TATTOO ARTISTS ARE TRANSFORMING ART AND CULTURE ON MIDVALE’S MAIN STREET
By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com
From a subculture niche into mainstream art, the tattoo industry in Utah has been through an evolution fueled by breaking down stigmas, growing acceptance and demonstrating that body art is a valuable form of self-expression.
Midvale City’s Historic Main Street has become a go-to destination for clients to receive quality tattoos with increasingly intricate and personalized designs. With nearly a dozen studios in the Main Street area, tattoo artists are helping to build the city’s arts reputation.
“We’re trying to create an arts and culture district here on Midvale Main and one thing that we’re trying to do is attract businesses that are arts or arts adjacent, and tattoo studios absolutely fit into the mold of what we’re looking for,” said Midvale Economic Development Manager Cody Hill.
Chase Alexander and Mitch Anderson of Dark Arts (7632 Main St.) have helped build the area into a tattoo destination. Alexander operates Tattoo Booking, a website that helps clients find the perfect artist for their body art. With more than 200 licensed tattoo artists in Salt Lake County, the site makes it easier to navigate the system.
Alexander also coordinates the Tattoo Showdown each April on Midvale’s Main Street. The event attracts tattoo artists from all over the region to com-
pete for $15,000 in prize money.
“[The artists] have to design under the event’s theme and they can do it in any style they want,” he said. “They’re split into categories and they have nine hours to tattoo. At the end of the nine hours, we bring them on stage and judge them. There are different things the judges are looking at to figure out who has the best piece.”
Advances in technology have helped elevate the practice into an art form. Cordless machines allow an artist to achieve greater precision by adjusting the needle’s speed and force. Eco-friendly inks, smart tattoo needles and improved aftercare products make the process easier for the artist and client.
Not Without Challenges
While Midvale’s Main Street attracts talented artists looking for a place to showcase their art, it has also caused some oversaturation in the area, specifically when it comes to studios with walk-in clientele. Al Martinez works at Wild Coyote Tattoo (7681 Main St.) but said the shop will close this fall because it can’t compete with the other studios in the area.
“I’ve been here for about a year but I’ve been in the industry for 14 years,” Martinez said. “The area is oversaturated and we just can’t compete for walk-
Midvale Mayor Marcus Stevenson receives his first tattoo from Dark Arts artist Tat-
Slick during the Craft Lake City event. (Photo courtesy of Craft Lake City)
Jordan District takes on social media giants in national lawsuit
By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com
Jordan School District Board of Education’s priorities are student safety, wellness and student learning, said Board President Tracy Miller, which is why Jordan District is involved in a lawsuit against social media giants Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok.
“We see firsthand in our schools the impact of the mental health crisis among our youth,” Miller said. “Scientific data shows that social media damages the health and wellness of children and disrupts learning. We have the responsibility to do all we can do to stop the negative impact.”
Jordan School District was recently named one of twelve “bellwether” plaintiffs in a national multidistrict lawsuit claiming negligence and public nuisance on the part of the social media companies.
At a July press conference, board members reported Jordan District has invested millions of dollars in student mental health supports including staffing a district wellness department and hiring full time mental health counselors for every school.
“Jordan School District has devoted substantial resources to addressing students and curating mental health and to combat learning disruptions,” Miller said. “We are honored to be chosen as one of the lead plaintiffs, and are hopeful that this lawsuit will help us recoup some of our costs, and more importantly, change the way social media companies operate so our students are protected.”
The suit claims social media companies have failed to adequately warn users about the harm their products cause, noting that the psychologically manipulative techniques used to attract and retain the attention of users are addictive, especially to children and teens’ developing brains.
Other harms to youth cited in the suit include physical and mental harm by encouraging destructive behavior, promoting negative appearance and social comparisons, and—because of ineffective parental controls, age-verification measures and privacy protections—contributing to the sexual exploitation and endangerment of children.
The idea that social media and the internet are harmful to young people is a sentiment shared by many, including the U.S. Senate, which recently passed legislation to protect children’s privacy online, and Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who issued a mental health advisory last year.
At a July 29 press conference, Jordan School District Board of Education President Tracy Miller announces the district’s involvement in a multidistrict lawsuit against social media giants. (Jet Burnham/ City Journals)
“We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis—one that we must urgently address,” Murthy said in his May 2023 statement.
When the lawsuit goes to trial, most likely near the end of this year, Jordan District may be asked to testify. Jordan District employees are gathering evidence in preparation.
JSD Superintendent Dr. Anthony Godfrey became emotional when speaking about social media’s effect on students.
“You see on an individual basis how their lives are negatively impacted—not just their living—but their ability to interact with others and have a productive day of school is dramatically negatively impacted by social media,” Godfrey said.
JSD Board Member Bryce Dunford personally witnessed his teenage son’s grades, personality, self-image and world view devastated by an addiction to social media.
“Logan was not prepared to be sucked into the social media world that was waiting for him, nor were his mother and I aware of what was happening on the other end to suck him in,” Dunford said. “It became an obsession. It became an addiction. And we kind of lost him.”
Getting likes, comments and shares on social media
consumed Logan’s thoughts and his time for years.
“It was incredibly fulfilling, yet also not very genuine,” Logan said.
As a high school sophomore, he finally made the difficult decision to delete his social media apps for the sake of his mental health.
“I began to feel really uncomfortable and awkward and kind of unsafe in my own skin throughout all situations of my life,” he said. “And I thought that it was really important to somehow find a way to disconnect, and the easiest way to do that was going off social media.”
Dunford said in the absence of social media, his son became himself again.
“The student we knew in those early years came back— not just his grades, but his whole personality, his life, his image of himself, his happiness,” Dunford said.
Logan graduated from Bingham High School in June, with top grades and the prestigious Pick and Shovel Award. But he still feels a craving for the way crafting a popular post on social media made him feel.
“But I recognize in the fact that I do still feel that way, should I get back on, I would be sucked right back into that toxic mentality that I had in the first place, and I would be super depressed again and super anxious all the time,” he said.
Columbia Elementary PTA President Sharol Stapley believes the lawsuit is a good step toward protecting children, but believes parents are ultimately responsible to safeguard their children. She sets screen time and content limits for her children and believes delaying exposure to the perils of social media will give her kids time to develop a healthy self-image.
“I want my kids to know who they are before they venture into a world that's going to tell them everything opposite to what they know about themselves,” Stapley said.
Stapley believes schools can support students and their families by providing digital safety education and resources.
This spring, Columbia Elementary’s PTA sponsored a Ready Tech Go family night, presented by AT&T, to educate families about the effects of excessive screen time and to provide parents with kid-safe websites and internet safety resources. l
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Teachers get free haircuts at Midvale shop
By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com
Continued from front page
ins.”
Hill agreed that walk-in studios might have a rough time but said most of the shops see clients by appointment only. He sees tattoos as a service people are willing to travel for to find the best artists, so oversaturation shouldn’t be a problem.
“When you get a tattoo, you’ve probably done research, and you know the artist that you want to use,” Hill said. “You might book out months in advance to get the time slot with that artist for the specific tattoo that you’re looking for.”
McKay Haynie owns Nowhere Tattoo (7624 S. Main St.) and appreciates all the city has done to create an arts district on Main Street, including the Mural Fest each year. He also gave credit to Anderson, Beth Vanity (Vanity Tattoo & Co, 7634 Main St.) and Buck Harvey (Black Rabbit Tattoo, 7610 Main St.) for being pioneers in the area and helping transform the industry on Main Street by remodeling the historic buildings.
Haynie said operating a tattoo studio takes time, money and energy, and the heavily regulated industry can sometimes break a small business.
“No one in the city has bad intentions, nor do most people in the government as a whole, but you don’t realize how much the government takes from you until you open a business,” he said. “I get taxed on the city level, on the county level, on the state level and on the federal level and that doesn’t include sales tax and inflation.”
Ink Evolution
As the industry continues to evolve through innovation and technology, Alexander said the one thing a studio can
AMidvalebarber shop is making the back-to-school season a little brighter for teachers. The Fellas Barber Shop (7559 S. Main Street) is giving school teachers free haircuts in a gesture of appreciation and gratitude.
Inspired by the efforts of teachers, shop owner Mersadies Reber aims to give back to those who shape young minds by providing a small act of kindness. Reber also teamed up with the Strap Tank Restaurant to award one teacher with a year’s worth of classroom supplies.
“We asked ourselves who our local community heroes are and we felt that teachers are really the staple of our committees,” Reber said. “I think the community will fall in love with the The Fellas and find out who we really are.”
CiCi Alsop is the shop manager at the Midvale location. Formerly known as the Black Sheep Barber Co., the owners partnered with Reber in May this year and rebranded as The Fellas. With its vintage decor, including old-timey chairs and a striped barber pole, Alsop said the shop fosters a community vibe and welcomes everyone who comes through the door.
“We’re somewhere where people can come in and relax,” Alsop said. “We like to give back to the community. We like to give back to the heroes, whether it be firemen, police officers, veterans, teachers or really anybody who helps their community…We just want to help people feel great. We like to set ourselves apart from everybody and have a good vibe
Juan Tomayo, a barber at The Fellas Barber Shop in Midvale (7559 S. Main Street), uses a hot towel treatment during a facial. Any teacher can get a free service at the shop as a thank-you from the owners. (Peri Kinder/City Journals)
do to stay competitive is to create exemplary and unique customer experiences.
