Midvale Journal | March 2021

March 2021 | Vol. 18 Iss. 03

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MIDVALE CITY MANAGER SINCE 2005 ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

By Erin Dixon | e.dixon@mycityjournals.com

K

ane Loader, having worked for Midvale City the last 32 years serving the last 16 of them as its city manager, announced his retirement in early February during a city council meeting.

“Your fingerprints are going to be around for a long time on this city…,” Mayor Robert Hale told Loader.

Both elected officials and residents alike expressed their admiration for Loader’s work and dedication.

“There’s not really words to express all you’ve done for the city in all this time. You’ve helped me as a mentor in the city council role,” Councilmember Quinn Sperry said in that same meeting.

“I’ve been with you over half of your time at Midvale City. I was there when you were put in as city manager, you’ve been through a lot,” Councilmember Paul Glover said.

“Thank you so much for everything you’ve done this past year. It’s been such a trying year and having you and all your experience and especially being the new kid on the block it was really nice getting to know you and work with you,” Councilmember Heidi Robinson said.

“We wouldn’t have the Midvale Performing Arts Center without the strong support of Mayor (JoAnn) Seghini and Kane when the decision had to be made about whether to restore that building or not,” Resident Wade Walker said.

“I worked on making the ball field raise[d] to competition standard with Mayor (J. Donald) Poulson. I worked with the county to get them to pay for the lighting. Kane worked his heart out to redo that field,” Resident Brande Bogden Ridd said.

City Manager Kane Loader sits in a conference room with Mayor Robert Hale. (Photo/Midvale City) Continued page 5

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March 2021 | Page 3

DUP is keeping history alive, one meeting at a time

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

M

idvale is bursting with new development, but a group of women are continuing their work to keep the memory of early settlers alive.

In February, 10 Daughters of Utah Pioneers logged on to follow along with a lesson on pioneer cooking and the family history of a pioneer named Amanda Thompson Baker.

Other DUP “camps” in Utah haven’t met since early 2020, but members of Midvale’s Bingham Junction Camp have maintained this crucial connection.

“We were really proud,” said Marilyn Cox, president of the camp. “We continued to meet during the summer and fall on Jan’s beautiful patio. We hit a brick wall after October.”

Jan Litster normally hosted meetings indoors, but keeping members safe required some changes. All attendees wore a mask, and with no more than a dozen members in attendance they were able to space out the seating arrangement. The usual refreshments were not served.

“I miss the refreshments the least,” Cox said. “I miss just being with people and talking with people. For widows who are told we can only gather with people we live with, it’s hard.”

At least two member of the camp have contracted COVID-19, but so far there has been no loss of life. “It did take me a long, long time to get my strength back,” Cox said.

“I had two nights where it was really scary.”

In addition to meetings, members of the camp have stayed involved in other projects that keep history alive.

Litster is leading a project to renovate the historic Drown Cabin. The oldest known structure in Midvale, the cabin was built by the Bennett and Drown families in 1866. At one point, a family with 10 children lived there. It has been moved from its original lo-

Journals

cation to a green space near 7700 South and 750 West. Anyone is welcome to visit the cabin, but the interior is closed to the public until upgrades are made to the floor.

Meanwhile, Cox is helping to digitize pioneer histories for the Pioneer Memorial Museum. Currently, anyone can order a copy by calling or mailing in a form, and the histories are then printed and mailed.

When this project is completed, anyone will be able to instantly download digital copies to their home computer.

“I do encourage everyone to be researching their history,” Cox said. “Some daughters have done a lot of history work during this shutdown. The museum has gotten more histories than ever before during the shutdown.”

The collection includes over 42,000 pioneer histories, yet there are still gaps.

“So many of the women are not listed because their history is just their husband’s history,” Cox said. “The women who did write their own story have a file under their name. The woman’s history has to have additional information to what’s in their husband’s file.”

Upcoming lessons for the Midvale camp include a presentation on pioneers in the Civil War era and one on the five Native American tribes living in Utah when the pioneers arrived.

“We have 25 minutes to give a lesson that’s researched to the very end,” Cox said.

“You just pique people’s interest and hope they go back and learn more,” added Litster.

Anyone wanting to become involved with the camp can contact Cox at (801) 891-7157 or Litster at (801) 631-2895. Becoming an official member of DUP requires documentation that you are descended from a Utah pioneer—someone who came to or

was born in the Utah Territory before May 1869, when the Transcontinental Railroad was completed. Others can join as associate members and attend meetings, but cannot be elected to an officer position.

“We’d love more members,” Cox said.

“That is our major goal during regular times.

Having to be socially distanced makes it hard, but our group has been a good size for

A family with 10 children once lived in the Drown Cabin, Midvale’s oldest pioneer-era building.

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continuing patio meetings.”

Litster agreed, but added, “If we had more (members), we would make it work.”

The pioneers have a reputation for being rugged survivors, but they didn’t do it on their own.

“They survived by working together,” Cox said. “No pioneers survived by themselves. You had to be with the group.” l

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Midvale City Journal

Continued from front page Loader started at Midvale City in 1989 as a water and sewer supervisor. He planned to work for Midvale for a year after he received some necessary certifications.

