill germs picked up on fingers and hands after you touch things other people have touched.

Scientists placed millions of viruses on copper. “They started to die literally as soon as they touched it,” said Dr. Bill Keevil.

Tarnish does not reduce how well copper works, EPA tests showed.

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Preventing addiction through connection at Olympus Jr. High

By Heather Lawrence | h.lawrence@mycityjournals.com

Olympus Jr. High’s Red Ribbon Week was Sept. 12-15. For the past four years, PTA and parent volunteers have stepped up to make the week more mem orable and engaging for students. The goal is to use connectedness to teach students to avoid unhealthy behaviors, including drug addiction.

“More and more research is show ing that the message of ‘Just Say No’ isn’t enough to keep kids from harmful and ad dicting behaviors. What we need now, espe cially since Covid, is connectedness,” said parent Catherine Arveseth.

Four years ago, when Arveseth’s old est daughter was at Olympus Jr. High, she heard from her friend Emilie Schroepfer about a program she’d started at Hillside Jr. High.

“I’d never paid much attention to Red Ribbon Week. But my friend told me about a program she’d designed to prevent addic tion through being positive and proactive, and developing social skills,” Arveseth said.

Arveseth approached the then new principal Josh LeRoy about switching up Red Ribbon Week and making it something really engaging and memorable. He was on board.

“She came to me with this idea of teaching the students to make connections and help them avoid drugs with that. It’s been four years now, and the way we run our Red Ribbon Week is not the traditional way anymore,” LeRoy said.

Arveseth sat in on faculty meetings and let the teachers know what would hap pen and how they could help. They decided to use the advisory period to teach an ele ment of connectedness each day.

Arveseth also involved students from each advisory class and the student body of ficers. Together they made videos that were entertaining but also taught an element of connectedness.

“We focused on one element each day that week: Monday was we are one team, Tuesday was gratitude, Wednesday was empathy is a super power, and Thursday was no one is an island,” Arveseth said.

Romney Rasmussen is a sixth-grade congressman (student officer) who helped Arveseth with videos for Red Ribbon Week.

“Because of the activities we did this week, I remember everyone being happy. I thought of waking up and being nice to people. And everyone really liked the fire dance!” Rasmussen said.

The fire dance was one of the lunch time activities that reinforced that day’s education.

“Drake Auna performed the Siva Afi (Samoan fire dance) at lunch. Then he talk ed about the power of connection, Ohana (family) and talking out hard things,” Ar

veseth said.

Another lunch time activity was taking pictures with kids who aren’t in your usual friend group — that was called “Look out side your selfie.”

“The lunchtime activities were option al, but we did incentivize kids with candy to participate. We had good support from parent volunteers during lunch — the spots filled up because people could sense we were doing something special,” Arveseth said.

One of those parent volunteers was Jody Matsumori. Her son Ezra is a sev enth-grader.

“The first year we did it, the kids who had been there other years could tell we were putting a lot of work into it. The ac tivities caused them to think about different things that will help them avoid addiction, whatever form that might take,” Matsumori said.

“Though the activities are fun, I think the older kids understand the messaging that this is the antidote for addiction. At this age, they need to think about how they can make life choices that help them avoid an addiction trap,” Matsumori said.

Matsumori said the positive aspect of the education and intervention activities made a big difference. The program teach es kids what they should do — reach out, make connections, include others, devel op empathy — instead of just what they shouldn’t do, like, “just say no.”

One of the most memorable events of the week was the empathy activity. Stu dents write down a struggle they’re cur rently having and anonymously turn it in. Teachers put the papers in a basket and then pass the basket around and everyone takes a paper that’s not theirs. They read the strug gles out loud and talk about them.

“The kids are so vulnerable, and it makes it very memorable. They learn that some of their peers are going through the same things as they are, some are going through easier things or harder things.

“It’s very validating. We learn to show up for each other with more compassion,” Arveseth said.

Though Arveseth does all this as a vol unteer, she puts in a lot of time researching. The counselors at the school say her ap proach is right on target.

“This took considerable time and ef fort. (The PTA) ought to be proud of them selves. As a counselor, I’m already seeing the results, as several lonely or new stu dents have found some friends and allies,” said counseling intern Keira Shae.

“This is the third year we’ve used this model, and it keeps getting better. The ac tivities are age appropriate and navigate a very difficult topic well. It’s a great starting point for us as counselors to build on as we

meet with students throughout the year,” said counselor Corrine Kendall.