Offering quality products for aftercare, making the appointment feel luxurious or finding ways to increase a client’s comfort could be a way to rise above the hundreds of studios in the county.
“One artist paints an art piece and turns those into tattoos. Then he tattoos the client and gives them that piece to go along with their tattoo,” Alexander said.
During the Craft Lake City: LetterWest lettering conference held on Midvale Main earlier this year, Midvale Mayor Marcus Stevenson received his first tattoo. He’d considered getting one for a long time but said he couldn’t fully trust someone inking a permanent picture on his body.
While looking at flash tattoos designed by Kyle Letendre, Stevenson saw one that said “vision” and it resonated with how he sees his life and his role as mayor. Artist Tattoo Slick from Dark Arts gave him the tattoo.
“I have a vision for our community and for myself. It’s a reminder each day of the choices I make to create that vision,” Stevenson said. “My experience was really good. The pain was similar to a cat scratching you over and over again, so not pleasant but not unbearable. Additionally, the artist was willing to work with me to find the right placement and explain how to take care of the tattoo.”
City officials appreciate the tattoo studios and artists who call Midvale’s Historic Main Street home, where they add to the dynamic, diversity and culture of the area.
“Their involvement, their passion, their creativity and their willingness to help us expand our vision of an arts and culture district creates a positive perception on Main Street,” said Meggie Troili, Midvale City Redevelopment Agency Project Manager. l
and have a really good culture.”
Any teacher, male or female, can stop by The Fellas and receive a free shampoo, cut and style. Men can also get a straight razor shave and face massage. The shop also offers waxing, scalp treatments, beard shaping and facials that include a hot towel steam, exfoliation, massage, a clay mask and moisturizing.
“We just want everyone to feel good, feel fresh and look fresh for the new school year, and have everyone get off to a good start,” Alsop said.
Alsop wants to remind residents that it’s important to use quality hair products, especially living in the dry, hot air in Salt Lake County.
“If it’s cheap, it’s probably not a very good product,” Alsop said. “We live in a desert, so you always want to hydrate your hair, just like you’re going to hydrate your skin. Your hair will start to get super dry. You’re going to get dead ends fast.”
The Fellas was started by Reber and her husband Jeramy in 2018 and the brand has grown to include nine locations and a haircare product line. Military personnel and first responders receive a free service for their first time in the shop and a discount at the shop every visit after that.
For more information and a complete list of services, visit Thefellas.com.
“Self-care is important in today’s world,” Alsop said. “We always like to remind people that even though you’re busy, and you may think you don’t need a haircut, just take that self-time, come on in and relax.”l
McKay Haynie, owner of Nowhere Tattoo (7624 S. Main St.), displays the art piece he designed that will be inked onto his client’s leg. (Peri Kinder/City Journals)
Utah’s Ms. USA Universe encourages heart healing in her work
By Bailey Chism | bailey.c@thecityjournals.com
Julie E. Harman passed on her role to the new winner of Ms. America in August 2016, but her story of service did not end there.
During her year as Ms. America, Harman shared her message of the importance of preparedness, responsibility and self-reliance. She made over 100 appearances across America to share her message and help others perform at their best. To commemorate her year, Harman was also awarded the Presidential White House Gold Community Award for her selfless service.
Harman, a former Midvale resident, said the reason she wanted to be involved with pageantry is because she loves serving people. Harmon has two decades of experience with helping others out of co-dependency environments and unlearning those tendencies and habits.
“Becoming self-reliant is a message that is important to me as a single mom business owner,” Harman said.
During her year-long reign as Ms. America, Harman said she could foresee many situations where schools and businesses could shut down and wanted to do her best to help people be prepared if that were to happen. A few years later, COVID-19 shut the country down, and the foreseen vision unfortunately came true, leaving a trail of health issues and heartache.
After passing her crown to the winner of the 2016-17 Ms. America Pageant, Harman focused on her family as they went through many big life events in the span of just a few years. Her two daughters started middle school and high school and she found herself seeing the harsh reality those students faced.
“My brave high school daughter gave me the opportunity to be on the inside of these students’ private lives and to be exposed to the many varieties of heartaches and hardships they faced without proper support,” Harman said.
Harman was able to see how these students treated each other in a negative way and learned that some kids felt like they didn’t have a voice, that they weren’t listened to by their parents or school staff. If given the opportunity, Harman wants to be the voice and healing support for these kinds of situations still happening in schools today.
“I love helping people’s hearts and giving them encouragement, hope, love, whatever they might need. I believe I have some answers and personal experience to aid with understanding,” Harman said.
When COVID-19 started going around, the high school her daughter was attending was under construction, as were many other schools, and administration was not equipped to help the kids at the time with their mental health. Students were in and out of masks, in and out of school as virtual classes started being held, and their parents were already
stressed out over the situation. Who did these students really have to talk to?
It was a time of chaos and uncertainty, and Harman wanted to do what she could to help students, people, in this time of chaos. She helped by allowing them into her heart and into her home when they felt safe to be heard.
In 2021, when Harman’s oldest daughter graduated from high school, Harman saw that many of her classmates did not graduate with her. The “behind-the-scenes” reasons for this were mostly undiscussed and tossed aside.
“Briefly, fewer students participated in the 2021 compared to the 2019 assessments and this drop was substantial for historically underperforming groups of students,” according to a report by the Utah State Board of Education. “Further, student performance was notably lower in 2021 compared to 2019.”
Harman said she thinks a lot of the student engagement drops had to do with them feeling disheartened from the trauma they were experiencing. Students expect a certain level of care from the school system that they weren’t receiving, causing mental anguish and a polarizing effect on their overall health.
In the spring of 2021, Harman was inspired to open a metaphysical healing studio in Sandy, she called her “Starship.” She started working with students and other clients with heart healing. The type of healing Harman practiced is called Somatic Healing and Therapy as well as meditation and clinical hypnosis. This comes from her understanding of the energy fields of someone, connecting to that energy field, and being able to shift it and release it or move it through the body.
“I would teach my clients, as well as myself, how to heart heal for mental health,” she said.
Her metaphysical studio provided an experience for people to come in and be “reset” through a series of five different processes and “release” the trigger point of the mind. She’d help her clients release harsh emotions from their heart to their mind, out of their body. Before opening her studio, Harman helped clients go through addiction recovery, she helped with equine therapy, and with people going through or recovering from many levels of traumatic events.
This especially came in handy for her when her father went through a horrible emergency room experience in 2018. She had to be there for both her mother and her father, as well as her two daughters. Making that connection with heart healing helped Harman, her daughters, and her parents deal with mental conditions throughout tough years. Her studio helped her heal herself through a series of traumatic events, including dealing with long-COVID, which made her lose her voice from the end of 2020 and into 2023,
and her father’s declining health in 2022.
“My grief was just crippling my heart,” she said.
Her father passed in early 2022, and Harman spent all the time she could with him until those final moments. She said seeing him in the state he was in was one of the most difficult things she’s ever had to do. As hard as it was to experience, Harman said going through that with her father helped her to use her heart to help others going through the stages of grief. Many people are afraid of death, afraid of their loved ones passing, and Harman has had the experience to help others make it through that process, in the various stages of grief.
“There are a lot of hearts that are going to need to be healed, and helped, and supported through the grief cycle,” she said. “When your heart is healing and is relieved, your mind relaxes, but when your heart doesn’t feel OK, then it starts to make your head run and stay in a trauma cycle.”
Harman is currently getting her second bachelor’s degree and moving onto her master’s degree from the University of Metaphysics and the University of Sedona. Since she is so passionate about this topic and many others relate to it, she started creating the concepts for her International Self-Mastery Academy, which she plans on officially
launching in 2025.
“Self-Mastery, to me, is knowing yourself the best you can, which is your greatest power,” she said.
While her studio in Sandy closed in 2022, she’s not done helping people. She held a heart healing event at the Utah State Capitol on July 1 flying kites with anyone willing to join her and many others. They accomplished something that has never been done, and it worked, many showed up and said they felt so much better flying kites like kids together. She plans on creating another event like this in October since it was so successful.
Harman was double-crowned as Ms. USA Universe and Ms. Fitness USA Universe in Daytona Beach, Florida on Aug. 13. The pageant double crowned her to reward her for her own personal dedication and commitment to bodybuilding and natural health, and her heart healing message.
Harman will continue sharing the message of teaching others about heart healing and mental health, and how to heal yourself, while she serves as Ms. USA Universe and Ms. Fitness USA Universe 2024-25 and as she prepares to compete for the International title as Ms. Universe in 2025. l
Julie E. Harman, Ms. USA Universe, shares “Heart Healing for Mental Health” message. (Photo courtesy of Julie E. Harman)
Recognizing Signs and Symptoms of Stroke from Holy Cross Hospital – Jordan Valley Stroke Team
By Dr. Rebecca Reiser
We know how important it is for patients and their families to find a hospital and a care team that you can trust - especially when emergencies, like stroke, happen. That’s why our team at CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital – Jordan Valley is so incredibly proud to be a certified primary stroke center with thrombectomy capability. Recently, our stroke care team was recognized by the American Heart Association and received their Get with the Guidelines Gold Plus Award with Stroke Honor Roll and Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. This award means our facility met or exceeded the national recommendations for stroke care for our patients and it highlights our hard-working, talented stroke care team for providing excellent patient stroke care! To start, we work closely with our EMS partners to help them recognize patient stroke symptoms while they are out in the field. They are trained to let us know when they are on their way to our hospital so we can be ready for stroke patients before they even arrive. Our team is then able to evaluate each patient quickly and thoroughly to determine the best course of treatment. We have medications to help break up blood clots in the brain and a team of highly
trained vascular neurosurgeons who can remove a blood clot from the brain, also known as a thrombectomy. An important note - Holy Cross Hospital - Jordan Valley is the only hospital on the west side of the valley that has the capability of performing these state-of-the-art thrombectomies!
