Midvale Journal | April 2022

April 2022 | Vol. 19 Iss. 04

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NONPROFIT ‘RESCUES’ FOOD TO HELP FEED FAMILIES IN NEED A

By Sarah Morton Taggart | s.taggart@mycityjournals.com

s much as 600,000 tons of food is thrown away in Utah every year. Meanwhile, 500,000 Utahns struggle to find enough to eat. A new program at the Midvale Boys & Girls Club is working to address both of these issues.

Starting in January, volunteers from Waste Less Solutions began preparing healthy, ready-to-serve meals for youth at the Midvale Boys & Girls Club to take home to their families.

The meals are delivered to the club, located at 7631 Chapel St., every Thursday and feed around 15 people.

“The families love it,” said Presley Austin, the Midvale Club director. “It’s nice for them to not have to go home and cook dinner. They say it saves them so much time that they can now spend with their family.”

The meals arrive at the club warm and ready to eat or can be refrigerated and eaten later. The containers are clearly labeled with all of the ingredients and include instructions for how to prepare them and when to eat or freeze them by.

“Some parents have said they took it to work the next day and ate it there,” Austin said. “It’s a change from the food we usually hand out because it’s fresh and ready to eat, with veggies and fruit. They’re nourishing meals.”

Some of the families are experiencing food insecurity, and others just need a helping hand and a hot meal during a difficult time, according to the press release distributed by Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake.

“Food access is an important aspect to our families that are living in a shelter or hotels,” said Jaimie Dunn, director of operations at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake in the press release. “Many of our families in need do not have access to a full kitchen to prepare healthy meals. The other wonderful part is that the food is high-quality food that would have otherwise gone to waste.”

Waste Less Solutions was launched in 2018 to prevent and divert food waste in Utah. One of the organization’s programs “rescues” food from restaurants, markets and other food distributers that otherwise would have been thrown away.

Some of the rescued food is taken to a commercial kitchen, where a volunteer chef turns the ingredients into the healthy meals that are delivered to pre-identified families and nonprofit partners the next Continued page 4 The first Waste Less Solutions meal delivered to the Midvale Boys & Girls Club is shown in January. (Photo courtesy Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake)

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April 2022 | Page 3

Language of law can be confusing to many

Continued from front page day. Waste Less Solutions reports that it donated and delivered more than $280,000 worth of food in 2020.

The pilot Boys & Girls Club program is being made possible by a $20,000 grant from 100 Women Who Care. The Salt Lake chapter of this grassroots charitable organization has contributed more than $400,000 to local groups since it formed in 2015.

“This funding is allowing us to take our food rescue to the next level,” said Dana Williamson, founder and president of Waste Less Solutions in the press release. “We realize that sometimes giving someone fresh produce and assuming they have time, resources, and knowledge of how to cook it where it tastes good isn't always realistic.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake hope to grow the meals program to more clubs and families later this year.

One week when there were fewer families stopping by the Midvale Club, the meals were served during club hours to just the youth, who ate them up.

“Some are more adult flavors, like vegetable curry over rice or steak and salad,” Austin said. “There have been pastas with different sauces I wasn’t familiar with. It’s good for the kids to try different things.”

In 2020, the Midvale Club received two large donations of prepared meals from Pulp Lifestyle Kitchen to help families struggling with food security at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak.

“Our club seems to do well with food donations,” Austin said. “They get picked up pretty quickly.”

In fact, they recently acquired a community refrigerator where families can select food to take home.

“The (Waste Less Solutions) meals are first come, first served,” Austin said.

“They don’t even make it to the fridge.” l

By Erin Dixon | e.dixon@mycityjournals.com

O

ne in five American adults, or 21%, have trouble reading, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. These adults cannot compare and contrast information, understand paraphrasing or draw conclusions from what they read.

The state of Utah just finished its legislative session. New laws were discussed, changed, put in or thrown out. The needed reading level to understand many of the bills is at least 12th grade, with many needing college graduate skills.

Every bill has a description at the top that explains in bullet points telling what the bill does. Using a readability formula (readability.com), the description, not the bill itself, of House Bill 2 “New Fiscal Year Supplemental Appropriations Act” got a score of “college graduate and above” and “very difficult to read.”

“The legal jargon is so overwhelming sometimes that it makes me want to give up reading it entirely,” Midvale resident KoriAnne Starr Lucero said. “How are we as constituents supposed to know what is being passed (or what we are supporting or supposed to follow) if it’s intentionally made difficult to understand?”

The difficulty of understanding law is a problem linguists across the country have studied for decades.

“There has been a growing concern… regarding the inability of lay persons to understand legal language,” Robert and Veda Charrow wrote in the Columbia Law Review 1979.

“This concern has generated a movement to rewrite legal documents in ‘plain English.’”

When spoken, law can be even harder to understand. “...[With] native speakers…listening comprehension accuracy of long, complex sentences with legal terminology (i.e., sentences similar to those in the Miranda warning) is less than 50%,” Scott Jarvis, a linguistics professor at the

Journals T H E

Twenty-one percent of Americans struggle with reading comprehension, while new laws are difficult for college graduates. (Pixabay)

University of Utah, said. “Whereas it surpasses 90% for all other types of sentences.”

The choice of words comes to the people who make the laws, and even lawyers need specific training to understand the language of their own specialty.

“There’s a lot of legalese, with antiquated Latin terms,” Scotti Hill from the Utah State Bar said. “Law schools train people to translate.”

After the laws are written, there are many ways to interpret them. Some say the law needs to be understood from the intent of the author, at the time it was written. Others say the law needs to be interpreted with modern meanings.

“Sometimes every comma does matter,” Hill said. “Sometimes every single word matters.”

Utah Rep. Robert Spendlove explained to the City Journals the bills are written by Legis-

lative Research and Council.

“If we don’t write a bill in a certain way it will get overturned by the courts,” Spendlove said.

“It can be simple or it can be really complicated. It has to be able to withhold judicial scrutiny.”

Another Utah representative, Cheryl Acton, is pleased with how Utah approaches law making.

“Compared to laws I've seen from other states, Utah's laws are almost entirely devoid of emotion and very cut and dried,” Acton said.

“I'd give our Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel an A on this. Plus they are constantly cleaning up old sections of code to remove extraneous and outdated words.” l

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Midvale City Journal

My year with the City Journals: A reflection and review of the contributions of women

S

ince I began as a reporter for the City Journals, I have had the privilege of interviewing some amazing people. The interview process has always been my favorite part of reporting.

I have always enjoyed meeting someone new, learning about what makes them unique and writing their story for others to read.

During March, the stories being shared were about women. March 8, officially known as International Women’s Day, was a day to highlight the unique contributions and achievements of women the world over. To put it more eloquently, “to provide education on how women helped shape the nation [world].”

I’ve come to learn through my first year writing for the City Journals just how much women help shape our community and world.

And how important their stories are to tell.

I got the lead for my first story from Facebook, where I was able to get in touch with Kim Deverall, who specialized in giving haircuts to those living with special needs. We met at the salon she worked at, JCPenney at the District.

Deverall works to meet new clients and make new connections providing one-on-one service for clients who have special needs due to autism or other neurological divergent disorders.

“I am so lucky and honored to be in a position to help a population that is so frequently misunderstood,” Deverall said. “I love working for a company that has given me the ability to give neurodivergent individuals the dignity and socialization they deserve.”

I then had the opportunity to interview another woman who took a big chance only to have it pay off in a delicious way. I met Carol Timmons, a business owner in South Jordan, and reported on her little slice of heaven in Flake Pie Company.

Recently, Flake contributed $11,152 to help those in Ukraine through the CARE Ukraine Crisis Fund. According to an Instagram post, the Flake Pie Company team baked and sold 3,477 flakies, their signature pastry.

Anna Linner was a true gem from the moment I met her at the South Jordan Public Library. I wandered in one day looking for story leads actually, and Linner greeted me at the front desk, behind a large plastic shield (thanks Covid). I knew she had a story to share. And it turns out, I wasn’t wrong. Born in Hungary, she went on to earn a master’s of library sciences degree at age 50, to become a full-on librarian. Linner continues to work at the South Jordan library.

I was enthusiastic to learn that there was a new Girl Scout troop being formed in South Jordan last summer for girls enrolled in kindergarten or first grade, and that Jen Bingman was to be their leader. Twice a month Bingman lets a group of talkative and eager five to seven year olds in her backyard to teach them things about building robots, planting trees and selling cookies.

MidvaleJournal.com

By Rachel Aubrey | r.aubrey@mycityjournals.com

After many rounds of selection from Rocky Mountain Power Company, LiveDaybreak and the City of South Jordan, Durga Ekambaram’s painting was featured on a utility box in Daybreak. (Photo courtesy of Durga Ekambaram)

“We’ve had a fun first year with our Daisy troop,” Bingman said. “Our troop has had special challenges regarding meetings with Covid restrictions, cookie delays due to supply chain issues, and losing four troop leaders, but our families rallied around our troop to provide the support we needed to continue with our endeavors.”

Then I met Durga Ekambaram after I saw her mural under the bridge of the Jordan River Trail at 10600 South. I have been able to follow her work on social media. The patience and the persistence it must take to create, to have an idea and to have to slowly nurture it to life is inspiring on many levels.

The trail mural project has given Ekambaram the confidence to explore new mediums and techniques. In February, her mixed media artwork was selected to be displayed at the World of the Wild art show at the Hogle Zoo. Her watercolor paintings were also selected in November 2021 to be featured on a utility box in Daybreak. She is looking forward to several art displays at South Jordan City Hall, Millcreek Library and Utah Cultural Center.

