Murray Journal | March 2022

March. 2022 | Vol. 32 Iss. 03

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MURRAY MAN COMPETES IN FOURTH WINTER OLYMPICS

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

A

merican luger and Murray resident Chris Mazdzer finished up his fourth Olympics in Beijing trying to secure a second medal. While he didn’t end up on the medals stand, he still made a strong showing coming in 10th overall in the men’s singles luge and seventh in the luge team relay.

“I definitely pushed my limits tonight and I think that showed when I was sideways out of curve 13 and wasn’t cutting any ice.

I honestly had such an amazing night warming up with friends from all over the world and competing knowing that my friends and family were cheering me on in the middle of the night from the other side of the globe. It’s been an amazing adventure…,” Mazdzer posted on Facebook.

Mazdzer at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics became the first U.S. and currently only non-European to win a medal in men's singles luge.

“I honestly haven’t felt this good on the sled in a long time

and was having great runs and so much fun before that mistake. So I’m going into my fourth Olympics doing exactly what I love to do, giving 100% and no matter what happens I know that I have the best support group behind me no matter what! That’s what allows me to go for it even when I’m not feeling my best. That is what allows me to feel like that kid again to just go out there and show the world what I’m capable of,” Mazdzer said.

His efforts on the track exceeded his first two Olympics at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics where he finished 13th in both competitions. This year he battled injuries in his bid to make his fourth Olympic roster.

“When I cut out the timing, pressure and expectations of sport and can just focus on what I love to do it’s the feeling of being a kid again. I feel like that kid again.

This year has been hard, really hard. As per this year, I had a real-

ly tough crash on my last training run and am skipping opening ceremonies…,” Mazdzer said.

Prior to the World Cup tour last year, Mazdzer’s right foot was fractured on a Russian luge track.

Although injured, he was able to compete later in the tour and took silver in the luge team relay. However, a month before the games, Mazdzer and his doubles luge partner crashed. While he did not get the chance to race in doubles in Beijing, USA Luge still invited him to race in the single competition.

“I have to say that I am so proud of this entire crew. Everyone in this picture has worked their butt off to get here. I know that when TeamUSA gets to the bottom of the track we will have the loudest and most passionate Continued page 13 American luger Chris Mazdzer. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Olympic Committee)

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March 2022 | Page 3

New Zealand lures Murray Fire Chief away

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

T

rading Murray for Māori, Fire Chief Jon Harris retired Feb. 15 from the department he has led since 2018. However, Harris won’t be heading into the proverbial sunset, but quite literally to the globe’s other hemisphere as an advisor to the New Zealand government.

“I started reaching out to members of the fire service over a year ago with the hope that I could eventually work there,” Harris said. “I spent the last year taking classes and getting certifications recognized in NZ so I would be more employable. I was lucky enough to hear from one of my contacts that there was a job opening. I interviewed over Zoom and was fortunate enough to secure a job offer with Fire and Emergency New Zealand.”

Harris’s official position will be as a National Infrastructure Advisor. Essentially, he will visit major construction projects throughout the country and help the fire service to develop tactical plans on how to respond.

While his stint as chief was relatively short, it was certainly eventful. Half of his tenure was spent addressing the pandemic. Aside from that, he oversaw the construction of Fire Station 81, the new 23,000-square-foot building that will serve as the new fire department command center. The station’s finishing touches include Harris’s hand-carved conference table and fireman statue.

In 1995, Harris began his career with the Murray Fire Department. Before that, he served over two years in the Eagle River Fire Protection District (ERFPD) outside Vail, Colorado.

As chief, he supervised the creation of the wildland program. As he explained, “We were able to increase our wildland deployment ability, which allowed us to help out many communities in need.”

Murray FD has responded to support large wildfire operations with its wildland truck in California, Oregon and Colorado. These states reimburse Murray for the cost of the deployment; otherwise, the truck can be used for incidents that might happen on the Jordan River Parkway.

Harris also developed a new compensation step plan with Murray City and the Firefighter Union.

“With the input of all my chief officers, I was able to develop a five-year Strategic Plan that set the direction for the department while I was chief,” Harris said.

Journals T H E

Retired Murray Fire Chief Jon Harris will become a New Zealand fire service advisor. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)

While Harris did secure better pay and a building for his department, he admits replacing gear or an apparatus was not the most challenging part of being chief.

“I take a personal interest in all my employees and want to see them all succeed. It is hard when you have to initiate discipline or when you see them struggling with personal issues,” Harris said.

Harris believes not only is it important to get firefighters the proper gear, but to take care of them mentally as well. As a result, Harris secured a new budget line for funds allocated to counseling and other programs.

Will Harris stay in New Zealand once he permanently retires?

“We will have to see how well we fit in; but yes, I could see my wife and me retiring in NZ,” Harris said.

“We would still visit the states often though, to see family. NZ is truly an amazing place with magnificent natural landscapes, friendly people, and a great work/life balance. They are the second safest country in the world, and their socialized healthcare system is very highly ranked.”

Fire Marshal Joey Mittelman will be promoted as the new fire chief. Harris leaves some words of advice for him: “Personnel are your greatest asset. Surround

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Retired Murray Fire Chief Jon Harris is handy with a chainsaw.

He carved this engraving for the Murray Fire Department. (Photo courtesy of Jon Harris)

yourself with great people and give them the freedom to excel. Meet often with the crews so you don’t lose touch with them. Be patient. Take your time to do research before jumping to conclusions or making big decisions,” Harris said. l

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Murray City Journal

Big jump coming to Murrayites’ sewer bills

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

Escalating costs at the Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility will impact most residents across the Salt Lake Valley.

M

urrayites can expect to see their monthly sewer bill increase due to the demands of new development and the implementation of costly regulations adopted by the Utah Division of Water Quality (DWQ).

As a result, all customers of Murray City Water, Cottonwood Improvement District, and all residents in the central part of Salt Lake Valley can expect to see changes to their monthly wastewater bill.

Much of the increase comes from costs associated with the complete overhaul of the Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility (CVWRF), a regional treatment plant that discharges treated water into Mill Creek and the Jordan River.

The improvements include replacing aging and degraded mechanical and electrical equipment in the treatment plant and rehabilitating the corroded collection system pipes. Changes are being made to meet the community’s future needs and ensure compliance with state and federal regulations.

Costs for the complete renovation were initially pegged at $250 million. Plant

stakeholders—which include Murray City Water and the Cottonwood Improvement District systems, South Salt Lake City, Mount Olympus Improvement District, Granger-Hunter Improvement District, Taylorsville-Bennion Improvement District, and Kearns Improvement District— planned to fund those improvements.

But more recently, the State of Utah Division of Water Quality (DWQ) adopted a new rule that requires wastewater facilities to install processes to remove phosphorus from effluent discharge. The DWQ has also lowered permitted levels of ammonia and several other pollutants in CVWRF’s effluent discharge. These new regulations, combined with the current construction climate, have caused costs to escalate to about $370 million.

“All of this is a big surprise,” Murray City Water Director Danny Astill told the Feb. 1 Committee of the Whole meeting.

Toxic algal blooms are driving the creation of regulations to control phosphorus emissions from wastewater discharges.

Utah Lake and the Jordan River have been posted as not safe during recent outbreaks.

Murray City Water users can expect to see their monthly bills increase from around $12 to $28 per month, which will include a Central Valley Water Reclamation

Facility (CVWRF) fee. The new CVWRF fee, which covers the upgrades to the facility, accounts for $12 of the total fee. Over time, that fee will decrease, but the annual base rate will increase incrementally to address growth issues.

“Starting in April 2022 this year, an increase of 20%, and then in April 2023, an increase of 3%, and that would again continue on in perpetuity,” Astill said. “Then there’s a new factor here, the Central Valley fee, that will help the city cover that initial cost, and it puts the weight of cost to where it really is coming from instead of increasing base rates to cover Central Valley’s cost.”

Projected growth in residential and commercial sewer connections is based on historical development in the city and has been estimated at a rate of 3% annually. It is expected that in 2022, the city will have 8,061 new residential sewer connections and 993 new commercial sewer connections, for a total of 9,054 connections.

By 2027, the city anticipates 10,496 total connections—an increase of 1,442 connections, or average growth of about 297 each year.

Cottonwood Improvement District has not announced any changes to its fees yet.

According to its 2022 budget information sheet, “A sewer rate study is currently underway by a consulting firm with results expected in early 2022.” Currently, the monthly fee for sewer service is $20 per residential equivalent unit for CID customers.

Given that a $120 million underestimate in no slight difference, Astill was asked if this was due to poor management at the facility.

“Everything was working really well until 2019, and that’s when things started to go a little awry with the work; but actually, it’s more in 2020 than anything.

That’s when the bids really started coming in much higher. Most of the projects are coming in now about 30% higher than normal, and that’s why, if you look at the cost difference, it’s about 30% overall, and it’s not a laughing matter, and it hit us hard,” Astill said.

Murray City has an 8% stake in the CVWRF, while Cottonwood Improvement District’s Share of CVWRF operating costs as of August 2021 was approximately 16%.

More information on CID’s rates can be found at www.cottonwoodimprovement. org. l

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Costs for upgrading the Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility have jumped from $250 million to $370 million. (Photo courtesy Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility)

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March 2022 | Page 5

Granite to offer new hands-on entrepreneurial program this fall

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

G

ranite Technical Institute is accepting applications from incoming seniors for its new program, Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities, or CEO, that will be offered this coming fall.

Through a partnership between the school and the local business community, 20 students will gain real-world experience each week by meeting with about 40 business owners and representatives, tour local companies, and be paired with a business leader as a mentor to learn entrepreneurial skills.

“I’m super excited; during the first semester, they will do a class project, which teaches students how to start a business and most of the time it’s more event-based, where they will think about the details of the event and what does it take,” GTI’s CEO program facilitator Erin Paulsen said. “The second semester, they actually start their own businesses, and it results in actual products or services that they sell at a trade show event we’ll hold at the end of the year.”

Interested students in Granite and other Salt Lake County school districts are invited to apply by March 14 for the program that will pick them up from a Granite high school and meet from 7:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. three days per week. A panel will select students without knowledge of their names or schools, but solely on the applications that include students rating themselves, answers to questions and letters of recommendations including one from a school counselor that addresses standing in school, attendance and if they’re hard workers, she said.