So, what are the signs and symptoms of stroke that you should be aware of? The easiest way to remember what to look out for is through the acronym, BEFAST:
● Balance changes
● Eye or vision changes
● Facial droop
● Arm weakness
● Speech difficulty
● Time
reduces disability among stroke survivors by 4%! That’s because about 2 million brain cells die every minute during a stroke until blood flow is restored. It is important that if you see someone showing the signs or symptoms of stroke outlined above, call for help immediately. When you or your loved ones come to Holy Cross Hospital – Jordan Valley for stroke care, you can expect state-of-theart stroke treatment and compassionate, healing care fueled by humankindness. From the teams in the ER to the stroke care teams to the physical, occupational and speech therapists that help care for patients throughout their rehab journey, and to the neurologists that assist in care decisions from the start, you are in good hands at Holy Cross Hospital – Jordan Valley!
At CommonSpirit Health, we make the healing presence of God known in our world by improving the health of the people we serve, especially those who are vulnerable, while we advance social justice for all.
It is important to recognize the above signs and symptoms because time matters! Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, but it is the leading cause of long-term disability. Studies show that every 15 minutes saved when a patient is experiencing stroke symptoms,
Learn more about the services, care providers and mission-driven work of the Holy Cross hospitals and CommonSpirit Health at www.holycrossutah.org.
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Dr. Rebecca Reiser Neurologist and Stroke Director CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital
Veteran women’s entrepreneurial conference sparks innovation
By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com
Foralmost 80 years, U.S. military veterans have been more likely to start and own a business than non-veterans. After World War II, nearly half of veterans owned or operated a business. With a strong work ethic and dedication to a cause, veterans often have attributes that make them successful entrepreneurs.
Though there has been a decrease in veteran business ownership over the past couple of decades, veterans are still more likely to own a company with about 1.9 million veteran-owned businesses today. Military spouses often struggle with creating a small business or finding long-term careers. With frequent relocations, the military lifestyle can make entrepreneurial success difficult.
That’s where the Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship comes in. Created by the Syracuse University D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families, V-WISE is a program that gives women veterans business tools, connections and resources to turn their passion into a successful venture.
“V-WISE created this amazing network for women,” said Misty Fox, IVMF director of entrepreneurship and small business. “They were meeting other women who were encouraging them to get started and how to balance family and entrepreneurship. Now we’re looking at 3,800 graduates from the 27 programs we’ve hosted.”
The V-WISE program begins on Monday, Sept. 16 with a 15-day online intensive that prepares participants for the three-day in-person residency in Salt Lake City on Oct. 11-13. For a registration fee of $75, female veterans and military spouses can learn skills to get their business idea off the ground. Lodging and meals are covered 100%.
Following the in-person event, participants receive one year of support focused on their small business creation and growth.
“It’s a time where they can meet with geniuses, or have meetings with subject matter experts,” Fox said. “They have time where they can meet one-on-one with folks to learn how to pitch their business or learn how to break barriers that might be holding back their business. So it’s a time they can immerse themselves and
really get going on their business.”
Funding for the V-WISE program comes from the support of corporate and foundation partners across the country. Comcast has a history of supporting military causes and brings a wealth of information to the V-WISE program through a series of topics.
Experts from Comcast Business will help entrepreneurs safeguard against cyber threats, navigate the digital landscape, understand data protection and compliance, leverage data for brand identity, conduct risk assessment and secure business operations.
“Comcast has been a great supporter of this community for a long time and they’ve done that in several different ways,” Fox said. “With IVMF, they’ve partnered with us to host not only V-WISE but other entrepreneurship
programming. In reality, it’s not just a conference or a training sponsorship for them. [Comcast] has just been a really, really good partner in the veteran space for a long time.”
Those eligible to participate in the V-WISE program include honorably discharged women veterans or active duty women service members of any military branch, including the National Guard and reservists. Also eligible are women spouses, same-sex life partners or widows of veterans from any branch or era of service.
“Comcast’s commitment to military causes shines through its substantial support for the V-WISE program, bringing invaluable expertise in cybersecurity and digital navigation to empower veteran entrepreneurs,” said Deneiva Knight, external affairs director, Comcast Mountain West Region. “By partnering with IVMF, Comcast continues its longstanding tradition of fostering veteran success through entrepreneurship, strengthening the program’s impact on women veterans across the nation.”
For more information on Xfinity’s military deals and offers, visit: military.xfinity.com/#/ welcome. For more information, or to apply for the V-WISE program, visit ivmf.syracuse.edu/ programs/entrepreneurship/start-up/v-wise/.l
Pickleball player paddles her way to all 50 states
By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com
Lorraine Rupper played pickleball in 33 states in just 19 days this summer to finally complete her goal to play a game of pickleball in all 50 states. The 59-year-old endured bad traffic and parking challenges, heavy rain and flooded roads, excessive heat and closed courts, and long drives and fast food, but said the biggest challenge was finding people to play with.
“I definitely wanted to quit a few times when I couldn't find people to play with,” she said. “I had to wait and wait and wait or decide if I should go to another part of the town or go to another town in the same state to play. In Vermont, I definitely wanted to quit! If home had been an hour away, I would have quit. But being 2,000+ miles away from home, I had to make it work.”
After trying a few pickleball courts in one Vermont town and not finding a game, she drove to another town. When she finally found a group of players there, they had just finished three hours of playing and didn’t want to play one more. She tried at other courts, until eventually, she caught a break while waiting around the high school courts.
“All of a sudden, I saw someone bringing out a pickleball net,” she said. “So I went over there to help put up the net and they're like, ‘Are you Karen?’ I'm like, ‘No, but I can be.’”
Rupper ended up playing with Karen and her group and finally checked Vermont off her list.
Sometimes she was just so happy to finally find someone to play with, she would give away a pair of custom-made earrings from her Etsy shop, Pickleball Love as a
thank-you.
When she had difficulty finding someone to play with in West Virginia, she drove another 60 miles to try her luck at another court.
“I felt like a stalker, waiting for people to show up, and nobody's showing up, and nobody's showing up,” she said.
Finally, she approached a group of people in the park, but they’d never played pickleball before. However, when she told them about her goal, one of them agreed to play with her.
After a quick tutorial, they played a game and snapped a selfie together. Rupper was so grateful, she gifted the man with pickleball paddles and also earrings for his wife (who’d run his errands so he could stay and play.)
Pickleball players are rated by skill level 1.0–5.0. The most welcoming players, Rupper said, were beginner or intermediate level.
“Most of the great 4.0 or 5.0 players, they keep to themselves, and they don't let a stranger off the street come and play with them,” she said. “You want to get your game better, and so to do that, you want to play with people who are your level or higher, if you can.”
Rupper is an advanced player with a 5.0 rating, but she didn’t always tell people that at first.
“I don't go, ‘Hey, I'm almost pro, people, you want me on your team!’” she said. “Once in a while, I’d say, ‘Hey, you know, I don't suck’ and sometimes they look at you skeptically, because this was all pretty ran-
dom.”
In Providence, Rhode Island, one of a group of four volunteered to sit out a game to let her play, even though the others were reluctant to let her join in.
“One of the guys looked at me with this look ‘Really, you're gonna barge in here?’” she said. “I played, and then the guy says, ‘You can be my partner next time, okay?’ He was really happy, because I didn't suck, and I was good.”
Most of the time, Rupper could convince people to let her join a game, but in Maine she was rudely turned away from a pickleball club during the hottest part of the day, and when she finally found two people to play with at an outdoor court, they refused to have their picture taken with her, which is how she was documenting her goal.
“Maine is a disappointment,” she said. “The pickleball community is, in general, very welcoming and wonderful. That was not the case in Maine. I felt like I was riffraff or something. I just felt like dirt, the way I was treated.”
In contrast, the players in Alabama and Louisiana were the friendliest; they invited her to lunch after their game.
When she isn’t playing pickleball, Rupper is a counselor at West Hills Middle School, where she encourages students and staff members to play pickleball to improve their physical and mental health.
“When you're feeling down or it's been a rough day, I think anybody can go out and play pickleball and feel better, because exercise is one of the things that helps your body and helps your mind,” she said. “It can take
your mind off your troubles, because you're out there, you're just on the court, you're hitting a ball back and forth, and you're having fun, you're moving, you're getting your steps and so I think that can help a lot.”
The map documenting her 50 games of pickleball is displayed on Rupper’s office wall, where she hopes it inspires her students.
“This could be a way for students to see that lofty goals can be reached with lots of grit," she said. l
Lorraine Rupper’s map shows the people she played pickleball with in all 50 states in the last 5 years. (Photo courtesy Lorraine Rupper.)
Lorraine Rupper documents a pickleball game played in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo courtesy Lorraine Rupper.)
South Fargo, North Dakota Lorraine Rupper has played pickleball in all 50 states in the last 5 years. (Photo courtesy Lorraine Rupper.)