“Those plans obviously didn’t go as I planned but I’m happy to say they didn’t,” Loader said in a meeting with City Journals.

Loader tried to leave for a job in Brigham City but the mayor at the time convinced him to stay.

In 1995, Loader was promoted to Public Works director. He stayed with Midvale for several more years before moving to Sandy City as the deputy director of public utilities. “...The first thing I realized is they don’t solve problems like we do in Midvale. They have their own department, and if public utility has a problem that’s not a problem for public works. But here when we have a problem, it is all our problem. The five weeks I was there I was absolutely miserable,” Loader said.

Loader got a call from the city manager at the time who was asking budget questions.

“I asked, ‘How’s your search going for Public Works director?’ He said, ‘Well, we haven’t found anyone yet,’” Loader recalled.

“I said, ‘There’s days I wished I stayed at Midvale. Then he said, ‘We need to talk.’”

“I went back into his office and sitting there was Mayor Seghini. She stood up and she gave me a hug and said, ‘You need to come home,’” said Loader, choking up as he

spoke. “How could I say no? I came back to Midvale. Within a couple years she asked me to be the city manager which was quite an honor for me.”

In 2005 he was promoted to city manager by Seghini and continued as manager under Hale.

What did Hale mean when he said there were fingerprints left in Midvale by Loader?

As public works director, Loader was responsible for the old City Hall renovation and then the new City Hall construction. He was responsible for the widening of 7200 South between State Street and 700 East, which required the purchase of 99 properties as well as adjusting the utilities under that road.

When some unincorporated county area was annexed into Midvale, he was responsible for getting all the residents and businesses blended with the rest of the city.

As City Manager, Loader and his staff were responsible for the taming of the Sharon Steel Superfund Site, turning it from an unusable waste land valued at $16 million, to a fully functioning business park and residential area that, upon completion, will be worth over $400 million.

His team also brought Bingham Junction into a functioning reality.

“The Bingham Junction property was valued at $2,600. It’s now worth well over $400 million,” Loader said.

“It’s been a great career. I can’t think of a day that I don’t come here that I’ve

City Manager Kane Loader stands with former Mayor JoAnn Seghini at a ribbon cutting. (Photo/Midvale City)

accomplished or learned something from people. The most enjoyable thing about Midvale is being able to work with the staff and the employees and the elected officials.”

Loader has suggested his replacement to Hale: Matt Dahl, the current assistant city manager, and previously worked for Midvale as RDA director and Community Development director.

“I knew this day was coming. I wanted to give Matt the opportunity to have expe-

rience with field crews and understand how the operations work. He’s got a great background in planning and he knows the RDA better than anyone. About a year ago I put everything under Matt. All the department directors reported to him and he reported to me,” Loader said.

“I see nothing but good things on the horizon for Midvale.”

At press time, there was no date set for the council advice and consent procedure to hire a new manager to replace Loader. l

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March 2021 | Page 5

Tattoo artists are drawn to Main Street

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

M

idvale could be developing its own tattoo district. Within two years, Echelon, Dark Arts and Black Rabbit all moved in to one side of the 7600 block of Main Street.

Ashley Thomas had been tattooing for nearly a decade before she moved to Utah and opened Echelon Tattoo at 7648 S. Main St. in 2018.

“When I was looking for a shop I knew

Ashley Thomas stands near the vegan boutique at her tattoo shop on Midvale’s Main Street. (Sarah Morton Taggart/City Journals)

I didn’t want it to be in a strip mall,” Thomas said. “Nothing was catching my eye, but by happenstance I drove down this street with my husband. It was like going back in time.

It really appealed to me, especially this building.”

That building was 7648 S. Main St., a charming structure with green wooden siding and a white balcony. Thomas, who also lives in Midvale, was curious enough about the building’s history to enquire at the history museum down the street, but wasn’t able to learn more.

“I imagine it was someone’s home,” Thomas said. “It feels so homey to me.”

In 2019, Dark Arts Tattoo moved in to a more industrial building at 7632 S. Main St. The space has high ceilings and exposed brick with distressed wood accents. Dark Arts is a collective of eight artists who specialize in intricate black work, which uses mainly black ink and uses bold lines and designs.

Soon before moving into the space, Dark Arts co-owner Mitch Anderson took second place in the “Overall Large-scale Tattoo” at the Salt Lake Tattoo Convention. Anderson shared the honor with Buck Harvey, who owns Black Rabbit Tattoo.

Harvey gutted the small brick building at 7610 S. Main St. in July 2020. He and his

team painted over old plaster columns, giving them a distressed brick finish while elegant chandeliers accent the high ceilings.

Harvey specializes in elaborate, colorful fantasy pieces. His portfolio includes examples of “cover-up tattoos,” where a new tattoo is drawn over an old one. The four other artists at Black Rabbit all have unique styles, but bright colors, animals and portraits are a common theme.

While primarily a place to get tattooed, Black Rabbit also offers T-shirts and original art prints for sale.

Echelon also offers more than tattoos.

Thomas is vegan and ensures that she and her three fellow artists use a 100% vegan tattoo process. A year after opening her shop, she added a vegan boutique. The items for sale range from purses that contain no animal products to bath bombs that are not tested on animals.

