Murray Journal | January 2023

New buildings, different faces, and freshly moved-in residents will mark a new era for Murray in 2023. After years of planning and construction, a new city hall, museum, and possibly a performing arts venue will open. In addition, there will be a new face on the city council and a new department within the city government.

Murray residents will have new businesses to choose from again after a growth hiatus due to the pandemic. After many contentious debates, major residential housing developments will welcome dwellers to their new homes.

However, city officials say that Murray residents may now have to grapple with new water and electricity requirements.

City hall construction will be completed in March 2023. The city will then need to outfit the new edifice with furniture and IT equipment. If all goes as planned, the public will be invited to tour the new facility by the end of April, and a ribbon-cutting will likely happen in May.

While most of the city hall complex will be xeriscaped, crews will still lay some areas of sod, even in December. Due to winter’s onset, the city has postponed some landscaping projects since sensitive trees and plants will not survive the cold.

Murray City Chief Administrative Officer Doug Hill said, “The police side of the building is a little bit behind. They’re still putting up

MURRAY 2023: A NEW ERA

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

sheetrock, installing tile, and things like that… for the most part, it is really close to being done on the inside.”

As city hall’s most prominent tenant, the Murray Police Department will take up the entire west wing. Most officers will have their

own space within the department. The new building boasts an extensive evidence storage area, upgraded technology and a new gymnasium, which will be open to all city employees.

“The biggest change is that we’re moving the Community and Economic Development

Department into city hall. Right now, it’s all housed at the Public Works building, so all of the business licenses, building permits, zoning staff, and the planning staff are all going to

Brassy metal sheeting encompasses the new city council chamber. The new city hall will open for business this spring. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)

Former White House photographer chronicles, shares inside the presidency

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

When former White House photographer Pete Souza was in fourth grade, he taped a photo from the New Bedford Standard Times on his closet door.

It was soon after the assassination of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy in November 1963 with Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson being sworn into the presidency with Jacqueline Kennedy by his side aboard a plane that would fly to Washington, D.C.

“For whatever reason, I was transfixed by the images that came out,” Souza recently told a standing-room only auditorium at Salt Lake Community College’s Grand Theatre. “There was something about the still image that even as an 8 year old, I was struck by enough so that I taped these pictures to my closet door. I know that the photograph taken by Army Capt. Cecil Stoughton, one of the two military photographers assigned to the Kennedy White House, became probably the most famous official White House photograph ever.”

Little did he know then that he found his future career. It took Souza enrolling in a photography class during his junior year at Boston University to realize “it’s what I wanted to do. It was magic to me.”

Souza, who photographed Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama during their presidencies, began his career shooting for the Hutchinson, Kansas newspaper. He moved on to the Chicago Sun Times, where amongst his assignments, he was to photograph the campaign of Harold Washington, who in 1983, became the first Black mayor of Chicago.

That same year, Souza received a call from a former photo director at the Kansas City Star, where he was turned down for a job. She invited him to join the White House photography staff during the Reagan era.

“One of the things I used to tell my

(Ohio University) students was, ‘don’t ever piss anybody off professionally because you never know how they’re going to help you some day,’” he said. “Being an official White House photographer was an amazing experience. Documenting the presidency for history, in a lot of situations, I was the only photographer in the room.”

He recalled covering Reagan when he greeted wounded Marines in 1983 after a terrorist attack in Beirut; watching the space shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986, all four summits with Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev; the Iran-Contra scandal; at the hospital following his wife Nancy’s breast cancer surgery; and even, joining him on vacation.

“He and Nancy would go to Camp David every weekend and ride horses and here he is helping her from a horse,” Souza said as an image projected on a screen behind him. “The idea is that you’re making photographs, not for the next day’s newspaper, but for the National Archives. Every single picture that I made during both during the Reagan administration and the Obama administration are now at the National Archives.”

Souza not only took the photos of the serious moments of the commander in chief, but also, the lighter ones.

“I’m trying to humanize them as much as possible. This is Reagan at a hotel in Los Angeles,” he said referring to another image. “I walked into the hotel room where he was staying, and he was folding a piece of White House stationery into the shape of paper airplane. He looked up at me and he’s, like, ‘I’ll be right with you.’”

Then, Reagan flew his official White House stationery paper airplane off the hotel deck.

After Reagan left the White House,

Souza freelanced for several publications, including National Geographic. Then, as a national photographer for the Chicago Tribune, Souza was among the first photojournalists to cover the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks; he did so by joining the local Northern Alliance soldiers and crossed the Hindu Kush mountains by horseback in 3 feet of snow. Also, while at the Tribune, Souza was part of the team who were awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for explanatory reporting on the troubled air traffic system.

In 2004, Souza served as the official photographer at Reagan’s funeral. It was

during the flight from Washington, D.C. to Reagan’s final resting place in Simi Valley, California that he realized then he had never seen any pictures of JFK’s casket being flown from Dallas to Washington, D.C.

“Cecil made the decision not to be on the plane with JFK, but to take this film to a lab there in Dallas, get it processed, and get that picture sent out to the world. I can’t imagine trying to make that decision because my instinct would have been you got to be with the President on that plane. Cecil probably chose the right thing to do, but I don’t know that I would have been able to make that decision,” Souza said.

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The photograph of Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson being sworn into the presidency intrigued former White House photographer Pete Souza as a boy. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

That same year, while working for the Chicago Tribune, Souza was documenting newly elected U.S. Sen. Obama. He recalled Obama’s first D.C. office in the basement of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, with no windows or anything on the walls.

“People already were talking about that someday he might be a national candidate and I was like, ‘Man, this is going to be a great contrast photo if he ever makes it.’ The thing that struck me so much about that first day was that I’ve just met the guy, and I’m in his personal space, photographing as he’s having lunch,” he said, pointing out in his photograph that Obama’s young daughter Sasha was eyeing part of the uneaten sandwich. “It’s as if I’m not even there. He’s just more about his businesses. I’m about my business. For a photojournalist, that’s the kind of stuff that you want, right? Somebody who’s just going to do their thing while you’re doing it.”

Souza went on to become the chief official White House photographer.

“I was able to say to him, ‘Look to do this job the right way, I need unfettered access’ and he agreed. My goal was to create the best photographic archive of a president that had ever been done,” he said.

Souza captured moments, which now the world can see on his Instagram posts.

He has moments that highlight the passing of the Affordable Care Act to samesex marriage, from the president receiving the Nobel Peace Prize to Obama singing “Amazing Grace” as an eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was killed in 2015 in a Charleston church shooting. He also shared photographs of Obama touring the 9/11 Memorial Museum while under construction and visiting the firehouse where 18 firefighters died during the twin towers’ collapse.

Souza snapped historic moments.

He photographed Obama visiting Nelson Mandela’s prison cell in South Africa; reflecting at Martin Luther King Jr.’s memorial as the first Black president; sitting on the bus where Rosa Parks refused to give her seat to a white man; and joining in the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama.

Souza’s lens not only saw the occasions that marked Obama’s presidency, but also personal times, when Obama and his wife have a quiet moment in a freight elevator or intertwining their hands on a boat rail in the Gulf Coast. His photographs show the president playing in the snow with his daughters, intensely coaching daughter Sasha’s basketball team or getting zapped by a 3-year-old boy dressed for Halloween as Spider-Man—all which audience members chuckled at as stories were shared.

“I would use quiet cameras, usually one with a wide-angle lens and another one with a short telephoto lens. I had a knack for being unobtrusive. President Obama, in his memoir, says I had an ability to remain invisible. I don’t think I was invisible, but I

think I was able to blend in so much so that I became part of the presidency. I could go right behind him and show things from his perspective and do it in a way not to disturb anybody,” he said.