State tournament likely for Hillcrest golfers
By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
Hillcrest High boys golf coach Dave Richardson is optimistic about his team’s season.
“We should make state this year as a team,” he said. “That would be really good.”
By late August, the team already had played two region tournaments, one at Oquirrh Hills hosted by Tooele High and a second one at Murray Parkway hosted by Murray High.
“We were a couple strokes out of third place,” he said about the Murray tournament. Already, the team is “shooting better scores than we have in recent years. The last tournament, we had all our players in the 70s and 80s. They’re just scoring better.”
The team has six more tournaments, including one at River Oaks Golf Course which Hillcrest will host prior to the early October region tournament at Meadow Brook Golf Course in Taylorsville. State also will be at Meadow Brook on Oct. 1617.
“Park City (High) is going to win the region; they’re just that much better than everybody. Everyone else is scrapping out second, third, fourth places,” said Richardson, who coaches alongside Jeff Mey -
er.
In 4A, the top 16 teams with the lowest averages advance to state. He believes region 10 will qualify multiple teams.
“This region is capable of getting at least four teams in state,” Richardson said. “I think seniors Alex Lopez and Max Schramm will qualify individually.”
Along with those two players, senior AJ Call round out the top three players for the eight-member varsity team.
High school golf counts the top four scores so each week Richardson plans to have a qualifying round to see which other players will play varsity. He already has seen good scores from freshman Riley Morgan and his older brother, junior Miles Morgan, senior Aarav Gore and senior Dylan West, a senior hockey player who took up golf.
“I’ve always liked hockey players who play golf. There’s a lot of similarities with a slap shot and a golf swing,” he said.
The Huskies also have eight JV players, who Richardson believes will help the team be successful next year.
“We practice on Monday, have our qualifier on Tuesday and varsity plays Wednesday or Thursday usually so everyone plays at least twice per week,” he said, adding they started practicing in early August together. “If we have money (for green fees) at the end of the season, we’ll hold a fun team two-man scramble for bragging rights.”
Richardson also believes if Lopez and Schramm desire and continue their trajectory, they could have a future playing at the next level.
“They could easily get on to a major college. They get a good spurt going here. They got the game,” he said. “I’m excited for our season and our chances this year.” l
Hillcrest senior AJ Call swings at the ball at the Murray Parkway golf tournament in August. (Dave Richardson/Hillcrest High)
Hillcrest senior Alex Lopez, seen here playing at Meadow Brook Golf Course last fall, is expected to lead the Huskies to a state-qualifying berth. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
Husky Max Schramm, seen playing at the Murray High tournament this season, is one of three senior golfers who will lead Hillcrest’s golf team. (Dave Richardson/Hillcrest High)
Harvest Days Parade filled with floats, students, dancing
Photos by Travis Barton
Wayne Sharp chainsaws wood from a trailer throughout the duration of the parade.
Upper left: Hillcrest Drill team. Upper right: The Hillcrest robotics team wows spectators. Bottom left: Plenty of candy for interested kids. Bottom right: Castle of Chaos brought out its characters for its float.
A skate crew rolled through the parade demonstrating their skills wearing shirts that read “Make America Skate Again.”
Left: Harvest Days Parade. Above: The marching band. Right: From Columbia to Mexico, multiple nationalities were represented in the parade.
For 45 years, the Midvale Museum has been a custodian of the past, telling the story of Midvale and its residents. As the city evolved from a mining town into today’s thriving urban area, caretakers record Midvale’s history while preserving its legacy for future generations.
More than a century’s worth of displays, documents, photos and artifacts tell the story of Midvale’s notable places like Vincent Drug, the Bingham Smelter, local schools and Historic Main Street.
Bill Miller has served as the museum’s director for five years but has worked with the Midvale Museum for 20 years. Robert Hale is a former Midvale mayor (2018-22) who now works as assistant museum director. They are both dedicated to curating the museum by creating exhibits, managing collections and fostering public engagement.
“If you don’t understand your past, how do you know where you are now? How did you get here? Why is it important that we are the way we are?” Hale asked. “As you wander around here, you’ll look at 100 years’ worth of replicas or actual documents and things from another era.”
The museum’s archives include a violin that crossed the plains with the pioneers, a phone switchboard, an antique typewriter, a 1938 Crosley radio, a 117-year-old piano and a rotary telephone. When students visit the museum, Miller encourages them to play with the equipment to get a sense of what life was like 100 years ago.
The Don Lind exhibit is popular with
Step back in time at the Midvale Museum
By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com
museum visitors. Lind was a NASA scientist and astronaut who grew up in Midvale, attended Midvale Elementary School and graduated from Jordan High School. His display features photos, magazine articles and memorabilia that highlight his success.
Miller’s favorite artifact is a Marine uniform that was presented to John “Jimmy” Martinez’s family after he was killed
in Vietnam. The Midvale resident and two of his friends served in Vietnam in 1967, dying within days of each other. Martinez’s sister contacted Miller to see if he would pick up the uniform and place it in the museum.
“I get kind of emotional,” Miller said. “When we picked up that uniform, Jimmy was there. I could go into more detail about that uniform. We’ve had some spiritual experiences with that uniform. Jimmy’s been here in the museum.”
For Hale, his favorite collection in the museum is the history of Fort Union. He helped curate the display which includes a sketch of Old Fort Union in 1854 and a history of the people who lived in the area, including his family members. In fact, the interior of Hale’s home was part of the original fort.
People often contact Miller to see if the museum will accept family artifacts and documents. He recently received a trio
of cameras from the early 1900s. The Midvale Historical Society and Museum Board will vote to decide if the items get added to the museum’s display.
While Hale doesn’t see a decline in interest in the museum, he does see a lack of volunteers willing to donate time to the cause. Volunteers help lead tours, catalog and sort items, provide information to visitors and encourage residents to learn more about the Midvale community.
Located at 350 W. 7615 South, the Midvale Museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday from noon until 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 801-567-7285.
“I came down to volunteer at the Midvale Museum, and it’s been 20 years ago now,” Miller said. “It just became home to me.” l
Bill Miller displays some recent items donated to the museum including a 1940-era movie camera.
(Peri Kinder/City Journals)
Midvale Museum Director Bill Miller stands by his most cherished artifact at the museum: the uniform of a young Midvale man killed in Vietnam. (Peri Kinder/City Journals)
Robert Hale curated this collection dedicated to historic Fort Union as a tribute to his family history and the origins of Midvale City. (Peri Kinder/City Journals)
MIDVALE CITY DIRECTORY
City Hall
801-567-7200
Finance/Utilities 801-567-7200 Court 801-567-7265
City Attorney’s O ce 801-567-7250
City Recorder/Human Resources 801-567-7228
Community Development 801-567-7211
Public Works .......................................... 801-567-7235
Ace Disposal/Recycling ..................... 801-363-9995
Midvale Historical Museum ............. 801-567-7285
Midvale Senior Center 385-468-3350
SL County Animal Services 385-468-7387
Communications 801-567-7230
MIDVALE CITY ELECTED OFFICIALS
MAYOR
Marcus Stevenson 801-567-7204
Email: mstevenson@midvaleut.gov
CITY COUNCIL
District 1 - Bonnie Billings
Email: bbillings@midvaleut.gov
District 2 - Paul Glover
Email: pglover@midvaleut.gov
District 3 - Heidi Robinson
Email: Hrobinson@midvaleut.gov
District 4 - Bryant Brown
Email: bbrown@midvaleut.gov
District 5 - Dustin Gettel
Email: dgettel@midvaleut.gov
WHO TO CALL FOR…
Water Bills
801-567-7200
Ordering A New Trash Can 801-567-7202
Permits 801-567-7213
Court 801-567-7265
Paying For Tra c School 801-567-7202
Business Licensing 801-567-7214
Cemetery 801-567-7235
Planning and Zoning 801-567-7231
Code Enforcement .............................. 801-567-7208
Building inspections ........................... 801-567-7213
Graffiti 385-468-9769
PUBLIC SAFETY & EMERGENCY CONTACTS
EMERGENCY 911
UFA Fire/UPD Police
> Non-emergency .............................. 801-840-4000
Uni ed Police Department
> Midvale Precinct 385-468-9350
Public Works
City Hall – 7505 South Holden Street • Midvale, UT 84047
In The Middle of Everything Social Services Funding
CITY NEWSLETTER
Marcus’ Message
In Salt Lake County, cities are minimally involved in social services, as most of those resources are funded through private, county, state, and federal funds. However, there are certain areas where Midvale City either provides direct funds for some services or is part of multi-jurisdictional e orts that support and fund many social services.
Midvale Direct Funding
Midvale City provides direct funding and support to a few community partners that provide social services directly in our community.
• Midvale Boys & Girls Club - $40,000 annually: Provides funding to support the Juniors and Teens program at the Midvale Boys & Girls Club. These programs support after school and summer programming for kids in our community.
• Midvale Community Building Community - $40,000 annually: This funding helps to provide low-income, uninsured, and underinsured individuals with a ordable services such as medical care, dental care, mental health care, and family services.
• The Road Home: Connie Crosby Family Resource Center$77,000: This funding is a small part of the Homeless Shelter Mitigation Fund that Midvale City receives from the State because we host the family homeless shelter. This year, we are providing this funding to help with rental application fees, security deposits, an on-site clinician, and fencing improvements.