I was once again amazed not only by the physical strength of women, but their mental strength as well. I met Debbie Millet, a former weightlifting champion and now a coach to young women competing in the clean and press and the snatch. I spoke to some of these young women, in particular Malia Levy and Maci Wynn, who talked about their training schedules and their determination, and what it meant to have a female role model like Millet.

According to Millet, Levy took gold at the

Girls from Troop 583 visited the fire station in Taylorsville in February to learn about respecting authority. (Photo taken by Jessica Ballard)

American Open in Ohio late last year, and will represent team USA at the Youth Pan Am and Youth Worlds this upcoming summer of 2022.

Wynn is now one of the top three women in the country, lifting the previous American record in the snatch event. Wynn is now in a position to make the 2024 Summer Olympic team.

Most recently, I met the heartwarming group known as Females in Action Salt Lake Valley or FIA. They welcomed me into their group, challenged me to a little physical exercise routine, gave me a nickname and explained how they as a group look out for one another. It

was heartwarming to see, as we live in a world that can be so divided, that these women will welcome and accept other women regardless of race, religion, economic status and a host of other things that often keep people at bay.

We have women in our communities who are leaders, mentors, entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, volunteers, professionals and all-around positive influences. All of these women, and many others like them whose stories I have yet to share, help shape the community, and their stories are relevant. l

April 2022 | Page 5

Midvale Middle principal named Utah’s middle school principal of year

T

aking a moment to reflect on her five years as principal of Midvale Middle, a school where she once taught students math, Mindy Robison sat back to contemplate, “What is it I’m most proud of?”

“I think our after-school programming really connects kids to the school, and it’s just been fun,” she said. “It goes to the culture and the climate of just saying, ‘We care about you, we support good behaviors, but we’re also here for you’ because a lot of kids have had traumas, and then, there’s been uncertainty with COVID. The bottom line is I’m a fierce advocate for resources for the school.”

Robison recently received the 2022 Utah Middle School Principal of the Year from the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals.

She was nominated last fall and provided a portfolio of her resume, recommendation letters, responses to questions and took part in an interview. Robison was shocked when her Midvale Middle community and Canyons School District leadership joined in the surprise of the top honor.

“They surprised me; I had no idea, which is funny because I pride myself on knowing what’s going on,” she said. “We were in a meeting, which we always have on Fridays, and they kept prolonging it.

People kept raising their hands, saying things like, ‘Can you explain that a little bit more in depth?’ And I’m like, ‘You guys, we really need to go to your meetings.’ And they’re like, ‘No, we need clarification on this.’”

Robison said one of the questions asked during the interview process was how she promotes equity so each person is known and valued.

“Midvale has a lot of things that other schools don’t, we have a full-time nurse, then counselors, a social worker, a community schools facilitator, and we just really talk about our goals. That ties in with the after-school program, especially in math, which has been a bit lower in the past and now, because of this program, we’re seeing growth there. Our math has gone up while other schools are falling behind during COVID. What we’re finding is because the kids like the after-school program, those students are having higher attendance rates.

We have a high number of our multilingual learners coming to after-school program, much higher than we would have guessed,” she said.

Midvale Middle, which recently won the Salt Lake City’s Salt Awards as the best middle school, has a mobility rate of 35% in its 930 student body. The school has embraced the International Baccalaureate Middle Schools Programme the past 10 years, allowing the entire student body to create their own research-based service

Page 6 | April 2022

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com project as a culmination to middle school.

There also are students in the accelerated SALTA Gifted and Talented Program, in the dual immersion Spanish program, English Language Learners and in special education self-contained classrooms.

Former Midvale Middle Principal and now Canyons School District’s Director of Federal and State Programs Wendy Dau recommended Robison.

“Mindy oversees one of the most challenging middle schools in Utah, yet she continues to think outside the box to improve outcomes for students,” she said.

“She serves as an advocate for her entire school community. She holds students accountable and wants them to achieve at high levels, yet she fiercely fights to obtain the resources that she knows her students need. She communicates what is necessary for her students to feel safe and to have a supportive learning environment. She is always working with school performance, instructional supports and federal programs to create a unique coaching model that can provide intensive supports for reading and math instruction while focusing on the schoolwide needs of her multilingual population.”

In the after-school program, students have 30 minutes of math—either getting tutoring in areas they need review or experiencing enhanced opportunities such as MathCounts. Then, students and faculty engage in 30 minutes of enrichment activities, which can range from art to technology or fun opportunities such as bowling in the halls.

This year, after coming off of last year when upward of one-third of the students remained learning virtually, “we started incorporating some homework help because we found some of our kids at all levels were asking and needing an extra hand with COIVD and Canvas and balancing time and everything,” Robison said.

Student input often comes during student advisories, which Robison established.

It’s a time where once per month students provide feedback on the school culture.

She also introduced student ambassadors to welcome those who are new to the school, giving them tours and eating lunch with them—another way she lets students know they are valued.

“We know as students become more connected to the school, we are seeing students love learning, and most importantly, grow and succeed as we foster innovation and creativity in the learning process,” she said.

MYP coordinator Shelley Allen said Robison is not only the leader, but the heart of Midvale Middle.

“Mindy has the unique ability to balance high expectations with patience and

“This is about team effort,” said Midvale Middle Principal Mindy Robison who celebrates with her faculty, staff and other Canyons School District officials after being named 2022 Utah Middle School Principal of the Year. (Photo courtesy of Mindy Robison/Midvale Middle)

perspective,” she said. “She takes the time to listen to the needs of teachers and students and works with them to help them find success.”

That even means stepping in as a substitute in math, her preferred choice of classrooms.

In addition to teaching at Midvale, she also taught math at Mountain Ridge Junior and Timberline Middle, but when she started studying her undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University, she was a computer science major.

“I took two classes and realized, I really like people and not computers. I remember being on campus, walking by the education building. My mom’s an educator and I remember stopping and thinking, ‘You know what you need to be.’ I knew I wanted to be a math teacher and I’ve never looked back,” she said.

She earned her master’s in education from the University of Utah, then got her administrative certification from Utah State. She was principal at Crescent Elementary two and one-half years before coming back “home” to Midvale Middle, although when she returned, she was opening the new school building in 2017.

“My whole career, except Crescent, has been middle schools. I love middle school. You see so much growth in these kids and they’re compassionate and kind and just trying to figure it all out,” she said.

“This award is good for the community.

This is about team effort. Like when I look at the last five years what we’ve done, this isn’t a single person. It’s a team of admin-

istrators, counselors, teachers, support staff and every one of us is willing; when I have these crazy ideas, they’ll follow me, like ‘What are you going to do now?’ It’s like the after-school program, I’d really like to do this, but it’s because of teachers, staff and other people in the district here we can do it, because we all believe in kids, so we work really hard.”

East Sandy Principal Bryan Rudes worked as Robison’s assistant principal for four years.

“She is one of the strongest leaders I’ve ever worked with,” he said. “She jokes around, but she’s also extremely kind, caring and positive all the time. She’s always continually looking out for what’s best for kids. I think her push for increased funding and access to an after-school program she implemented was a huge undertaking and a successful one in helping students.”

Canyons Program Administrator Charisse Hilton agrees: “Mindy is a problem-solver. Mindy is not afraid to bring up problems and she finds the best way to solve them in ways that are best for students.”

Robison has received congratulatory calls and notes, but she’s also thanked people for their support and shared Midvale Middle’s success.

“I’ve reached out to people and rekindled some relationships; I can’t do this alone,” she said. “I really think the best thing is telling people that Midvale Middle is an amazing school, and for me, that surpasses everything. This is a place I love and it’s a place where we’re making a difference.”l

Midvale City Journal

Real Salt Lake guest readers celebrate Read Across America Day at Midvale Elementary

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

R

eal Salt Lake goalkeeper Zac MacMath remembers reading “If You Take a Mouse to the Movies” by Laura Numeroff when he was young.

It’s a book that he shared with Midvale Elementary third graders during “Read Across America Day.” “I love taking part in this day, helping kids with their reading and creating their own circle stories,” he said, adding that he helped in schools when he previously played for Philadelphia.

The professional soccer player told students they can succeed.

“School is important and setting goals in your schoolwork every week, every month and every year, just like I do on the field, is critical so you can move forward and improve,” he said.

MacMath was just one of several Real Salt Lake guest readers that day.

RSL ticket manager Bryan Funes volunteered.

“It’s a way we, as a club, can be more involved in our community and a good opportunity to help kids anyway we can,” he said.

RSL Vice President of Communications and Public Relations John Genna read to students and had them follow along in their own books.

“It’s a fun thing to see how excited students come when you’re reading with them,” he said, adding that they love when he reads with different voices. “It’s a rewarding experience for them and us.”

Second-grade teacher Jessica Beus appreciated her guest readers.

“It’s fabulous when different people from our community come in and interact with our students over a fun story,” she said.

After reading one of Laura Numeroff’s circle stories, which end in the same place they started, the students broke apart each step of it, then created their own.

Beus, with the help of the RSL staff, led the second graders into “If you gave a second grader a pencil” where they would want paper to write on, markers to draw on it, a chance to fold the paper as an airplane, want to go outside, then back to the pencil so they could put their name on it.

Midvale School Community Facilitator Heidi Sanger said it’s a chance for them to try a literacy activity that tied into the books.

“It’s a chance for them to be creative and to understand what a circle story is,” she said, adding that about 20 volunteers from RSL, CHG Healthcare and parents from the school’s Family Learning Center helped on March 2. “It’s been an important message to promote lifelong reading and celebrate books.”