Perhaps the first of two of the most emotional photos, Souza said, is when Obama and all the national security team were gathered inside a small room within the Situation Room complex in May 2011. Souza took a spot opposite of the officials who were watching a screen that showed Special Forces on the ground raiding the Pakistan compound of Osama Bin Laden, who claimed responsibility for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“You’ve essentially got all the most important people in the executive branch of our government all jammed into this room and there’s nothing they can do. They are powerless in this moment because it’s totally up to those Special Forces guys on the ground. You can imagine the tension and anxiety,” he said, recalling that Obama quietly took a place in the corner. “As soon as they had Bin Laden, and the helicopters lifted off from the compound in Pakistan, everybody started filtering through. The reaction was very subtle. There was no high fives, no cheering.”

A second poignant photo Souza shared was when Obama gave a hug to the Wheeler family who just lost their 6-year-old son Ben during the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.

“The worst day (of Obama’s presidency) happened five weeks after he was reelected. That morning, John Brennan, his homeland security adviser, came upstairs saying there were reports of a shooting at a school in Connecticut,” Souza said, looking at a photo he snapped at the time of the president “reacting as a parent.”

Before Obama spoke to the nation in the press briefing room, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. It was the first time Souza had ever seen him do that.

“I think he was worried he was going to lose his composure. Later that afternoon when he went up to residence, Malia had just come home from school. He latched on to her and wouldn’t let her go,” he said to a noticeable collective sob in the audience.

As Souza looks back, and shares his first-hand account through books he published, talking and having his photographs

been displayed globally, and being featured in the 2020 documentary, “The Way I See It,” he knows his experiences are making an impact on others as it did himself.

“I realize how lucky I’ve been when I look back and see how much I’ve been able to witness, especially considering I did get a D in U.S. history,” Souza said, adding that history lessons when he was in school lacked stories and pictures. “There were some days where photographing at the White House was like watching paint dry. But when things were happening, there’s no other place I’d rather be than documenting things as history is unfolding. That was a great honor and privilege to be there.”

During his visit, he also met with SLCC students where he gave the advice to “go out and make pictures every day because that’s how you’re going to get better.” Souza said that because he had been a photojournalist prior to the White House, he was able to “anticipate and recognize moments—and that’s experience more than anything.”

SLCC Humanities Associate Professor Claire Adams said students came to know Souza as a storyteller as well as a photographer.

“His conversation was really informal and came from the storytelling angle as well as the more technical questions from our photography students,” she said, adding that each student received an autographed copy of either his No. 1 New York Times bestseller “Obama: An Intimate Portrait” or his recently released book, “The West Wing and Beyond: What I Saw Inside the Presidency.” “It’s apparent that it’s the dignity of the office that he cares about, not politics. He highlights it through his eyes and through his literal lens.”

Adams said that her Honors 2100 Intellectual Traditions class had watched portions of the documentary preceding his visit and was reviewing his presentation.

“The theme of that class is storytelling specifically. Pete Souza is a really good resource to use in terms of artifacts that we look at in the humanities, such as literature, photographs, art, music. His photographs are definitely something I’ll continue to use in classes,” she said, adding that students and the community took advantage of seeing his “Obama: Intimate Portraits” display at SLCC’s George S. & Dolores Doré Eccles Art Gallery.

SLCC Provost for Academic Affairs Clifton Sanders also was drawn into Souza’s photography and storytelling.

“He was captivating,” Sanders said. “The way that he was able to chronicle history through the photographs and give a little bit of information that no one would know other than him being there in those moments. The pictures are very compelling, but the stories really give depth to the pictures. I just got a sense that he was the person for that time in history. He’s really down to earth. There are no airs about him. What you see is really what he’s like. I can really appreciate that the way he documented and is sharing the history for us all to gain insight and witness it through him.”

The annual Tanner Forum on Social Ethics, funded in part by the O.C. Tanner Co., has hosted about 20 speakers from journalists to scientists “to encourage the community to learn more about the world and encourage us to think more critically about issues,” Sanders said. l

Pete Souza, former White House chief photographer, shared the story behind the photo of President Barack Obama and his family joining Sen. John Lewis and others at the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

I realize how lucky I’ve been when I look back and see how much I’ve been able to witness, especially considering I did get a D in U.S. history.

Pete Souza

Inclusivity increasing as more area high schools support unified sports and activities

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Hillcrest High School junior Kori Carmona Lopez wants to win, the same as any high school student-athlete.

“It’s my favorite part, of course,” she said.

Carmona Lopez, who plays unified soccer and basketball, bonds with her teammates.

“The best part of being a unified player is having helpers and making and being friends with them. I just love it,” she said. “We hang out, walk the mall, watch movies, do anything. They asked me to join LIA (Latinos-in-Action) so I’m doing more at school now. I just went to the Salsa-Salsa party; it was fun.”

That is a welcomed outcome, said Courtnie Worthen, manager of Special Olympics Utah’s Unified Champion Schools, that promotes a three-tier approach through unified sports, inclusive youth leadership and whole school engagement.

“The best things are the inclusion, the friendships they create, how the athletes are celebrated and are included in school activities,” she said.

Inclusion is increasing in area schools. When Worthen joined the Special Olympics staff four years ago, there were about 15 schools. Now, it’s “pushing 100.”

While Special Olympics encourages inclusion in all schools, a noticeable difference is seen in high schools. Brighton High Principal Tom Sherwood said it’s important.

“Everybody benefits,” he said. “We want our school to be a microcosm of our communities. Our special needs students don’t just make up 10 to 15% of schools; they make up 10 to 15% of our population. Inclusion needs to start in schools. The more we can learn to understand each other, the more it expands our humanity.”

Unified sports are a catalyst, Worthen said.

“Training and playing together often leads to friendship and more understanding,” she said.

Unified sports empower individuals with and without intellectual disabilities to play together, promoting inclusion through training and competition. Whether it’s sharing the ball in soccer and basketball or passing the baton in a track relay, students are participating in unified sports from elementary school to the professional level with Real Salt Lake’s unified team.

While the Utah High School Activities Association partnered to bring unified sports into high schools in 2012, a big push came two years ago when Gov. Spencer Cox and First Lady Abby Cox cheered on the high school unified soccer teams in the state championship games at Real Salt Lake’s stadium. Previously, state was

played on a high school field.

“The First Lady, as part of her initiative ‘Show Up,’ came on board and gave us a bigger microphone to share our mission. People started to notice and see what unified sports is and can be and they want to be a part of it,” Worthen said.

At this fall’s unified state soccer championships, Miss America Emma Broyles sang the national anthem, and Miss Utah Lindsey Larsen and RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath joined her to award medals.

Last year, the unified state basketball tournament was held at Weber State University, which attracted college and semi-professional mascots and cheer squads to join high school cheerleaders in supporting the athletes. Unified track this year will be included in the state track and field meet at Brigham Young University.

Unified Champion School’s College-growth Coordinator Boston Iacobazzi said 37 high school unified soccer teams competed this fall and estimates 56 teams will play basketball in March.

“We’re looking at having three unified team sports and three unified individual or pair sports per year,” he said. “We have soccer, basketball, swimming and track and field right now; we’re deciding which sports to possibly add.”

Brighton, which won a state unified basketball title last year, also has students compete in unified soccer and has individuals on the swim team.

“If we truly believe high school sports add value to students’ educational experience, why wouldn’t you want as many students who are able to participate? It’s a very authentic experience and opportunity for everybody to benefit,” Sherwood said. “It’s a win-win.”

Jordan teammates sophomore Xavier Steggell and junior Cael Sieverts played together this past soccer season.

“It’s great to get to do sports and support each other,” Sieverts said. “We spend time practicing and hanging out together.”

Steggell added that it’s competitive, yet fun.

“We’re getting to enjoy the sport for the pure fun of it,” he said.

That’s what six-year Hillcrest High unified coach Shannon Hurst appreciates.

“I like the joy little things bring to the athletes, like kicking the ball or dribbling it down the field or court,” she said. “It offers perspective. Those little things bring so much happiness. The more buy-in and getting involved as faculty, with support from admin(istration) and our community, the bigger it has grown and been accepted. That’s important. They deserve the same kind of recognition, the same programming and the same support.”

Iacobazzi, who completed his student

teaching for his college degree at Alta High, reignited unified sports at the school.