• NeighborWorks Salt Lake: Down Payment Assistance & Home Repair Loan Program - $580,000: Through Midvale City’s Redevelopment Agency, we contract with NeighborWorks Salt Lake to administer our rst-time homebuyer down payment assistance program and our home repair loan program. These programs help moderate- to low-income individuals and families purchase their rst home and provide funding for needed home repairs.
Multi-Jurisdictional Funding E orts
There are certain funding sources that are pooled together from each city and then allocated across the county by a vote of the mayors of those participating cities. Speci cally, Midvale participates in four programs with Salt Lake County and 16 other cities, where funds are allocated each year. While these programs totaled about $6.15 million, going towards about 40 projects, I’ll focus on the projects directly in Midvale and that supported some of Midvale’s closest partners.
801-567-7235
Rocky Mountain Power 877-508-5088
By Mayor Marcus Stevenson
is Midvale’s shelter operator and supply support services to people and families experiencing homelessness along the Wasatch Front, with a goal of helping people obtain stable housing.
• Homeless Resource Centers – supports salaries and bene ts and indirect administrative costs of the homeless resource centers’ sta , which anticipates serving 5,100 individuals through their centers this year.
• Rapid Re-housing – helps households experiencing homelessness nd safe and a ordable housing. Funds go directly to client assistance (rent, deposits, application fees, etc.), salaries and bene ts for housing program sta , and indirect administrative costs.
• Family Support Center: LifeStart Village Transitional Housing for Self Su ciency - $115,000: LifeStart Village supports single parents with kids with stable housing and wrap-around services. These funds support on-site case management. They anticipate 65 single parents will be housed, at least 80% of families will gain self su ciency, at least 80% of parents will increase overall income and earning potential, and at least 80% of the families will be get into permanent, stable housing.
• Midvale City: Home Repair Loan Program - $100,000: Supports our no-interest forgivable loans for moderate- to low-income households, loan workshops, and administrative costs. The program was launched in October in 2023 with a goal of addressing emergency repairs, home maintenance, and preserve the housing community within Midvale.
• The Road Home: Homeless Resource Centers, Rapid Re-Housing, and Tennant-Based Rental Assistance - $484,000: The Road Home
• Tenant Based Rental Assistance – while most families receive an average of 4 months rental assistance when moving into housing, this program allows families to receive up to an additional 12 months of assistance while they work on gaining income, nding employment, accessing medical and mental health services, and addressing other critical needs to avoid returning to homelessness.
• Utah Community Action: Rental Assistance - $180,000: these funds will support 78 households with rental assistance, while those families also receive case management with a particular emphasis on the homeless, children, and the elderly.
Utah Homeless Services Board
While not a direct Midvale City role, I represent cities that host homeless shelters on the Utah Homeless Services Board, which oversees the distribution of homeless service funds that are provided by the State. This year, about $31 million was approved for homeless related services across the state - about $21 million worth of projects were funded in Salt Lake County.
Of the funding that was approved for Salt Lake County based projects, here is the breakdown by type of project:
• Emergency Shelter - $16.7 million
• Homeless Prevention - $202,000
• Permanent Supportive Housing - $840,000
• Street Outreach - $336,000
• Transitional Housing - $136,000
• Federal Match & Other Programs - $2.7 million
Funding the System
Even with all this funding, about $27 million, coming together from di erent resources to support programs in Salt Lake County, the system is still woefully underfunded. While it’s a challenge for cities to nd their path into these spaces, I’m proud of the work that Midvale City has done to begin supporting in the ways we can, while working closely with county and state partners to ensure these funds are used where they are needed most and support those who are most vulnerable among us.
In The Middle of Everything
2024 FALL CURBSIDE BULKY WASTE & LEAF BAG PICK
MIDVALE. UTAH. GOV
Support Local Art at e Midvale Main Art House
The Midvale Main Art House, a vibrant new hub for creativity and community engagement in the Midvale Main Arts & Culture District—already famous for its 40+ stunning murals—has announced its hours of operation.
HOURS OF OPERATION:
• Tuesdays: 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Wednesdays: 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Thursdays: 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Saturdays: 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
More than just a gallery, The Midvale Main Art House is a creative sanctuary where six resident artists bring their unique visions to life. This newly revitalized space o ers a ordable studios, community events, and workshops, making it an essential part of the Midvale community. Visitors are encouraged to not only explore the studio spaces and meet the artists but also to purchase unique, locally-made artworks that support these talented creators.
MEET THE ARTISTS:
• Lulu McPharlin (@mclulusig) creates immersive mixed-media experiences that delight the senses and inspire self-exploration.
• Caity Grether (@aity.grether.artist) captures Utah’s breathtaking landscapes through her layered acrylic paintings.
• Ash Amos (@ashamosart) brings spaces to life with vibrant, surrealist art inspired by nature and visionary experiences.
• Shantelle Sommers, aka Telli (@tellikinesis), blends her passion for art and social work to inspire others through her colorful, nature-inspired paintings.
• Joseph Anderson (@almost_slc) o ers a raw, emotional escape into deeper thoughts and ideas through his intricate and textural artwork.
We invite you to visit The Midvale Main Art House during open hours to view the latest creations, meet the artists, and participate in events that connect the community through the power of art. Whether you’re an art lover looking to add a special piece to your collection, a curious onlooker, or someone seeking inspiration, The Midvale Main Art House is the perfect place to discover and support the rich tapestry of talent in Midvale.
For more information about The Midvale Main Art House and upcoming events, visit EngageMidvale.com/ Art-House or follow us on social media.
Collaborative E ort to Remove Invasive Species
We’re joining forces with the Jordan River Commission, Utah Department of Natural Resources-Division of Fire, Forestry, and State Lands, Utah Conservation Corps, and Terra Land Works to tackle the invasive plants that have taken over the Bingham Junction wetlands. Species like phragmites, Russian olive, and tamarisk are not only outcompeting native plants but are also consuming signi cantly more water, which poses a challenge for the Jordan River as it feeds into the Great Salt Lake. By removing these water-thirsty plants, we aim to improve water ow to the lake and restore the area’s natural balance. This means bringing the wetland ecosystem back to a healthy state where native plants and wildlife can thrive.
KEY DATES:
• Phragmite Spraying: August 20 and 21
• Russian Olive and Tamarisk Removal: September 10-13 (with the Utah Conservation Corps removing most of the Russian olives and all the tamarisk)
• Revegetation: November 11 and 12 (we’ll plant trees and spread native seeds, along with 50 potted plants provided by the city)
By removing these invasive species and replanting native ora, we aim to enhance water ow to the Great Salt Lake and restore the wetlands to a balanced, thriving ecosystem for
tive plants and wildlife.
SEPTEMBER 2024 CITY NEWSLETTER
MIDVALE. UTAH. GOV
Real
Volunteer
Network
Experience the 2024 Get to the River Festival
The Jordan River Commission and Jordan River Foundation are thrilled to announce the annual Get to the River Festival, taking place throughout September 2024. This 30-day festival is a vibrant celebration of the Jordan River, uniting communities, businesses, and local governments in e orts to honor, restore, and enjoy the Jordan River corridor. Each year, thousands gather to appreciate the river’s natural beauty and volunteer to help clean and preserve it for future generations.
Midvale City is proud to partner with the Jordan River Commission to bring you two exciting events as part of this year’s festival:
FILM SERIES (FREE) September 12, 2024 7:00 p.m. Social | 8:00 p.m. Movie
Join us at Bingham Junction Park for a special outdoor screening of Upriver, an inspiring documentary about the restoration of the Willamette River in Oregon. Co-hosted with the Jordan River Commission, this lm highlights the remarkable e orts of communities working together to protect and restore vital river ecosystems. Enjoy a pre-screening social starting at 7 p.m., followed by the movie at dusk, around 8 p.m. Bring a blanket, relax, and learn about the transformative power of environmental restoration.
PADDLE THE RIVER SERIES (FREE) Friday, September 20, 2024, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Get ready for a splash-tastic adventure as Midvale City partners with the Jordan River Commission and Uni ed Fire Authority for an exciting river event! Join Midvale’s own Mayor Marcus Stevenson as we showcase the new boat ramp at 7800 S and the innovative portage at 7600 S. Before diving in, the Uni ed Fire Authority Water Rescue Team will provide essential safety tips. The Jordan River Commission will have a limited number of boats available for borrowing, or you can bring your own. Spaces are limited, so register quickly to secure your spot. Visit EngageMidvale. com/River to register!
A heartfelt thank you to the Jordan River Foundation, the Jordan River Commission, and all our fantastic sponsors and partners for making the Get to the River Festival a genuine community celebration of the Jordan River. For more information about the festival and all the exciting events, visit EngageMidvale.com/River.
During the August 20, 2024, City Council meeting, Police Chief Randy Thomas honored Norma Hood for her exceptional and sel ess service to the community. Norma, a pillar of volunteerism in Midvale, has been a beacon of support and compassion since she rst began her volunteer journey in 2007.
Norma’s dedication to Midvale City started with the Police Department’s Community Oriented Policing program, where she played a crucial role in developing the Volunteer’s in Police Services program. Her contributions extended to assisting with the Good Landlord Program, showcasing her commitment to enhancing community safety and engagement.
In subsequent years, Norma transitioned to the Uni ed Police Department (UPD) Midvale Precinct Records Department. There, she provided invaluable support with walk-ins, GRAMA requests, customer service, and continued her work with the Good Landlord Program. Her versatility and dedication were further exempli ed by her role as an afterhours victim advocate, where she responded to callouts to o er crucial assistance to those in need.