“It’s nice to feature local makers,” Thomas said. “I get as much stuff from local people as possible. The makers don’t have to be vegan, but the products do.”

Between the boutique and the bright, cozy interior, a visitor might forget they’re in a tattoo shop, but that’s still the focus for Echelon.

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most are traditional, which have bold colors and iconic designs and neo traditional, which has similar subject matter but with a wider color palette and more sophisticated shading.

Currently, all three shops are open by appointment only, and all are taking extra precautions to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

“We already wear PPE (personal protective equipment) every day, and already have training to keep everything sanitary, so it’s not too huge of a change for us in terms of logistics,” Thomas said. “But it’s definitely impacted our business. Hopefully, this is the worst of it. I’m grateful that we’ve been able to open safely.”

So much is on pause while COVID-19 drags on, but Thomas looks forward to the future on Main Street.

“Ideally, it would just be cool to see the buildings restored to preserve the historic character. I’d like to see a diverse mix of new businesses and see existing businesses thrive as well. Everyone prospers when you support your local economy,” she said.

As for the two other tattoo shops down the street?

“Nowadays so many people get tattooed that we can all sustain ourselves as businesses on the same block,” Thomas said. “We all have our own unique style.” l

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UPD SafeCam program helps deter crime, aid investigations

By Erin Dixon | e.dixon@mycityjournals.com

I

f you see a sticker that says “SafeCam Unified Police” then a camera is watching.

Residents and businesses register for the new SafeCam program through Unified Police Department (UPD). The program is simply a declaration that you are willing to search your own recorded footage for possible criminal activity. If there is an incident in your area, UPD will contact you and ask you to review your recording during a certain time period and pass on potential evidence.

UPD Lieutenant Ken Malone told City Journals that, “The purpose of the program is twofold. A crime deterrent…and it gives us investigative tools if a criminal event does occur in an area where somebody’s registered their camera.”

Registering a camera does not connect you to the police network or give UPD access to your camera. The resident or business continues to have full and private control. When you sign up, you simply declare you are willing to cooperate with UPD if they contact you for video footage.

Security cameras have been around for a long time but it has been difficult for UPD to find who has one and where.

“It was pretty labor intensive. If you didn’t know the area you would have to look and see if anybody had a camera. It’s a collaborative effort between the community and police department and hopefully solves

Unified Police Precinct Chief Randy Thomas shows a sticker that residents and businesses can register for and display to show they are willing to cooperate with law enforcement and share camera footage. (Screenshot)

crimes and hopefully gets criminals off the street,” Malone said.

Many community members said they are in support of the program.

Midvale resident Jamie Mansfield said, “Well, considering how many times we’ve been graffitied, had stuff stolen off of our porch, had our car top sliced open, I would definitely be part of this.”

Resident Sophia Hawes-Tingey said, “It looks like the program is taking into consideration Fourth Amendment rights, and as long as they continue to do so, I am all for the vastly increased investigative power; that said, also as long as assumptions are not also made on an unconscious bias that automatically targets people who are suspect just because of who they are or they don’t automat-

ically ‘fit in.’”

“I believe that the current administration of the UPD is a good one, and certainly well-meaning and well-intentioned, reinforcing diversity training and de-escalation techniques,” Hawes-Tingey said.

For more information about the UPD SafeCam program, visit www.updsl.org/ page_services_SafeCam.php. l

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Midvale art house on Main Street

By Erin Dixon | e.dixon@mycityjournals.com

There are no official plans yet, but Midvale City is contemplating putting in an Art House on Main Street to attract more people to the area. (Photo/Albrecht Fietz from Pixabay)

T

he building that used to house the Midvale history museum stands empty.

The museum moved to a new community center in Midvale Park.

Midvale Community development director Nate Rockwood said the city is considering, “turning this [empty space] into an art house.”

The potential art house would open with more than just paintings on the walls like a museum. There would be space for artists to create, open space for visitors to meet artists and purchase art. “[It could] act as an area we could do art classes; a community arts center open to the public,” Rockwood said.

Who would pay for the operation and expenses? It could pay for itself. The city would only need $20,000 to $30,000 to get it going.

Artists would be able to rent space to work, which would support the operation.

“The city would maintain ownership of the building but [it] would be self-sustaining from rental fees,” Rockwood said.

An establishment like this could help with the revival of Main Street. “It helps the placemaking of Main Street. It’s not something we anticipate a local business putting in there,” Rockwood said.

Midvale residents are split on the idea.

Louis Gonzales said, “I think our neighborhood needs some culture brought to our residence and our children. I am all for the art house!”

Matthew Dungan had an opposing opinion. “I think this is a waste of money. There are already plenty of arts districts in SLC to visit. Let’s invest in more businesses and things that will attract people to shop in Midvale,” Dungan said.

Would it just end up another empty building on Main? Timing is essential and tricky. While the art house could thrive on a busy street, there needs to be a busy street to support it.

“I think it’s the right time coming out of COVID to hit the ground running; to get as many eggs in the basket as we can and as many chickens running down the street as we can, just have everything happening all at once,” Rockwood said.

For the art center to flourish, it would be up to locals.