“Being a coach gave me a different experience than being a partner,” he said. “As a unified partner, I was there to have fun playing alongside the athletes. As a coach, I’m teaching them how to be inclusive, playing together. What helped was the partners. A lot of them were peer tutors in the classroom. Alta’s girls’ soccer team taught a bunch of drills, and some of those girls just kept playing with the team.”

Iacobazzi didn’t grow up playing soccer. He first was a peer tutor, then his first soccer experience was playing for his high school unified team, under Hurst, when Hillcrest represented the nation at the 2018 Special Olympics USA games. Iacobazzi helped gain momentum with forming Real Salt Lake’s unified team.

In a state qualifying matchup, Alta played against Murray High, who eventually became state champions. Murray brothers Braedon and Turbo Domiguez played in the championships and their parents, Kim and Dean, witnessed their gold medal win.

“This program gives our kids a chance to get out and participate,” Kim Domiguez said. “As special needs’ parents, we spend all our time when they’re little trying to teach them the basics—how to eat, how to talk to somebody, how to interact. We’ve

missed out on our kids growing up playing soccer and basketball, so this has been really nice to feel like a soccer mom. We brought our cooler full of Gatorade, our canopy and chairs. This is our time to cheer for our kids.”

That feeling of “belonging” stretches to the athletes on the field.

“These kids are there for each other. They cheer for everyone. It doesn’t matter which side you are on. They’re excited for everyone to score and have that success. They still want to win, but they want everyone to have fun,” Domiguez said, adding that high school cheerleaders also cheer for every player at all schools.

Her husband said learning skills and translating those in a game has given his sons confidence and a sense of accomplishment.

“On the field, they learn key concepts of the game that you practiced with them, so when they get the goal or they get the stop as a goalkeeper, you can see that moment of joy when they see they ‘got it,’” he said.

Domiguez agrees: “It’s that love of sport and team in their eyes. It’s the same for all athletes. They will raise their arms, jump up and down, dance. They just light up.”

Parent Misti Smith watched her son Ashton play on Hunter High’s unified team.

In October 2022, Murray High’s Best Buddies club held a Halloween party with several activities students with disabilities and their peers did together. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

“Our children would not get these opportunities if it wasn’t brought into the schools,” she said. “I would never have known that Ashton even liked soccer or basketball, but these opportunities came, and I’ve watched his competence and confidence grow. He feels like a rock star when he comes to these games.”

Hunter parent Christie Rasmussen was cheering on her daughter Whitney, who made the first goal of the state semifinals.

“My daughter is making friends that she necessarily probably wouldn’t ever had if it had not been for this program,” Rasmussen said, adding that now Whitney is a cheerleader for the Wolverines. “Because of this, our gen(eral) ed(ucation) kids come and cheer.”

That happened at the recent regional soccer tournament Hunter hosted when students came with their classes.

“When they cheered, these kids saw their faces there for them. It’s building the camaraderie between the students and making our athletes feel like they’re actual Hunter Wolverines and that they have a place here,” Rasmussen said. “It’s (partner student-athletes) who we parents thank God for because they’re angels on earth and make our kids feel like somebody.”

She credits unified sports as the spark that is extending more opportunities to special education students.

“Because of this team, it has pushed our faculty to realize our kids have these abilities that can be extended. Our theater teacher got approval for them to perform an adaptive musical,” Rasmussen said, adding that Whitney was cast as Belle in “Beauty and the Beast,” which was performed in early December.

Last spring, Hunter students pledged

to be inclusive by signing a poster that hung in the school and many students participate in the unified class taught by PE teacher and unified coach, Ashley Ellis.

Ellis said after-school practices aren’t feasible for everyone, so she created a unified class following the lifetime activities curriculum.

“I wanted our students to participate in unified sports, and thought, that’s a way to get more kids involved,” she said, starting with sharing with the partner students the history of Special Olympics and the goal of inclusion.

Together, they introduce different sports’ skills.

“As a PE teacher, I saw those kids come into our regular PE classes, and they were not as successful as they could have been. To flip the script and make the class for them and with our regular ed students helping them, it’s changed the playbook so they can be successful,” she said, adding often those partner students join the school’s three unified sports teams. “It’s been the greatest thing. Other schools may think this class is a big daunting task, but the benefit far outweighs any work. Through unified sports, they enjoy sport at its purest form. Unified takes everything that is good about sports and celebrates it.”

Hunter’s unified class is held before lunch.

“Everybody goes into the lunchroom together; they eat together and they’re all laughing. Before, many of them didn’t, they weren’t sure where they fit. Now, that inclusivity flows into other areas of our school,” she said.

Many schools have peer tutors who help students with disabilities be successful.

“They are their buddies who escort them to places, provide support and help them integrate with the rest of the kids,” Sherwood said, adding last spring, Brighton’s peer tutors organized a prom designed for about 50 students with severe cognitive or physical disabilities.

At Murray High, peer tutor Farrah Baldwin said she’s “there to help and answer questions, but not to do it for them.”

Her classmate Kendall Bridgewater is a peer tutor in a foods class.

“When these kids with disabilities go into gen ed classes, others get to understand the things that are easier and harder for them to do and that helps everyone be less judgmental and more just willing to get to know them,” she said. “Plus, with cooking, they’re learning a life skill and I’m getting to learn it too. The other day I learned there are five different ways to cook an egg.”

Both seniors are part of Murray High’s Best Buddies, a nonprofit organization that supports inclusion through friendship and leadership. Murray’s club activities stretch from making slime to pumpkin bowling to hosting a Friendsgiving. Plans are underway for a friendship walk in April.

“Everyone in the club knows they have a buddy and can hang out together,” Baldwin said.

Bridgewater is on board: “I want to be a person they can come to in the hallways or see outside of school and know they have a friend.”

Club adviser and unified coach Jessie Agiriga said they’re building an inclusive school environment.

“We want our community to realize everyone has a place where they belong, they are heard, and they are seen,” she said. “Our club officers, who are both special education students and their peers, plan and

organize activities for the school. As a result, our students naturally pair up to form friendships.”

Throughout the state, special education and general education students have paired up to serve on Special Olympics’ Youth Activation Commission where, as school leaders, they learn how to spread inclusion in their school, said Iacobazzi, adding at February’s youth summit, students will discuss the unified generation and how to empower peer leaders.

Special Olympics Utah CEO Scott Weaver explained that each step builds.

“We’re hoping they feel valued as an athlete and they’re seen as part of their school’s athletic program; they’re getting the attention at a pep rally and having fans in the stadium waving the flags and banners for them,” he said. “By having the opportunity to belong to a club, they’re impacting the school as leaders. The third part is whole school inclusion.”

Schoolwide activities have ranged from inclusive assemblies and themed spirit days to Disney Days and fitness challenges.

In addition to Unified Champion Schools, Worthen said two high schools recently were added to make four Utah schools who have met and are sustaining 10 requirements to qualify as national banner schools. Hillcrest, which earned the recognition in 2019, is the only one in the area.

Sherwood said inclusivity benefits both the school and the community.