The books, both in English and Spanish, since the school offers a dual immersion program, were purchased with school funds and by United Way’s corporate sponsors and donated to each student in the school.

United Way Volunteer Engagement Director Roni Scheidler said it’s important to get books in students’ hands.

“We want students to be able to have access to them and create libraries in their own homes,” she said. “It will help them become passionate readers and when they’re older, graduate high school and become successful in college.”

Third-grade teacher Breanna Beltran said it was a fun exercise and opportunity to interact with RSL players and employees.

“It’s definitely special and memorable to have RSL here and have them read them a story and have them help create their own stories,” she said. “The kids are definitely excited.” l

MidvaleJournal.com

Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Zac MacMath answers Midvale Elementary third-graders’ questions about soccer and reading. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Real Salt Lake Vice President of Communications and Public Relations John Genna works with Midvale second-grader Victor Heirtz with answering questions about the circle story. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

April 2022 | Page 7

Midvale’s budget updates include unexpected expenses

By Erin Dixon | e.dixon@mycityjournals.com

M

idvale City revised their current budget, fiscal year July 1, 2021June 30, 2022. (A budget year is different from a calendar year of Jan. 1 to Dec 31.)

Budget amendments are common in all cities; prices may rise, income can drop, or a project needs to be put off. As the finance department prepares the budget in the spring they predict the needs of the city as well as they can, then adjust as time goes on.

For Midvale, some money was saved because 34% of employees left for other jobs. (The city says this is because of the “great reset” of many resigning in the last two years.)

“The finance person loves seeing a negative number,” Midvale’s Assistant City Manager Kyle Maurer said. “But that means we haven’t had a person doing their jobs and other people have had to cover.”

Seventeen positions have been filled since last July, making a large portion of the city operated by new employees. The turnover made some projects take longer than expected. “...Midvale has always been able to provide core services to our residents

by redirecting resources to other areas in need,” Maurer said. “However, it has slowed down other initiatives (that may not be mission critical) the city is working on.”

The United Police Department (UPD) has also announced an increase in their fees to pay their officers more, as many cities across the country are doing. Midvale is saving over $900,000 to prepare ahead for the additional costs.

Higher sales tax income is providing the money to cover it.

“We have received sales tax through November and we’re looking good [to have enough for the UPD increase],” Maurer said.

Other spending the city adjusted: An additional $20,000 on top of $40,000 to contract for a new website design. $9,900 for the time and effort it took to reform city code allowing for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU). $40,000 for an additional contract prosecutor for the court. $52,270 for a Main Street Utility study to help with the Main Street renovation project.

Budget amendments, or changes, are common in every city. (Photo courtesy Midvale City)

$57,000 to the Harvest Day budget, bringing the total event budget to $67,300.

These additional costs are covered

from several sources: savings from empty employee positions, reimbursement from insurance and the fund balance. l

How cities finalize redistricting

By Erin Dixon | e.dixon@mycityjournals.com

E

very 10 years the United States does a census, counting the number of people in the country and where they live.

Changes in how many people live in a single area will change how effective a resident’s vote is. After every census voting area lines are redrawn.

Each city is divided into districts and each district votes for a representative.

West Jordan GIS Administrator Clint Hutchings explained to the West Jordan City Council what qualifies as a balanced division between districts.

“Independent redistricting commission statute requires state legislative districts to have a total population deviation of less than 10%,” Hutchings said.

This means that the difference between population numbers cannot be greater than 10%.

Many current boundaries are now outside that guideline and must be redrawn. Ideally, the boundaries are drawn as straight as possible, without small portions pushing into or out of an area. It is also preferable to have lines drawn along landmarks or major highways. Lines cannot be drawn based on racial or political characteristics.

Page 8 | April 2022

There are many places in the Salt Lake Valley that are growing rapidly and are projected to continue growing for the next 10 years before the 2030 census.

However, the lines must be drawn based on current numbers, not the number that may be living in that area.

City staff typically spearheads the new drawings, but the city council has the final vote. Some cities will also ask for public comment through open houses or during public meetings.

“The city council has the authority to change district lines,” Midvale City Communications Director Laura Magness said.

Lines must be finalized by May 19, 2022. The boundaries take effect during the next election for district seats, current councilmembers will stay the same. l

New voting lines will be drawn for many cities in the Salt Lake Valley. (Erin Dixon/City Journals)

Midvale City Journal

Midvale Middle crowned Canyons’ chess champions

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

A

merican chess grandmaster and world champion Bobby Fischer once said, “It’s just you and your opponent at the board and you’re trying to prove something.”

On Jan. 29, Midvale Middle School’s chess team showed they had something to prove.

Midvale took first at Canyons School District’s intramural middle school chess tournament, beating their closest challenger, Albion, by seven points. Union finished third, followed by Draper Park, Mt. Jordan, Butler and Eastmont.

The Trojans brought the trophy to its new home—on display in the school’s trophy case by the cafeteria. It’s the school’s ninth title in the 12 years of the district’s intramural competition.

“The kids were excited, they thought it was pretty cool,” second-year coach Lori Onsae said. “They knew they won. These kids really worked hard to be able to do that.”

With the omicron variant of COVID-19 surging, there wasn’t a formal ceremony and spectators were limited. Still, with health and safety guidelines in place, the tournament was held.

Midvale’s team, which numbers about 30 students, practiced twice per week after

school. They also held their own school tournament.

Last year, the Trojans placed third in the district tournament.

“We added some online kids to the team and some players came back with friends.

Realizing what our competition was last year and comparing it to the growth that these kids have this year, I felt pretty hopeful going into the day,” Onsae said. “The best part overall was to see the number of kids that continued to come throughout the season and to see the player growth and maturity was really good.”

Six students competed against the top students at the other middle schools.

This year’s Midvale team was comprised of all seventh graders, with the exception of eighth-grader Christian Carter, who played on board 5. The seventh-grade students include George Wang, board 1; Neusha Nourmohammadi, board 2; Max Kluss, board 3; Rylan Gardner, board 4; Easton Richards, board 6; and alternates Mason Richards and Max Myers.

“With COVID, we weren’t able to do much celebrating other than the school announcements that were made,” she said.

“Hopefully, next year we can do a family potluck or get together.”

Midvale Middle’s Checkmate Trojan chess team poses by the scores after winning the school’s ninth title in 12 years. (Photo courtesy of Midvale Middle School)

Canyons also offers intramural cross country running in the fall, three-on-three basketball in the winter, and soccer in the spring for middle school students.

Canyons School District introduced its intramural program in 2010-11. Mt. Jordan won the inaugural tournament in 2011, fol-

lowed by Midvale winning the district chess title from 2012-17, including 2015’s win with a perfect score. In 2018, Mt. Jordan beat Midvale; the Trojans finished second.

Midvale returned as champions in 2019 and 2020, with the 2021 title going to Albion. l

Health department seeks films sharing stories of resilience

A

spiring filmmakers who have a story to tell of resilience can showcase their short original film in Salt Lake County Health Department’s fourth annual film festival.

The contest is open to seventh- through 12th-grade students who live in Salt Lake County. The 30- to 60-second films are to show or discuss how they, or those around them, have demonstrated resilience in mental health, physical health and/or social health.

This year’s theme, “Stories of Resilience” was determined by the Salt Lake County Healthy Teens Coalition.

“The youth expressed sincerely the need to expand on our theme from previous years,” said Julia Glade, Salt Lake County Health Department healthy communities coordinator. “We value the youth voice, especially when it comes to learning how public health topics have an impact on them and their community. The film festival is a terrific opportunity to motivate teens to continue engaging in these important conversations about to their physical, mental and social health, especially after the last two years they’ve endured during the pandemic.”

Film submissions will close Thursday, April 7 at 11:59 p.m. mountain time. Film submissions will be ranked in originality,

MidvaleJournal.com

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com relevance to the theme and technical expertise. To learn more about the festival rules, submission information and resources, visit SaltLakeHealth.org.

The contest first began as the Kick Ash Film Festival in 2019, with previous festivals asking students to target their films to other youth about the dangers of youth e-cigarette use.

Post-festival evaluation efforts found that 78% of teens who participated had a changed (more negative) perception of e-cigarettes, Glade said.

The community also supported the expanded vision of the film festival.

“It’s a fun event and the community sponsors value the youth’s vision and values on health topics and the impact these have on them and their families. It’s motivating to hear teens talk to their peers and their families about mental, physical and social health issues and hear their stories about resiliency through film,” she said.

Sponsors, including Get Healthy Utah, HealthChoice Utah, Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital and Unite Us, have donated prizes and cash to the top three winners in grades seven through nine, and also in grades 10-12. Winners will be determined by a panel of judges from Salt Lake County

Draper Park Middle School winners of the film festival school award pose in 2019 at Salt Lake County’s inaugural film festival. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Health Department and the festival’s sponsors.

There are audience choice top three prizes, with online voting available April

15-22.

The festival will show winning films at a virtual screening event April 28. l

April 2022 | Page 9

Hillcrest girls golf, boys soccer, baseball seasons underway

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

B

y mid-March, Hillcrest High students were shooting for the green, putting the ball on frame, and swinging the lumber as spring sports seasons got underway.

Girls golf Senior Zoe Welch picked up a set of clubs two years ago and she was excited and nervous for the Huskies’ first tournament of the season.

“I’m playing No. 2 in the varsity line-up,” said Welch, the co-captain along with junior Ava Perkins, who played No. 1. “I think the highest I ever played last year was four. It gets more competitive the higher you are and here we’re in a new region, I don’t know how most of the girls are.”

Neither did her coach, Dave Richardson.