“It really takes the right people going in there. You want some artists that want to see it succeed. We really want the community artists to make it their own,” Rockwood said. l

Midvale City Journal

The beginning of the budget

By Erin Dixon | e.dixon@mycityjournals.com

A

city’s budget is its guide to spending.

Midvale City, like most others, runs on a fiscal year system, from July 1 to June 30.

Finance Director Kyle Maurer outlined the budget process to Midvale City Council in early February.

• “The first thing that I will do is set the base budget for the next fiscal year.

That is the prior year budget less any one-time purchases.”

• “The next thing I do is send budget sheets to the departments and I ask them to start preparing any budget requests that they need; if costs go up and bring those to a meeting in February.”

• “Then I compile information from external rate studies. For example, we’re doing the water study right now.”

• “We will prioritize requests and we

will be doing the retreat with the council. We will work with you on prioritizing which projects or increases you would like to fund.”

• “From there, Finance in conjunction with the City Manager, will present the recommended budget to you as the city council in May. That’s the tentative budget. That’s also when we do a public hearing.”

The council must approve a budget by

the end of June.

What are the highest priorities to add to the budget this year?

“Mandates, retirement increases, salary increases, contracts go up on software support costs,” Maurer said.

Next in priority additions are increases needed to maintain service levels of parks.

Then comes “projects that save money over time, [such as] retrofitting street lights to LED,” Maurer said. l

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March 2021 | Page 9

Midvale Middle after-school program builds community while offering academic support, fun activities

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

M

idvale Middle seventh-grader Hunter Hinckley recently has participated in math kahootz, crab ball, coding, basketball and ultimate chicken after school.

“I have no idea why we play with a rubber chicken. (Midvale Middle School MYP program coordinator) Shelley Allen came up with it and I call it a ‘stroke of genius,’” said the tall, athletic boy. “I like the more athletic activities, but I have gotten math help from Ms. (Debra) Delliskave and Mr. (Brandon) Cornaby; they’re great teachers.”

Midvale Middle School’s after-school program was initiated this year, thanks to extra funding provided to the school from the Canyons Board of Education. The funding provides snacks, materials and stipends for faculty helping with the program, said Jordan Geist, who coordinates the program with Amy Caro.

The hour-long program is offered to students for free, three times per week. As no sign-ups are required, it provides student an opportunity to join whenever they want. Afterward, students can take a free late bus that has five drop-offs near students’ homes.

“We get new kids each day. Some students pick a mix of favorite activities and add some new ones for diversity,” said Geist, who estimates an average of 50 students per day participate in the program.

The after-school program begins with the first 30 minutes devoted to math and the second half-hour to fun activities.

Geist said that teachers, such as Delliskave and Robert Violano, are providing that support.

Violano, who plans to lead after-school robotics during the third part of the year, sees it as more than just homework

assistance.

“I’ve made relationships with students so when they are in my classroom in eighth grade, we already have gotten to know each other,” he said. “This program really gives students the chance to do some things they want to do and to get to know the teachers better. We’re sharing our interests and we talk about them. It’s just not classroom study time although I do give kids a quiet space to work on their homework.”

Geist said that it has been successful in terms of relationship building.

“Students are excited to see teachers in a new way and learn something new that they may have an interest in,” she said. “We want to give students a positive experience at school and build and make those connections whether it’s from getting the extra academic help or playing indoor bowling in the school’s halls.”

Several students also take it a step farther, Geist said, by taking on a leadership role to explain a game to a newcomer.

“They’re learning how to communicate, how to collaborate, how to problem-solve and gain some conflict-management skills,” she said. “It’s a good outreach program that is providing them a safe place, new activities, and a chance to come together and build a positive community.”

“After the half-hour of classroom time, students then can choose an activity. Already this year, they’ve had choices ranging from croquet, yoga and soccer to art, improv, and maker space. Some of the after-school projects can lead into the students’ Middle Years Programme’s “Make a Difference Project,” where they spend time devoted to making a difference or impact in their community, Geist said.

During the after-school program at Midvale Middle School, students can get math help, then play ultimate chicken as one of their choice activities. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

The activities are changed every quarter and are led by about a dozen teachers who want to bring program enrichment and fun to the students, she said.

Cornaby, who teaches seventh-grade science, is a supporter of the program.

“I think it’s a great way to build relationships in a non-contingent environment,” he said. “The expectation is to give students support and teach them at school in a safe and fun environment. It also teaches them if they have issues and need someone to talk to, they may recognize us as one of the after-school teachers and reach out. Students like the program.

They stop by to ask if we’re playing soccer, bowling or doing robotics after they get help with math or with their homework.

It is building our community in an exciting way.” l

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Midvale City Journal

Discussions underway of possible new school boundaries

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By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

T

he development of Jordan Bluffs in Midvale is expected to shake things up a bit when it comes to drawing school boundaries.

Jordan Bluffs, bound by 7800 South on the north, Holden Street and Main Street on the east, the Midvale City boundary on the south and the Jordan River on the west, roughly has 40 students attending Canyons School District schools now, but is expected to house 150 to 175 school children by 2025, said Canyons’ Business Administrator Leon Wilcox.