“As schools start down the road of being as inclusive as they can and provide opportunities for all students, people are going to see the value,” he said. “Once you see it, then you’ll never turn back.” l

In May 2022, Brighton High held its first inclusive prom with peer tutors dancing along with special needs students in the school’s commons. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

At Hillcrest High, freshman Isabelle Wood pied math teacher Matt Synder during a schoolwide assembly in November 2022. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Murray 2022

Woodstock Principal Brenda Byrnes expected a mishap in the gym when she was told she was needed, not to be awarded with the Excel Award. (Photo courtesy of Granite School District)

Cottonwood then-freshman Sophia Arlen rides in a mountain biking JV-B race. (Anthony Stowe/ CottonCrest)

Hillcrest Junior High teacher Gabriel Smith offers Dungeons & Dragons as a part of the school’s new after-school program as an opportunity for students to learn teamwork. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

At the USA national preliminaries, Murray High coach Lia Smith said the team had its best performance of the year. (Photo courtesy of Universal Event Photography)

A sign encourages toddlers to find circles and triangles (an early math skill) at Wheeler Farm. (Photo courtesy of the Utah STEM Action Center)

Murray Library’s mascot “Murray the Dragon.” (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)

Sariah Taeoalii dribbles past a defender having played with her sister on Samoa’s youth national team. (Photo courtesy of Kelly Taeoalii)

Tayshaun Tramel was pivotal for Murray’s deep run into the playoffs. It was the Spartans first semifinal appearance since 2011. Murray finished 20-8 on the year. (Photo by Roger V. Tuttle)

U.S. Olympic luger Chris Mazdzer and Murray resident, competed in his fourth winter Olympics. (Photograph by Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons)

Bud Sadler and Paul Nicholls kiss Julie Wallentine, holding their gold medals at the Southeast Idaho Senior Games. (Photo courtesy of Sena Vick)

Felix Gallegos sits on the buddy bench he donated in memory of his wife, who taught at Woodstock Elementary, giving students kindness bracelets. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Murray High take a shot on goal versus Alta during the state playoffs. The unified soccer team was crowned state champions. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

And they’re off! Viewmont Elementary students take off running in the return of the Leprechaun Leap run. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Relena Pattison tosses a color guard rifle. Pattison offers a website for color guard teams to learn about concussions. (Photo courtesy of Relena Pattison)

come into city hall,” Hill said.

The new city council chamber is three times the size of the current room. As the most distinctive part of the building, the chamber protrudes out in a semicircle and is cloaked in copper-colored metal sheeting. The council will also enjoy a larger Committee of the Whole room.

Outside the council chambers is a concrete stage area with seawall platforms that people can sit on.

“There has been talk about having some street fairs during the year, where we can close down Fifth Avenue—which is on the south side of city hall—and set up some food trucks,” Hill said. “The library’s talked about having some of their outdoor reading events over there.”

In welcoming a new city hall, the city will also say goodbye to the old one.

“I can say that it was going to be sold in the first half of 2023,” Hill said. “Everything on the block, with the exception of the FiiZ (soda) store, insurance building, and the little café; those three properties are not owned by the city. But everything else on the block—the old school district building, the alternative high school building—will be sold together with city hall.”

No plans or stipulations exist for the current city hall, originally Arlington Elementary School.

“There are some city councilmembers that are very anxious to get something (a proposal) before them,” Hill said.

City Councilman Garry Hrechkosy raised concerns with historic preservationists and residents living near city hall by being open to the possibility of putting up a high-rise that would border Murray Park. Hrechkosy told the Murray Journal, “I think that we need to maximize value to our citizens and follow the zoning as laid out. We would need to look at every angle.”

Also potentially up for sale is the Murray Chapel. The city acquired the chapel in 2017; it was built in 1926 and has historical protections. Adjacent to the chapel is a vacant lot, purchased by the city with many properties in downtown Murray’s Block One.

“The historical protections can be removed very easily since the city owns the property. All that’s required right now in the ordinances is that the mayor just has to basically write a letter to the planning department and request the historical protection be removed…It’s as simple as that,” Hill said.

Another change prompted by the closure of city hall will be the relocation of the Murray Museum, from city hall to the yet-to-be-restored Murray Mansion. The mansion was part of the city’s 2017 Block One purchase and will also house the city’s cultural arts offices.

“Right now, they’re waiting to get a building permit to start the renovation. So far, there have been some minor renovations done to that building that don’t require building permits, like a new roof, new gutters, and new windows, but the major work that’s taking place is going through the building permit process right now. They’ll have to be ready to go by at least May,” Hill said.

Also waiting for permits is the Murray Theater. The theater renovation has been delayed due to loss of funding during the pandemic. Murray City has been surveying the public on what to program in the new venue, which they hope to release the survey results this year. The city also recently purchased property behind the facility for access.

“I’ve heard people say that they think we could get it ready by the fall of 2023. Honestly, I’m skeptical that it would take that short of time, but I think there’s hope that it could be ready by fall. I think, realistically, probably not till 2024,” Hill said.

The wheels have just started turning on the Murray Armory project. The old National Guard structure bordering Murray Park’s arboretum could become a reception center or event hall. Discussions have included adding a creekside patio on Little Cottonwood Creek or outfitting the floor with pickleball courts. The city is coming up with schematic designs and cost

Murray City will vote on a proposal from Salt Lake County to transfer Riverview Park to the city. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)

estimates to present to the city council.

Murray City could be getting new parks in 2023—“new” in the sense that they are currently part of Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation. The county proposed that the city take over two parks, Woodstock Meadows (1060 E. Hyland Lake Drive) and Riverview Park (5840 S. 700 West). The parks would not come with any funding. Instead, the city would pick up an additional $60,000 in estimated annual maintenance costs.

The city council will vote on the proposal early 2023, and then the Salt Lake County Council will need to approve it. The county has already offloaded several other small parks to neighboring cities, like Millcreek, who agreed to the transfers.

Murray Water customers will notice the implementation of a new automated metering integration system in 2023. AMI will allow the city to monitor meter readings more efficiently. However, the biggest concern for the city is electricity.

“The biggest question right now that we have for 2023 is what’s going to happen with energy… there are a lot of different forces in play right now with power,” Hill said. “I mean, coal is hard to come by. People don’t like it. Some of the resources we have, like the coal-powered Hunter (Power) Plant, come with questions about how long that plant will be open. Right now, you can’t get coal because one of the big coal mines in Utah is on fire....We have the IPP plant, and they’re converting to natural gas, but California is taking much of that power.”

Also problematic for Murray Power customers is the ability of Glen Canyon Dam to provide power. Lake Powell has hit record-low levels and should the lake lower below the dam’s intake, it may not be able to generate electricity.

“Power might actually be probably one of the biggest issues that our citizens will be impacted by next year,” Hill said. “We may have to go out and buy power on the market, pay higher rates for what we currently do with our existing resources.”

Murray City Council will welcome a new member in 2023, due to the resignation of District 1 City Councilor Kat Martinez. Martinez relocated to Oregon for a new job, and the city council will choose a replacement to start in January. On Dec. 11, former Planning Commissioner Phil Markham was appointed to fill the vacancy.

Martinez was responsible for bringing a new face and department to city hall: Conlon Bonner, Murray’s new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion consultant. During the Nov. 1 city council meeting, Mayor Brett Hales announced Bonner’s hiring, which was prompted by a recommendation from the city’s DEI task force.

Tenants are starting to take up residence in the Murray Square (4672 S. 900 East) development. Having replaced the former Kmart building, the project is currently leasing 300 units, with another 121 on the way. The development will also have retail space that fronts 900 East.

After a controversial start, Boyer Company’s redevelopment of the former RC Willey site has commenced. Originally proposed as a mixed-use development, Boyer scaled back to include townhomes.

Also controversial, the Hamlet development on Bullion Street has capped the contaminants of the former smelter and will soon begin constructing homes and townhomes. Just as contentious, the Vine Apartments, which replaced the former Mount Vernon school, are scheduled to open. Across the street from it, developers are planning two new projects, the “Wyatt” and “Noah,” on Center Street, that will be four-stories tall.

Still in the works are developers’ ideas about the future of the Pointe (5300 S. State St.) and the former Murray Fun Dome property. A permit was sought to demolish the former Fun Dome structure, but city planning staff rejected the developer’s plans.

According to Hill, nothing is happening with Block One in downtown Murray, but that could change if the city council alters the current Murray City Center District ordinance.

“We’ve been recommending that the city sell the property,” Hill said. “We are still waiting to hear what they (the city council) want to do on Block One and the downtown area.”

Murray residents can shop and eat at new establishments in 2023. Many customers were shocked to hear the long-lived eatery Restaurant Morelia (6098 S. State St.) closed. After 33 years, owner David Gonzalez decided to retire. A new Mexican restaurant, Casa Linda, will open in its place.

Across the street, Morgan Jewelers is relocating its Fashion Place Mall store. Along with retail space, the building will include its company offices. The former jewelry store’s property will be replaced by two new restaurants: Crack Shack (a fried chicken café) and Via 313 Pizza.