Arveseth hopes that through fun and memorable education and themed activities the students remember connection is an an tidote to many negative things.

“It’s been said that this is the loneliest generation, and they don’t leave the lone liness at school — it follows them. We’re teaching proactive skills like looking for

someone who feels excluded, saying hi to people and calling them by their name and using empathy to relate to others.

“We’ll all have difficult things happen to us in our lives. Kids who don’t have a strong sense of belonging find ways to cope that are eventually harmful,” Arveseth said. “With this program, we want to teach stu dents that how they choose to cope with these difficult things is up to them.” l

Olympus Jr. High students wear island attire during Red Ribbon Week to remind them that “no man is an island” and we all need to feel connected. (Catherine Arveseth)

Students pick up their group pictures after the “step outside your selfie” lunch activity encouraging them to be friends with people outside their usual group. (Catherine Arveseth)

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League of Women Voters dedicated to educating, registering voters

Many voters have paged through a book let of candidates and chances are, it came from the League of Women Voters. Perhaps a great number of voters also signed up to vote with the help of one of the League’s volunteers.

“The League of Women Voters has been around for more than 100 years; we came into being around women's suffrage when the founders of the League of Women Voters fought hard to get women the right to vote,” said Shauna Bona, Salt Lake County’s chap ter president. “We take the rights and the need of all people to vote very seriously. Our biggest issue is access to the vote. We want to educate voters, register voters and moti vate voters. Our mission is really about em powering voters and defending democracy.”

While those early suffragists paved the way for women today to vote, Bona said that their mission isn’t over.

“We look at issues and study them, and it can be a local study or a state study or a national study. Then we lay the information out for our members, and we discuss it in small groups until we reach consensus on the issues, if this is a good issue for us to support. We do have positions around hav ing a clean, healthy environment to live in and to raise children and definitely we think women should be in the Constitution with the Equal Rights Amendment. When we do take a stance, we really work hard to help ed ucate the public and our lawmakers in hopes of really doing things that are right by the people,” Bona said.

She also pointed out that while their main message is to empower voters to make a better democracy, the League isn’t restrict ed to women members.

“We’ve had men in the League for de cades. In fact, we were going to change our name to not be the League of Women Vot ers, but the problem was that if we would have let go of the name of League of Women Voters, that we would have lost our history,” Bona said. “We have members of every sex ual orientation, of every background. What’s important is that we have this history to our nonpartisan commitment of voting rights.”

Among the issues the local chapter has reviewed are voting by mail, health care, census and immigration.

“Our members hold an annual meeting, and they say, for example, ‘Hey, we think that we should study abortion.’ So, we did a study recently about abortion laws and it wasn't taking a stand particularly, but it was a study just to understand the abortion laws in Utah. Sometimes those studies are to educate our members and then, they come up with their own personal opinions on it. Sometimes the study is a consensus study, when we're really trying to come up with a position. We're cautious and we're careful. We really want to make sure that we're not

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

making rash positions, but have our posi tions based on study,” she said.

While more than 300 local members gather annually, smaller groups study the issues monthly. “We also have our commit tees, such as the voting committee, and those committees might meet weekly because we have so much work we do. We work to reg ister voters; they go out to educate voters.

In the past, we have taught high schoolers about the importance of voters and register them; we have gone to naturalization cere monies and helped them register as new citi zens,” Bona said.

Currently, they’re updating Vote411 (vote411.org), a personalized voting web site, which after entering a residential ad dress, voters can explore their candidates’ information, learn about upcoming elections and how to register and find out polling loca tions. The site covers local, state and nation al election information.

For example, currently the website states that voters need to be registered by Oct. 28 for the next general election on Nov. 8.

“We have groups of people, men and women, all over the country, including here in Salt Lake, formulating questions for our candidates for every race and every elec tion,” she said. “It’s one of the only places that candidates can answer these questions. We do not edit what they write. It’s com pletely nonpartisan. There's no ‘gotcha’ questions. Every candidate has the opportu nity in their own words to answer questions. You can pick a question and put the candi dates’ views side by side to compare their answers. They can put in YouTube videos so it’s educating voters and it’s completely fair to the candidates. It’s really just to inform the voters.”

The League of Women Voters also sponsors debates or candidate forums “so that voters can hear from the candidates,” Bona added.