Plus, nearby Bingham Junction is another redevelopment that will revitalize the older neighborhood and provide housing for families, bringing more children into schools, he said.

“This is so hard because we want to get as much community input as we can and it’s just so hard in this environment to have meetings in person,” he said about wanting patrons’ comments about the four Midvale elementary schools’ boundaries. “It certainly impacts some students. We’re trying to do as minimal as we can, but still need to accommodate growth with student enrollment with the current buildings’ capacities and with the necessary programming that we need to support all the students there so trying to balance that out is always the challenge.”

Boundary changes may go into effect in fall 2022 at the earliest, Wilcox said, but depending on COVID-19 impact, it may be pushed back to fall 2023.

Canyons is looking at several options that they will make public, including increasing enrollment at Midvalley, which can house about 800 students, to “take a little bit of pressure off, if we can, Copperview and a little bit of Midvale.”

Currently, elementary students living in Jordan Bluffs are in the boundary of Midvale Elementary so Wilcox said that they’re looking to balance that school’s enrollment.

“We’re just trying to find the best solution for everyone,” he said.

Both Midvale and Midvalley elementaries are about 80% capacity in a nonCOVID-19 year, Wilcox said.

“We want to try to get more students into Midvalley and maybe keep Midvale the same, but we know that more growth is going to come into that area with the Bluffs, too,” he said.

Copperview Elementary, which Wilcox said can serve a little more than 500 students, and East Midvale, which can serve closer to 600 students, are both “pretty full,” Wilcox said, so district officials also are looking into those schools’ boundaries to adjust student populations.

“These are Title I (schools) so one thing

MidvaleJournal.com

that comes into immediate impact is we want to make sure we can support the kids that are there and that weighs heavily in the calculation,” he said, adding that Midvale Elementary also is a Title I school. “Title I (schools), you have to have smaller class sizes, more supports and so you need more spaces and so even though you may have a 500 (student) building capacity, you don’t want to necessarily put 500 kids there because it may not be the best way to support them.”

Midvalley recently introduced a Spanish dual immersion program and that could also influence the number of students enrolled in its school.

Wilcox said currently they aren’t addressing busing right now, as they would like to keep students in their own neighborhoods, but he also said it wouldn’t be ruled out.

“I would say, nothing’s been off the table,” he said. “You’d like boundaries to go along State Street, it is a natural boundary like I-15 is, but you can’t always do that. So, you try your best to see what we can do, but the main thing is always going to be to focus on how we can best support students. We put together a couple options and we’ve got a couple more that we’re looking at.”

Those potential options Wilcox shared at the Board of Education last fall. One option is that all of Jordan Bluff students will attend Midvale Elementary, then shifting some current Midvale students to Copperview, and some Copperview students to Midvalley, and some East Midvale students to Midvale Elementary to balance enrollments. The second would split Jordan Bluffs between Midvale and Copperview elementaries, with additional shifting of students as in option one.

“We’ve gotten some positive feedback and we’ve gotten some negative feedback, but we’re wanting to hear from more people in the Midvale community,” he said.

Wilcox said that typically by holding open houses and focus groups, more options may emerge from those discussions, but without those in-person events, it’s harder to hear from people in the community. He has reached out to those elementaries’ PTAs and school community councils and schools’ staff and faculty. There are discussions of holding virtual open houses or possibly sending out mailers to the community.

Under state law, once an option or multiple options are made public, 120 days needs to pass before Canyons Board of Education approves it. Canyons currently has not started that process, he said.

“In this environment, it is so hard to get any community feedback,” Wilcox said.

“We’re trying to bring in as many people as we can to make sure we get it right.” l

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Midvale City Journal

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Hillcrest community responds to new UHSAA alignment

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

J

ulie King is looking forward to next fall.

As a parent of a sophomore football player, she said it was difficult playing Corner Canyon, Brighton and other high schools and “getting shmacked, just clobbered. We need more competitive teams, so we aren’t getting killed.”

Her son was on the baseball team last year and plans to try out for tennis this spring.

“I’m willing to travel anywhere to see my kid play, but it would be better if we could play teams closer,” she said. “Not everyone has the flexible schedule as we do. It will be hard for the parents who work full-time 9 to 5 to see their kids play.”

Parent Trevor Hinckley said for him, it would be difficult to get off work to see his daughter play volleyball and basketball in several upcoming faraway region games. He hopes they’d all be livestreamed.

“She had two volleyball tournaments and a basketball game in the Logan area this last year and there was no way we could get off work in time to see her play,” he said. “With

Hillcrest swim teammates cheer on junior Zoe Welch during the 100-breastroke against Skyline; with a new, more competitive region next year, athletic directors hope their records will improve from the girls, 1-8, and boys, 2-7, overall this season.

(Julie Slama/City Journals)

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a younger child at home, it will be tough to drive even farther the next two years.”

In December, the Utah High School Activities Association announced its new biannual region alignments and with it, Hillcrest High student-athletes in 5A region 7 play Stansbury and Tooele high schools to the west and Cedar Valley and Payson high schools to the south that are all about an hour away.

Hillcrest also will travel to Uintah High to the east, which is three hours away. The only neighboring school is Cottonwood High.