“This region is where a bunch of other teams can play at their home courses for free, so I honestly don’t know where we’re going to fall,” he said. “These schools are an hour and up to three hours away so they’re not close so I can’t go scout the other teams. But we have five new players on the team, so that brings us up to 12 and that’s exciting. I have some new players who have played before and some who are wanting to play in college and are really working hard at it this year. I think Ava will go to state, even if the team doesn’t, she likely will individually.”

Richardson said the top teams from each region automatically advance to state, which is May 9-10, along with the top 10 individuals outside the top teams.

On that first tournament, Welch shot her best score for 18 holes. The next day’s tournament, she said the team didn’t shoot well.

“Golf is so unpredictable; one day you could shoot great and the next day you just like, suck so bad,” she said. “Some days, you can just keep hitting bad shots, so I have to tell everyone just to clear it out of their heads. The weather, too, is unpredictable. One day it’s snowing, the next, it’s sunny and then the next, it’s raining.”

Still, Welch appreciates playing golf as it’s a sport she can play and continue to improve lifelong.

“I like it because it’s not solely based on how strong you are; it’s also based on technique and it’s a mental game. I think that’s higher than in sports where you have to do high intensity exercise,” she said.

“I also like it because you’re not relying on other people. You play against yourself and there’s always something you can tweak and change to get better.”

Boys soccer Junior defender Connor Walton was excited at the start of the season.

“Obviously, the goal is to win state,” he said. “As a team, we set some goals and

Page 10 | April 2022

we’re really focusing on hitting them.”

Amongst the goals is to win region and have home field advantage in the state playoffs.

Although the Huskies scored a goal from Abdul Alzouabi, Hillcrest lost their season opener to Olympus, 2-1.

“I think it was a really good check for our whole team to see where we are and evaluate ourselves on what we need to work on. I think every game this season can be a challenge, but by playing tough games and learning how to become better, it is going to help,” Walton said.

The team rebounded to beat Brighton 3-2, with two goals from Solomon Sebresos and one from Jose Cortez. That was followed by a 2-1 win over Herriman, with scores from Cortez and Nate Collard.

While coach Brett Davis expects Stansbury to be the top region challenger, Walton is looking forward to the final game of the regular season against Wasatch High on May 10.

“They knocked us out of the playoffs last year and then they ended up winning state, but we definitely are hoping to take it back from them. I think that’s definitely going to be a tough game,” he said.

Davis scheduled that game purposely since “Wasatch is definitely high caliber, a solid program which will definitely prepare us for the playoffs.”

Walton, who began playing Sandy City recreational soccer at age 7, then moved into competitive clubs before playing high school, said that the team is close.

“I love the sport and it’s fun, but the team environment is really my favorite aspect,” he said. “Especially in high school, we’re a tight group and these guys have become some of my best friends. We play together on the field during the season, hang out together and play USA (Utah Youth Soccer Association) in the offseason. The highlight is always the feeling when we win a game, we go back to the locker room, and everyone is celebrating.

It’s the best feeling, knowing everyone played hard and gave it our all.”

Baseball Senior pitcher Braden Rosenhan is looking forward to his final baseball season with the Huskies.

“We have eight or nine of us in the senior class, with more experience and a lot more strength than some other guys,” he said. “We’ve been practicing more and lifting, and we don’t have the restrictions in place as we have the past couple seasons with COVID.” While Rosenhan has been practicing baseball since fall, basically since he put up his clubs as a member of the Huskies golf team, he’s been working out six days per week.

After a close loss to Olympus, Hillcrest boys soccer bounced back to beat Brighton, seen here, and Herriman in early season play. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

“Our senior leadership is setting the example for younger players with our work ethic and with skills,” he said about the 23-member team. “We’re working with them on how they can best improve their skills on the field.”

Rosenhan pitched three innings with two strike-outs and two hits off him in the Huskies’ first game, a 13-5 win over Provo High. The Huskies then fell to Juan Diego Catholic High, 17-7, before bouncing back to beat Granger 10-0.

“Juan Diego is one of the better teams in the state so we need to just concentrate on getting better and not making some ba-

sic errors,” Rosenhan said. “We had a lot of motivation going into the Granger game to prove we are better than that last game.”

Region play for the Huskies was slated to begin March 29 against Cedar Valley.

“The top couple teams from region go to state, so we got to be ready to play,” he said. “I like playing ball alongside my brothers. I know some sports, it’s more of a solo competition. To me, I look at my teammates sitting next to me and know they’re going to back me up. We’re a family.” l

Midvale City Journal

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Connecting communities along the wasatch front

An East Midvale fifth-grade student learned Serena Williams is more than a tennis champion, but also a business woman, CEO, mother and more through doing a biography assignment. (Danna Caldwell/East Midvale)

East Midvale biography assignment brings inspiration to students

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com n East Midvale’s fifth-grade hallway, The students read a book about the there have been posters of Harriet person of choice and need to learn at least Tubman, King Tut, Barack Obama, Serena six facts or more about the person and then Williams, Will Smith, George Washington, tell the class what they have learned.

George Washington Carver, Abraham “A lot of kids have never talked much Lincoln and Eleanor Roosevelt. in public, so this is one way for them to “It’s so cute when students put their do so and gain confidence,” she said. faces through the posters and so much fun “They’re also gaining confidence in their for them to share what they’ve learned,” reading ability, and learning about other said fifth-grade teacher Danna Caldwell. genres of books, biographies and autobiFor years, Caldwell has had students ographies. They also see how these people create posters with cut-out faces of a fa- became who they were, if they struggled, mous person that they studied as part of a if they attended college, and how they beC biography project—and she still delights came who we know them to be, and that’s J in the assignment. a message I hope they take to heart.” l

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April 2022 | Page 11

Comcast invests in Tech-Moms, a program that encourages women to move into tech

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

C

omcast Corporation is investing in women. The global media and technology company is the Title Sponsor for the Tech-Moms technical training program where Comcast will provide $42,000 in cash and support in 2022, in addition to providing $15,000 in support last year.

Tech-Moms is a nonprofit organization that helps women move into, or return to, technology careers. Students in the program are given opportunities to build skills and knowledge to transition to a profitable tech position.

“I just started my second week of training with a tech company in Springville, [Utah],” said Tech-Moms graduate, Janice Knudsen. “It pays more and has benefits that my old job did not. There are many opportunities for advancement since this company hires first from within.”

More than 200 women have gone through the TechMom program, which partners with five higher-ed institutions, and 80 women are currently participating in the program. Additionally, 300+ applications are waiting for a spot to open.

Students are introduced to a variety of technical careers and given a strong support network as they move forward. As the women transition into the tech industry, they discover hidden abilities that help them build confidence in this ever-growing field.

“After graduating from Tech-Moms, I have had the confidence to apply for new jobs,” said Rosa Griffin.

“Next week, I am going back to college, and I applied for a new job that I dared to apply for, even when I didn’t

meet the college requirement. Two days later they offered me the job. The only condition was that I would go back to school and start working towards my degree. My salary has had a great increase too! I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to be part of Tech-Moms.”

“The value of the contributions Utah women make is incredible,” said Deneiva Knight, Director of External Affairs at Comcast. “That's one reason we are partnering with Tech-Moms. We want to help provide women the opportunity to build the skills, knowledge, and professional network they need to transition into or re-enter a career in tech.”

Comcast has a history of community investment bringing digital equity to communities with programs like the $1 billion initiative Project UP. The project provides safe spaces for students to access free WiFi, it supports 13,000 small business owners of color with tech services, and it works with thousands of partners across the country.

With Comcast’s support, Tech-Moms has the opportunity to introduce women to careers that could change their lives. As more jobs open in the tech industry, women are empowered to apply for positions they’d never considered.

“I really am loving my new job so much more than I ever could have imagined,” said Tech-Moms participant Sherrie Hall. “Also, I didn't realize that this was what has been missing from my life. It feels so good to work and

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Hundreds of women have completed Tech-Moms, a program that helps women move into tech jobs.

has been awesome for my mental health. Wish I would have found Tech-Moms sooner.”

With a better income and reliable employment, women are empowered to branch out and when that happens, everyone wins. For more information, visit Tech-Moms. org and Comcast.com.

“We have chosen Tech-Moms because it helps close the digital divide of haves and have-nots by strengthening women, which influences families and improves our communities,” Knight said.l

Diamond Tree Experts

801-938-4345 DiamondTreeExperts.com

Business Spotlights are a service offered to our advertisers to help them inform our readers about their businesses. For information on scheduling a Spotlight, please call us at 801-254-5974 or email us at ryan.c@thecityjournals.com

A

tree isn’t just a tree. For many homeowners, a tree is almost part of the family. That’s why you shouldn’t trust your tree care to anyone but the best. Diamond Tree Experts has decades of experience in tree trimming, pruning, stump removal, and a recent acquisition of Hidden Oak Tree Care expands that experience into plant health care.

“I grew up in this business, and have been doing it my whole life,” says Diamond Tree Experts’ President Trent VanDam. “My dad was the original owner. The company has been around for 54 years, and I’ve been here for 28 of those years.”

Spring is a time to take inventory of the trees in your yard to see if they need trimming for the upcoming season. Fast-growing trees, like Chinese elms or willows, should be trimmed every three years, while slower-growing trees, like maples and oaks, just need an evaluation every 15 years. “The more you can leave them natural, the better they’ll be,” Trent says.

Some homeowners like to plant trees in the spring, and that’s fine as long as the temperatures are cool, but for best results and tree health, waiting until fall will usually produce the best chance for a tree to establish its roots.