Finally, the trendy convenience store chain Kum & Go will open its first Utah location on 900 East and Vine Street. l

The former Murray School District administrative building (l) and Creekside High School, now owned by Murray City, will be put up for sale. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)

The Vine mixed-use development nears completion, while two new, equally sized developments, the “Noah” and “Wyatt,” are proposed to go in across the street. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)

Murray City Hall candy display recreates the olden days

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

Candy artist Raelyn Webster decorated Murray City Hall’s internal display case with images of notable early Murray businesses made of candy. She recreated Harry Haynes’s general store, Murray Coal &

Lumber Company and Utah Whip Factory; all were late 1800 merchants in downtown Murray. The scene was complete with shoppers in period dress and a 1900-era Stanley Steamer automobile. l

Operation Santa delivers smiles to Murray schoolchildren

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

MurrayCity Police and Fire assisted the Murray City Rotary Club and the Murray City School District with their Dec. 11 annual Operation Santa. This year, Murray City School District invited 98 students in need from three different elementary schools to participate.

As part of the event, Murray City first responders escorted youngsters in school buses down State Street with lights and si-

Phil Markham appointed to Murray City Council

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

Aformer Murray City Planning Commission member, Phil Markham, was appointed to fill the vacancy of District 1 City Councilor Kat Martinez at a Dec. 12 special City Council meeting.

Markham was one of six applicants (nine had applied initially), including former city councilor Jeff Dredge, Roberto Paul Picket, Michael Richards, David Rodgers and Scot Woodbury. Markham had spent 30 years employed with Murray City, with stints as Parks & Recreation Superintendent and Public Services Deputy Director.

Markham and Richards advanced through two rounds of voting. With no super majority by the city council, state law required the finalist to be drawn by lot. Recorder Brooke Smith ultimately pulled Markham’s name, and he was sworn into the council. l

rens to meet Santa at the Murray Goodwill store. After being greeted by Santa and Mrs. Claus, they were paired up with a first responder to do some Christmas shopping and receive a pair of cold-weather boots for the year. This event was a community partnership between the Rotary Club with Goodwill, Sam's Club, Utah Power Credit Union, Murray City School District, Murray City Fire and Police. l

Phil Markham takes the oath of office as Murray City District 1 City Councilor. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)

A panorama of early Murray businesses made from candy. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)

Murray City first responders pose with Santa at the Murray Goodwill store during Operation Santa. (Photo courtesy of Murray Police Department)

Who is a Murrayite?

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

What do you call someone from Murray? There is no official designation of what to title a Murray resident, but some suggestions have included Murrayians, Murrayers, or Murrayans. However, Murrayite appears most frequently in local publications and was first referenced to a denizen by the American Eagle newspaper in 1897.

After the U.S. Census Bureau posted its 2020 census data on Murray, it answered the question of who a Murrayite is. According to its data, a Murrayite is most likely a white female high school graduate between 18 and 65 who owns a home.

For perhaps the first time, Murray’s population actually decreased. According to census data estimates (www.census.gov/ quickfacts/murraycityutah), Murray’s population went down 2%: 49,729 from 50,743 people in 2021. Although there are no conclusions as to why there was a decrease, the 2020 census data was problematic since it was conducted during a pandemic, and the number of census respondents was not typical.

Yet there have been no calls of alarm from the city. Murray has been going through a building boom of higher-density housing, and the deficit of 1,014 people is likely temporary. Murray has grown 9.1% since 2000.

A report from the Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah states, “The southwest, south-central and central areas of the county contain the tracts with the highest amounts of population growth, mainly located in South Jordan, Herriman and Bluffdale….The tracts with the highest percentage growth rates were more scattered. A few South Jordan and Herriman tracts are among these, but tracts in Midvale, Salt Lake City, and Murray also demonstrate high rates of population growth.”

Age and Gender

While nearly proportional, females have the edge over males, 52% to 48%.

As far as age groups, twentysomethings are the largest, at 17%. Murray has a sizable offering of apartments and more affordable housing options, attracting younger adults. Thirtysomethings comprise the next largest age group, at 16%; and teenagers make up the third largest group, at 13%.

When you average Murray’s ages together, 37 is the median age for a Murrayite. This is slightly higher than Salt Lake County (33%) and 10% older than Utah’s median age of 31.1.

Murray’s population is younger than the United States as a whole as the national average of 38.1 years. An estimated 17.7% of Murray’s population is 65 years and over, compared to 16.9% of the U.S. population.

Race

Utah’s 18th largest city (down four spots since the last census) is decidedly White: 85.8% of city residents listed their race as White. Murray’s next largest race category is “Two or more” races (5.1%), followed by Asian (3.7%) and Black (1.6%).

One in 10 Murrayites is Hispanic or Latino. Hispanic can be of a variety of racial backgrounds. The census clarified that the number of Murrayites identifying as White alone and not Hispanic or Latino is 79.3%.

According to 24/7 Wall St. (www.247wallst.com/city/ murray-utah-population-and-demographics/), a financial news and opinion company, “Nationally, some 61.1% of Americans identify as White, 12.3% as Black or African American, 0.7% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 5.4% as Asian, 0.2% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 17.8% as Hispanic or Latino, and 2.6% as some other race or combination of races.”

An estimated 91% of Murray residents are native-born, meaning they were born in the United States, Puerto Rico, a U.S. island area, or abroad to a U.S. citizen. Of the 8% foreign-born population, 42.9% have become naturalized U.S. citizens.

“Some of the most commonly reported ancestries in Mur-

ray include English, German, European, Irish, and American. Measured by location quotient—comparing the city share to the national share—some of the most highly concentrated ancestries in the city are Sudanese, Afghan, and Iraqi,” 24/7 Wall St. reports.

Census data reflects up to 10 of the most common responses given by residents for the share of the population for which the Census Bureau has published classifications. As these are self-reported, some respondents report a broader ancestry than others.

By far, at 88%, English is the primary language in Murray. The second most spoken language in Murray is Spanish, with 5% being the primary tongue; this is lower than Salt Lake County’s average of 12% and Utah’s at 10%.

Religion

Information conglomerate firm BestPlaces (www.bestplaces.net/people/city/utah/murray) reports that 75.4% of the people in Murray are religious. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dominates the town (61.1%), with Catholics comprising 9% and nondenominational Christians at 1%.

Uniquely, Murray is less religious than Salt Lake City Metro, which is 76.3%, and Utah at 82.3%.

Housing

Buying a home is the biggest single purchase most Murrayites make during their lives, which 65% of the residents have done. Per Realtor.com, “The median listing home price in Murray, Utah, was $499.5K in Oct. 2022, trending up 8.6% year-over-year.”

Finding a home in Murray can be difficult. Per the census, 84% of Murrayites have stayed in their home for at least a year, which translates to fewer houses on the market.

“The average rent for an apartment in Murray is $1,497,” RentCafe reported. “The average size for a Murray, Utah, apartment is 868 square feet, but this number varies greatly depending on unit type, with cheap and luxury alternatives for houses and apartments alike.”

Murray currently has 20% more renter-occupied units than Salt Lake County and 1.3 times more than the State of Utah’s average.

Family

Half of all Murrayites are married, which is consistent with Salt Lake County but lower than Utah’s 57% overall average.

Roughly, Murray has 14,570 households with nearly three

According to recent voting in national elections and campaign contributions, Murrayites tend to be center-left on the political spectrum. (Graphic courtesy of BestPlaces.net)

people per home. The U.S. Census Bureau defines a household as all the people who occupy a single housing unit, regardless of their relationship to one another.

Of all households, 61% are comprised of married couples. Murray has 1.4 times more nonfamily households than Salt Lake County and Utah as a whole. Much of this can be attributed to younger renter-occupied housing where roommates are common. Female householders are 13%, and male householders are 6% respectively.

Prosperity

American Community Survey’s Census Reporter (www. censusreporter.org/) stated in 2020 that the median household income for Murray was $65,397. Per capita, Murrayites made $32,798 in income. Also, 5.7% of Murrayites live below the poverty line, which is about two-thirds of the rate in Salt Lake County (8.6%), and about three-fifths of the rate in Utah (9.1%).