As part of the League, some members called Observer Corps attend local city meetings.

“Our goal is that we have a League of Women Voters observer at every city coun cil meeting, at the racial equity and policing commission meeting and at the planning meetings just to hear what's going on and to take notes and report back to our members what is happening because local govern ment is incredibly important,” she said. “Of tentimes, people are busy in their lives and things get overlooked so our Observer Corps is doing that work for us. We’ve done a lot of great things like finding out ranked choice voting and about the gravel pit in the canyon and letting people know when the council was going to be discussing issues and en couraging people to contact their council members. Our Observer Corps believes in

transparency and accessible government, so we go and find out what they’re doing and report back so our members can follow their own conscience and reach out to their lead ers and let them know what they think.”

Many issues are shared on their website and in their weekly email briefings.

Education is an issue “what our mem bers are passionate about,” Bona said. “We cover every single school board race and make sure that we’ve researched it and have good questions to ask the candidate. We cov er the school board races and make sure all citizens are educated about the issues, par ticularly in K-12 education in Utah. There are serious issues related to inclusion, issues

related to all kinds of things in education. We’re focusing on educating to make sure people know who the different candidates are on the local school boards, what’s moti vating them, why they’re running and what their intentions are. That is incredibly im portant right now. We’re not saying, vote for this candidate or that candidate. We believe in empowering voters. We ask questions. We have candidates answer those questions, and the voters read those and how they decide who is the best to represent them and their options. It doesn’t matter to us how they vote. It’s not our business. We just want them to be educated and to vote.” l

Salt Lake League of Women Voter Services Director Helen Moser registers a new citizen at a naturaliza tion ceremony Aug. 25 at Bryce Canyon National Park. (Photo courtesy of Peter Densmore/National Park Service)

Norma Wills, the natural resources director for the League of Women Voters of Utah, volunteered at the recent Salt Lake festival at 9th and 9th to register voters. (Shauna Bona/League of Women Voters)

Margie McCloy, a Salt Lake League of Women Vot ers member and volunteer, talks to the community about the League and the importance of voting. (Shauna Bona/League of Women Voters)

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Carmelite Monastery celebrates 70th year and return of the Carmelite Fair

By Collette Hayes | c.hayes@mycityjournals.com

After a two-year absence due to the pandemic, the Carmelite Fair returned Sept. 18 to the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Monastery located in Holladay. Mother Therese of the Holy Family and Temporary Professed Sister Genevieve greeted a crowd during the event as they presented the recitation of The Angelus Prayer at noon.

Currently, 12 cloistered nuns ages 21 to 95 live among each other speaking only when necessary. The nuns remain separate from the world only leaving the monastery for medical reasons.

According to Mother Therese of the Holy Family, Carmel ite Fair donations provide 80% of the monastery income for the year. The nuns do not visit the grocery store. The Sisters live on alms or donations of food and goods and when receiving a donation prepare it for shelf or freezer storage.

“We are so grateful and honored to be in the state of Utah,” said Mother Therese. “This is our home now. We dedicate our lives to pray for all of you. Just know we are a group of clois tered nuns behind a wall in Holladay and are full of love for ev ery single one of you. We promise we will continue to do what we can in our lives to provide support to you through our love and unceasing daily prayers. We thank you for any support that you give to us because it is not us that you are supporting. It is God. You are God’s hands and feet. We together are working to build a better world.”

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the monastery. The Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Monastery was

Carmelite Fair draws large crowd on Sept. 18 following a two-year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (Collette Hayes/City Jour nals)

founded on December 8, 1952. A group of Car melite Sisters left the monastery of Carmel of Saint Teresa in Alhambra, California in order to bring the Carmelite life and Apostolate to Salt Lake City. Now in their 90s, Sister Margaret Mary of the Sacred Heart and Sister Maureen of the Trinity were two of the original found resses of the monastery, and on a spiritual lev el, both Sisters continue to focus on a life of prayer and sacrifice.

On Oct. 1, a mass of Thanksgiving will be held at the monastery chapel in celebration of the 70th anniversary.

The day at Carmelite Monastery begins at 5:25 a.m. when the Sisters gather for prayer. In between the hours of prayer, the nuns partici pate in manual labor and recreation including housework, cooking, gardening and crafts.