As trees start to bud and bloom, healthy color in the bark and bud is a good indication the tree is healthy. Ensuring trees are proportionate, well-maintained and have room to grow will keep them in your yard for many years. One mistake that’s common in Utah is overwatering trees. People see curled or yellow leaves and panic, thinking they need to water more but it actually drowns the tree. “I tell them to dig down into the soil four inches.

Page 12 | April 2022

If it’s moist, the tree is getting enough water,” Trent says.

One way to help your trees stay moist is with mulch, and spring is a perfect time to add mulch to your yard. Mulch improves soil moisture and prevents soil from drying out too quickly. Customers might not know that Diamond Tree has a vibrant green waste-to-mulch program. All tree branches, stumps and trunks are converted into mulch; they have colored mulch in red, dark brown, chocolate brown, black to just a natural color for

decorating your yard. They also have a fine mulch product that’s good for gardens to break up the soil. They will have an organic mulch or soil product to fit any of your needs.

Diamond Tree also excels in tree trimming and removal, so if you have a dead or damaged tree, they can grind the stump and roots so another tree can be planted in the same location. If you have damaged branches, they can come and remove those for you and trim your tree for optimal growth and health.

Damage to trees and shrubbery can come from pests, diseases, or pollution, but the experts at Diamond Tree can identify the problem and create solutions for long-term health. The company provides soil testing, tree spraying and deep-root injections to promote viability.

“We’ll come out and take a look at it and let you know what’s going on with your tree,” says Diamond Tree CFO Elvin Serrano. “If anyone ever calls for tree work, we always send an estimator to provide a free expert evaluation of the tree and estimate for any work needed.”

That personal service is one reason Diamond Tree Experts is a leader in the industry. Building long lasting relationships is a big factor in the success of the company. Hiring professionals who are hardworking and trustworthy is a must for Diamond Tree and has helped establish its legacy of excellent customer service.

“When I’m taking care of customers, I’m making sure I’m treating everybody’s yard like it’s my own backyard,” Trent says.

For more information or to have an expert check out your trees, call 801-938-4345 or visit DiamondTreeExperts.com.

Midvale City Journal

In The Middle of Everything MIDVALE CITY DIRECTORY City Hall Finance/Utilities Court City Attorney’s Office City Recorder/Human Resources Community Development Public Works Ace Disposal/Recycling Midvale Historical Museum Midvale Senior Center SL County Animal Services Police Dispatch Unified Fire Authority Fire Dispatch Communications

801-567-7200 801-567-7200 801-567-7265 801-567-7250 801-567-7228 801-567-7211 801-567-7235 801-363-9995 801-567-7285 385-468-3350 385-468-7387 801-743-7000 801-743-7200 801-840-4000 801-567-7230

MIDVALE CITY ELECTED OFFICIALS MAYOR Marcus Stevenson 801-567-7204 Email: mstevenson@midvale.com CITY COUNCIL District 1 - Quinn Sperry Email: qsperry@midvale.com District 2 - Paul Glover Email: pglover@midvale.com District 3 - Heidi Robinson Email: Hrobinson@midvale.com District 4 - Bryant Brown Email: bbrown@midvale.com District 5 - Dustin Gettel Email: dgettel@midvale.com

WHO TO CALL FOR… Water Bills Ordering A New Trash Can Reserving the Bowery Permits GRAMA requests Court Paying For Traffic School Business Licensing Property Questions Cemetery Water Line Breaks Planning and Zoning Code Enforcement Building inspections Graffiti

801-567-7200 801-567-7202 801-567-7202 801-567-7212 801-567-7207 801-567-7265 801-567-7202 801-567-7213 801-567-7246 801-567-7235 801-256-2575 801-567-7231 801-567-7208 801-567-7228 385-468-9769

EMERGENCY OR DISASTER CONTACT Public Works Fire Dispatch – Unified Fire Authority Midvale Police Precinct or Police Dispatch Unified Police Department EMERGENCY

801-567-7235 801-840-4000 385-468-9350 801-743-7000

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APRIL 2022

City Hall – 7505 South Holden Street • Midvale, UT 84047

CITY NEWSLETTER

Marcus’s Message

By Mayor Marcus Stevenson

Each year, the Utah State Legislature meets from mid-January to early-March for 45 days. This means my first legislative session as mayor just wrapped up a few weeks ago. There are always bills that pass into laws that will affect our city and residents, but this year the State Legislature passed two bills that are especially important for the ways in which they could have, and will, impact our city.

HOUSE BILL 440 - HOMELESS SERVICES AMENDMENTS As a community that hosts a homeless resource center, we actively worked on this bill with the bill sponsor, cities throughout Salt Lake County, and the Office of Homeless Services to make this bill the best we could. As a city, we are proud of our role in helping our unsheltered community and want to make sure that when in shelter, these individuals and families get the resources they need.

A critical piece of this legislation was the appropriation for shelter mitigation funding. The geographic area of Midvale where the shelter is located, coupled with the criminals that prey on those experiencing homelessness, creates extra law enforcement requirements. The mitigation fund helps cities pay to address the additional law enforcement needs in the community. Each city in Utah without a homeless shelter pays a portion of their sales tax into the mitigation fund, which is then distributed to the communities with homeless shelters. On average, Midvale City has about an $800,000 funding gap each year that the mitigation fund does not cover, which is four times the $200,000 maximum contributed to the fund by other cities. This bill increased funding for the mitigation fund by $5 million each year in state funding, which will significantly help Midvale City cover the required mitigation costs.

When the bill was first released, it had several requirements that were worrisome to our city outside of the increased funding.

First, it required existing shelters in Salt Lake County to increase capacity in the shelters to fire code limits during winter months.

As an example, Midvale’s family shelter has capacity for 300 beds, but fire capacity is 720 people. Increasing our shelter to 720 people would have been harmful to those who are in the shelter and to the surrounding areas. We worked with the bill sponsor and the Road Home to successfully remove this provision from the bill. Secondly, the bill originally allowed for the State of Utah to choose a winter overflow shelter within any Salt Lake County city, if the mayors of each municipality in the county could not come up with a plan on their own. Though there is a need for overflow shelters in the winter, it was concerning to Midvale City that our city would take on a secondary shelter when what we really need is other communities in the valley to help house those in need.

Ultimately, we were able to negotiate with the bill sponsor to not allow any new overflow shelter to be within one mile of an existing shelter, and if a city hosts an overflow shelter, then they are exempt from doing so for three years.

Lastly, I’m thankful to Representative Eliason, the bill sponsor, for working with Midvale City on this bill. As a smaller city in the Salt Lake Valley, it could be easy to overlook our concerns, but Rep. Eliason was constantly responsive and kept us in the loop on what his bill was going to propose.

HOUSE BILL 462 – UTAH HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AMENDMENTS HB 462 is a massive bill that requires cities to plan for the development of low and moderate income housing city-wide, as well as multi-family, high-density housing around fixed-rail stations. Midvale City has three Trax stations that are considered fixed-rail. This bill requires that within a 0.5-mile radius from each Trax station, the City must create and implement Station Area Plans that meet the criteria required in the legislation. As a roughly 6-square mile city, implementing plans with a 1-mile diameter around each station, will significantly affect our city.

Much of this work has already begun to take place, especially around the Bingham Junction Station and the Midvale Center Station. Though our city is already doing much of the work that the State is now requiring us to do, this new law will push forward the City’s timeline for completion.

The State Legislature has increasingly created new laws that place blanket requirements on cities regarding land use that do not take into consideration the unique needs and characteristics of the cities they impact. Often this can be a source of frustration for residents that feel that their city leaders are not being responsive, when the reality is that the City is simply following state law.

Luckily, HB 462 does still give some discretion to cities, but there have been conversations in the State Legislature that if cities do not step up to increase housing supply to fight our affordable housing crisis, then they will step in and take over the process for us. If this were to happen, it removes residents from the process and will drastically limit our ability to control our own destiny as a city. Midvale City is committed to working on these Station Area Plans and implementing them, so that our residents can still have a say in their community, instead of the State deciding for them.

Ultimately, it’s important to know that though the Utah Legislative Session happens for only 45 days each year, that the city works on proposed legislation throughout the year to fight for our residents and our city’s future. Even though the City does many tasks that residents can directly see, such as plowing the streets or picking up trash, we also work on many important issues that our residents may not directly be affected by in that moment.

In The Middle of Everything

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Have 10 minutes? We want to hear from you!

USU’s Utah Wellbeing Project has partnered with Midvale City to conduct a public wellbeing survey.

To better understand how individuals and communities in the state are doing, the Utah Wellbeing Project was developed by Utah State University Extension. This project is designed to assess the wellbeing and local perspectives of city residents and to provide information to city leaders to inform their general planning process.

Cities across the state are participating in the project and ask residents about how they’re doing through a short survey. Efforts began in 2019 with 16 cities and grew to more than 30 cities. Midvale is participating this year and is eager to hear from our residents.

Pinpointing the issues of greatest concern for residents allows municipal leaders to target resources in more meaningful ways. In Herriman, researchers learned most residents care about natural and open spaces. In Nephi, city officials used survey findings to inform city budget planning.

The survey is available on Engage Midvale, the city’s new engagement platform, at www.EngageMidvale.com and will be open until April 30, 2022. The survey is completely anonymous, only takes 10 minutes to complete. Complete the survey today!

Midvale Arts Council Casting Call The Midvale Arts Council is now accepting video audition submissions for their production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder now through April 13, 2022. No in-person auditions will be held. Callbacks will be by invitation only on April 16. Gentleman’s Guide is directed by Kristie Post Wallace. All roles are available. Audition documents can be found at www.midvalearts.com. YouTube video submission links must be submitted using the Audition Form on the website. Auditioners are asked to sing 32 bars in the style of the show; no dialects please; film at 3/4 body.