Just over 11.1% of Murrayites don’t have health insurance.

Murray mirrors county and state average for residents having a high school diploma (95%), and roughly the same for having a bachelor’s degree or higher (36%).

On average, a Murrayite’s commute to work takes about 19.7 minutes, with 74% opting to drive and 4% taking public transit. In addition, 10% worked at home. Also, 94% of Murrayites have a computer, and 88% have broadband internet services.

Politics

If a candidate were to run for office in Murray, the more centrist they are, the better their chance of success. BestPlaces Liberal/Conservative Index places Murray at center-left. Murrayites are not as liberal as Salt Lake City or County residents, but they are not nearly as conservative as Utahns overall.

In the last 20 years, Murrayites split the presidential vote. In 2000, 2004, and 2012 the Republican candidate received Murray’s support; in 2008, 2016, and 2020, it backed the Democratic candidate.

In the last four years, according to the Federal Election Commission, in Murray (2018-21), there were 8,598 contributions totaling $1,038,493 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $121 per contribution. In the same time frame, there were 2,276 contributions totaling $1,192,477 to the Republican Party and conservative movements, averaging $524 per contribution.

Murray’s demographics can shift dramatically as large multi-use developments come online. Nearly 1,000 new units will be available in 2023 thus bringing in more younger and diverse residents. The next census will take place in 2030. l

A breakdown of average rents in Murray City. (Graphic courtesy of BestPlaces.net)

Semifinalists

Photos by Travis Barton

Chudi Anosike is back for the Spartans. One of the best scorers in the state a year ago, the senior returns averaging 35 points through four games.

Freshman Blake Vega-Chand has seen significant minutes for the Spartans in the early going.

Senior Devontae Hooks is one of a handful of returners for the Spartans from last year’s semifinalist team.

After two blowout wins to start the season, Murray then dropped games against Riverton and Juan Diego.

Fall Prep Roundup

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

GIRLS SOCCER: 5A REGION 6 - Murray High School

Fall

State Tournament Recap: Lehi defeats Murray during first round 2-1.

GIRLS SOCCER: 5A REGION 7 - Cottonwood High School

VOLLEYBALL: 5A REGION 7 - Murray High School

The Murray High girls soccer team fell to Lehi in the first round of the state tournament. (City Journals)

team sports have wrapped up for Murray area high schools. Here are the standings for Murray and Cottonwood High teams plus summaries of any state tournament action.

FOOTBALL: 5A REGION 6 - Murray High School

State Tournament Recap: Park City defeats Murray during first round three sets to two.

VOLLEYBALL: 5A REGION 7 - Cottonwood High School

Murray football endured a winless region season. (City Journals)

FREQUENTLY REQUESTED NUMBERS

Grant Elementary . . . . . . 801-264-7416

Heritage Center (Senior Programming) 801-264-2635

Hillcrest Jr. High . . . . . . . 801-264-7442

Horizon Elementary . . . . 801-264-7420

Liberty Elementary . . . . . 801-264-7424

Longview Elementary 801-264-7428

Ken Price Ball Park 801-262-8282

Miss Murray Competition (Lindsey D. Smith) 801-699-2288

McMillan Elementary 801-264-7430

Murray Area Chamber of Commerce. 801-263-2632

Murray Arts Advisory Board (Lori Edmunds) 801-264-2614

Murray Boys & Girls Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801-268-1335

Murray City Cemetery 801-264-2637

Murray Community Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801-264-7414

Murray High School 801-264-7460

Murray Museum 801-264-2589

Murray Parks and Recreation O ce 801-264-2614

Murray Parkway Golf Course 801-262-4653

Murray Park Aquatics Pool . . . . . . . . . 801 290-4190

Mick Riley Golf Course (SL County). . . . . . . . . . . . 801-266-8185

Parkside Elementary . . . . 801-264-7434

Riverview Jr. High 801-264-7446

Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation . . . . . . . . 801-468-2560

Salt Lake County Ice Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801-270-7280

The Park Center 801-284-4200

Viewmont Elementary 801-264-7438

Mayor’s Message

Code Enforcement

Have you ever driven by a yard lled with junk cars and weeds and wondered why the property owners are allowed to have that mess? Truthfully, they aren’t allowed.

There are many types of violations that the City can enforce. Those violations include parking issues, weeds, yard waste and debris, inoperable vehicles, abandoned vehicles, yard parking, sidewalk and street obstructions, illegal dumping, pest control, storm drain pollution, homeless camps, people living in trailers, business license violations, illegal camping, failure to remove snow, additions to a building without a permit. and other similar issues. The issues are often brought to the attention of the City’s Code Enforcement o cials when complaints are led. Code enforcement is a broad term used to describe actions that city sta take to ensure that city ordinances are followed. These ordinances often address operation of businesses, environmental issues, maintaining properties, parking, and other concerns of public health, safety and welfare.

If such a yard or other problems exist in your neighborhood, here are some things to consider and possible ways to handle the situation. There are issues that code enforcement cannot address:

• Property line disputes.

• Unkempt properties, i.e., peeling paint, failing roof, dead grass, fallen fence, broken concrete.

• Landlord’s failure to repair the roof or control parking issues at an apartment.

• Tree branches or limbs hanging over the property line.

• Legal parking on a public street (there are rules about what type and how long a vehicle can be parked on a street).

• Barking or dangerous dogs or other animals. These concerns should be directed to Murray City Animal Control.

• Certain actions on private property such as vehicle impounds are outside a code enforcement o cer’s jurisdiction. Many other violations such as the ones listed above, however, are enforceable in residential yards and business yards/lots.

• Although citations may be issued, code enforcement o cers are not able to perform or facilitate the actual clean-up of waste/debris or vehicles from residential and/or business yards.

MAYOR’S OFFICE

Brett A. Hales -Mayor mayor@murray.utah.gov 801-264-2600 5025 S. State Street Murray, Utah 84107

The best way to le a complaint is through the City’s website, www.murray. utah.gov. Look for the “Report a Concern” option. Clicking on this link will bring up a llable form. Using the website is the fastest way to make sure all the di erent City sta who help with code enforcement can see the complaint and respond. It also helps us to track progress as a team, and keep you informed. A complaint can also be led by calling the following:

• Police department dispatch at 801-840-8400, for immediate attention after hours, please call 801-840-4000.

• Police department receptionist at 801-264-2673

• Community & Economic Development at 801-270-2420

Enforcement o cers respond to most complaints within 1-2 working days. If necessary, the property owners are given notice with a reasonable amount of time to resolve the violation. But if the property owner is unwilling to cooperate, the item may be taken through court proceedings, which could take months to resolve.

Are new property owners responsible for violations that existed prior to the purchase of the property? Yes. The new owner is responsible to bring the property into compliance.

Code enforcement o cers spend most of their time responding to complaints. However, they also follow up on issues that came to their attention while they are working on the other complaints or issues.

THE PARK CENTER HOURS

Monday - Friday 5:30am - 9pm Saturday 7am - 5pm Sunday 9am - 2pm

Coming Soon…. KidZone reservation process moving to online reservations Evil Scientist classes for kids Birthday Party Rentals

Updated Aquatics Activity Pool Hours

Beginning January 1: Extended hours for Adult Swim time until 12pm Monday-Friday. Open Plunge will begin at 12pm MondayFriday.

Fitness

In an attempt to streamline our KidZone reservation online, we need to change a few of our classes and their times. We are hopeful this will not create a hardship for those attending our awesome Group Fitness classes.

If you aren't attending... what's holding you back? We have an amazing and diverse group of instructors and I am confident you can find a class that works for Come give it a try... and thank you for your understanding about moving class times.

M URRAY S ENIOR R ECREATION C ENTER

10 East 6150 South, Murray, Utah 84107 801-264-2635

seniorrec@murray.utah.gov murray.utah.gov/140Senior-Recreation-Center mcreg.com

Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Closed Saturday and Sunday

Check our website for any changes in programs.