“Our vocation is unceasing prayer,” said Mother Therese. “We follow a balanced life in cluding prayer, work and recreation. After the dishes at noontime and suppertime we gather together to do things such as embroidering lin ens for the fair.”

Preparation for the fair is tremendous. The first fair meetings begin in March with over 125 volunteers in attendance.

“The fair volunteers have become so dear to us,” Mother Therese said. “They come from all different areas in the Salt Lake Valley. Our sponsors, volunteers and the news media all help us to sustain our Carmel. Looking a lit tle bit deeper, I’m at peace and full of gratitude and graciously accept the help and donations that come into the monastery in God’s name.”

A Carmelite cafeteria, a live and silent ac tion, handmade goods, including embroidered hand towels and pillowcases made by the nuns, dancers from around the world, giveaways, in cluding a 2022 Kia Sportage donated by Jerry Seiner Dealerships, and games and prizes were all part of the fair this year.

Next year’s fair will be Sept. 17, 2023. For questions about how you can become a volun teer or make a donation to the Carmelite Mon astery of Salt Lake email carmels@xmission. com l

Carmelite Fair draws large crowd on Sept. 18 following a two-year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (Collette Hayes/City Journals)

Election officials address claims of mail-in voter fraud

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Following widespread allegations of voter fraud after the 2020 presidential election, Salt Lake County election offi cials want residents to know the mail-inballot system is safe and secure.

During a voting rights discussion, hosted by the League of Women Voters, panelists addressed voting concerns and invited the public to be involved with the process.

Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Sw ensen has been administering county elec tions for 32 years. She said her office is dedicated to ensuring elections are run effi ciently and smoothly, and that every eligi ble vote is counted.

“I’m so glad we have a vote-by-mail system in Salt Lake and the State of Utah,” she said. “It has been a wonderful system. It’s served the voters so well.”

Since 2016, all elections in Utah have been conducted by mail, with ballot dropoff boxes and Election Day voting booths available as alternate options. During the 2020 presidential election, Salt Lake Coun ty had a 90.1% voter turnout, with 498,000 residents voting by mail, 100,000 more ac tive registered voters than the 2016 elec tion.

Residents were encouraged to vote by mail in 2020 because of COVID, but mis information spread that the voting system had been compromised. Swensen said al legations of voter fraud in the county are absolutely not true.

“We heard people could print ballots in their living room, foreign countries could print ballots and insert them into our sys tem, but they would never make it through our system,” she said. “Every single bal lot that is sent to a voter is correlated to a record of an active registered voter with a unique nine-digit number.”

During the last legislative session, Rep. Phil Lyman (R-Blanding) tried to pass a bill that would dismantle the state’s mailin voting process, claiming the system was vulnerable to fraud. The bill failed but elec tion officials are worried a similar proposal will come up again.

“It is a secure system, we have total confidence in it,” Swensen said. “It is dis heartening to me to hear all this rhetoric about the vote-by-mail system not being safe and secure. I really believe that it’s an attempt to suppress voter turnout.”

She invites voters to attend tours of ballot centers to witness the transparent and secure process, and to address misin formation and false claims.

“We love to conduct tours and we have done so many tours, I can’t even count them all. Everyone walks away feeling very con

fident. They are impressed after they come to see it in person,” Swensen said. “It’s best when processing ballots so you can actu ally see what’s happening when it’s being done.”

Deputy Director of Elections for the State of Utah Shelly Jackson said election officials are constantly culling lists to make sure voter information is accurate and upto-date. Several security elements are in place to stop voter fraud, including signa ture verification and unique voter IDs on every ballot.

Ballots are not mailed to every person in the state, only voters who are actively registered receive a mail-in ballot. For in formation about the election process, visit slco.org/clerk/elections.

“I love that people are now paying at tention to elections,” Jackson said. “I love that people are wanting to come see our logic and accuracy tests. When I worked at the county we would beg people to come, we would beg city recorders to come, we’d beg friends and family to come. I don’t think I ever had anyone come.”

Nathaniel Brown, 24th Navajo Nation council person, and Nikila Venugopal, di rector of campaigns for the ACLU of Utah, expressed concerns that bills like Lyman’s proposal would disenfranchise thousands of voters.

In 1962, Utah was the last state in the country to give Native Americans voting rights. Brown said members of the Nava jo Nation still face obstacles to voting, in cluding remoteness and language barriers. Doing away with the mail-in ballot system would further restrict voting access to this population.