In recent years, Norma’s focus has been on the court advocacy unit, where she has provided unwavering support to victims navigating the judicial system. From coordinating court schedules and attending hearings with victims to communicating updates with the Midvale City Prosecutor’s O ce, Norma’s work has been instrumental in ensuring that victims receive the support and justice they deserve.
Chief Thomas, visibly moved, expressed the profound impact Norma has had on the community: “Norma’s commitment to our community has been nothing short of extraordinary. Her tireless e orts and compassionate service have made a signi cant di erence in the lives of many.”
As Norma prepares to step back from her volunteer roles, the community and all those she has helped will deeply miss her presence. Her legacy of kindness and dedication will continue to inspire future volunteers and serve as a testament to the power of sel ess service.
Thank you, Norma Hood, for your countless contributions to Midvale City. You will be greatly missed, but your impact will be felt for years to come.
Canyons School District to purchase, retrofit eBay campus for innovation center
By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
WhenLynnae Jensen heard the news, she thought it was “fabulous.”
On Aug. 20, Canyons Board of Education voted 5-1 to purchase eBay’s regional headquarters, a 36-acre educational campus in Draper to serve as a new technical education high school. The school board and Canyons administrators target fall 2026 for the opening of the new school.
Jensen is a mother of children who attended Canyons schools and has worked at eBay.
“As a school for high schoolers wanting to do trade work and get training, it would be great for that. It’s a big campus, there is public transportation right there and the facilities would lend itself very nicely to a school,” she said. “CTEC (Canyons Technical Education Center) right now has a few small buildings, so this will open it up with more space, better facilities with a nicer campus. By putting in more resources and getting the right programs and partnerships, there’s going to be more demand and more students.”
Jensen added, “With the numerous computers and programs we ran, eBay invested millions of dollars in the servers to handle all the data that was going through so it should work nicely for hundreds of students. It’s a good fit.”
Canyons District plans to pay $50 million for the two eBay buildings, with 16 acres of developable land which could serve as a site for an additional future school to accommodate the projected student growth in the area.
The purchase will be made with money from capital funds, proceeds from the sale of CSD properties and from lease revenue bonds, said Leon Wilcox, Canyons School District business administrator.
No property was immediately named to liquidate, but Canyons owns properties such as the current aging CTEC in Sandy; the former Crescent View Middle in Sandy which currently is being used for Life Skills Academy for adult students with disabilities; a property in west Draper that has been discussed as a future elementary school site; former school
locations now being used as city parks in Midvale and Cottonwood Heights.
Canyons spokesman Jeff Haney said, “Right now, we’re in negotiations on several pieces of property that we own which we can liquidate. These properties at one time were either purchased for future schools, or we had schools on them and they’re not there anymore. The Board of Education has no current plans to shut down a school and then sell that property for this particular contract.”
Wilcox added, “A couple of those we could move fast; a couple others will take a few years. We could look at moving $2-4 million range to help cover this from our capital fund balance. The majority of this will be through lease revenue bonds. We can look at issuing around $38 million, give or take, in lease revenue bonds to do this.”
While general obligation bonds frequently are used for the construction of public schools, lease revenue bonds can be used and usually are issued at a higher interest rate, he said.
“They cost the District more; the yield the buyer of the bonds gets is up to the market at the time,” Wilcox said.
He said lease revenue bonds were issued before with the building of Glacier Hills and Peruvian Park elementaries three years ago as well as this past spring, with improvements at Eastmont Middle and Jordan, Hillcrest and Corner Canyon high schools.
“Lease revenue bonds save us the time we would have to wait until a (general obligation) bond would pass to get in a contract with eBay,” Wilcox said, adding it is a common practice for single buildings or renovations such as this.
The lease revenue bond could increase taxes an estimated $20-30 on the cost of a $703,000 average home in Canyons District, he said.
Wilcox said the process of issuing the bonds will begin in September and public hearing will be held in October. The bonds will be issued in November with the expectation to close on the purchase in December.
eBay still operates in part of the campus and has the option to lease the property from the school district for up to one year, so CTEC will operate in its existing site at 825 E. 9095 South for this and next school years.
The decision to purchase comes with one school board member, Holly Neibaur, voting against it. She wasn’t opposed to the purchase, just the procedure in which the district is obtaining it.
“My vote is not a statement for lack of support for our awesome CTEC programs,” she said before the vote. “A general obligation bond would have provided for much more public engagement.”
The main 215,000-square-foot building at 583 eBay Way comes fully furnished, has a 400-seat auditorium and commercial kitchen, a workout area and the campus includes outdoor courts for basketball and pickleball and half of a soccer field.
The campus sits north of the former state prison site, an area now under development as The Point, 600 acres of state-owned land that will be developed to create thousands of high-quality jobs with cutting-edge innovation and be environmentally friendly.
The area falls into Canyons School District’s boundaries to educate youth living in that area.
Canyons Career and Technical Education Director Janet Goble said the new innovation center isn’t just going to be a move from CTEC, but programs are being reviewed and input from industry is being sought.
“We’re wanting to learn what the workforce needs are so we can educate students for those jobs and align our curriculum to fit the training needed for the workplace now and the future,” she said, adding they, along with other administrators and board members visited six other technical centers nationwide to better understand their business partnerships and programming curriculum.
CTEC Principal Doug Hallenbeck said the 17 existing programs serve about 850 students and will be reviewed as well as those career and technical programs offered in Can-
yons five comprehensive high schools. Some may make the move to the new center while others may be adapted in the comprehensive high schools. They may expand existing offerings to reduce the wait list of students in programs such as cosmetology and barbering, welding, construction management, heavy-duty diesel mechanics, medical assistant and pharmacy technician.
District officials say career and technical educational programming could include robotics, engineering, business and medicine and others.
Haney said Canyons wants to target high skill, high demand, high wage jobs that the companies in Silicon Slopes need.
“For example, if a company in Silicon Slopes says, ‘We really need beginning coders, please send us beginning coders,’ then we’ll create a program that allows students to gain the certification in coding so they can immediately find work in Silicon Slopes doing coding,” he said. “This building will allow us to grow our popular programs because our existing space at CTEC is limited and we couldn’t expand those programs for more students to be accommodated.”
Once it’s decided what the curriculum will offer and how it will be offered, retrofitting the interior for specific program use may begin. Currently, some of the main building has walls while other sections are cubicles.
“I can see with the full kitchen, we may look at offering culinary arts here or their workout facility, I see it being used for a physical therapy program as it’s kind of already set up that way so that could work out great,” Hallenbeck said. “We’re needing to learn what our business and industry partners need. I’m excited about the auditorium. It’s one of the things I’m looking forward to the most because we’ve never really been able to pull groups of kids and industry partners together to do presentations. It will be awesome.”
Hallenbeck anticipates the new innovation center would replace the 42-year-old CTEC, which recently received a C- grade in its existing facility and was determined
The eBay campus which includes a 400-seat auditorium, commercial kitchen, workout facilities as well as outdoor basketball and pickleball courts and a half-size soccer field, will be purchased by Canyons School District to create an innovation center near the new residential and business development, The Point. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
it would cost more to renovate than rebuild. The current CTEC campus covers 65,000 square feet in its five separate buildings on just seven acres.
It’s cost-cutting to purchase the 12-yearold eBay campus instead of building a new school, District officials say.
“The timing of the availability of the property coincides seamlessly with the region’s economic trends and the District’s longrange and strategic plans,” Canyons Board of Education President Amber Shill said. “Furthermore, our innovative plan to retrofit eBay’s former offices into a school instead of paying for new construction will save millions in taxpayer money.”
The negotiated deal translates to $230 per square foot for the eBay building. By comparison, the cost of new construction and design in Utah is about $500 per square foot, Wilcox said.
“Roughly, it’s about half the cost,” he said, adding the cost doesn’t include refurbishments and upgrades. “We think they’d be fairly min-
imal at this point as the building is fairly new and is built to house educational programs— that’s why we were so attracted to it.”
With the eBay campus being across the street from Draper’s FrontRunner station and close to the I-15 freeway, the site may become a new permanent home for Life Skills Academy, Canyons’ vocational program for adults with disabilities. There is discussion about providing an employee health and wellness clinic and employee childcare center at the location.
Canyons Superintendent Rick Robins says the proposed innovation center’s educational vision will link students with teachers and professional mentors to solve real-world problems using the tools of the industry. An advisory panel of industry experts also will provide guidance on the center’s partnerships with businesses.
“The vision is to elevate all the programs that are preparing students for the workforce pipeline,” he said. “We see this center as the ultimate experience for students and to lift our mission of ensuring our students are truly
ready for the demands of college and careers when they walk across the graduation stage.”
eBay issued a statement saying the company plans to stay in the Salt Lake Valley.
“eBay is happy to learn that the Canyons School District has approved the contract for the purchase of our Draper, Utah campus. As a global commerce leader, who continues to innovate for our community of buyers and sellers, we’re excited that the Draper site could become a hub of learning, designed to cultivate the tech leaders of the future. As to eBay’s intentions, we are committed to Salt Lake City and will continue to evaluate all available local options to ensure the best outcome for our people and eBay.”
With the $45-million lease revenue last spring, Canyons is in the process of updating one middle school and three high schools.
The $13-14 million updates to Eastmont Middle include installation of a new roof, which is almost complete, Wilcox said. Updating the elevator will be next and a new gym floor and additional classrooms are on the schedule.