DAILY LUNCH BY CHEF OMAR LIMON

Date: Tuesday through Friday

Time: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Cost: Cost is $5; prior registration not required

SPECIAL EVENTS

Family Concert Series

Date: Monday, Jan. 9 – Paul Boru with Dark Fiddle Time: 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Cost: Free; no appointment needed open to all ages and doors open at 6:00 p.m.

CLASSES

Ceramics

Date: Tuesday and Thursday Time: 9:00 a.m. – noon

Cost: $1.50 each class plus cost of supplies

Grief Support

Date: Friday, Jan. 13 and 27 Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Cost: Free; Register now

Vital Aging: Healthy Relationships

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 17 Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Cost: Free; register now

EXERCISE

Daily Exercise Classes – check our current newsletter for the schedule

PROGRAMS

Hand and Foot Card Game

Date: Mondays

Time: 12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

Bridge Lessons Date: Mondays

Time: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

Mexican Train Dominos Game

Date: Thursdays

Time: 12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Cost: Free

10-Week Storytelling Workshop

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 18 – Wednesday, Mar. 22 Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Cost: Free; Register now

HEALTH SERVICES

Blood Pressure Clinic by Harmony Home Health

Date: Thursday, Jan. 12 Time: 10:30 a.m. – noon

Cost: Free; no appointment necessary

Hearing Screening Date: Mondays Time: 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Cost: Free; advance appointment required

Haircuts

Date: Wednesdays

Time: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Cost: $10; advance appointment required

Massage Therapy Date: Thursdays

Time: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Cost: $20 for half-hour or $40 for hour; advance appointment required

DANCE

Line Dance: Beginning Date: Tuesdays

Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Cost: $10 for the month; register now Thursday Evening Social Dance

Live Music provided by Tony Summerhays Date: Thursdays Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Cost: $5

COMMUNITY MATTERS

STORYTELLING WORKSHOPS

Storytelling workshops are a great opportunity and fun way for children, teens, and adults, to develop story writing and storytelling skills. As workshops are confirmed, locations and schedules will be posted on the Cultural Arts webpage at: www.murray.utah.gov/1293/Murray-Storytelling-Showcase

Library Residency

January 21 – March 4, 2023, Saturdays only. 1:00 – 3:00 PM. Open to all students grades 3-12. Murray City Library (166 East 5300 South).

*To register or for more information, contact suzhudson@comcast.net

Senior Recreation Center Residency

January 18 – March 22, 2023, Wednesdays only. 10:00 – 11:30 AM. For ages 18 and older. Please contact the Senior Recreation Center at 801-264-2635, with questions. *You do not need to be a member to participate. For more information or to receive updates, email klindquist@murray.utah.gov

Candy Display at Murray City Hall!

Honoring Murray’s past, these sweet festive displays are available to view in the central hallway display case in Murray City Hall (5025 S State Street) from December 1, 2022 – January 27, 2023. City Hall hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.

Artists: Raelyn and Bill Webster

Harry Haynes “Strip Mall”

Harry Haynes came to Utah in 1870 and constructed a collection of commercial buildings along the west side of State Street. In 1882, he was appointed postmaster of South Cottonwood. A year later he petitioned to rename the post office after General George Custer or the Territorial Governor Eli Murray. The name “Murray” was chosen and later adopted as the city’s official name when incorporated in 1902. Much, if not all, of the Haynes complex was destroyed by fire in 1892 and later replaced by the Commercial Hall and Opera House Block.

Murray Coal & Lumber Co.

Murray Coal & Lumber Co. was operated by Frank C. Howe, who maintained an office and yard on State Street, just north of Vine. There was a second yard located on the west side of 4800 South. Arthur worked for the company as a yardman and foreman for about 5 years. Photo taken circa 1915 and contributed by Merle Casper. Pictured is Arthur F. Hobbs (right) and an unidentified man.

Utah Whip Factory

The Utah Whip Factory was located half a block north of 4800 South on State Street. Owned by John and Sarah Lym, it was also known as the Buggy Whip Factory. *Bertha Arnold Turnbow used to work there and would make cane, rawhide, and riding whips. Her wages were 50 cents per day on Saturdays and $1.50 per week, for Monday through Friday. *The History of Murray City, 1976, page 428.

Colts prove formidable in early season games

By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

Last year, the Cottonwood Colts boys basketball team hosted its first state playoff game in 15 years, finished with a winning record and only lost one of its leading scorers.

Athletic Director Greg Southwick and head coach Marc Miller are feeling confident about their team’s chances this year.

“They are looking good; they’ll be one of the top 5A teams,” Southwick said. “I’ll be awfully surprised if they’ll aren’t in the top 10 for most of the year.”

Junior Chris Cox returns and at 10.4 points per game was the Colts third option last year. Two seniors, Aidan Oliphant [their top rebounder] are back as is three-point specialist senior Max Russo; the question will turn to who fills those other two starting spots.

Southwick said he likes senior Kirath Makhar at the point guard spot—and senior Jackson Price is going to get some minutes as well.

Others in the Cottonwood back court who could play a role and got minutes on last year’s team include junior Ryan Nielson—the kicker on the Colts football team who went viral after his fair catch-free kick at Jordan—and sophomore Mason Tolley.

In the front court, the Colts will have junior Roman Caywood—along with some new kids who the Cottonwood AD said shined at the open tryouts that coach Miller held in Cottonwood’s main gym from Nov. 7-9.

Three weeks later, the most anticipated boys basketball team this school has had in years took the court 30 miles from home.

November To Remember

The Colts showed in their season opener that when they’re up against teams in Class 5A, they’re going to be tough to beat.

Cottonwood [1-1] shot 53% from the field and 45% from behind the painted arc to win 82-73 at 5A Mountain View Nov. 28. Junior Chris Cox led the Colts with 21 points and senior Makhar, 20, while Price tipped in 17.

On Nov. 30, however, Cottonwood was in foul trouble for most of the fourth quarter losing its home opener to 6A Herriman, 65-58.

The Colts cut Herriman’s lead to four with 1:05 left in the game. After the visitors were whistled for a foul, Cox had a tip-in on the inbounds pass to get to within two, 60-58.

After two Colts misses, Herriman drilled free throws on the other end to escape a loud and rowdy Cottonwood High gym with a win. Russo drilled four threes to pace the Colts with 12 points, while Cox scored 12 as well.

Cox is developing a disciplined shooting stroke. His 16 points per game average has come by way of 12-of-15 shooting from the field.

Makhar was another one who Miller added spent long hours over the summer honing his shot, and his 20 points at Mountain View also came with six assists, on 6-for-9 shooting.

On the glass, Oliphant has been a steady presence as evidenced by his 10-point, eight rebound outing at Mountain View as well. Junior Jackson Price’s 17 at Mountain View also came with seven rebounds and he added 11 points in the loss to Herriman. December

Now that November is in the rearview mirror of the warm, defrosted windows of that school bus, the Colts played their next two preseason games at home with victories over Skyline 77-73 on Dec. 6 and Brighton 70-54 on Dec. 9.

After that it was back on the bus for

more nonregion wins at 6A Taylorsville 9461 and 5A Park City 72-52, before the Colts come home to host crosstown rival Murray on Dec. 19.

Cottonwood were scheduled to then take the winter break off before returning to action for a four-day holiday tournament at which they played four traditional basketball powers: 3A Judge Memorial Dec. 27, 6A Kearns Dec. 28, followed by a game against 6A Riverton Dec. 29 and Dec. 30, against 6A Roy.

After that, it’s time for Region 7 action to begin as the Colts will travel to Cedar Valley on Jan. 4 and will have their region home opener Jan. 6, against Stansbury.

It was a brutal preseason schedule according to the Cottonwood AD, but this team has all the pieces to make a serious run at a region title and at state.