The football-only region alignment includes Cedar Valley, Payson, Stansbury, Tooele, Uintah as well as Mountain View and Timpanogos, both in Utah County, instead of Cottonwood.

King also worries about if other parents will opt not to travel, including the opposition, how it will reduce ticket sales and also, concessions sales, which help support the team.

“There are teams that are closer, and they may be smaller, but we’re on the same playing level,” she said. “It is discouraging year after year of getting killed, but we now have some good kids and some of the best coaches. It will be hard on the kids to travel, play, travel back home and expect to be in class the next day and play again.”

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Midvale City Journal

discouraged in the current region.

“If you listen to him talk, you’d think they won every game by a landslide,” she said.

Hinckley also said his sophomore daughter hasn’t been dispirited.

“If she can walk off the court saying, ‘I did the best I could,’ and the other team is just better, there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said.

Hinckley said that he hates the idea of extra travel—with up to six hours for his daughter on a bus—but he “really likes the aspect, if it truly is more competitive” of a region.

“A variety of teams is always good, so we aren’t always playing the same teams.

We shouldn’t have to travel three hours away to be more competitive, but I feel for Vernal kids always having to drive anywhere to compete,” he said.

Hinckley hopes that perhaps if the teams compete on a Friday night, they may consider staying overnight instead of arriving back at school “at 1 or 2 in the morning.”

He also said if not, that his daughter would be studying on the bus en route to the games and sleeping on the return trips.

King also points out that bus trips aren’t conducive to studying and worries that it will impact her straight-A son who takes several Advanced Placement classes.

Both Hinckley’s and King’s student-athletes are considering enrolling in the school’s demanding International Baccalaureate program.

Those are some of the concerns that have been brought before Hillcrest administrators, including Principal Greg Leavitt and Athletic Directors Scott Carrell and Sally Williams. Those administrators reached out to several coaches before they signed on to travel with this new region.

“It’s a great region,” Leavitt said. “We chose to be more competitive than geographic. Our records speak for themselves. Our kids are playing harder and trying harder, but we want to be competitive. It will help us to develop our student-athletes and most of the coaches feel good about the region.”

Football coach Brock Bryant is pumped for the new region.

“I love it,” he said. “They’ve been talking about just going to RPI (rating performance index used to seed teams at state tournaments) and getting rid of regions, so we can pick who we play and have a more competitive season, but this is a good compromise. It’s one where we can get some wins, build confidence and rebuild our program. It’s much more competitive for our team than the current region.”

Bryant said that many of the current teams Hillcrest plays are “reloading,” meaning that they have solid youth programs or under open enrollment, other student-athletes select to study at those high schools so they can play on their teams.

“It’s been demoralizing to compete in these kinds of regions. We want to play at

MidvaleJournal.com

Although senior Anthony Vail broke loose of a tackle, the Huskies were trailing 35-0 to Skyline in the second quarter in what would be a homecoming loss of 52-0; athletic directors hope a new region would allow the Huskies to be more competitive than this year when they tallied two wins all season, both in non-region play. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

a level we can compete at, to close the gap on the scoreboard,” he said. “I’d rather travel and be competitive than not travel. We do have some kids and parents who are excited about the new region and are wanting to see their kids be successful.”

Carrell said that this region was the “best fit for our school.” He also said that the enrollment size was part of the reason the teams were matched.

“The region was determined partly by size and participation rates. Hillcrest, for whatever the reason, is shrinking. We went from 6A to on the high-end of enrollment in 5A and now, we’re mid-5A. We have less students participating. So, we’re going on the assumption that these teams will be of the same caliber and better matched for us, because it’s not fun to lose by 40 points,” he said.

Hillcrest has about 2,100 students where Cottonwood and Uintah each has more than 1,700 enrolled.

Carrell recognized that travel was a trade-off to a more competitive region, but added, “Uintah is a tough one. We think that the ultimate goal of rebuilding during these two years will be worth the hassle. Principal Leavitt said to think outside the box on how we can rebuild our programs and we feel this will be a good region.”

Carrell also said that some of the programs, such as Uintah’s wrestling, have some amazing strong programs. But if Hillcrest continues to compete against some, such as Brighton, that have strong feeder programs in tennis and swimming, for example, “it could hurt us, and we want to help our teams and programs become better. We need a balance of competition and success and hopefully, with some new teams, we can learn and grow.”

Coach Dave Richardson said in his

13 years of coaching girls basketball, boys freshmen basketball and now boys and girls golf, he was surprised by the announcement of this region.

“I’ve never seen anything like it before; there has not been one that compares,” he said. “Some of our previous regions have been OK, some have been disastrous. For golf, tennis and some of the sports, it’s hard to compete in our current ‘country club region,’ up against the wealthy kids.”

Richardson said that Hillcrest doesn’t have a home golf course where they can play for free like several current region teams have and he fears that the upcoming region may be the same scenario—that some of the smaller town teams will also get to play for free in their hometown golf courses.

He also said that currently his players drive to their tournaments in the Salt Lake Valley since the teams are small.

Williams said that with scheduling, they may look at two teams competing at the same location, in hopes of doubling up on a school bus. She also said that they may look into overnight stays if competition is on a weekend, if it’s feasible.