At Jordan High, plans are to build a fieldhouse, a black box theatre and a softball concession stand. Wilcox said bids should go out in October. Meanwhile crews are working on restroom upgrades and extending parking to the former Johanna’s restaurant site on State Street. Work at the school should come in between $21 to $23 million, he said.
Hillcrest High will get an expansion of the track lanes, which means tearing out the bleachers on the visitor (east) side of the field. The football field also will receive new turf. The construction date has yet to be determined, but it should take about five months at an estimated $5 million, Wilcox said.
By the end of September, Corner Canyon High should have a secure vestibule entrance and new baseball field turf. The softball field turf is expected to be complete by mid-October and the new soccer field and a field house are expected to break ground in November. Wilcox said cost for the projects is $13 million. l
At the Aug. 20 meeting, Canyons school board members voted 5-1 in favor of purchasing eBay’s regional headquarters for a new innovation center to open in fall 2026. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
Canyons School District plans to purchase the two-building eBay campus for $50 million and turn it into an innovation center for high school students. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
Hillcrest volleyball: The new kids on the block
By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
Welcome to the block party. That should be amongst the signs proudly seen on Hillcrest High’s volleyball court.
Already the Huskies have 10 blocks early this season, but that isn’t all their talent.
“Skill-wise, were one of the best teams,” Hillcrest coach Cassidy Adams said. “Most of our varsity played club all spring and summer and that’s why their skills are sharper this year.”
She anticipates her team to be right in the mix of state playoffs this season.
Being led by four seniors—Kassidy Beck, Meia Larsen, Ana Moleni and Dayana Mulamba—the Huskies are “already really impressive this year. We have a really strong class of seniors who are incredible players and our junior class is stepping up big time and filling in those spots of varsity,” Adams said.
The team opened its preseason with a non-conference match against Judge Memorial Catholic High, bettering them 3-1. Moleni lead the attack with 14 points on serves and nine digs.
They lost a close match against West Jordan High, 3-2. Mulamba earned 12 points off serves and junior Evalani Tagoa’i racked up 11 points. Larsen, Moleni, Mulamba, Tagoa’i and junior Adrie Sullivan each had five digs.
“We lost by two points in the fifth set. It was a super fun game, super competitive, really hard fought,” Adams said, adding
West Jordan will be amongst the toughest competition the team will face this season.
The team came back to defeat Ogden High, 3-0, again with Moleni leading the digs with 11.
That mentality of toughness has come about since Adams took over the position last year.
“We worked on it last year and I can absolutely see the mental toughness this year. It was a process to get them up to a place where they can be confident last year. And we’re still working on it, but we’re definitely getting better,” she said.
Adams credits team captains Larsen and Mulamba for keeping the team focused on the court.
“Their biggest role is mentally grounding them when they’re on the court, just keeping the energy positive and making sure everyone is in a good place. We want to keep working hard for each other,” she said.
Team bonding and cohesiveness is key—and that extends to all four high school teams of 33 players and the three middle school teams of 30 girls, who practice and play matches against neighboring opponents once per week.
A tradition the Huskies started last year was for all the teams to attend a University of Utah volleyball game together. This year, the seven teams will root on the Utes versus Purdue University on Sept. 6.
“It’s a lot of fun and we build cohesion in our program,” Adams said.
The Huskies also stress the togetherness at a skills camp, where they invited Ute senior Lauren Jardine, who helped “hammer down their skills and bring in a new perspective,” Adams said about the Big 12 preseason all-conference player.
That has helped bring about early season success. The JV and sophomore squads, under coaches Leandra Ashworth and Rachel Jensen, respectively, are undefeated. The freshman squad’s first game of the season was slated for Aug. 21. Their coach is Hilary Adams.
In addition to the regular varsity schedule, where Adams said Park City High is a favorite to win the region title, the Huskies have two tournaments—one slated at Juab High in late August and a second one scheduled in October at Stansbury High.
“We expect some of these teams to be good so we treat them like other teams; we want to go in and beat them,” she said. “Every team on our schedule is beatable. As long as we’re coming out and putting everything we have out on the floor, I’ll be happy with it. But we are looking to the playoffs. We had home seating last year and we’re aiming to be even better this year.” l
Hillcrest High’s volleyball team has a strong skill set and the varsity squad has their eyes set on the state playoffs. (Photo courtesy of Matthew Smith/HeyCameraGuy)
The Huskies, seen here playing against Tooele High last season, dominated the net. (Julie Slama/ City Journals)
Joey McNamee appointed to lead the Salt Lake County Library into a new era
By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com
Asan advocate for literacy, technology integration and social services, Joey McNamee is poised to lead the Salt Lake County Library into a new chapter. McNamee was named the County Library’s new director earlier this summer after the library board voted in favor of her appointment.
McNamee has served as interim library director since February, when the previous director, Jim Cooper, retired after 23 years of service. Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson ratified the decision of the board which places McNamee in charge of overseeing operations and strategic planning for the library system.
“With two decades of experience at different state and county departments, Joey has demonstrated a deep interest in the needs and services of our residents,” Wilson said. “I am thrilled that her dedication to public service has found a place at Salt Lake County Library.”
McNamee worked in Salt Lake County’s Aging and Adult Services division for more than a decade before being appointed associate director for the Salt Lake County Community Services department in 2022. After a months-long, nationwide search for a new library director, the board realized they already had the right person in place.
“Searching for a new director can be a challenging process, but we were pleased with the quality of applicants interested in
the Salt Lake County Library and all we offer to Salt Lake County residents,” said Spencer Romney, chair of the Salt Lake County Library board. “In just a short time, Joey has shown her strengths as a leader and her extensive knowledge and expertise; we can’t wait to see how her strategy and planning fulfill the library’s mission.”
Although she’s feeling a little overwhelmed, McNamee is grateful for the opportunity to ensure the library continues to be a vital community resource and creativity center.
“I’m lucky that the process took as long as it did, because it gave me a chance to be working in the agency and getting to know the incredible staff who are so dedicated and warm and professional,” McNamee said. “The longer I worked there, the more I wanted to stay.”
With 18 full-service branches, plus programs at the Viridian Event Center, the Salt Lake County Jail and the South Main Clinic, the County Library is one of the top 10 highest-performing circulating libraries in the country. Nearly 13 million items are checked out each year and more than twothirds of county households have an active library card.
McNamee’s responsibilities include
overseeing long-term planning projects, like building updates and expansion. She’ll also be part of the evolution making libraries a community hub.
“Libraries have always been hubs of information and that used to only be books,” she said. “Now that information is accessed electronically, or we serve as community spaces, and we have learning spaces and meeting spaces and create spaces in our library where people are learning new tools and skills. So I think libraries are certainly shifting in how people experience the facilities themselves, but it’s still really core to expanding what you know about the world.”
As communities discover more ways to build connections, McNamee sees the library’s role as key to bridging cultures, demographics and economic disparities. With her background in social services, her first goal is to soak up as much knowledge as she can and set the stage for the County Library to make effective moves in the future.
“I can say that I’m tremendously grateful for this opportunity to work with such an incredible staff and serve a community that I love,” she said. l
Joey McNamee has been selected to serve as the Salt Lake County Library’s new director. Part of her job will be to oversee library expansion and create programs to build community connection. (Photo courtesy of SLCo Library)
Unseen kindness: Stories from a walker crossing America
By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
Day56. Mile total: 1,100.
Mike Bassett Sr. pushed his jogging cart across 11000 South on 700 East in Sandy.
Having started about 3:30 a.m., he left Millcreek, walking 700 East through Murray and Midvale. Draper was his destination for the day, which he would reach by noon. It was a short day for him, only 15 miles, compared to the day before when he walked through Salt Lake City and South Salt Lake or other days when he averages 20 to 25 miles.
Bassett, who grew up in Logan and once lived in Salt Lake City, is walking across America. He started at Cape Meares Lighthouse, 12 miles west of Tillamook, Oregon on the Pacific Coast and will walk to the Atlantic Coast, perhaps to Harbour Town Lighthouse in Hilton Head, South Carolina—his route is still unfolding as he walks.
“I have no agenda; I don’t care how long it takes me,” he said, adding he thinks he will be done by the holiday season. “I’m looking at heading on a more southern route by Texarkana, Texas because from what I’ve read, they’ll have milder temperatures come this fall.”
Soon after Bassett set out on June 1, he encountered three days of downpours in Oregon’s coastal mountain range, followed by every day nearing or bettering 100 degrees by the time he was in Sandy on July 26.
“It’s been baptism by fire. I start out my day early, trying to beat the heat,” he said.
Bassett worked in the automotive business for more than 40 years. He was once the general manager of Tim Dahle Nissan Southtowne in Sandy’s Auto Mall. Then, he moved 15 years ago to the Los Angeles area to continue working in the industry.
“Most people have a good reason why they walk the country. I really don’t. I had an office job for 40 years. Every time I went anywhere, I’d go to big cities and stay in nice hotels, but I’ve never seen this country. So, I just decided I would walk it,” he said.
Walking the country was never Bassett’s goal.
“It’s never been anything I dreamed of doing, but I knew after I finished my master’s degree in May from John Hopkins University, I wanted to do something epic. At first, I thought I’d climb Mount Everest, but the reason I moved from Utah is I don’t like the cold—and there’s snow on Everest. So, I decided not to do that,” he said. “Then I started watching YouTube videos about people who hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail and that led me to a guy who walked across the United States. When I decided to do it, I didn’t think I’d make it. I still not sure I’ll make it, but I know I can walk to the next city, the next mile marker or the next telephone pole. So, I just keep doing that over and over. I just keep going.”