Performance dates are June 3-11, 2022. Gentleman’s Guide explores, through song and farce, the lengths to which one may go to inherit an English Earldom.

Midvale City launches online public engagement platform Engage Midvale

For more information, visit MidvaleCity.org/BulkyWaste or call 801-567-7235

Engage Midvale, available at www.EngageMidvale.com, is an additional way for members of the community to participate and offer feedback on city projects and programs. The new platform will include city projects, surveys, construction updates, and other programs or activities that include a public input process.

The tool is different from the city’s website because it is specifically designed to solicit community input. Engage Midvale will not replace traditional outreach and public engagement but rather add opportunities for public participation.

We want to make sure residents can provide feedback in the way that is most comfortable and convenient to them.

Topics currently on the site range from how prepared the community is for a disaster to a more lighthearted post about what to name the new fire station that is being constructed on Center Street. There is also a feature called “Uncover the Facts” in which people can ask the city to fact check the information they have heard.

Visit www.EngageMidvale.com to learn more.

APRIL 2022 CITY NEWSLETTER WWW . MIDVALECITY . ORG

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at Midvale Senior Center Join us, Thursday, May 5, 2022, at the Midvale Senior Center (7550 S Main) as we celebrate Cinco de Mayo. This will be a special celebration after having to miss the last few years because of the necessary restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic. Connect with fellow senior citizen friends in the center’s dining room for great food and festive music. Mr. James Romero, a resident of Midvale, will provide the entertainment for this lunch.

Lunch will be served in two sittings, one at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. If time will not allow you to stay and eat your meal “TO GO” meals are being served. Please call 385-468-3350 by April 27th to reserve a meal. The cost of the meal is a suggested donation of $4 for seniors 60+ years old and $8.50 for anyone under 60.

The Midvale Senior Center Café will serve Pork Chile Verde, rice, beans, and tortillas. The center’s Advisory Committee will be selling chips and salsa to raise funds to pay for entertainment they sponsor throughout the year.

Pease join us for a great afternoon and gathering with friends.

Midvale City invites you to get involved!

STATE STREET CORRIDOR STUDY

Join us in charting a vision for the future of State Street. The State Street Corridor Study’s main objectives are to improve local and regional connectivity for people who use State Street, create a network of districts to culminate a sense of place and improve the appearance of the corridor. A vibrant and safe State Street will be more welcoming for residents and visitors alike and creates a place to shop, dine, live, and play.

Your involvement throughout the planning process will be imperative in designing a State Street that draws people in and celebrates Midvale’s community and character. We want to hear about your likes, dislikes, and how to improve State Street. Therefore, we encourage you to get involved by attending the Open House and completing the online survey!

OPEN HOUSE Tuesday, April 12, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Midvale City Hall – 7505 S Holden Street, Midvale STATE STREET CORRIDOR SURVEY Visit www.EngageMidvale.com to complete the 5-10 minute State Street Corridor Survey to share which street elements you are most excited to see on State. The survey closes on April 5, 2022.

STAY TUNED Register at www.EngageMidvale.com to stay up to date on the State Street Corridor Study.

How to Greet a Dog Properly

By Salt Lake County Animal Services Warm weather is quickly approaching, as are gatherings with people and pets at parks, homes, and other locations. Salt Lake County Animal Services has some suggestions on How to Greet a Dog safely, whether it’s a dog you’re familiar with or one you’re meeting for the first time. Help your dog from being put in an uncomfortable situation with strangers, or even friends and family.

When you’re approaching a dog that you would like to pet but don’t know: Step 1: Make sure the dog has a leash, a collar, and an owner. If it doesn’t, call Animal Control.

Step 2: Look at the dog’s body language. Look to see if it is a happy/relaxed dog. There are many online resources that demonstrate dog body language.

Step 3: Ask permission from the Owner: “May I please pet your dog?” It is okay if the owner says “no!”

Step 4: If you have permission, do a quick body language check again.

Common mistakes: • Putting your hand up to a dog’s nose. Dog’s do not need to smell your hand.

• Leaning over the dog or put your face into the dog’s face Step 5: Angle body slightly away from dog.

Step 6: Keep hands to yourself until the dog approaches you, seeking out interaction.

Step 7: Pet the dog calmly and quietly, avoiding sensitive areas.

Step 8: Remain standing if it is a large or medium sized dog. If it is a small dog, you can crouch down, making sure you are still not leaning over the dog.

Teach or run a youth afterschool program in Salt Lake County? Book a free Humane Education Presentation with even more details. Email events@slco.org.

Supporting small businesses is good for the economy

By Robert Spendlove | Zions Bank Senior Economist

I

recently visited Weller Book Works in Salt Lake City.

The 93-year-old independent bookstore is among the treasured small businesses in Utah that give our neighborhoods their distinctive flavor and create a feeling of community.

Small businesses like Weller Book Works not only have an important place in our hearts, but they also play a vital role in our economy. In Utah, 99% of companies are considered small businesses and they employ 45% of state’s workforce.

Nationally, small businesses have accounted for two-thirds of net new job creation since 2000, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. They also keep money close to home. If you spend $100 at a local small business, roughly $67 stays in your community.

Small businesses have been a key driver of Utah’s economic rebound from the pandemic, though they still face enormous challenges. With inflation now at a 40-year high, one in four small business owners report that inflation is their biggest concern, according

to the March NFIB Small Business Optimism Index. Much of this inflation is caused by struggles in the supply chain, and 92% of small businesses say they have been impacted by supply chain disruptions. Small businesses also continue to grapple with labor shortages.

Almost half of business owners could not fill job openings, the NFIB survey found.

Given these pressures, it’s not surprising that 63% of Utahns have an unfavorable outlook on business conditions nationally over the next 12 months, as measured by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute’s Utah Consumer Sentiment Survey. The survey found less pessimism toward business conditions in the Beehive State, where only 36% of Utahns have an unfavorable outlook.

There may be some relief ahead for small businesses. The Federal Reserve is taking aggressive action to control price increases. The Fed hiked the key short-term interest by a quarter point in March, marking its first rate increase in more than three years. Up to six additional rate hikes are expected this year, which could cause interest rates to increase by as much as two percent. Their hope is to deflate some of the bubbles that have formed because the overheating economy.

Another positive sign for small businesses is Utah’s strong job market. All of Utah’s

10 major private-sector industry groups posted year-over-year job gains, according to Utah’s Department of Workforce Services.

Utah’s annual total employment has increased by 4.2 %, adding 66,000 jobs over the past year.

However, the Russian war with Ukraine is adding more uncertainty to the economy, just as it is turning the corner on the COVID pandemic. The war has pushed already high oil prices to new multi-year highs. The war is also disrupting the supply of wheat, which

will pressure food prices, and nickel, which is an essential ingredient in stainless steel and a component in lithium-iron batteries. This will add yet another element of uncertainty to the small business recovery.

In the meantime, the best way to help ensure the survival of our favorite neighborhood small businesses is to support them as much as possible.

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

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Utahns are asked to take a high-speed internet test

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@davisjournal.com

W

hen it comes to state broadband access, Utah ranks 29th on the list of best-connected states. While that’s not terrible, it also demonstrates room for improvement.

Based on low-price internet plans, wired broadband coverage and friendliness to broadband competition, the ranking reflects a digital gap for Utah residents. The Utah Broadband Center is addressing that gap and conducting a statewide internet speed test to collect data.

Residents can access the 60-second test at speedtest.utah.gov which will identify areas in Utah with low or no access to high-speed internet. Data collected will guide decision-making when allocating resources toward internet projects in the state.

In a message to residents, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said, “A high-speed broadband internet connection has become an integral part of our lives. It’s more than just having access to the internet, it’s about connecting to work, education, healthcare, entertainment, or with family and friends.

That’s why I encourage all Utahns to take the state’s new internet speed test.”

Currently, the average download speed in Salt Lake City is 151.4mbps with

an average speed of 163.7mbps statewide.

San Juan and Daggett Counties have the most limited access with internet speeds rarely above 25mbps.

“Access to reliable and affordable internet connectivity has become increasingly important in our daily lives, and without it, individuals lack access to critical digital resources, such as distance learning, telework, and telemedicine,” said Ryan Starks, managing director of business services at the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity.

The Utah Broadband Center collaborated with GeoPartners, a geospatial engineering firm, to create a map used to identify levels of high-speed broadband.

All residents are encouraged to self-report their speed at the testing website.

Those without any internet access are asked to call 1-435-777-TEST (8378) to report why they don’t have access to the internet. The Utah Internet Speed Test, available in both English and Spanish, is secure and information remains anonymous. People taking the test will be asked their location and monthly internet cost.

As reliable internet connection becomes a bigger part of business, employment and education, bridging the digital

As reliable internet connection becomes a bigger part of business, employment and education, bridging the digital divide across the state will reap benefits for residents currently living without that access.

divide across the state will reap benefits for residents currently living without that access.

“The pandemic has heightened the

awareness and need for robust internet service statewide,” Starks said. “We encourage all Utahns to take just one minute to participate in the Internet Speed Test.”l

APR. 1-16, 2022

By Matthew Barber

Matthew Barber pens a love story that’s just a little different.

A retired schoolteacher lives a quiet life in Texas, and is set in her ways. A smooth-talking handyman passes through town, intent on renovating her house, and perhaps... her life.