We’ll have a full recap of the Colts’ games in next month’s Murray Journal. l

Senior Jackson Price dropped 19 points, five assists and seven steals in a home victory over geographic rival Skyline Dec. 6. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

Senior Kirath Makhar was averaging almost 14 points per game through the Colts first three games of the season. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

A profile in unhoused courage

By Mimi Darley Dutton | m.dutton@mycityjournals.com

He’spolite, articulate and quick with a slew of clean jokes. He has a commercial driver’s license and currently works in security. He’s a “Star Trek” fan, a dad, and a dog and cat owner. His name is Lawrence Horman, and he’s homeless (depending on your perspective).

“I never intended to be a spokesperson or a poster boy for the homeless, but somebody has to speak up and advocate...I’ve been put in a unique position that allows me to do what most homeless can’t do for themselves,” he said.

Horman has been traveling to city council meetings throughout Salt Lake County to give insight into the plight of people in his predicament and to offer ideas for potential solutions. “Things have changed for the homeless, some for the better, some for the worse. I give a perspective of lived experience,” he said.

Horman said people in the homeless community and their advocates prefer the term unhoused, but he’s OK using the term homeless since it’s most familiar.

He was there in 2017 when a public meeting was held about Draper being a potential homeless shelter location. He was driving home from work that evening and heard a radio report that the meeting was happening at Draper Park Middle School. “I found out it was still going on so I went there, and I stood up to speak up for the homeless,” he said.

It was intended to be an open house with then Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, who had been tasked by the legislature with finding a shelter location within a short amount of time, and Draper Mayor Troy Walker. “It turned into a town hall where the mayors were

virtually forced onto the stage, visibly uncomfortable, and people lined up to voice their opinions from microphones. Everyone who said anything positive about the resource centers was booed, hissed and sworn at. I was so scared I was shaking. Me and one other person who are homeless got up to advocate for the homeless. When I got up, I said, ‘I am homeless, will you let me speak?’ Then they realized they’d been yelling about people they didn’t even know were in the room. They figured it was all housed people, you could tell by their reaction,” he said.

Since that time, Horman has tried to brainstorm solutions. One of his main points to those who will listen is, “People are people no matter what their living situation. Sometimes homeless people are manipulative, sometimes they aren’t, just like everybody else.” He feels strongly that the rates of drug addiction, mental illness and criminal activity are roughly the same percentage among the housed as the unhoused. “The significant difference between the housed and unhoused in those regards is that the unhoused don’t have walls to hide behind for those activities. The thing that most people don’t get is the people not participating in those activities among the unhoused are unseen because they know how to stay out of view while those who are having a mental health issue and participating in criminal activity like drugs are seen because they have no place to hide.”

He keeps a binder with copies of the letters he sent about five years ago to mayors of each of the cities within Salt Lake County, only two of whom replied in any way. The letters

Advocates for the homeless argue that housing should be a right rather than a privilege. Lawrence Horman has been sharing his lived experience as an unhoused person in hopes of being part of the solution. “Those who are in the situation might have something to contribute to better steer solutions,” he told Draper’s city council. (Courtesy Lawrence Horman)

offer the idea that cities could pass ordinances allowing property owners, should they choose, to have someone live on their property in a small camper, RV or commercial trailer in exchange for doing maintenance or security work on the property. “This would be an ordinance that would allow the property owner to have inexpensive security on site, and give local law enforcement someone they could count on to help see possible criminal activity that they wouldn’t be afraid to report to police (because it would be a legal arrangement), and give one more homeless person a place to live and be useful while trying to get on their feet as well.”

Horman runs a Facebook page by the homeless for the homeless which he calls the Deseret Defiant Initiative. “Its purpose is to wake up local cities and make them aware of their part in causing homelessness and to try and get them to actively participate in effectively solving the problem in a positive and more permanent way, and allow those who are homeless to participate in their own transition and recovery from homeless to housed while supporting themselves legally and effectively without any more dependence on government and charitable organizations than is necessary.”

Horman himself gets by on social security disability and help from family and his church. He says that you can’t just provide housing for the homeless, but that continuing services such as health care, transportation, help with bill paying, etc. must be part of the equation.

“It won’t matter how many people you put in a house unless you have continuing support. And the best way to get it right isn’t to explain how solving homelessness will benefit the homeless, but how it will benefit the community and those who are already housed,” he said.

Horman suggests a less expensive and more permanent solution would be putting the unhoused into permanent housing (not shelters), even something like an authorized campground. “Some housed people object, but the homeless can and do it. A tent is a house if all you have is the alcove of a building, an alcove is a home if all you have is a tree, a tree is a home if all you have is the sidewalk. All you want is a place to sleep, get cleaned up, eat in peace and be able to come back to after work the next day.” Horman envisions an ordinance that would allow for a public or private program, or a combination thereof. He suggests that the properties could be reviewed and regulated by health inspectors and would stay open or close according to local health ordinances and requirements as happens with restaurants and hotels.

Horman has strong feelings against “sweeps” such as what has been done by law enforcement in Salt Lake City. “It’s money wasted,” he said. “The homeless simply find another camp, another space, until they’re swept again. It’s better that they don’t have to move their tent every couple days or every couple weeks. By not giving people a safe, stable place to be, by ‘sweeping’ them, you’re criminalizing homelessness.” He explained that by having a legal arrangement, such as an authorized campground, people in the homeless community would be inclined to work with law enforcement rather than being afraid to call them for fear of losing where they’re living.

He expressed frustration with programs designed to help the homeless, saying that often you “graduate” from one but you don’t quite qualify for another, resulting in huge gaps in the bureaucracy of those programs. “The official programs create as many barriers as they resolve,” he said. Horman said he’s gotten the most help from his family and his church.

What scares him most? “There’s no way anyone who’s homeless doesn’t sometimes find themselves terrified. There’s always a fear, a chance that someone in government or a private property owner will decide they’re done letting you be where you are and you lose what you’ve got.”

He recognizes that he’s luckier than most in that he has shelter in a commercial trailer he owns that is parked on private property with permission from the landowner. But he

Though he has worked as a truck driver and currently has a job in security, Lawrence Horman found himself unhoused several years ago. He explained that unless a person is on the street right away, they often don’t realize they’re homeless until their temporary living situations fall through. “It very rarely hits you right away,” he said. (Courtesy Lawrence Horman)

doesn’t have electricity or running water. “By comparison to most people who are on the street homeless, I live in a palace,” he said.

Horman said it’s challenging to hold a job while homeless. “Some unhoused keep up appearances…go to a job and talk with coworkers, but they have to be careful…the moment you bring it up…you can’t talk about it (homelessness) like it’s an everyday thing,” he said.

What are his hopes for the future? That his adult daughter would have permanent housing which she doesn’t at the present. And that the trailer he occupies could be converted to be “more like an RV style in a more permanent fashion.”

Who inspires him in his advocacy for the homeless? First, former Salt Lake County Mayor McAdams. “Without being asked or forced into it, or for the sake of getting glory, he went incognito on the street for three days, spent a couple nights in a shelter and a night or two on the street to see what it would be like to be homeless. He learned why people are living on the street rather than being in the shelters because they don’t feel safe in the shelters. We need to do better.” Second, a California man named Mark Horvath who is on YouTube and Facebook and runs a website called Invisible People. “He was working in the media when he got addicted to drugs. He lost everything. He pulled himself out of it, not without help, and then he used his media skills to help other people. He interviews people who are homeless. He puts a real human face on it.”

Horman summed it up in this way: “There’s one race, the human race, and we all deserve dignity and respect…we all have a right to reasonable housing, and necessities like shelter, clothing, food, personal hygiene and the chance to work and provide for ourselves which you don’t get if you’re being rousted every night from place to place. There has to be a human face to the problem before it’s resolved.” l

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

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

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

By Robert Spendlove, Zions Bank Senior Economist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Nutritional advice that is tailored just for you

• Help managing chronic diseases or illnesses

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Healthy eating in a new year

By Holly Curby | hello@hollycurby.com

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

• Portion out food so that you don’t overeat

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

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

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

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

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

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

Want more help in figuring out all the puz-

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

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

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

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

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

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

I blame my road rage on UDOT.

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

Kinder Life and Laughter

of thousands of public comments are against the gondola.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peri