The 60 year old’s walk has taken him to visit his family and friends as he often ventures on the back roads and highways of the country. Some nights, he finds a motel—“I’m not roughing it as I could; I want to enjoy this, too, and a motel means a shower, free breakfast and internet”—but he can go five days camping in disperse lands and eating rehydrated food.
Bassett’s converted cart can weigh up to 100 pounds, often with three gallons or more of water, which he drinks from his bright pink Ozark Trail water bottle. He has a second water bottle he uses for coffee. His wardrobe is simple—two long-sleeved quick-drying Jolly Gear shirts with hoods (one purple, one blue), two pairs of identical pants, four pairs of Darn Tough socks (he wears two at a time) and his black HOKA Ones shoes—“They work well because I walk on a lot of roads, and there’s rocks so having that extra sole helps quite a bit.”
Inside the zippered jogging cart, he packs rain gear, bug spray, sunscreen, first aid kit, pepper spray, a warm hat, a head net for mosquitoes, a headlamp, a camp stove, coffee, powdered milk, granola, prepared meals, a GPS, a tent, a chair, a sleeping bag and a recently purchased pillow. He also carries a solar charger, two battery power packs, headphones and a phone where he downloads books (recently by Stephen King, JK Rowling and others adventure tales, such as Peter Jenkins’ “Walk Across America”) to read when it gets too hot to walk. He also uses them to document his adventures on his OregontoCarolina Instagram account.
“My plan was to walk about 15 miles per day and then take some days off. Well,
Bassett isn’t worried much about dangers, saying he can use common sense for most situations. What scares him more is people driving and texting and not paying attention as well as dogs that are unsecured.
“If I am ever king in the world, there’ll be bike paths everywhere. There will be shoulders on every road because some roads have the white line and then it’s a drop off. About 90% of the people will move over and give you some room, it’s the others I need to worry about,” he said.
What makes him sad is to see beer bottles, vape pens and dirty diapers thrown alongside the roadside.
“This beautiful landscape has garbage everywhere. It’s pointless,” Bassett said.
The good outweighs the bad on his journey.
there’s nothing to do in some areas, so I just keep walking. I planned about $3,500 per month, but it’s probably closer to $5,000 because I do stay in motels,” he said. “I got everything I own in the world right here in this cart except for my diplomas, which my son has. I flew from graduation to his house so he could take me to the coast. So, I am very free. When I finish, maybe I’ll do some research or maybe I’ll do some writing.”
Bassett was on his third pair of HOKAs in Utah, having them mailed to him at certain destinations.
“They last me about 500 miles, and I’m estimating my route will be 3,700 miles. I’ve changed my route at least 20 times based on water, food, places to stay. I don’t set out to see a certain thing or visit a state or national park. If it’s within 20 feet, I’ll go see it. I was going through Twin Falls, Idaho and Shoshone Falls was five miles away and I didn’t see it. I’m not walking five miles out of my way. I have no desire to walk extra steps,” he said, adding the only plans he has are to visit his grandchildren for their birthdays.
Having walked about 10 miles per day for six months leading up to his journey, Bassett is thankful his only ailment so far has been chapped lips.
“I have not had a single blister. I’ve been lucky. I try to wear my sunscreen, but I do get burnt sometimes on my legs and my back in my hands because I push this cart,” he said.
Cooling off means “I run through sprinklers whenever I possibly can” and “eating ice cream. That’s the nice thing about burning five 6,000 calories a day; I can eat whatever I want,” he added.
“I’m having a blast walking across the country. My favorite thing is meeting people and being able to share my journey,” he said. “As a car dealer, I drove and owned a lot of cars. When you drive across the country, you go so fast you don’t see things. Even going down 700 East, I’ve noticed things. I lived here for 20 years and now I’m noticing things I’ve never seen before.”
From the coast, Bassett walked to the base of Mt. Hood then onto the remote Warm Springs Reservation.
He has tales of how at first, people looked at him strangely, thinking he was homeless until a friend from St. George mailed him signs, “Walk Across America,” which decorate the front and side of his cart. He is grateful a National Park Service employee, who he once sold trucks to, gave him a National Park Service hat to shade him along with a utility knife to use on the journey.
Bassett’s favorite makeshift campsite thus far was along the Snake River in Idaho, and he said semitruck drivers surprised him, often slowing down to hand him bottles of water.
He remembers the kindness of a 17-year-old boy who literally ran after him across the barren fields somewhere between Malta, Idaho and Snowville, Utah to give him some MREs (meals ready to eat) and water.
“I was amazed someone put that much effort into doing something. The generosity of people is overwhelming and has been this entire journey,” Bassett said, adding he doesn’t accept monetary donations, but water, popsicles and energy bars. “A guy in a dump truck yesterday stopped to give me water. We talked for probably 20 minutes. People are curious as to what drives a person to walk across the country. For me, it’s more of my own journey. I’ve lived a different life, traveling to fancy places. Now I’m alongside the road in the dirt with mice.”
After he pushed his cart to Draper, Bas-
Former area resident Mike Bassett Sr. is walking across America, pushing a converted jogging stroller with all his worldly belongings. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
sett ventured on toward Provo and then to Duchesne, Utah, where he encountered one-mile of road construction—with no shoulder. Understanding the desire for a continuous walk, the supportive foreman followed him in a truck with his lights flashing, while the road crew cheered and patient motorists waved.
Bassett got caught in another storm—and luckily, took shelter in an unlocked snowplow station. A motorist concerned for his well-being at an 8,020-foot summit called highway patrol; the officer gave him water and checked on him.
Often the encounters turn into people who follow his journey on his Instagram account. There Bassett has answered questions from explaining he wears his rain suit when he does laundry at a motel to how he has a traveling mailbox service that opens his mail, scans and emails them and follows his instructions to shred a document or deposit a check.
Bassett expects somewhere in Kansas will be his halfway point, and he looks forward to the flat plains after climbing Colorado’s Rockies.
“I tattooed my arm when I started with Cape Meares lighthouse. When I finish, I’ll do my other arm with the lighthouse at Hilton Head,” he said. “Dad, Grandpa, student, car guy—those are the labels I’ve choose to put on myself. Now I’d add walker too.” l
Mike Bassett is walking across America, having started at Oregon’s Cape Meares Lighthouse, which he had tattooed on his arm. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
Budgeting should be considered an art form. It’s part theater (acting like you can afford groceries), part digital interpretation (online shopping for best prices), part graffiti (throwing mustard at the wall when you receive a surprise doctor’s bill) and all illusion (where did the money go?).
My paycheck stretches like it’s on a taffy-pulling machine, folding over and over itself, almost to the point of transparency. When did the basic costs of living become a luxury?
While grocery shopping, my husband can’t stop comparing prices from 60 years ago. “When I was a young boy,” he said. “I could buy a loaf of bread for a nickel.”
“Were you Oliver Twist?” I asked. He ignored me and walked down the dairy aisle, ranting about the cost of eggs.
At the check stand, several items rang up for more than what was labeled on the shelf. I asked the unenthused cashier, “Did you raise prices while I was in line?”
He shrugged and continued packaging my groceries, smashing bananas, eggs and bread with my magnum of wine. Just kidding. You can’t buy wine at grocery stores in Utah.
Driving to work becomes a nail-biting thriller as I gauge how much gas is left and if it will last until the end of the month. I was filling up my car the other day and the
Peri Kinder Life and Laughter
Show me the money
gas pump showed the person before me had purchased $5 worth of gas. I hope that 1.6 gallons is enough to get him to the bank he needs to rob.
Even my chai tea latte from Starbucks has incrementally increased from $4 to nearly $6. That’s bonkers. I don’t mind paying a bit more so employees make a livable wage, but last year, Starbucks’ net revenue was $30 billion.
Then I learned the new Starbucks CEO was given a $75 million stock award, a $1.6 million salary and a $10 million signing bonus. The only signing bonus I ever received was when I got a free pen for starting a savings account when I was 8.
Corporate profits have hit all-time highs. And those rising prices are never going to drop because then how can the Starbucks CEO afford $1,500 sneakers for his Pomeranian without squeezing the life out of consumers?
My husband said, “Then don’t go to
Starbucks.”
“Shut up,” I replied. Housing costs are outrageous. Going to dinner and a movie requires a home equity line of credit. Tax increases nickel-and-dime us to death. Did you know Utah is one of only a few states that tax social security benefits? Thanks, Utah Legislators!
It’s not like I want to purchase Prada paper clips or Balenciaga bookmarks. I don’t need a Rolls-Royce or a personal library, complete with a rolling ladder and a fireplace. (Okay. I actually need that). I just want to afford a night out, maybe a weekend getaway or an annual massage without sell-
ing blood plasma.
My grandparents grew up during the Depression. Decades later, they still saved drawers full of tin foil and rubber bands in case we ever needed a defense against mind control or had to make emergency bouncy balls. Maybe I can learn from their frugal behaviors.
So, we tighten our belts, pinch pennies, clip coupons and say, “We’re right on budget this month.” The moment those words leave our lips, the garbage disposal explodes, the fence blows over or the basement floods. Budgeting might not be an art form, but it’s definitely a comedy.
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