“I’m expecting the kids in CEO to want to learn; they see a value in it and want to connect,” Paulsen said adding that students will be evaluated by their understanding and proficiency on projects in the program where they will receive Career and Technical Education credit. “One of those projects may be here is $5, turn it into $100 by next week.

They have to think outside the box and figure out, how can I make this money?”

During the first semester, students will focus on a business or likely, a one-time event, such as a trivia night, murder-mystery, bowling or drive-in night. It will be decided on by the class and money raised from that can be used as seed money for individual businesses second term.

Some of those businesses may help students pay for college either by continuing it or selling it.

“For a lot of kids, this is going to be their opportunity to have a business during college and then they’re done; maybe it’ll just be a learning experience and then they’ll be done. We could see a very successful company come out of this, especially since they’ll have connections,” she said referring to the partnerships with local business leaders. “The high school entrepreneurship

Page 6 | March 2022

This class is going to be really hard work.

They’re starting their own business. It’s not that they’re doing it because I want them to do it. It’s they’re doing it because they want to make money in their own businesses; they want to do it. It changes the motivation.

Granite Technical Institute CEO program facilitator Erin Paulsen classes are more learning about it versus this is doing it. This class is going to be really hard work. They’re starting their own business. It’s not that they’re doing it because I want them to do it. It’s they’re doing it because they want to make money in their own businesses; they want to do it. It changes the motivation.”

Community business leaders play an active role as guest speakers, mentors, investors or to give tours to students, said Centeva chief finance officer and chief operating officer Matt Thomas, who is the chairman of the nine-member CEO program board. He was one who reached out to business chief executive officers, CFOs and others to get involved.

“We targeted companies and industries that would give a good variety of experiences to the kids in the class; there were a lot of people who are willing to help out,” he said.

“Everybody sees the value in getting some of that real-world experience earlier with some structure from the community and making those connections at an early age. The students are expanding their perspective as to what’s possible. I wish that I would have had that perspective and experience as a 17-yearold instead of having to stumble into that perspective later in life.”

Thomas said that many business leaders want to develop relationships in the community and this program allows for potential for partnerships or future employees.

“People are interested in the perspective of people from a younger generation as consumers and leaders from the next generation, so it is a two-way street,” he said. “I

Granite Technical Institute will offer the CEO entrepreneurial program this fall to 20 high school seniors.

(Courtesy Granite Technical Institute)

think that entrepreneurship as a discipline doesn’t get enough attention. People assume that those who have that in their blood will jump in and figure it out. I think more and more people would do it if they knew how and if they saw it as a viable option and if they had a better sense of what the rewards are. These people are willing to share their experiences.”

Paulsen said that local businesses invest in the program, paying for bus transportation so students can tour companies weekly.

Those businesses involved in the program range from software companies to carpet cleaners, from restaurants and entertainment industries to credit unions and insurance companies.

“There are all kinds of different industries so they can explore and get ideas of ‘how can I improve an existing product and make a company out of that’ or maybe there’s a need that is lacking that they know of. We want students to think entrepreneurially instead of just checking the boxes and taking the test,” Paulsen said. “We’re wanting them to explore in a way that makes them think: ‘I could do this. I could solve this program and start my own business.’ We’re going to do it experience-based and ask students questions that provoke them to think different ways and solve the problems themselves.”

While Paulsen can help put students in touch with companies and even GTI programs to “match them with people who know that skills and know what they need to do that step,” students also will rely upon mentors in the business world. Mentors will review students’ business plans, look at their weekly progress, read students’ journal entries about their experiences in the weekly tours and in meetings with business leaders, and follow up with students about what

they’re learning.

During the weekly tours of businesses, students will learn how they got started, what they do, what people they serve so “they can start to think about their target market and how to reach them and how they may get started,” Paulsen said, adding that with guest speakers, students will learn firsthand about their experiences.

The year-end trade show will feature professional booths featuring students’ businesses and services and will serve as a fundraiser for start-up funds for next year’s students in the program.

Granite School District, which partnered with Midland Institute of Entrepreneurship to offer the CEO program, has taken the past year to set up this program.

Midland provides not only the experience it has gained from years of offering the program, but also materials, training and the website template. The institute also will help with retention of the program.

Paulsen said the CEO program has been successful in the Midwest, but this is the first in Utah. She has firsthand knowledge of the program as many members of her extended family are involved in it as mentors and board members, and as students trying to sell their products in Illinois.

“I’m seeing it from all angles and have seen what a cool program it is. It’s a whole community initiative,” she said. “I’m excited about having it here. I hope that in a few years, we can open a CEO program at each high school. If we’re able to do that, we can involve each and every community as part of it. This is the perfect marriage between business and education; it’s a great way to support these students.” l

Murray City Journal

High school students learn engineering offers variety, creativity, advancements

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

H

illcrest High junior Amber Parker wanted to get a glimpse into potential future careers in engineering, specifically aerospace engineering, so she was excited to attend high school engineering career day.

“I learned how engineers got into their positions and specifically what local companies are doing in the engineering field,” she said. “It’s pretty interesting.”

Parker attended sessions presented by Boeing, VPI Engineering and the University of Utah. Other presenters came from Ottobock, Rocky Mountain Power, Horrocks Engineering, Hunt, Reaveley Engineering, Comfort Systems USA and Salt Lake Community College, which hosted the half-day conference for mostly high school juniors and seniors from the Salt Lake and Tooele valleys.

Canyons School District Career and Technical Education District Coordinator Patti Larkin said that the focus of the fair was to provide about 250 students with possible career opportunities within the engineering field.

“They’re getting to meet all different types of engineers, make those connections, and understand their specific pathways,” she said. “We hope students can see what is needed, so they have the opportunity to get an internship or a job shadow and set their path of study toward their career.”

Taylorsville sophomore Danna De Leon said she learned a range of engineering.

In Ottobock, she learned about the different prosthetics made with 3D printers ranging from snowboarders’ knees to swimmers’ ankles.

“They test different varieties, adding weights, forces or whatever is needed to make improvements,” she said. “In the Boeing session, I learned some of the ways they designed commercial airplanes.”

Granger High and Granite Technical Institute senior Hayden Young, who wants to become a biomedical engineer, also attended the Ottobock session.

“I’ve learned composites are a very big part of it,” he said. “With engineering, designs may start on paper then move to CAD (computer-aided drafting). Designs can be improved for better comfort, better manufacturing time, better about anything, to help solve or improve what is needed.”

Murray High Work-Based Learning Coordinator Brady Smith said the 15 students who came from his school appreciated being able to interact with industry professionals.

“Our goal is to connect the students we work with to the career paths they can continue down once their time is complet-

MurrayJournal .com

ed here at Murray High School and this is a great opportunity for that to happen,” he said, adding that some students appreciated learning about the Luke Skywalker Arm that is being worked on at the U of U to the engineering careers at Rocky Mountain Power.

Brighton High senior Amelia Ackler said that she appreciated the robotics session she attended.

“They could make it walk, dance, and do all sorts of cool things through coding,” she said.

She was with freshman Audrey Fleckenstein who said that through Reaveley Engineering, she learned how engineers perform a series of tests on structures.

“They were designing buildings and tested them and reviewed to ensure their designs would withstand earthquakes,” she said. “It isn’t just a one-time test, but over and over again.”

Brighton sophomore Stephanie Guzman De La Haz said she learned about heating and cooling and the laws of thermodynamics in the Comfort Systems session.

“I hadn’t heard of it before; it was actu- Granger High and Granite Technical Institute senior Hayden Young examines a prosthetic leg during the high school engineering career day. (Julie Slama/City Journals) ally really interesting,” she said.

Olympus senior Ben Walston said he’s considering a career in mechanical engineer and through the conference, he learned more about what was available through his sessions with VPI and Ottobock.

“It’s amazing and just fun to see how they can make something that is needed FREEDOM BAPTIST CHURCH through their eyes and creativity,” he said.

Having a creative mindset in engineer— King James Bible — ing was what many students discovered that We are a Bible preaching day, said Brighton High Work-Based Learning Facilitator Eileen Kasteler. and teaching church.

“Engineers are thinking innovation from health care to video games, so this day gets our students thinking if it’s a good feel for them—and reflecting upon that long after the visit,” she said. “It’s a glimpse into the future of wanting to see what there is. It opens their eyes.”l

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March 2022 | Page 7

Hrechkosy appointed to the Murray City Council

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

T

hink of speed dating for local politics, and that might best describe the process for filling Murray City Council District 5’s seat vacated by Mayor Brett Hales. In a marathon session, the city council heard from 12 applicants at a special meeting held on Feb. 1. After two rounds of votes, the current four city council members chose Garry Hrechkosy to fill the remaining two years of Hale’s city council term.

State law prescribes how a city must replace a city council member. Hrechkosy, along with residents Spencer Craig Casper, Jeff Collette, Laura Spendlove Crapo, George Hamer, Jim Harland, Adam Hock, Lynda Horne, Audra Kasparian, Keith Snarr, Kate Sturgeon and Gary Alfred Weston, were interviewed in front of the city council.

Each candidate had one minute and 45 seconds to answer four questions: Why are you interested in serving as city council member? Why do you feel you are qualified to fill the office of city council member? Name three qualities a council member should have? What do you feel is the most important issue facing Murray City?

After hearing all the candidates, a roll call vote was taken. City councilors Rosalba Dominguez and Kat Martinez voted for Hrechkosy, Pam Cotter voted for Hamer,

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Diane Turner voted for Hock. State Law requires two candidates on a second vote, so lots were drawn between Hamer and Hock, who had the least amount of votes. Hamer was selected to move to the second roll call vote. City Councilor Turner joined Dominguez and Martinez in voting for Hrechkosy.

To finalize the vote, the council passed a resolution unanimously appointing Hrechkosy.

Hrechkosy, a CPA, currently serves as a corporate controller for MX Technologies.

Before that, he was employed at PricewaterhouseCooper as an auditor. Active in the Democratic Party, Hrechkosy is listed as treasurer for the party’s 41st precinct.