“There’s no way we won’t have buses; we don’t want that liability. We could look at smaller teams like golf and tennis doubling up on a bus if the schedules work. We could even look into overnight stays if it’s a Friday so athletes wouldn’t have to travel back so late,” she said.

However, Leavitt said they’re still discussing arrangements, but they “won’t be doing overnights” and instead, look into bumping up game times to ensure safe return travel. He said vans also might be an option for smaller teams for travel.

Canyons District Business Administrator Leon Wilcox said the additional travel won’t increase student-athlete fees.

Hillcrest senior captain Cassidy Adams hits the ball over the net to the Highland Rams, to whom they lost 3-2 on Sept. 17, 2020; in their rematch in October, the Huskies pulled out a 3-0 win, their only region win and one of their three wins overall this season. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

“We (Canyons District) pay the transportation costs for all UHSAA-sanctioned events,” he said. “HHS students will not be paying any higher participation fees than any of our other high schools. We will be working these costs into our annual budget.”

Carrell recognized parents’ concerns about academics: “We are looking at ways to have hotspots on buses to help with homework and more opportunities for distance learning.”

Boys basketball coach Brandon Sluga said that he may use some of the bus time to work with his team.

“We can structure some of the travel time as team-bonding time,” he said. “I always believe a student-athlete should get home as soon as he or she can so they can be normal kids—get home and be with the family, have a meal and do homework.”

Sluga, who does say it would be a “definite challenge on a Tuesday” if the schedule had them play away on Uintah’s home court, pointed out that teams would only have to travel there once during a competitive season.

“I look forward to a new opportunity to travel and face different teams,” he said.

“We can still build our preseason to play more challenging teams or those who are closer to home or however coaches see to benefit their programs. We want our kids to be motivated to play and compete and that’s the general decision of what’s best for all our programs.” l

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Midvale City Journal

Two Midvale schools named Schools of Excellence by State Board

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

H

illcrest High Principal Greg Leavitt is pleased with the award his faculty and staff recently earned.

“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “We worked really hard for our English Language Learners to offer more support to increase learning and their graduate rate.”

Hillcrest and Midvale Elementary both were recently recognized by the Utah State Board of Education for closing the opportunity gap for multilingual learners. In Utah, more than 52,700 students are English language learners, about 8% of all students statewide.

Hillcrest received the Utah High School of Excellence Award from the state Board of Education in recognition of the academic growth of the schools’ students, especially those who are English language learners. To best support students who are learning English as a second language, including many refugees, Hillcrest created two specific math and English Language Arts classes with additional supports for the students.

“It speaks directly to our teachers who co-taught ELA (English Language Arts) and math and science. They helped the students increased their reading levels, and with extra support from our staff, that had a direct impact on the students’ learning,” Leavitt said about the 250 English Language Learners at Hillcrest. “I’m pleased our teachers are mak-

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ing connections with kids and we’re offering a time where they can work on their assignments with the help they need rather than just sit there, not understanding or doing the work.”

Hillcrest was one of eight Utah high schools to be designated as a high school of excellence. To qualify for the award, schools need to have more than 800 students enrolled, with 25% to 50% of the students being economically disadvantaged. The award also targeted schools with multilingual learners comprising 10% to 15% of the school population, and 25% to 45% of students achieving their annual growth goals.

Leavitt said the graduation rate this past year at 87% was at the highest in the past 15 years.

“We appreciate Canyons School District for providing funds that we could expand our ELL programs and our secondary language expansions,” Leavitt said. “Now that we have those resources, I think we can see that those resources have created results.”

Midvale Elementary, which received the Utah Elementary School of Excellence Award, was one of 11 elementary schools selected throughout the state to receive the recognition. To be selected, schools were required to meet specific criteria, such as an enrollment of more than 400 students, with at least 80% of the stu-

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Midvale Elementary recently was recognized by the Utah State Board of Education for closing the opportunity gap for multilingual learners. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

dents being economically disadvantaged.

The criteria also required at least 40% of the students to be English Language Learners, who showed annual progress.

Midvale Principal Lori Reynolds said that the recognition is especially meaningful to the school as it celebrates the significant strides educators have made to boost student learning that are shown in year-end testing scores.

“To receive the School of Excellence Award from the Utah State Board of Education was really exciting, yet I wasn’t surprised,” she said. “Before I was even assigned to Midvale Elementary, I had followed all of the great things that were happening at the school; the focus on social and emotional

learning and exiting out of turnaround status.”

Reynolds took the helm of the elementary in July 2020.

In 2015, Midvale Elementary students measured in the lowest 3% of student achievement statewide. By the 2018-19 school year, students’ end-of-year testing scores in math and English Language Arts exceeded all of the previous three years’ growth at the school.