“I think we need to remove the clas sism mentality and think about who we are at the soul level,” Brown said.

Venugopal said sometimes the voteby-mail system isn’t feasible, like for vot ers with disabilities who need to sign a ballot when their signature could change over time. She said the ACLU is working to create greater access for voters with disabilities and works with the disability law center to make continued changes to the process. She’s also keeping an eye out for legislation that could suppress the vote throughout the state, like Lyman’s bill in February 2022.

“Claims of voter fraud are rooted in trying to stoke fear, and our elections are in fact secure. But maybe there are areas of improvement,” Venugopal said. “This bill essentially would have gutted our voteby-mail system and really caused a disen franchisement crisis in our state if it had passed.” l

Millcreek residents divided on hosting overflow homeless shelter

By Sara Milano | s.milano@mycityjournals.com

On Sept. 15, Millcreek residents and policymakers gathered at the defunct Calvin S. Smith Library, 810 E. 3300 South, to discuss the temporary overflow homeless shelter that will be located there for 200 days this winter. City officials plan to accommo date about 100 individuals experiencing homelessness in the space each night as the weather grows colder and sleeping outside becomes less viable. Mayor Jeff Silvestrini was unequivocal in his support for the over flow shelter, saying “in my view, it’s a moral imperative.”

Local residents who oppose the facili ty, however, were equally unyielding. “For the people who live on these two streets, it’s already a train wreck…we are in a high-risk situation for direct disruption of our lives and the police will only be there to clean up the mess after it happens,” a man who lives near by told the crowd. Local business owner Trae Eller added, “We just found out two weeks ago. Let me tell you that we’re going to drop a bomb by your house in two weeks with no preparation time, no explanation… we’d be insane if we weren’t worried.”

The Utah State Legislature required each city in Salt Lake County to propose a location for the shelter. Many other proposed loca tions were not viable due to lack of resources or opposition from property owners. None of the other potential sites had an open floor plan, running water, and heating and cooling. In the end, Silvestrini explained, “The Cal vin Smith Library was the only choice.” The facility was selected on Sept. 1, after which city officials hurried to make a plan for its operation and schedule a public hearing for residents. The state also allocated funds to help operate the facility, so the shelter will be at no expense to taxpayers.

Millcreek Councilmember Thom De Sirant, who represents District 2 where the shelter will be located, reiterated the may or’s emphasis on moral obligations to the community, saying, “We have to take care of our neighbors, whether that’s the people that live in this neighborhood or the people who don’t have a house to live in.” Residents who oppose the overflow shelter chafed at the characterization that they lacked empathy toward people experiencing homelessness.

Trae Eller, who owns a nearby barbeque restaurant, said, “First of all, stop acting like none of us care. We care about the homeless people, that’s insane and it’s insulting. We’re not you. We don’t live a distance away to be safe so stop it. It’s unfair you’re demonizing us because we’re concerned.”

To assuage safety concerns from local residents, Millcreek plans to hire two addi tional police officers to patrol the building and the surrounding area. People who opt to sleep at the shelter will be bussed in from a

homeless resource center at 7 p.m. each night and bussed out at 7 a.m. the next morning. They will be searched for weapons or drug paraphernalia upon arriving at the shel ter, and their bags and personal belongings will be stowed away from them while they are sleeping. There will be plumbed trailers outside and people will be supervised when they need to use them. There will not be food served at the facility.

Millcreek resident Andrew Gruber spoke in support of the shelter, imploring the public to “think about the experience of be ing bussed into a place at 7 o’clock at night, having to sleep here not in your home, and having police cars all around you. And then you get bussed back out at 7 a.m. It sounds awful.” He reminded the public that “no one gets sent here involuntarily, they have to ask for help, they have to say, ‘Please give me a place to stay that’s not on the street.’”

While he was speaking, one woman interjected, yelling, “They don’t say please, they expect it. And they’re high anyways.” This comment was met with several boos from the crowd as she rushed out the door. Gruber continued: “I am proud to live in a community like Millcreek that is compas sionate and doing our part.”

One of the most compelling public com ments was given by Erin Vistnes, a Millcreek resident who lives one block away from the library. She works as a case manager at the Fourth Street Clinic in downtown Salt Lake City. She explained that “last year there was not an overflow shelter available for any of my patients until…the end of January. So my

job at the clinic…was to tell people every sin gle night that they had to sleep outside. I’m 24 years old. That is a devastating responsi bility for me and my fellow case workers to take on. So when I saw the news article yes terday that Millcreek and my neighborhood was taking on the responsibility of hosting the shelter, the relief I felt…was unbeliev able.”