According to Hrechkosy on the precinct’s website, “I was born and raised in Sandy, Utah. After graduating from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in accounting in 2010, my wife Jill and I moved to Dallas, Texas, where I launched my career in public accounting.

After two years in Dallas, we uprooted and moved to Orange County, California. After three years in the OC, we moved back to Utah and planted roots in Murray, behind Wheeler Farm. We have two children— Grace (2) and Ella (9 months).”

In 2018, Hrechkosy challenged Scott Tingley in the general election for Salt Lake

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Garry Hrechkosy takes the oath of office from City Recorder Brooke Smith. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)

County Auditor, where he came up 4.16% short of his challenger. Hrechkosy is the son of Terri Tapp Hrechkosy, who also ran for Salt Lake County Council in District 6 in 2020, and professional hockey player Dave Hrechkosy, who played for the Salt Lake Golden Eagles.

Terri Tapp Hrechkosy recalls, “I remember asking him when he was young what he wanted to be when he grew up, and he said, ‘I want to be president.’”

Other applicants that Hrechkosy was appointed over included Murray City’s former Economic Development Director Keith Snarr, current and former Murray City Board members, and several that have had jobs within state or city (including Murrays) governments.

“My government experience is limited. I ran for office in 2018 and have helped on many campaigns. I have attended council meetings and worked to stay current on local, state and federal issues,” Hrechkosy said.

A point of contention in District 5 is what to do about the former RC Willey site.

Currently, there is a proposal for the site to be turned into a mixed-used development of high-density housing and commercial.

Hrechkosy said, “I need more time to study the entire issue. I want to hear from citizens.

There are so many complexities that come into play, and I would want to thoroughly understand all sides before formalizing an opinion.”

His view on the proposal for downtown Murray has the same refrain, “I need to study the issue more before giving an opinion.”

So what does he want to accomplish in

Garry Hrechkosy after taking the oath of office with wife Jill and daughters Emma and Grace.

(Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)

the next two years? “I want to review city ordinances around park strips and ensure that the regulations allow for straightforward water conservation. I want to use my financial expertise to assist with the budget review,” Hrechkosy said.

Mayor Hales, when asked if the city council picked the person he thought was the best candidate to fill his spot on the city council, said, “There were 12 great candidates, and all would have served the city well. Congratulations to Gary Hrechkosy for winning the seat. I look forward to working with him and the other council members. I hope the other candidates will consider putting in their names for the other boards and commission positions in the city.” l

Murray City Journal

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Beam topping ceremony signals new city hall construction phase

D L O

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

M

urray City officially marked a new step in completing city hall by holding a “beam topping” ceremony on Feb. 10. The last steel beam, painted white, was adorned with Murray City employees’ signatures and was hoisted at the top of the structure.

“We wanted to include the city employees in this event by adding their signatures to the beam, which will be encased in the roof,” Mayor Brett Hales said.

MurrayJournal .com

In construction, beam topping (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders’ rite traditionally held where the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed atop a structure during its construction. However, it has since come to mean more generally finishing the structure of the building, whether there is a ceremony or not.

Murray City Hall is scheduled to be completed in spring 2023. l

S

March 2022 | Page 9

Murray Park Center director welcomes you back to the gym

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

N

o sooner had Murray City released the new Parks and Recreation Master Plan, announcing major expansion plans for the Park Center, than it immediately shut it down— temporarily. COVID forced Murray Park Center Director Marci Williams and her staff to take advantage of the hiatus to refresh the facility.

Being flexible comes naturally for Williams, who is also a fitness trainer, in addition to being director of the gymnasium.

“My entry into the field was as a lifeguard and swim instructor. My entry into fitness instruction was as a ‘Slim & Trim’ instructor in 1980, and I trained with Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons. Since there was no actual training for the fitness business or rec centers in the 1980s, I gathered multiple credentials and certifications as they were available,” Williams said.

Williams also points out that she is the mother of six and grandmother of seven. She came to Murray City as an experienced gym manager in 2002.

“I was able to open multiple facilities with various specialty services,” Williams said. “After 22 years with the Sports Mall, I left to open and consult a new facility with emphasis on wellness education, chiropractic, physical therapy, and alternative health services. In 2002 I was hired as the Park Center director and have worked for Murray City for almost 20 years. I was attracted by the special events, aquatics, and recreation services the department offered.”

A Murray High grad, Williams has had to stay on top of the rapidly changing field of sports fitness. With the advent

of spinning in 1995, she became a master trainer and taught the class from that point on.

“I love the constant evolution of our services. This is also the biggest challenge. Working to find staff that can handle all ages, recreation skills, aquatic certification, and ever-changing fitness trends is like mining for gold. We are blessed to have plenty. I look at the evolution and demand of gym usage. As an example, pickleball was unknown until seven to eight years ago, and it now takes up as much as volleyball and basketball. We want to continue that evolution so we can adapt to ever-changing interests, programs, and facilities,” Williams said.

The Park Center is also set to evolve. The new master plan calls for the building’s expansion, “adding elements such as family-style changing rooms and restrooms, dry locker rooms, more fitness and studio space, a party room, storage space, social space or homework room, and potential gymnasium.”

“We had incredible support from our community, and that feedback put the expansion of the center as the No. 1 priority. I hope to see us meet that priority with proper budgeting and continued community input,” Williams said.

While new facilities or equipment may be in the Park Center’s long-term future, Williams appreciates many new things that have turned up at the facility.

According to Williams, “I am now seeing a new ‘wave’ of users, from our existing clientele as well as those who have never utilized all we offer. When we had to shut down operations in March 2020, I knew we would have a moun-

Marci Williams (in hat) leads a spinning session at the Murray Park Center. (Photo courtesy of the Park Center)

tain of mental health concerns. To many of our users, we are more than just a ‘gym,’ we are family and provide necessary access that they depend upon, both physically and mentally.”

However, Williams recognizes the value of the Park Center isn’t necessarily invested in its capital assets.

“One of our best-kept secrets is our staff,” Williams said. “We have numerous part-time staff who have been with us since the beginning. Their commitment to the community and what they do is inspiring. Personally, I believe in the value of community. That is what inspires me to show up ready to serve every single day.” l

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Murray City Journal

One woman’s quest to beautify Murray benefits the city to this day

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

E

very week, hundreds of people walk through the arboretum at Murray Park, yet hardly anyone knows the story of the woman for whom that section of Murray Park is named. Joan Hardle’s tireless efforts to change Murray from an industrial hub to a city of parks still echo today.

Hardle hailed from San Francisco and spent much of her youth wandering the gardens of Golden Gate Park. When she and her husband, Bill, moved to Murray in 1949, Hardle took her obsession with flowers seriously, which would change her life history and the city she adopted.

In the 1950s, Murray was transforming from an active industrial complex after World War II into a suburban community.

With the giant smelters starting to shut down and families moving in, the city turned its attention to Murray Park. The 50-year-old fixture of downtown Murray needed to expand for all the new families, like the Hardles, who were calling Murray home.

While the city was grappling with transforming the park, Hardle was taking classes in horticulture and beginning to master the art of gardening. By 1953, the Murray Eagle started reporting on Hardle’s flower creations, and by 1960 she was regularly winning awards on a national level.

Locals joined her Artistic Designer Club to learn from the master gardener, and Hardle was asked to preside over or judge local flower shows. At the same time, Murray City had organized a Shade Tree Commission, which started a project to plant trees throughout Murray Park. The commission decided to start with a few

trees and plot out an arboretum north of the swimming pool, but they needed someone who could get excited about the project.

Enter Joan Hardle.

As president of the Artistic Designers Club, she initiated a successful fundraising campaign to build a donors’ plaque monument in the arboretum. The monument, including a drinking fountain, was completed in September 1963 and continues to complement the arboretum today. Eventually, because of her enthusiasm for the project, she was made chairman of the Murray City Beautification and Shade Tree Commission.

Under her supervision, the city raised $1,000 to start the arboretum, including a cactus garden, many lilies, hundreds of tulips and daffodils, chrysanthemums, iris, dahlias, herbs and unusual trees and shrubs.

Hardle made the arboretum a resource for residents to see what local plants and trees would work best in their gardens. In addition, Hardle visited schools to excite children about beautifying their city. In 1965, she passed out zinnia seed packets to Murray schoolchildren. Her club held a flower show later, and over 500 entries were submitted, with 350 of them being zinnias.

However, she broadened the mission of the Shade Tree Commission and started to focus on Murray as a whole. Targeted on cleaning up Murray’s post-industrial self, Hardle created the “Hurray Clean Up Murray Days” campaign. The program was successful, with residents dejunking their yards and adding flower gardens. Murray City and the Artistic Designer Club were

Murray Park Arboretum tree planting ceremony, with Park Superintendent Kyle Swallow, Joan Hardle, Mayor Bill Dunn, Clark Cushing, and Jack DeMann. (Photo courtesy of the Murray Museum)

recognized across the state.

In helping her hometown, her actions resulted in her being made a delegate to the 1967 National Paint-up, Clean-up, Fix-up convention, to receive Murray’s award for distinguished achievement for cities with populations under 20,000. The following year, she was asked to address the convention on her efforts in Murray.

However, her most controversial actions came when she aimed at transforming State Street’s asphalt islands throughout Murray. In 1979, Hardle proposed turning some islands into flower boxes to help smooth traffic flow and add aesthetic value.

Local businesses protested to the city council, fearing that the flower gardens would negatively impact them. However, the city council sided with Hardle, and one flower

box still survives in downtown Murray.

Internationally, she received recognition for her efforts in Murray from the International Shade Tree Conference. After she died in 1981, the city renamed the arboretum, where she devoted so much time, as the “Joan M. Hardle Memorial Arboretum.”

One of her longstanding legacies is Murray’s designation as a “Tree City USA” by the Arbor Day Foundation. Murray has carried that distinction since 1977. In addition, former Salt Lake Tribune columnist Genevieve Folsom paid tribute to her in 1982 by saying, “She was responsible for Murray City becoming a leader in the West in beautifying streets, highways, and residential subdivisions.” l

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David Stirling, CPA Murray Park’s arboretum was named after Joan Hardle, who was responsible for helping it take shape.

(Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)

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March 2022 | Page 11

Pitcher Kindrick Tipping returns for the Spartan baseball team. (File photo Travis Barton/City Journals)

Dallin Mabey was a force for the Spartans a year ago. The Murray soccer team opens up the season at home to last year’s 6A runner-up Skyridge. (File photos Travis Barton/City Journals)

The Murray softball team went 19-8 a year ago. (File photo Travis Barton/City Journals)

Murray High’s team sport schedules for March

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

Baseball March 10, 3:30 p.m. – Hillcrest March 11, 3:30 p.m. – Stansbury March 17-19 Southern Utah Spring Kick-off

Boys Soccer March 8, 5:15 p.m. – Skyridge March 9, 3:30 p.m. – Kearns March 11, 3:30 p.m. @ West March 15, 3:30 p.m. –Woods Cross March 18, 3:30 p.m. – East March 22, 3:30 p.m. @ Olympus March 25, 3:30 p.m. @ Brighton

Softball Flyer Fire Up softball tournament at Dixie High March 15, 3:30 p.m. – Park City March 16, 3:30 p.m. @ East March 18, 3:30 p.m. @ Mountain Ridge March 22, 3:30 p.m. – Olympus March 23, 3:30 p.m. @ Alta March 24, 3:30 p.m. – Brighton

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Continued from front page support group cheering us on,” Mazdzer said.

However, Beijing may not be his last Olympics. Whether he decides to try for a fifth Olympics or, he is also on board with Utah’s potential Olympic bid to host a second winter Olympics. He was named to the bid committee’s strategic board.

Not only does Mazdzer compete on the luge track, but he tried his hand at ballroom dancing. He appeared on “Dancing with the Stars” paired with fellow Utahn Witney Carson, placing fourth in the competition.

One of the drawbacks of competing in the Olympics during a pandemic is that families of the athletes have not been able to travel to the games. As Mazdzer and his wife Mara are the parents of a one-year-old, television crews have been at their Murray home in the early morning hours as he races showing them cheering him on.

Mara Mazdzer posted on Facebook, “Chris mentions a pep talk I gave him four years ago in Korea a lot, it was a really impactful interaction for him. In the moment I wasn’t trying to think of the perfect thing to say, I was just being honest. I love Chris and I’m so proud of him regardless of his competition results. Four years later, as his wife, all that’s changed is that he’s even bigger and even more incredible in my eyes….

I know I’m so incredibly proud of his hard work and in awe of how he manages to power through challenges.” l

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March 2022 | Page 13

Looking into Utah’s judicial courtrooms: A former court watcher’s observation

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

I

n this November’s general election, Utah voters will take to the polls to determine if judges should be retained. Currently, there are 63 judges who are eligible to stand for retention.

Utahns determine whether judges should remain on the bench on even-numbered years through a simple yes or no vote.

If the majority say yes, the judge is retained.

Utah is one of a handful of states that use elections to determine this process.

However, not all voters are aware that through the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission, Utah residents, who are unidentified to judges, have evaluated those judges who are currently eligible to stand for retention.

These volunteer observers or court watchers provide voters with information about each judge’s performance, which also is shared with the judges to improve the quality of their judiciary. The commission’s report is designed to provide accountability of the judge while ensuring he or she acts as an independent branch of government.

While House Bill 40 proposes to change the language in the report to indicate whether a judge “passes minimum performance standards” versus be “recommends” retention, the material that has been gathered each year provides information to allow voters to determine judicial retention, said former Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission member Becky Overacker.

Overacker was a courtroom observer for four years, filing her last of about 120 reports on judges six years ago. She is one of the 293 volunteer observers who served or is serving since the commission was established.

She stepped into the position after hearing on the radio about a need for civically minded people who wanted to learn about the courts and attending a meeting. The Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission, established in 2008, after piloting the observation program, asked for volunteers in 2010.

“It piqued my interest; they said this is a new thing and we’re just getting started,” Overacker said, despite having worked in the chemistry field before retirement. “It’s a benefit (that she didn’t work in the civics field); because they want lay persons. If you’re going to be taken to court, it can be a scary thing; it can be the worst day of your life. So having a lay person in their eyes, saying ‘this is a safe place,’ is a valuable thing.”

While serving the commission, Overacker entered courtrooms from Logan to St. George, Vernal to Tooele and she has observed judges rule on traffic offenses to criminal cases to family situations. She witnessed courtrooms where judges ruled on stealing hot dogs to child abuse.

During her first two years as a court-

Page 14 | March 2022

I learned two very important things within that first year I was doing this: One, if someone is ever in trouble, I would get a lawyer because they know the system and know what they’re doing. The second thing I learned is the judges in Utah are really good.

Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission member Becky Overacker room watcher, Overacker said she learned two critical things early on.

“I learned two very important things within that first year I was doing this: One, if someone is ever in trouble, I would get a lawyer because they know the system and know what they’re doing. The second thing I learned is the judges in Utah are really good,” she said.

Overacker said that Utah has a system of appointing judges different from most states, which hold elections for judges so it can be partisan. In Utah, the governor appoints a commission to review applications to be judges and they’re chosen by merit, including education and service, she said.

“They’re already at the top of their field by the time they get to be judges,” she said, adding that it’s then up to voters to determine their retention on the bench.

Overacker said the Utah legislature recognized that initially very few voters have the time to observe court proceedings, so they didn’t know how to enter their retention vote. Thus, a commission was established with court observers who usually enter an assigned judge in a courtroom across the state to quietly take notes for a two- to threepage report they would file afterwards.

“I tried to be very discreet. I don’t want anybody to know who I am. I just wrote what’s going on the whole time, who did what and I tried to get direct quotes from the judge, the dissent and everyone to put in the report that I later wrote,” she said, adding that she did carry a letter from the commission explaining who she was if she was every questioned.

As a court observer, Overacker discreetly watched for basically three points: “Voice—does the judge allow everybody to speak equally?; neutrality in not taking sides; and respect—just being respectful to

Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission court watchers provide information about judges’ performance to help voters’ make informed choices about judicial retention. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

every party that’s there and having eye contact.”

She said that most of the judges met those criteria.

“Every judge I saw, would usually always say, ‘Do you have anything else to add? Is there anything I need to know? Most judges are really good. There are judges that will look at their monitor the whole time people are talking and sometimes I know they’re busy and could be looking for history on the case or at precedents, but it’s really important to look up and face people when they’re talking to and not interrupt,” Overacker said.

She once did observe a judge that was “concerning to me. I wrote in my report that he was so favorable to the prosecution, everything they asked for, they got, and I thought if I was a defendant in that court, I would be really nervous. I was asked to observe that same judge a couple years later, and I was hesitant, but he had changed. He was much more open.”

However, most of the times, the judges were fair. Overacker remembers observing an Ogden judge who realized a defendant on his third public defender wasn’t getting a fair shake when that lawyer asked for a continuance. The judge listened to the defendant as he grumbled saying he already had served the maximum time in jail for that offense and the judge shortened the amount of time before the trial.

After sitting in courtrooms and having time to reflect, she wants people to know about the commission and information it provides so they can make informed decisions when it’s time to vote on judicial retention.

“Our system really does work and there are really good, honest people who are trying their best to make things fair to people,” Overacker said. “Our judges are good. Attorneys are invaluable. I learned this by watching how people listened, how people reacted and how people were taken care of. Utah has a good system.” l

Murray City Journal

March 2022 FREQUENTLY REQUESTED NUMBERS

Mayor’s Message

MAYOR’S OFFICE

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

State of the City 2022

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

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 Pageant (Leesa Lloyd) . . . . . . . . . . 801-446-9233 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

It is incredibly humbling to be delivering my first State-of-the-City address.

As I sit down to write this, I am watching the Winter Olympics. In some ways, I can relate to those athletes! Give me a second to explain… They have trained for years, committing to doing the best they can in order to achieve their dream of being Olympians. Obviously, I haven’t trained to be an athlete.

But I did serve on the Murray City Council for 10 years; in essence, I was training to be the Mayor!

The athletes who are interviewed are quick to thank their parents, coaches and supporters for getting them to where they are. In other words, they know none of it was possible without the scores of people who have supported them along the way.

I want to thank all of you who supported me and my campaign for Mayor. I will and have been working tirelessly to make sure the City is moving in a positive direction.

I also want to thank my colleagues for the past decade on the City Council. I fully understand and respect the legislative and administrative roles. I can honestly say that’s a bit odd to move from the legislative to the administrative side of things!

Thanks also to the amazing employees at the City! You have welcomed, advised and given me the emotional and mental support I have needed through this transition.

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 Office . . . . . . . 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

So, what has the City done for you? Without boring you with the details, I will highlight the ways the City has tried to make your life better.

Your personal safety is always a top concern. The Police Department hired 12 new officers to help with the number of calls that grew by more than 25%. They still need a few more officers to be fully staffed.

Fire Department calls also increased 10% from the previous year. But thankfully, the crews were ready, having logged more than 7,000 hours in training. Fire also supported wildfire suppression efforts, traveling to three, out-of-state fires for 49 days in the past year.

The City has also been focused on the things that you hopefully take for granted. For instance, keeping the lights on. A storm blew through in July causing multiple outages for 6,000 Murray customers for up to eight hours. Everyone from line workers to office personnel pitched in to help restore power. Natural gas prices doubled during the summer, but Power ran turbines almost continually to generate power, saving more than $1(m).

You may not realize that more than 100 miles of sewer line were cleaned. But you might know if such cleanings did not take place. Crews also replaced a mile-and-a-half of damaged sidewalk. More than 5,000 tripping hazards were removed, and 724 potholes were filled.

Brett A. Hales -Mayor

During this current ongoing drought, we’re very proud of our Murray residents who reduced their water use by more than 130-million gallons, which resulted in a $600-thousand cost savings to residents.

Some of the other ways the City has tried to improve your life include: • Created an online container reservation system for 20-yard and 30-yard trailers and green waste containers.

• Referred hundreds of critically ill or aging customers to various assistance programs like HEAT or CAP for help with paying their bills.

• Provided drive-up window service at the library during COVID for convenient and efficient curbside service.

• Created a book bike in the park to provide an easy means of checking out and returning books.

• Replaced 5 pavilions at Murray Park, increasing capacity and improving the experience for patrons.

• There were also other efforts that are underway to make the City even better!