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100-year plan envisions greenway networks throughout valley

By Sarah Morton Taggart | s.taggart@mycityjournals.com

S

tand in an empty parking lot in Murray, just west of 900 East and north of Van Winkle Expressway. What sounds can you hear? Like many places in the valley, there’s the sound of cars roaring past and the persistent beeping of construction vehicles. But at this particular spot, you can also hear the waters of Big Cottonwood Creek rushing past.

Perhaps one day you’ll also be able to hear children playing, native birds chirping and shouts of laughter as kayakers glide past.

This dream comes from the Seven Greenways Vision Plan, a community-supported, long-range plan that reimagines the seven creeks that flow from the Wasatch Mountains to the Jordan River and eventually to the Great Salt Lake.

Once upon a time, the seven creeks meandered and occasionally flooded their banks, enriching the surrounding soil. The waterways formed corridors for plants and wildlife through the dry valley.

Then the first white settlers arrived and immediately begin diverting the water into canals to water crops. Over the next 175 years, the valley became more and more urbanized. The streams are now mostly straightened, stripped of vegetation, lined with concrete or completely buried underground.

The Seven Canyons Trust hopes to reverse this damage—one foot at a time—by working with public and private landowners to develop greenways.

A greenway is a linear corridor that includes a waterway and adjacent land.

Greenways can improve non-motorized transportation, generate economic activity,

reduce impacts of flooding, improve water quality and provide habitat for wildlife.

Greenways can also be created when water is “daylighted,” meaning underground pipes are removed. This process helps purify the water, improves conditions for fish and birds, and lets people see the water that sustains life in the valley.

Hundred-year plan In 2019, Seven Canyons Trust set out to create a 100-year greenways vision for the Salt Lake Valley. They partnered with Salt Lake County, the Wasatch Front Regional Council, Design Workshop, an urban design firm, and representatives from the eight stream-side municipalities.

“We asked those cities to provide a letter of support and financially support the plan,” said Brian Tonetti, executive director of the Trust. “That was really exciting to us, having each of the cities buying into this plan.”

“The project started with taking general plans—many city’s plans mentioned creeks—and basically compiling all that into a countywide vision,” Tonetti said. “A lot of the groundwork was laid out by the cities.”

The resulting Existing Conditions Report is rich with data that supports the creation of greenways. The information is examined through five lenses: water, nature, community, recreation and urban areas.

The next step was to learn what the public thinks. Rather than postponing the community engagement phase in 2020, the Trust pivoted.

“The pandemic itself made us realize that we do need spaces and we need spaces close to home,” Tonetti said. “It also made

The Seven Greenways Vision Plan proposes green space replacing an empty parking lot near Big Cottonwood Creek in Murray. (Sarah Morton Taggart/City Journals)

engagement very hard.”

Members of the community gave feedback on 26 proposed “opportunity areas” through the Trust’s website and during 15 pop-up workshops that took place in outdoor, public spaces. University students also conducted surveys to capture opinions of people less likely to have internet access.

The Seven Greenways Vision Plan describes the 20 highest-ranking opportunity areas and provides tools to implement them, including design concepts, policies

and management best practices.

The 20 opportunity areas and how they rank Four creeks (City, Red Butte, Emigration and Parleys) flow through Utah’s capital city. Of the nearly 36 miles of water, just over 14 are currently buried. The nine highest ranking areas are in Salt Lake City, with daylighting City Creek along North Temple and the Fulsom Corridor at the top.

Sugar House Daylighting Parleys Creek in this dense neighborhood wouldn’t be easy. But

The Three Creeks Confluence Park in Salt Lake City, shown before and after completion in 2020, was the first daylighting project completed by the Seven Canyons Trust. (Photo courtesy Seven Canyons Trust)

Page 18 | April 2022

Midvale City Journal

efforts are already underway to “culturally daylight” the waterway through signage and art (No. 7).

Millcreek Eight miles of Mill Creek and Big Cottonwood Creek flow through this city.

Nearly a mile of the water is buried. The only suburban project to make it into the top 10 ideas is a plan to develop a trail connecting the neighborhoods along Mill Creek near Scott Avenue Park (No. 10).

Murray Both Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood Creeks flow through Murray. Of the seven total miles of waterway, less than half a mile is buried.

A trail from State Street to the Jordan River Trail along Big Cottonwood Creek would give more people access to nature in the heart of Murray (No. 18).

The underutilized parking lot south of Ivy Place Shopping Village could be transformed into green space, restoring habitat and creating a floodplain as well as constructing a seasonal boat ramp (No. 17).

Cottonwood Heights Cottonwood Heights has stretches of both Big and Little Cottonwood Creeks within its boundaries. Of the 6.1 total miles, 0.2 are buried.

One opportunity area proposes a trail connection from Wasatch Boulevard to Crestwood Park along Little Cottonwood Creek (No. 19). This project also crosses into Sandy.

Holladay Holladay is home to four miles of Big Cottonwood Creek. Just 1/10th of a mile is buried.

One potential project proposes a trail from Holladay Hills to Creekside Park (No. 16). The project would improve pedestrian access, restore the habitat and create opportunities for fishing.

South Salt Lake Less than half a mile of the more than 3 miles of Mill Creek flowing through South Salt Lake is buried. But much of the open water is channelized through a straightened, concrete canal. An exception to this is Fitts Park and the Mill Creek Trail, which connects the park to the Jordan River Trail. While the park is a great amenity, Seven Canyons Trust believes it can be improved by restoring habitats and enhancing recreation along the creek (No. 12).

The greenways plan also proposes daylighting Mill Creek near 3300 South and 700 East during the redevelopment of the nearby shopping center (No. 11), restoring habitat along Mill Creek from 200 East to 200 West (No. 13), and restoring wetlands where Mill Creek flows into the Jordan River to improve water quality (No. 15).

Looking further ahead, a 100-year vision proposes a pedestrian crossing over I-15 to improve recreational access for surrounding communities (No. 14).

MidvaleJournal.com

The project started with taking general plans—many city’s plans mentioned creeks—and basically compiling all that into a countywide vision.

A lot of the groundwork was laid out by the cities.

Brian Tonetti Sandy Just under 2 miles of Little Cottonwood Creek flows through Sandy.

Midvale Midvale’s boundaries contain 0.3 miles of Little Cottonwood Creek. This small stretch flows above ground at the eastern edge of the Shops at Fort Union.

One idea envisions daylighting Little Cottonwood Creek between Fort Union in Midvale and Wheeler Farm in Murray (No. 20). This would require a trail over I-215, with the goal to improve water quality and connect the two communities.

What happens next?

Though the community visioning phase is over, individuals can still review and comment on the planning document, which can be found at sevengreenwaysvisionplan.org.

For Tonetti, the work is just beginning. Next, he’ll begin meeting with planners and officials from each of the municipalities to discuss next steps toward implementation.

“The cities will let us know which areas really resonate with them and what they’re really excited about,” Tonetti said.

One way to imagine how the opportunity areas could look is to visit the Three Creeks Confluence Park near 1300 South and 900 West in Salt Lake City. Completed in 2020, the Trusts’s first project daylighted 200 feet of waterway where Red Butte, Emigration and Parleys Creeks meet the Jordan River.

“All of the opportunity areas are relatively low-hanging fruit, as long as we have the support for them,” Tonetti said.

“There will be tons of opportunities to get engaged, so be on the lookout and be in touch with elected officials about your support.” l

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LarkinMortuary.com April 2022 | Page 19

Hillcrest winter sports wrapped up with region, state competitions

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

M

any Hillcrest High athletes competed in region and state contests marking the end of the winter sports seasons for swimming, boys’ and girls’ basketball and wrestling.

Swimming At the state 5A swimming meet, senior Josh Arevalo set a new school record in 100-yard breaststroke with his fastest time, 1:00.43. He finished eighth.

“It’s been my goal the past four years,” he said. “As a freshman, my fastest time was 1:05. My coaches were saying you could go a ‘double 0’ if you fix your technique, so that’s what I’ve been working on. I remember stepping on the blocks thinking to myself, it’s now or never. When I saw my time, it was such a relief.”

His teammate, junior Michael Chen, also swam the event, finishing 28th with a time of 1:04.51.

Arevalo competed in the 200-yard individual medley, placing 26th with a time of 2:10.95.

Arevalo began competitive swimming at age 12 after taking swim lessons at the old Midvale Middle School pool and at Dimple Dell Recreation Center.

“Once I got the strokes down, I felt like I could just breeze through the water. Then, I really like racing and the adrenaline rush. I just wanted to be faster,” he said.

Arevalo completed his state experience on the boys’ medley relay, swimming with teammates senior Lucas Bolster, sophomore Abhi Iyengar and sophomore Evan Fessendenl; they placed 18th.

While the girls didn’t have anyone qualify for state, sophomore Oakley Young said they swam well at region. The girls placed fourth; the boys, third.

“I had ups and downs during the season, but I medaled at region and that’s how I wanted it,” she said about her 100-yard butterfly race which she snagged sixth place with her best time, 1:15.

She’s already setting goals for next season as she plans to swim off season as well as do core workouts in preparation. She also plans to lift weights to make her stronger in the water.

“We’re hoping to have an even stronger team next year,” she said. “The team is so much fun; there is a lot of positive energy.”

Boys basketball Coach Brandon Sluga already is planning his offseason with team members playing AAU ball in spring and summer leagues, attending basketball camp, then playing in some tournaments.

“We’ll be spending a lot of time in the gym,” he said.

“We’re looking for the team to play together, so they can be better; we’re needing more consistency.”

With seven seniors graduating, he may have to rely on two juniors who started most games and younger players to fill the roster.