Vistnes became visibly emotional at this point, saying, “Last year, we also hosted our annual vigil for folks who passed away in Salt Lake City who were homeless, we had to memorialize 117 people. In 2019, it was 75. And the jump in those numbers has to be due in part to the fact that there was not an overflow shelter.”

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall called the overflow shelter “a historic plan,” mostly because surrounding areas have not taken on the onus of hosting people experi encing homelessness in the past. Historical ly, Salt Lake City and South Salt Lake have borne the responsibility of sheltering un housed people.

Mayor Silvestrini and Salt Lake Coun ty Councilmember and Deputy Chief of the Millcreek Precinct of the Unified Police De partment Steve DeBry are hopeful that the shelter will help alleviate the presence of homelessness in Millcreek, as well as pre vent injury and death from sleeping outside. In spite of mixed views from Millcreek res idents, the homeless overflow shelter at the Calvin S. Smith Library will open to home less adults each night beginning Oct. 15 until April 30. l

Residents gather in the now defunct Calvin Smith Library for a public hearing about the temporary home less shelter opening there. (Sara Milano/City Journals)

T here are lots of people in this world who scare me, like toddlers, Christian nationalists and the barista who always compliments my shirt, even when I’m wearing a blood-stained hoodie.

But dentists! Dentists are a higher level of fear. I'm sure they get tired of being compared to the sadistic den tist in “Little Shop of Horrors” but if the tooth fits…

My dentophobia is rooted in an experience when I was 5 where many of the details are still slumbering in my subconscious, waiting to burst when I’m least expecting it. The only thing I remember was the dentist was not my friend.

Peri Kinder Life and Laughter

I start ed dreading my annual checkup.

Mom would write our dentist’s name on the bathroom mirror in red lipstick, so she’d remember to schedule the appointment. But every time she wrote it, I’d take a wet washcloth and wipe it off. I’m sure she never noticed the smeared lipstick or the dripping-wet mirror.

Now that I’m older, I should be braver, right? I should be grateful I don’t have a medieval dentist who also works as the village butcher, barber and blacksmith. I’m lucky I’m not Tom Hanks in “Castaway” when he uses an ice skate to knock out his abscessed molar. Modern dentistry

It’s like pulling teeth

is a privilege.

My rational mind knows all those things, but I’ve never left a dentist’s office thinking, “Hmmm. That wasn’t too bad.”

I recently had my first root canal, which didn’t ease my fears. At all. I was upfront with the endodontist and told him I didn’t like him very much.

“I understand,” he said.

“No, really. I loathe you,” I said.

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

We went from there. He offered me nitrous oxide be cause if I’m going to be root-canaled, I’d rather be float ing somewhere near Venus. After I was nice and drifty, he told me I’d feel a little pinch as he numbed my mouth. Then he proceeded to nail my face to the chair while the nurse handed him a Black & Decker drill. He laughed ma niacally, donned a hockey mask ala Jason Voorhees and started excavating my back teeth.

At least, that’s how I remember it.

After the root canal, I had to make an appointment with my dentist to put a crown on my tooth. I called the receptionist who said I could schedule time on Sept. 12 at 2:30 a.m. or wait until June 2023. Typical.

I don’t know why I’m still terrified of all things den tal. The smell of a dentist’s office makes my stomach roll. The sound of a drill makes my jaw clench, which makes it really hard to work on my teeth. When it was time for my crown appointment, I sat in my car for a good 15 minutes, giving myself a pep talk.

“You’ve got this,” I said. “You’re a big girl.”

“Nope. I’m going to Starbucks,” I responded. “No, you’re not. You’re going to act like an adult

STUMP GRINDING TREE

and walk in that office.”

I stuck my tongue out at myself and went to get my crown. Not a cool crown like a Dutch sapphire tiara but a porcelain crown that I’m afraid to chew with. I’m pretty sure my dentist has a hook for a hand and he proceeded to stab my gums repeatedly, probably just for the fun of it. And then it was over. For now.

I’d rather face a zillion zombies, a multitude of mum mies, a van full of vampires or a ton of toddlers before seeing the dentist again. He’s the scariest monster I know.