• The old Murray Theater, with the help of Salt Lake County and the state legislature, is being restored and renovated.

• The Murray Mansion is getting a ‘facelift’ to include a new elevator and restroom.

• The City received a clean audit report which ensures that federal funds were spent correctly.

• Construction of the new City Hall is moving along with completion set for March 2023.

• What would this State of the City report be if it did not include some interesting tidbits of information?

• The Murray Parkway Trail saw a record-breaking 276,448 people in 2021.

• There was an 11% decrease in the number of customer service calls to our Finance Department. But there were still more than 32,000.

• For decades, the basement of City Hall has collected old documents and supplies. Now, after more than 300 round trips to the basement, the extra items have been removed, much of it sold as surplus garnering $8,044!

• Public information included 195 Public notices, 45 Public hearings and monthly e-newsletters.

Finally, I again want to thank everyone who participated in the General Election. Three municipal races were on the ballot, including the Mayor’s race. Congratulations to Councilpersons Pam Cotter in District 2 and Diane Turner, who won reelection, in District 4. Also, welcome to Garry Hrechkosy in District 5. All of us and those already serving will work hard to represent you and the City well in 2022 and beyond.

Again, I have an open-door policy and would love to sit down and talk with you about your ideas for making Murray the best place to live in America. Submit your ideas to: mayor@murray.utah.gov. If you would like an appointment with the Mayor, please call 801-264-2600.

In closing, I am happy to say the State of the City is just fine.

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Cost: Free; register now

Fall Prevention Date: Tuesday, Mar. 29 Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Cost: Free; register now ARTS Watercolors with John Fackrell Date: Mon, Mar. 7 through Mon, Apr. 11 Time: 9 a.m. – noon Cost: $33; register now Beginning Watercolors and Art Appreciation with John and Joan Fackrell Date: Mon, Mar. 7 through Mon, Apr. 11 Time: 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Cost: $33; register now Wednesday Painting with Jeanette Morris Date: Wed, Mar. 9 through Wed, Apr. 27 Time: 9 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Cost: $40; register now Note: Jeanette is an experienced teacher and paints in both watercolors and oils; she has some experience with pastels and acrylics.

Crafting with Susan: Wood Bunny and Egg Date: Thursday, March 24 Time: 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Cost: $5; register now DANCE Line Dance: Advanced Date: Tuesday Time: 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Cost: $10 month of March; register now Line Dance: Beginning Date: Tuesday Time: 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Cost: $10 month of March; register now EXERCISE Daily Exercise Classes – check our current newsletter for the schedule University of Utah Students – Overall Fitness and Personal Training Date: Tuesdays & Fridays (Overall Fitness) Time: 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Cost: Free; register now Note: Personal Training appointments are available based on student schedules, call the Center for training availability and appointments.

THE MURRAY SENIOR RECREATION CENTER

PROGRAMS Thursday Evening Social Dance Live Music provided by Tony Summerhays Date: Thursdays Time: 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Cost: $5 Hand and Foot Date: Mondays Time: 12:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Cost: Free Mexican Train Dominos Game Date: Thursdays Time: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Cost: Free HEALTH SERVICES Haircuts Date: Friday, Mar. 4 Friday, Mar. 18 Time: 9 a.m. – noon Cost: $9; advance appointment required Blood Pressure Clinic

by Harmony Home Health Date: Thursday, Mar. 10 Time: 10:30 a.m. – noon Cost: Free; no appointment necessary Health Screening by UVU Student Nurses Date: Wednesday, Mar. 30 Time: 9:30 a.m. – noon Cost: Free; no appointment necessary TRIPS Wendover Date: Thursday, Mar. 10 Time: 8:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Cost: $22; register now Tuacahn: Disney’s Mary Poppins and Wonderland Date: Mon, Jun. 6 through Thurs, Jun. 9 Cost is $475 per person based on double occupancy Cost is $575 per person based on single occupancy Register beginning Tuesday, Mar. 22 and a $50 deposit per person is due at time of registration. Payment in full due by Wednesday, May 4

10 East 6150 South (West of State Street) • 801-264-2635

C ULTURAL A RTS

Resident on Display Original artwork by Murray resident artists are displayed in the central display case at City Hall.

Julie Jacobson will be showcasing her artwork till the end of March.

For those interested in showcasing their talent and becoming a Resident on Display – please contact murraymuseum@murray.utah.gov

Murray Mansion Public Tours The Murray Mansion has been undergoing restoration work to prepare for the installation of the Murray Museum. We would like to invite the public to tour the mansion to learn a little bit about its history, the ongoing restoration, and the future of the Museum. Tours will be guided and are scheduled for the 2nd Wednesday and the 3rd Saturday of March and April.

March 9: 6 PM & 6:30 PM March 19: 11 AM & 11:30 AM April 13: 6 PM & 6:30 PM April 23: 11 AM & 11:30 AM If you are interested in attending one of the scheduled tour times, please email rcoates@murray.utah.gov or call the Murray Museum (801) 264-2589 Murray City will be presenting Matilda the Musical! June 16-18, 20, 23-24, 2022 at the Murray Park Amphitheater. The production is being directed by Candy Tippetts, with choreography by Alan LaFluer, musical direction by Anthony Buck. All roles are open. Auditions will be held by video submission and are due March 14-18th.

This information, together with links to backing tracks are provided on the Cultural Arts Webpage:

www.murray.utah.gov/1642/Auditions Callbacks will be March 26th. Audition information will be posted on the Murray City Website – Cultural Arts, and various audition sites. Feel free to contact Candy Tippetts at catippetts@comcast.net Sister Act – July 15-16, 18, 21-23 at the Murray Park Amphitheater Stage. The production is being directed by Bruce Craven. Auditions will be tentatively April 20 & 21 with callbacks on April 23.

Cottonwood girls basketball has found its stride at the right time

By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

A

mid cries from parents in the stands demanding to know why this or that foul was not called—though the ref was standing at least 100 feet away from one angry mom and could not hear a thing if he wanted to— the girls basketball game between Cottonwood and Stansbury played on at the court of host Stansbury High Feb. 1 was a warning to the rest of Class 5A that the Colts have found their stride.

This Tuesday night tussle was a critical contest in the battle to determine future state tournament seeding—Stansbury at 4-2 was 1.5 games ahead of Cottonwood in the latest Region 7 standings—yet it was the visiting Colts who held a tight grip on the lead for all of the first quarter.

Cottonwood was also ahead for most of the second and all through the third.

The Colts struggled getting passes into the low post in the fourth, however, providing the hosts and favorites Stansbury with enough rope to lasso in Cottonwood and narrow the lead to four at 37-33 with 5:30 left in the game.

But a crucial steal by senior guard Olivia Tassainer at the 5:24 mark gave the Colts back the ball and they used a smaller lineup and pesky pressure to frustrate the hosts from there on out as Cottonwood held on for a crucial 49-44 win.

Tassainer, who scored 15 points and had four steals on the game then showed Stansbury she had a little sauce in that dribble, controlling the pace despite Stansbury’s parents who were screaming about missed calls for most of the game. In spite of a somewhat hostile environment the Colts stayed composed and took the wire-to-wire victory, their second in as many games after a 51-48 win at Uintah on Jan. 25.

The Colts then galloped to a resounding 43-28 thumping of rival Hillcrest in the battle across I-215 Feb. 3 in what will turn out to be their only meeting of the season. In the process the Colts recorded their third win in a row.

Senior forward Ali Tripp, who captained Cottonwood volleyball to the only state tournament game they would play a few months earlier in a tough play-in game loss at Hillcrest, rebounded with a 21-point outing against the crosstown rival.

What’s amazing about this turnaround is that Cottonwood [8-9, 4-4 Region 7, fourth place] started its first season in Region 7 having lost four of its first five dating back to Jan. 5.

But since that point it has been the Colts who have changed their standing in the new league with a formula of stingy defense and transition baskets. It might look to some like the Utah Jazz who use an inside-outside com-

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Ali Tripp helped lead the Colts in their turnaround season. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

bination of fast, athletic guard play and midrange shooting as well, but it’s actually how the Colts have to play with what they have.

Led by the senior captain Tripp [16.7 points per game], freshman center Avea Van Der Beek [6.2] and pesky pressure defense

from sophomore guard Alivia Hutton [3.9] to go with clutch shooting from Tassainer at 11.4 points per contest, Cottonwood has grown into the new region and was now poised to push for a higher seed at the 5A state tournament (after press deadline). l

applications open for

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No purchase necessary. Winner will receive orthodontic treatment - no cash value. Contestants must be resident of Utah or Wyoming, between the ages of 8 and 80 years old and winner will be selected by Silcox Orthodontics based on personal, subjective information and will be selected July 1, 2022. Winner will be responsible for travel to and from appointments.

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March 2022 | Page 19

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Are electric buses a viable solution for Little Cottonwood traffic problems?

By Justin Adams | justin.a@thecityjournals.com

A

group of local elected officials, community activists and college students boarded a bus last month for a ride up Little Cottonwood Canyon. Their goal? To show that electric buses can be a viable solution for the canyon’s traffic problems.

The Utah Department of Transportation is currently in the middle of the process of narrowing down its list of proposals. From an original list of five possibilities, the department narrowed its consideration down to two: an enhanced bus system (along with widening the roads in the canyon) and the construction of a gondola.

Throughout its Environmental Impact Statement report, UDOT’s analysis of the enhanced bus system presupposes that those buses would run on diesel fuel. An assumption that Cottonwood Heights City councilwoman Ellen Birrell says is based on a myth that electric buses don’t have what it takes to make it up the steep slopes of the canyon.

“We’re going to urge UDOT to revisit their assessment,” Birrell told the City Journals.

The bus ride was organized by the University of Utah student group, Students for the Wasatch. They coordinated with Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall to use an electric bus that her office borrowed from California for a few days to demonstrate its versatility and viability to local legislators and elected officials.

So how did the bus fare with the challenge of climbing Little Cottonwood Canyon?

“We zipped up!” Birrell said. “And it was so quiet we could use our inside voices. It was delightful.”

“I would describe it as clean, fast, quiet and comfortable,” said Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski.

“I was skeptical, to tell you the truth, whether it could handle the climb up Little Cottonwood Canyon, but this bus had no problem.”