“It was just what we needed, (especially during a pandemic) to ignite that spark to keep the momentum going that will impact all learners at Midvale Elementary,” Reynolds said. “Our teachers are really making a difference here.” l

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Hillcrest girls basketball gets first win

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

H

illcrest High varsity girls’ basketball team celebrates its first win of the season over East High, 40-34. The sophomore and JV teams also have collected wins during the 2020-21 season. It’s a season that has been plagued

by COVID-19, starting with former Gov. Gary Herbert’s mandate delaying winter sports’ start by two weeks to several student-athletes and coaches being isolated or quarantined. It’s the first season under head coach Matteo Dal Monte in the Huskies’ new sports complex. The team is expected to play in the state tournament in late February. (Julie Slama/City Journals) l

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Midvale City Journal

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MidvaleJournal.com

March 2021 | Page 21

Take care of your mental and social health during COVID

Aimee Winder Newton Salt Lake County Council | District 3

The other day I was talking with my husband and we were both commenting on how we’ve felt a bit of depression set in from this long COVID year. We all need human interaction to thrive, and with health challenges, financial pressures, political unrest, and so much uncertainty, it’s no wonder that many of us feel a little down. I wanted to share some tips from Salt Lake County’s Health Department on how to improve or maintain your mental and social health as we head into the final stretch.

Take breaks from the news and social media - It is important to stay informed, but constantly hearing about the pandemic or politics is exhausting and upsetting. Limit your news and social media intake to once a day or every other day.

Practice Mindfulness – Set aside time every day (even for five minutes) to be in the present moment. You can do this by meditating, journaling, or focusing on your breathing.

Go outside for 30 minutes every day– Bundle up and get outside. Being outdoors is a natural antidepressant as sunshine naturally increases serotonin and endorphins that boost energy and reduce pain.

Get enough sleep – Stick to a regular sleep schedule and give yourself extra wind-down time each night before bed to read, stretch, and/or meditate to ensure quality sleep.

Stay in touch – Be intentional with your connections by scheduling regular video chats, phone calls, or text messages with loved ones.

Try online exercise classes – Salt Lake County Parks and Rec are hosting online exercise classes for all activity levels. Check out the schedules at slco.org/parks-recreation.

Take Virtual Tours with loved ones – The Utah Hogle Zoo, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, The Leonardo, and the Tracy Aviary all offer virtual experiences to enjoy with family and friends.

Write letters – Create handwritten letters with your household for a senior citizen fighting loneliness. Learn more at loveforourelders.org/letters Adopt or foster a pet – Adopting or fostering a pet is one of the best ways to ease loneliness. Pets offer companionship, instill a routine, reduce

blood pressure, and provide mental stimulation. More information at slco. org/animal-services/adoption-information/ Continue doing the things you enjoy virtually - Host a virtual movie night, book club, game night, online cooking class or karaoke.

After reviewing this list, I have to admit that I need to do better on my sleep habits. And keeping my cell phone next to my bed is probably not helpful. One thing we did this past summer is welcomed our first pet (fish excluded) into our family. Ripley, our mini goldendoodle puppy, has forced us out for walks every day, and she’s kept life interesting during the pandemic. Some of my favorite memories have been Zoom calls with the entire Winder or Newton extended family so we could catch up and hear how everyone was doing.

This pandemic will only break down our mental health and friendships if we let it, so take active steps to stay engaged, integrate healthy behaviors, and connect with our loved ones. If you have other mental health issues where you are thinking about harming yourself or others, please call the crisis line at 801-587-3000 or contact them on the SAFE UT app.

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Page 22 | March 2021

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Midvale City Journal

A Dropped Call

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MidvaleJournal.com

Like a mother in a Disney movie, my cell phone died inexplicably. Well, not inexplicably. I dropped it in the toilet.

I was wearing jeans for the first time in seven months and had the phone in my back pocket when it promptly fell into the commode. My phone, not my back pocket.

There’s a universal response when you drop your phone in liquid; you reach in and grab the damn thing. It could be submerged in molten lava or boiling oil; you will instinctively reach for the phone at the expense of ever using your hand again.

Snatching it up, I screamed several unprintable words and resorted to 15 minutes of “No, no, no, no, no!” I shook my phone, blew in it, prayed over it and dashed home to dump it in a bowl of rice. (A robot on Mars can send information to NASA but I have to submerge my phone in rice because it got wet.)

I thought, this would make a great Instagram post and frantically looked for my phone so I could take a picture of my phone sitting in a bowl of rice.

But I was phoneless. I reached for my phone nonstop. I absently grabbed the TV remote, trying to scroll through Tik Tok. I picked up my computer mouse to check the time. I kept patting my leggings where my cell phone used to be, frisking myself like some weird felon.

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Simple Fix in West Jordan, saying they work miracles. Miracles sounded pretty good, but they couldn’t look at my phone for several days.

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The typical cell phone weighs four or five ounces but after a day without my phone, I felt weightless. After two days I could talk to my husband without furtive glances at my phone. After three days, I didn’t miss playing Words with Friends.

Is this what life is supposed to feel like?

I swore when I got my phone back, it wouldn’t control me anymore.

Then I got my phone back. I listened to all the podcasts, played all the games, bought everything on Amazon and beat my family at Words with Friends. I ignored my husband, tuned out the world in general and scrolled endlessly through social media platforms.

The lesson here should be turn off your phone and interact with the real world. But what I learned was I need to buy cargo pants with dozens of secure pockets so my phone will never fall into the toilet again.

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March 2021 | Page 23

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