“We have some talent, but we need to be on the same page,” he said. “This year, we did that at times, but struggled other times. And that’s the story of this year, we could dominate or compete in a portion of the games, but never put it together for a full game. We did have some nice wins, but we would have liked a few more.”

The team went 6-18 this season, losing in the first round of state playoffs to Murray, 72-57.

Injury, illness, including cases of COVID-19, also plagued the team.

Sluga was proud of the freshmen boys playing for the consolation championship after collecting 10 wins as well as the fifth- through eighth-grade leagues were putting in focus and hard effort.

“We’re building a foundation for our program,” he said.

“We have a lot of good kids coming forward.”

Girls basketball

Page 20 | April 2022

Hillcrest senior Josh Arevalo, seen here swimming the 100-yard breaststroke against Jordan High Jan. 13, set a school record in the event and finished eighth at the state meet. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Hillcrest High senior Amanda Desjardins, seen here blocking a shot versus Cottonwood Feb. 11, helped lead the Huskies this year as the team won four more games than the previous season. (Julie Slama/ City Journals)

“It’s been a wild ride,” said Amanda Desjardins, senior co-captain along with junior Olivia Backus. “I’ve liked all my coaches; I’ve had three head coaches in four years.”

That includes this year when freshman/sophomore coach Alyssa Nielsen stepped up as interim head coach after their previous head coach stepped down a few games into the season for personal reasons.

“Each coach wanted to do it their way, but this transition was easier since we knew her and she built off of what we knew,” Desjardins said.

Desjardins began playing as an elementary student, first in Junior Jazz games then on AAU teams. Her family, including her older sister (who also played Husky ball), and friends supported her at the games.

“I still love the sport. I love the thrill of hitting the floor, the crowd, the lights,” she said. “I’ve played every position and am willing to do that so I can play.”

Desjardins said the Huskies had a great start, then hit a slump. Hillcrest went 6-16, with four region wins before losing in the first playoff round to eventual 5A state champion Springville, 56-35.

“I would have liked to go further,” Desjardins said, adding that during the season, players were out for COVID, injuries and other reasons. “I feel we’ve set a good foundation so I’m excited to see where this team will go.”

Nielsen was glad she had the opportunity to coach the team.

“The biggest part I think for me and for the girls was it was just a lot of fun; we ended up winning some games and that was a lot of fun as well,” she said. “The team overcame a lot of adversity throughout the whole season. It’s been so rewarding to see them develop and grow into the people they want to be.

The senior class was by far the absolute best leaders I could have asked for. They stepped into different roles and different positions, and they did just awesome.”

An announcement of the girls’ head coach is expected in April.

Hillcrest boys’ basketball team went 6-18 this season, finishing its season in the first round of state playoffs, losing to Murray 72-57.

(Julie Slama/City Journals)

Wrestling Every one of the eight student-athletes on the girls’ team competed at state with junior Briona Love taking second and Eliza Zimmerman finishing fourth for the Huskies.

Three boys wrestled at state, Isaiah Rayco, Wesley Tello and Ezekiel Zimmerman, where Hillcrest’s team lost to state champions Uintah High and runner-up Payson High; all three teams are in the same region.

“We were persistent; we had the most success from the tournament places,” Coach Nick Pappas said.

A definite highlight of the season was winning the Battle of the Axe in the 53rd dual meet against Brighton High, he said.

The JV and girls’ teams also snagged team wins in the meet. It was the Huskies fourth time winning the Axe. This year, five seniors, two on varsity, will graduate on the boys’ team. All female wrestlers are expected to return.

“We’re hoping to double the numbers for next year,” Pappas said.

He said already some of his squad was signing up to wrestle in club tournaments while others are competing in spring sports.

The team also may hold a summer camp, opening it up to the pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade wrestlers who participated in the winter program. l

Midvale City Journal

MidvaleJournal.com

April 2022 | Page 21

Ukrainians living in Utah raise funds for humanitarian shipments to their homeland

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@davisjournal.com

W

hen the Russian army invaded Ukraine at the end of February, the Utah Ukrainian Association was inundated with calls from people wanting to help. Within a few days, the association, in partnership with its sister organization in Idaho, had a plane full of supplies heading to Europe.

Utah Ukrainian Association boardmember Yulia Holko was born in Ukraine and moved to the United States in 2001.

Ten years ago, she relocated to Utah where she lives in Salt Lake County.

“Thankfully, my immediate family is here but I have lots of extended family in Western Ukraine,” Holko said.

“Even when they’re not being bombed, there are lots of air raid sirens going off and planes flying overhead, because it’s psychological warfare, too. It’s very hard to process. Members of our community have been under shock and stress.”

The Utah Ukrainian Association, and the 1,500 Ukrainians living in Utah, jumped at the chance to help their fellow countrymen and homeland. Members have organized rallies at the Utah State Capitol and are asking people to sign a petition to bring Ukrainian refugees to Utah.

Currently, it will take up to three years to get refugees resettled in the United States. The group wants to speed up the process as millions of Ukrainians have been displaced.

“People leave their home and leave everything behind,” Holko said. “Often, the only clothes they have is what they’re wearing.”

The association is accepting donations for the next shipment. Nonperishable foods, sleeping bags and solar power banks to charge phones are top items, along with clothes for warmer weather like T-shirts, light jackets, jeans and shoes.

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“The support has been amazing. People have been turning out and speaking out,” she said. “It feels like anything we need, there’s a local business willing to donate funds. We were just a small organization before the war and we had to scale up really quickly.”

A benefit concert held at The Cathedral of the Madeleine in late March, brought the community together for prayer, music and solidarity for the Ukrainian people. “Voices for Ukraine” featured artists from the Utah Symphony, Utah Opera, University of Utah, Ballet West Academy and The Madeleine Choir School. Ukrainian musicians and multicultural vocalist Alex Boyé also added their talents to the event.

Although the concert was free, the standing room only event raised more than $16,000 from donations and sales to provide life-saving supplies for Ukrainian refugees, and those still trapped in Ukrainian cities.

Kateryna Hansen, a Utah Ukrainian resident, spoke at the “Voices of Ukraine” benefit. She detailed harrowing accounts of friends and family members, escaping into Poland or hiding in bomb shelters and basements.

“In less than one month, the country I know has been turned upside down,” Hansen said. “Children are dying. The dead have been left in the street for days until they can be buried in mass graves.”

Hansen asked benefit attendees to reach out to senators and congressmen, asking for more military and air defense support as the war rages in Ukraine.

The Utah Ukrainian Association will continue to send shipments to eastern Europe. The plane filled with donations flies from Idaho to Germany, then trucks carry the items to

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“In this war, where so many lives and values are at stake,” Holko said, “we’re not allowed to fail.”l

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Utah Ukrainians, and their supporters, rallied at the Utah State Capitol in March to show solidarity and support to their family members and friends in Ukraine. (Photo courtesy of Tom Haraldsen)

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Taken to the cleaners

A

ppliances are like Christmas lights.

When one goes out, they all go out.

We’ve spent the last couple of years replacing appliances, and not easy things like toasters or the electric carving knife. We’re talking a dishwasher, a dryer, a refrigerator, and now our washing machine.

I hated to tell my husband the bad news, not because of the expense but because I had to brace myself for the laundry puns. He has loads of them. But I threw in the towel and waited for his list to unfold.

“Well, sheet,” he started. “I spilled laundry soap and now my hands are Tide. I’d better come clean ‘cause I’m in a lot of hot water. I’m all washed up. Oh, the irony!”

Once that was done, I had to decide the best way to clean our clothes until the new washer was delivered. Options were 1) go to a laundromat, 2) drive to Utah Lake where I could wash my clothes against a rock until developers make Utah Fantasy Island, or 3) say, “Alexa, do the laundry.”

The laundromat won. It’s been years since I’ve visited a laundromat. I bought a chai tea latte to sip, packed a book to read whilst waiting for clothes to dry, and a notebook to write pithy thoughts.

My first impression of the laundromat was the warmth from the dryers and the smell of fabric softener was so cozy. This will be joyous, I thought. Maybe I’ve found

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my new community. Things went downhill quickly.

While inserting 19 quarters (!!) into the machine, I shoved clothes into the washer and noticed my tea had spilled all over the laundry basket. I grabbed my tea, closed the washer door, and sliced my finger open, leaving bloody fingerprints on the handle.

Trying not to think about what types of bacteria live on the handle of a laundromat washing machine, I considered leaving the blood there so the next person would wonder if a serial killer had washed his T-shirts. But I used a damp, tea-soaked towel to wipe it up and looked for a place to sit.

Making my way to a row of stiff, plastic chairs, I sat down to enjoy the lukewarm remains of my tea. I opened my book and looked around the room where people sat staring at cell phones. No one made eye contact.

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I leaned toward the young man next to me. “Do you come here often?” I whispered, like a crazy lady. It sounded like a bad pickup line at a laundry-themed bar. He shifted his body away from me and continued Tik Toking. My finger dripped blood on the floor.

My brain conjured a Broadway musical set in a laundromat. It could have country-western songs, cowboy boots, and line dancing on the machines. It would be called “Bleach, please.” I googled “Broadway laundromat” on my phone. There it was: “Honky Tonk Laundry.” Well, I tried.

I moved clothes from the washer to the

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I returned home to find my husband pacing and muttering. “I’m so agitated. You just wring me out. Am I bleaching to the choir?

Can we have soap-a-pillas for dinner?”

Now that our new washer is connected, we’re as happy as two peas in a Tide pod. I’ll let myself out.

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April 2022 | Page 23