Not only was the bus able to keep up with other traffic as it made its way up the mountain, but it was able to recharge its battery on the way down through a process called regenerative braking. Because of this, the bus was able to make it up and down the canyon using only 3% of its battery.

Alta Mayor Roger Bourke, who hopped on board the bus for the final few minutes of the ride, was impressed with the experience and touted the vehicle’s benefits for the environment.

“We are faced with a worldwide catastrophe if we don’t get a handle on these greenhouse gasses,” he said.

“And this is the way to get a handle on it. This can be charged with renewable energy, which we’re getting more and more of. That’s the future.”

Birrell noted that the solution to traffic problems in the canyon doesn’t necessarily have to be contained to one big project that costs hundreds of million dollars, like the gondola or road expansion. Instead, she suggested that a better strategy would be to adopt multiple smaller changes. One change she said has already started working is the ski resort’s implementation of reserved parking spots.

“With Alta ski area having reserved parking for all their parking spaces, there has not been a traffic con-

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

The electric bus was able to make it to the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon without a hitch, and even recharged most of its depleted battery on the way down. (Justin Adams/City Journals)

gestion problem this ski season,” she said. “Some of the logical and practical solutions that many of us want to see phased in, that would be much less expensive than a gondola or lane expansion, are already reducing the traffic.”

A fleet of electric buses could also theoretically be purchased and deployed by next ski season, noted Students for the Wasatch member Claudia Wiese.

“It can be an immediate solution, as opposed to spending years on a project,” she said. l

Replenish Landscape Garden 4660 South 200 West, Murray • 801-252-5962

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

Twenty-seven years is an important milestone for any business. In fact, only 20 percent of all businesses will survive to see their 20th anniversary. At Replenish, we believe our business model of providing top quality landscape materials, at a fair price, together with exceptional customer service, has provided the foundation of our success for these 27 years.

Beautiful gardens, lawns, and landscapes all start with the foundation of quality, nutrient-rich soil. While that is easy to say, it is much more complicated to sort through the numerous companies that all claim to sell the best. Whether you are starting a new flower garden or growing your own fruits and vegetables, Replenish Landscape Garden Products is here to help make your gardening goals a reality.

Replenish (the compost) and Replenish the Earth Products (the company) were created by Connie Cannon in 1994 in the driveway of her home. She wanted to create a compost mulch that would be high in nutrients, low in salts, as well as dark and rich in appearance. After seeking counsel from Peter Lassig, who had been the head landscape architect at Temple Square for over 40 years, she came up with the superior formula and blend for Replenish Compost. Mixing it together in her driveway, she would have her children put the compost in bags and sell it in their neighborhood.

MurrayJournal .com

“Whether you are picking up material at our yard, or having us deliver or install material in your yard, the service is always outstanding and to your satisfaction. As our customer, we have your best interest in mind,” said Mike Nitz, the current co-owner.

The Cannons sold the company 10 years later to the current owners, Mike Nitz and Greg Bettinson. After purchasing the company in 2004, Mike and Greg gave it a new name – Replenish Landscape Garden Products – to better describe what the business was all about. They also moved the business from West Valley City to its current location in Murray, at 4600 S. 200 W. Over the past 15 years, they have grown the business by expanding the variety of landscape materials offered and expanding their customer base to cover the entire Wasatch Front.

“There are a number of options when it comes to landscape materials, but they are not all created equal,” explained Greg. “We believe

that in Replenish Compost, we have the finest and most versatile compost available, period! To complement our signature Replenish Compost product, we have made it our focus to develop, or find, the very best soil blends, barks, wood mulches certified playground chips and soilless mixes specifically formulated for growing vegetables and flowers in containers or box gardens.

Quality is what we sell.”

Any of Replenish’s products can be picked up at their Murray yard, in either bulk or bag.

They also deliver in bag, bulk, or in the 1-cu-

bic-yard Super Big Bag to homes and businesses from Brigham City to Price. One of the unique services Replenish offers is their “Blower Truck” service. With this truck, they have the ability to install through a hose any of their products (except the rock and sand) directly into gardens, lawns or playgrounds.

Make your garden and yard work a successful, rewarding, and enjoyable experience. Call Replenish Landscape Garden Products at (801) 252-5962 for any question you might have or for a free quote.

March 2022 | Page 21

Murray basketball enjoys strong returning core for next season

By Lenna Proctor | l.proctor@mycityjournals.com

T

he Spartans capped its regular season with a victory over Highland on Feb. 18. Murray finished region 10-2 with losses to No. 1 ranked Olympus High School.

They wrapped up the regular season second in Region 6 and top 10 in 5A. Murray was set to start the playoffs Feb. 23 (after press deadline).

Head coach Jason Workman filled his team with talented players this year.

“This year's team has been a fun team to coach,” he said. “They immediately came together and began to lead each other to get better everyday.”

Workman’s comment about talent does not come lightly. Senior six-footeight forward Bowen Davies ranked second in the state for blocks and averaged 9.5 rebounds per game. Bowen was on track to become one of the all-time state leaders in blocked shots.

Combine Bowen’s skills in the post with those of junior Chudi Anosike, and it is no surprise the Spartans were in a prime position. Anosike averaged 23.8 points per game and led the state in scoring. Junior point guard Jaxson Workman averaged 6.2 assists.

With only two seniors, Davies and Drake AuClaire were surrounded by a young, tight knit, core group. The varsity rotation was typically nine players with a mix of seniors, juniors and sophomores.

Junior Davonte Hooks could fire up the team when draining shots from the threepoint line, or throwing up an alley-oop for Dai’shaun Buie to slam dunk. The skill of the Murray team continued with the ball handling and shooting skills of junior Tayshaun Tremel and sophomores Deacon Poole and Quinton Christman, marking a

Murray boy’s basketball team. (Back row: Hooks, AuClaire, Anosike, Buie, Davies, Hanson, Prskalo, Vollmer, Richter. Front row: Christman, Jalil, Tremel, Carlson, Wilkerson, Workman, Poole, Buckwalter) (Photo courtesy of Caden Davies)

bright future for the Spartans.

Murray holds two state championships in boy’s basketball, the first from 1931 and the most recent in 1996.

Davies said they had “a special talented group this year.”

Poole agreed, noting this year’s team was different. “This season has been fun, we are a winning organization this year.” l

Chudi Anisoke led 5A in scoring this year, averaging almost 24 points per game. (Photo courtesy of Caden Davies)

Page 22 | March 2022

Bowen Davies with the dunk. (Photo courtesy Caden Davies)

Drake AuClaire sweeping inside for a layup. (Photo courtesy of Caden Davies)

Murray City Journal

Salt Lake County receives additional $10 million from Treasury for rent relief

N

early two years into the pandemic, many Salt Lake County families are still feeling the impacts and fear losing their housing.

Because of Salt Lake County’s strong performance in distributing rental assistance funds to residents during COVID-19 thus far, the U.S. Treasury is providing the County with an additional $10 million in aid.

Salt Lake County is also forming a new program with Utah Community Action (UCA) and Centro de la Familia. The organizations will work with residents struggling to make rent by helping them apply for and complete applications for rent assistance.

The program will extend much needed support to families of all backgrounds and situations dealing with housing insecurity.

“Housing stability continues to be critical for our residents as we navigate new COVID-19 variants and their impacts on our workforce,” Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said. “We are constantly striving to improve access to our most vulnerable and diverse populations and are grateful for UCA’s and Centro de la Familia’s commitment to provide application assistance.”

UCA and Centro de la Familia will provide direct help to residents interested in or working on applying for Emergency Rental Assistance. Salt Lake County’s goal is to make the emergency application process more user friendly and get money into the hands of people who need it.

“We’re trying to make Emergency Rental Assistance easier to access,” Lauren Littlefield, Salt Lake County’s Housing Stability and Recovery manager, said. “We listened and learned we needed more dedicated application assistance and took steps to fill that gap.”

In 2021, one of the largest reasons for rental assistance application denials was the lack of response from applicants when documents or information was missing. By creating this new system, Salt Lake County is enabling partners to: • Increase communication to submit complete applications • Work together to secure necessary documents for qualification • Provide physical and virtual opportunities for application assistance in geographic areas across Salt Lake County • Provide application status updates This will be enhanced by additional language assistance, education, and outreach efforts from other community organizations, which the county is currently working to procure.

“We understand that applying for rental assistance can be daunting,” Sahil Oberoi, UCA director of Housing and Case Management, said. “Our goal is to simplify this process by walking clients through the application and helping them identify the necessary documents needed to successfully submit

MurrayJournal .com

their application.”

For direct rental assistance application help and troubleshooting, Salt Lake County residents can contact Utah Community Action at 801-359-2444 or Centro de la Familia at ERAP@cdlf.org or 801-707-9986.

“We aim to make emergency rental assistance available to the families who need help the most but are often least able to access the program on their own,” said Teri Peters, Centro de la Familia’s Program Design & Monitoring manager.

Salt Lake County residents have received at least $64 million in Emergency Rental Assistance. In total, more than 48,000 Salt Lake County residents have been impacted by this program since March 2021.

There are currently $93 million in funds available in the State of Utah for residents.

Residents who have been impacted by or during the pandemic can apply for rental assistance funds if their combined household income is at or below 80% of area median income. For a family of four the income limit is $73,750 or less. The application is available at rentrelief.utah.gov/.l Because of Salt Lake County’s strong performance in distributing rental assistance funds to residents during COVID-19 thus far, the U.S. Treasury is providing the County with an additional $10 million in aid. (File photo City Journals)

March 2022 | Page 23

Local woman heard Tonga volcano eruption while speaking with frightened relatives on the phone

By Carl Fauver | c.fauver@mycityjournals.com

I

t’s almost always tomorrow in Tonga.

And right now, a month-and-a-half after an underwater volcano devastated that South Pacific country, Tongans are still working long, hard days to improve their tomorrows.

The 105,000 people who inhabit the 170-plus islands that make up Tonga are just west of the International Date Line, 20 hours ahead of Utah in the winter and 19 hours ahead after our clocks spring forward. So, unless you’re on the phone with someone there between midnight and 5 a.m. our time, you’re talking to tomorrow.

That’s what Taylorsville resident Ivoni Nash was doing at 9:14 p.m. Friday, Jan. 14, which was 5:14 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 15, for her nervous relatives in Tonga. They were on edge, because scientists had been warning the volcano, named Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha‘apai was giving every indication it was about to blow.

Then it did.

“I was on the line with my cousins, who already knew a tsunami was coming (caused by an earlier, much smaller eruption),” Nash, 75, said. “I was scared to death for them. We had been talking about 10–15 minutes when I heard the eruption over the phone. It was so loud. Then the phone went dead.”

Scientists have since described the eruption as “the strongest anywhere on earth in more than 30 years, more powerful than 100 atomic bombs.” An Oxford University researcher reported, the measured height of the volcanic ash plume (24 miles) was the “highest ever detected in earth’s atmosphere.”

In the days following the cataclysmic eruption, Ivoni heard all these staggering statistics, just like everyone else. But what she could not here for well over a week, were any of her relatives’ voices.

“The phone lines remained down day after day,” she said. “We tried to Facebook call, but that wasn’t working. We did finally hear from others in the area that electricity had been restored. But it was horrible not being able to reach them.”

Nash did finally learn here relatives were uninjured and their homes had not been damaged by the tsunami. But, like everyone in the region, their rooftops and cars had been damaged by falling ash and rocks from the eruption. The thick coating of ash also killed crops and family gardens almost instantly.

Ivoni was born in Tonga in 1946 and immigrated to Utah to attend college in 1968. Four years later she married Utah native Michael Nash. The parents of one son and grandparents to his four teenage children will celebrate their 50th wedding

Page 24 | March 2022

The volcano eruption in Tonga generated 4- to-6-foot tsunami waves that struck the country’s capital of Nuku’alofa. (Consulate of the Kingdom of Tonga) NTAS Program Director Ivoni Nash and Executive Director Fahina Tavake-Pasi (L-R) each have several relatives in Tonga who were among those devastated when a volcanic eruption spewed ash and generated tsunami waves. (Carl Fauver/City Journals)

anniversary this year.

The couple moved to Taylorsville in 1976, the same year Ivoni earned her United States citizenship.

Nash is now the program director for the Murray-based National Tongan American Society.

According to NTAS literature: “The Tongan population continues to be the fastest growing and largest Pacific Islander community in Utah. Founded in 1994, NTAS, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is one of the longest running organizations to advocate for and empower Tongan-Americans and other Pacific Islanders.”

Ivoni is one of only two paid NTAS employees. The other is Executive Director and Co-Founder Fahina Tavake-Pasi.

She too still has lots of family in Tonga.

And they suffered even more dire consequences from the volcano eruption than Nash’s relatives.

“Between my husband and I, we have a couple of hundred relatives in Tonga,” Tavake-Pasi said. “My auntie and other relatives were not particularly hard hit.

But the tsunami completely wiped out the family home my husband grew up in.

It was one of two of his relatives’ homes that were destroyed. The water took everything. And they were not beachfront houses. They were a couple streets in from the

beach.”

Fahina and her husband, Ala Pasi, have already wired money to their family members. But they are also working with others here in Utah, to do something much more significant later this year.

“We are going to send a barge loaded with construction supplies and other essentials from Oakland (California) to Tonga sometime this summer or fall,” she said.

“My brother has arranged for a barge to be donated., but now we have to contract a tugboat to haul it. Since we’re not sure gasoline will be available in Tonga when the barge arrives, the tugboat will have to haul cans of gas for the round trip.”

For the record, the distance from Oakland to the Tongan capital of Nuku‘alofa is 5,324 miles, or 10,648 round trip. Cost estimates for the massive humanitarian undertaking are not yet available. Anyone interested in donating to the effort can learn more about it at the National Tongan American Society website, ntasutah.org.

When NTAS is not focused on coordinating volcano disaster relief efforts, the organization remains busy in many other ways. Funded almost entirely through federal grants, NTAS maintains several different programs designed to meet varying needs of the Utah Tongan community.

The NTAS Mission Statement reads: “The mission of the NTAS is to provide services and resources that will maximize the living standards and opportunities for Tongan people. We act as advocates for Tongan citizens to local, state, federal and international institutions and organizations.”

Among its offerings, NTAS offers adult English language classes, assists qualified individuals in obtaining medical benefits for children and provides domestic violence intervention, administered by licensed social workers.

“Utah has the highest Pacific Islander population, per capita, of any state in the country,” Nash said. “It’s only natural the National Tongan American Society would be headquartered here. But we serve Tongans in many different states and even some in other countries. We help with immigration papers; we’ve hosted COVID-19 vaccination clinics; and every summer we coordinate a big festival that draws about 3,500 people.”

The “Friendly Islands Tongan Festival” will mark its 25th year, this Aug. 12–14, at Salt Lake’s Jordan Park (1060 South 900 West).

Ivoni Nash also hosts a weekly, bilingual public affairs radio program on KRCL 90.9 FM. The show, “Tala Koula” airs from 10 p.m. to midnight on Sundays.

"Tala means ‘to tell’ and koula means ‘gold,’" Nash said. "Golden messages are very important messages. That's what Tala Koula means. We are telling really important messages to the people in our community.”

If you listen to that program until it ends at midnight—and then quickly call a friend in Tonga to tell them about it— you’ll both be speaking on Monday. But if you wait four hours, you’ll once again be talking to tomorrow. l

Murray City Journal

Salt Lake County receives $2 million grant to help families

S

alt Lake County’s Green & Healthy Homes Program is receiving a new $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The funds will allow the Salt Lake County program to help 130 additional families and individuals during the next three and half years. Salt Lake County was one of 60 agencies chosen nationally to receive funding to make low-income families’ homes safer and healthier.

“For people with asthma, residents aging in place and others, these funds make a difference in their lives,” Randy Jepperson, Salt Lake County Housing Program manager, said. “It’s not just fixing up the home, it’s making a difference in their daily lives.”

The Green & Healthy Homes Program focuses on creating housing that is both energy efficient and safe for low- to moderate-income families. The program targets several different issues that can be found in homes, including: • Radon gas safety • Presence of lead • Trip and fall hazards • Causes of asthma or any severe respiratory problems • Energy efficiency • Retrofits to keep the elderly in their homes, so they can age in place For West Valley City resident Hector Carreon, having his home recently updated to increase safety

and accessibility gives him long-term freedom. Carreon, who has muscular dystrophy, said he no longer feels like a prisoner in his own home.

“No matter how bad my disease will be, I’ll always be able to stay in my home,” Carreon said. “I won’t be homeless. I have freedom in my own home now and that’s how it’s supposed to be. The program made critical modifications.”

Residents can apply for assistance if they are 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) or below. For a family of four, the federal income guidelines currently set the AMI at $73,750 or less. The program is open to Salt Lake County homeowners, including refugees, regardless of legal status. Households are selected based on data and the greatest need for intervention.

“Salt Lake County cares deeply about our residents, especially those who need help the most,” Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said. “Our staff are committed to improving each individual’s life, one home at a time.”

For more information about the program and what makes a healthy home, visit slco.org/green-healthyhomes/. Residents with program eligibility questions can contact Sara Hernandez at shernandez@slco. org.l Funds from the county’s housing program will help residents fix different issues found in their homes, some for elderly to age in place rather than move. (File photo City Journals)

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March 2022 | Page 25

Females in Action focus on body, mind and heart in Salt Lake Valley

By Rachel Aubrey | r.aubrey@mycityjournals.com

W

hether during pre-pandemic times, post-pandemic times, or anywhere in the middle, everyone wants to feel like they have a group to belong to. Along with that feeling of belonging also comes the feeling of acceptance despite your age, color, race, religion, orientation, occupation, etc.

Those looking for such a group need look no further than a nearby park where every Tuesday at 6 a.m., Wednesday at 7 p.m., Friday at 6 a.m. and Saturday at 8:30 a.m., you will find, regardless of the weather (not excluding snow), Females in Action Salt Lake Valley, a group of women who are ready and waiting to accept other women into their circle, free of charge.

“At first I thought it was too good to be true, to be free and an amazing social outlet,” said Rachael Van Cleave, FIA member.

“I can’t say enough how much it helped my mental health throughout the pandemic. I was able to have that social outlet, get exercise year-round and stay safe.”

More than just a weekly workout group, FIA Salt Lake Valley offers the kind of like-mindedness that many look for in a group of female friends. From all different backgrounds and circumstances, the mission of FIA is to “make each other stronger in all areas through activities that include

bodies, minds and hearts.”

Females in Action was inspired by F3, a national organization of men seeking “fitness, fellowship and faith.” The headquarters for both F3 and FIA are located in North Carolina. According to the website, FIA is more than 6,000 women in 22 different states, and continues to grow. The FIA Salt Lake Valley group just celebrated their one-year anniversary in February.

Allyson Naud discovered FIA after seeing her husband participating in F3. A self-proclaimed introvert, Naud was not keen, at first, on the idea of a weekly exercise group, especially when it came time to be the leader of said group. What started off small in numbers has turned mighty in spirit.

“I just emailed a few friends and they came,” Naud said. “I never imagined it would grow like this and that it would have such an impact on everyone.”

The group became official with FIA nation last year after about four months of having consistent attendance. The group started with one workout a week and 30 Weekly workouts are free of charge and help the women of FIA Salt Lake Valley focus on women. It has grown to four workouts a improving their health and wellness. (Photo taken by Laura Grenmyr) week and 52 women. More than just a peerled workout, the women of FIA Salt Lake nity.

Valley spend time serving in the commuThe most recent project was for a women’s shelter, for which they put together hygiene kits. The group communicates regularly, using Slack, about upcoming workouts, gathering for book club, dinner club, and just checking in with one another.

“It’s about more than working out, it’s about community, and having a group of awesome women to do life with,” Naud said.

During the Covid quarantine the group was still able to gather to do their weekly outdoor workouts, with their masks on and at a safe distance. They were able to be a support to one another in what seemed like a never-ending cycle of uncertainty brought on by the pandemic.

Every workout ends with a circle of trust, where the group gather in a circle to acknowledge each individual and reflect or contemplate, using a motivational thought, quote or story before parting ways. The spapers unity new sense of community has made a huge im- The schedule of weekly workouts, which 13 comm for over 27 years es pact on some members, some who moved are peer-led and held no matter the 5 cities serving 1 igital ad opportunit d d n s a to Utah during the pandemic, some who are weather outside (Courtesy of FIA Salt Lake lt t u n s Pri ackable re here without family support.

Real and tr Valley).

“If it weren’t for FIA, I would have had a worse time during the pandemic,” said FIA member Laura Grenmyr, who ing her the nickname Globetrotter. Naud is serves as the marketing and public rela- known to the group as Leafmaster, and Van Cleave is known as Primetime. tions coordinator.

For more information or to see the Newcomers to the group should ex4 7 9 local weekly workout schedule, visit fian5 pect to receive a nickname, something to 54 do with her experience or her life, be it ation.com/locations/utah/salt-lake-valley/.

801-2 ge 7 a hobby or characteristic or something she l 2019 | Pa August enjoys. Grenmyr spent seven years living in Sweden, and travels there often, garner-

R U O Y s food onate d r e c cal gro mycityjournals.com

Lo Beat Writer | writer@ By local

Page 26 | March 2022

AEDRE H

Murray City Journal

Ranked Choice Voting in retrospect and the future of voting in Utah

T

wenty-three Utah cities participated in Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for the first time in the November 2021 election. RCV is a pilot project approved by the state legislature from a bill sponsored by Representative Jeff Stenquist (R-Draper). The bill stated it was up to each city council, not the mayor, whether or not their city would participate.

Prior to the election, both the city recorder and county clerk’s office made efforts to educate voters about RCV and each ballot came with a letter from the county clerk’s office introducing RCV. Following the election, Draper City conducted a survey to gauge residents’ responses to RCV with 791 people responding. The majority (67.9%) of respondents said they were expecting the new system while 32.1% said it came as a surprise.

Statistics from the survey: 33.4% were very satisfied with RCV (30.2% were very unsatisfied) 50.7% felt the instructions on the ballot were very clear (9.5% felt they were very unclear) 46.4% said the RCV process was very easy (9.6% found it difficult) 63.2% were confident they completed their ballot correctly (8.5% were not at all confident) “At this time, the city council has not made a decision about using RCV again. The next election is in November 2023, so we expect it will not be addressed until early 2023,” said Draper City’s Communications Director Linda Peterson, following the survey.

Meanwhile, a panel discussed the future of voting in Utah at a February forum at the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics. Panelists included Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen, Weber County Clerk Ricky Hatch, Ammon Gruwell from Utah Approves, and Stan Lockhart, a proponent of RCV and former chairman of the Utah Republican Party.

“There is no perfect method of elections. The (current/ traditional) system of plurality voting is fraught with challenges,” Lockhart said.

According to Lockhart, plurality voting causes people to either be really happy or really unhappy because their choice for office either wins or loses. He said that there are “games played” with plurality voting, including splitting the vote (such as when an Independent, Libertarian or Green Party member joins a race) and that strategic voting is necessary.

Lockhart feels RCV promotes more voter satisfaction (a voter’s first choice may not win, but their second choice might) and encourages civility in campaigning (if a candidate is not a voter’s first choice, that candidate hopes to be their second or third choice). Lockhart cited New York City as having used RCV for their last mayoral election, resulting in a win for Eric Adams.

Gruwell indicated the nation’s current system has low voter satisfaction and that all voting methods perform identically when there are only two candidates. His nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, Utah Approves ( www.utahapproves.org ) advocates for approval voting.

“Approval voting…results in a big improvement in outcomes in crowded races. Voters simply get to vote for more than one and the candidate with the most votes wins.

It’s an election based on highest favorability rating…there is no ranking or elimination of candidates like with RCV,” Gruwell said. The system has been used throughout Europe, in Papal Conclaves, and in U.S. cities including Far-

MurrayJournal .com

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

A panel made up of (L-R) Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen, Weber County Clerk Ricky Hatch, Ammon Gruwell of Utah Approves, and Ranked Choice Voting advocate Stan Lockhart spoke at a February forum on election innovations at the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics. (Courtesy The Hinckley Institute)

go, North Dakota and St. Louis, Missouri.

“All 29 county clerks in Utah have come out in support of approval voting…not only due to the simplicity and cost-effective nature…but also because it has an audit trail they are comfortable with,” the Utah Approves website states.

According to Gruwell, the level of ballot spoilage with approval voting is low (compared to moderate for RCV) and approval voting requires moderate voter education (the traditional system requires low-level voter education and RCV requires more).

Hatch and Swensen, two of four county clerks in Utah who administered RCV for the first-time last November, shared their thoughts.

“Voter confidence across the country is low, but we do it well in Utah,” Hatch said. He cited an MIT study that found voter confidence has a 20% swing based on if the voter’s candidate won or lost. As an election administrator, Hatch said his priorities are threefold; following the law, accuracy in tabulating results, and removing voting barriers including complexity. He’s not convinced about RCV and questions if now is the right time to make changes. “It’s great in concept, but let’s take a holistic approach,” he said.

Swensen said, “It was challenging for us to administer RCV, from creating the ballot to the instructions.” She later said, “It took our staff two weeks to format the 79 different ballot faces or styles for all the municipalities. The various ballot styles had to be designed to apply to voters depending on where within the county they resided so they could vote on candidates that pertained to their voting precinct. We found examples of ballot instructions from other jurisdictions that conducted RCV elections. We took the best examples of those…It was a very complex process to position the RCV contests and the standard voting contests on the ballots so they would not be confusing to voters.”

Swensen said approval voting wouldn’t take as much space on a ballot as RCV. She has concerns that RCV ballots could be multiple pages, resulting in higher costs to print and mail, and more chance for potential spoilage, such

Election assistant Becky Overacker helps first-time voter Zyon Bruce in November. (Mimi Darley Dutton/City Journals)

as if a voter failed to return all pages of the ballot for tabulation. She estimated one extra page on a ballot could cost $200,000.

Swensen said she wished the county had more time to prepare for the first RCV and she had a realization after it was conducted. “We definitely undercharged the municipalities,” she said. “The estimate for conducting an RCV election should have been at least double what we cited… partly because of the complexity of the ballot formatting…

There were also a lot of ambiguities in the RCV statute which required a lot of administrative time and legal consultation.”

Lockhart commended the county clerks for successfully administering the first large-scale RCV elections. “Until you use alternative methods of voting you’re skeptical,” he said.

The RCV pilot project is good until Jan. 1, 2026. A RCV “clean up” bill, sponsored by Rep. Doug Welton (R-Payson), was in house committee waiting to be heard at press time. l

March 2022 | Page 27

Murray Rotary Club Monthly Service Update

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Children have fun at Murray Rotary’s 2020 pre-pandemic Magic Show/Pizza Party at the Miller Family Boys & Girls Club in Murray.

This year’s March 17 party will be the same, but with masks and other COVID precautions.

Murray Rotary loves supporting our Boys & Girls Club, with their quality after-school programs and child care services. The staff help kids succeed in school, make healthy choices, and become good citizens.

We had over 45 volunteers at our Feb. 12 project at Fill the Pot, just west of the Rio Grande Depot in Salt Lake City.

Half of the volunteers were Rotarians, family and friends, and half were from JustServe.org. We sorted donated clothes, installed clothing racks and shelves, cleaned, painted, fixed the washer and dryer, trimmed trees, and raked and swept outside.

Go to MurrayRotaryUtah.com “Fun with a purpose” is our motto.

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was eight when I ran away from home. It was the summer of ’76 and my mother did the unspeakable. She banned a book in our home.

In the stack of books I’d checked out at the library, there was a paperback copy of “Jaws” I instinctually hid from Mom because she could be irrational. The book cover, with its looming shark and nearly-nude swimmer, might make her think the novel wasn’t “proper” for an 8-year-old.

With a plateful of homemade oatmeal cookies, I sat on my bed engrossed in shark attacks. My bedroom door opened and Mom (without knocking!) entered my room to put clothes away. Her mouth dropped open when she saw what I was reading. She grabbed it out of my hands and banned the book from the house.

How dare she!

I fumed and realized there was only one answer to such blatant oppression. I got my red suitcase and packed a nightgown, a change of clothes, my toothbrush and a Nancy Drew book. I stomped down the stairs, ignoring Mom as she stood in the kitchen doorway with her arms crossed.

Before I walked out of the house forever, I told her I couldn’t live with her cruelty any longer. I walked two blocks to my Aunt Judy’s house and announced I was moving in because Mom was an unreasonable tyrant.

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I stayed the night, knowing Mom must regret her terrible behavior. I figured by the next day, she would be frantic with worry.

Served her right. (I later learned she’d called my aunt to let her know I was heading her way.)

When I returned home, I asked her if I could read “Jaws.” She said no. You can bet your sweet bookends I found a copy of “Jaws” and secretly read it cover to cover.

My effort to read banned books didn’t stop there. As I got older, I tore through Judy Blume's books, inhaled the “Flowers in the Attic” series, and absorbed “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Twice. My cousin and I would sit on the bookstore floor, reading salacious parts of popular bodice-ripper novels written by the queen of romance, Kathleen Woodiwiss.

Mom realized it was counterproductive to forbid me from reading books, and we ended up having conversations about racism, in-

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equality, sex and sharks.

I make it a point to read banned books, buy banned books, promote banned books and encourage my daughters to do the same.

I figure if a book is so powerful it has to be banned or burned, that’s a book I need to read.

Anything that gets people’s knickers twisted and touches a literary nerve goes on my toread list.

Parents and lawmakers are increasingly trying to create laws that shelve books that don’t fit in with their (mostly conservative) ideals. When that happens, society loses. Didn’t you read the (ironically) banned “Fahrenheit 451?”

I agree that 8-year-olds don’t make the best choices, but if we control the curriculum, frame the narrative, and put a conservative slant on history, we’re not doing those 8-yearolds any favors.

In January, when a school board in Tennessee banned the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel, “Maus,” parents pushed back.

The Salt Lake County Library System has dozens of copies of the Holocaust story where the Jews are depicted as mice, Germans as cats, and Americans as dogs.

I was happy to see it has hundreds of hold requests.

Looks like I’m not the only one making sure I read things that make me uncomfortable.

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