We’ve had so much fun celebrating the Taylorsville High Cross-Country Team this past month. They are really an incredible bunch of athletes and their coaches are amazing, as well.
As state champs, the boys team claimed not only their rst cross-country title in school history but also the school’s rst state championship in any sport in the past 17 years. Individual runners Edward Stout nished second overall and Cole Jameson nished sixth.
The girls also had a remarkable nish, placing 11th in one of the best nishes in school history. And, the boys team is currently ranked 24th in the nation. That includes all high schools of all sizes in every state.
In celebration, we loved having the team at our Nov. 6 City Council meeting, where they gathered in a circle in the middle of Council Chambers and treated us with their team chant that literally shook the room. It was a pleasure to offer our congratulations and recognize their success. Truly, the joy in the room was palpable, and it is a highlight of my job to meet the youth in our community. I am always in awe of their many accomplishments at such a young age.
It was also a delight to meet the team’s coaches, and it was evident how much they care about these young athletes. They were getting ready to take the boys to a pre-national meet in Phoenix, where, if they nish in the Top 4, they would qualify for a national championship.
Warriors coach Guy Mackay told the Deseret News that the state championship isn’t just a title for Taylorsville but something for which all the schools on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley can be proud. “Winning state has been a goal obviously,” he said, “but not having ever done that before, it’s a lofty goal.”
The community also joined in the celebration with a bus parade from the Macey’s grocery store down Redwood Road to the high school. With lights and sirens blaring, our own TVPD escorted the parade as the athletes waved ags and cheered from the bus windows. (See pictures of both the parade and city’s recognition at City Hall on Page 5 of this section).
We extend our exuberant congratulations to all of the crosscountry athletes and Taylorsville High. We look forward to all that they accomplish in the future, and know that for this team, the sky’s the limit.
—Mayor Kristie S. Overson
WHAT’S INSIDE – DECEMBER 2024
Frequently Called Numbers, Page 2
Council Corner, Page 3
TVPD News, Page 4
Heritage Remembrances, Page 7
Environment, Page 8
City Shines a Light on Veterans’ Invaluable Service
In honoring veterans, Taylorsville City Hall was aglow in green last month and wreaths will be laid on all veterans’ graves at the Taylorsville City Cemetery this month.
“We want our veterans to know they are seen, appreciated and supported,” said Mayor Kristie Overson. “And to those who have passed, we want their families to know that they are never forgotten.”
Toward that end, the city participated in Operation Green Light, a National Association of Counties initiative that encourages organizations, businesses or residences to display green lights for veterans from Nov. 4 to 11. (See additional pictures of the e ort at City Hall on Page 6 of this section).
Also, in recognition of veterans, the city is participating for the third year in the national Wreaths Across America Day. This effort honors veterans across the country by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at more than 3,400 locations in all 50 states, at sea and abroad.
In Taylorsville, there will be two parts to the Wreaths Across America ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 14, to which all are invited to attend. The rst part in City Council Chambers starts at 10 a.m. and features speakers, music and a ag ceremony.
The second portion of the ceremony will take place afterward around 11 a.m. It is outdoors at the Taylorsville City Cemetery, where wreaths will be laid on all 265 veterans' graves there. “We hope residents will consider participating in this inspiring day,” Mayor Overson said. “It is a beautiful, moving event that has become a highlight of the holidays.”
Taylorsville Recreation Center .........................................
Swimming Pool (Memorial Day to Labor Day)
Taylorsville-Bennion Heritage Center
UDOT Region 2
801-975-4900
Utah Transit Authority (UTA) 801-743-3882
EVENTS
DECEMBER 2024
Dec. 2 – 6:30 p.m.
Tree Lighting Ceremony @ Centennial Plaza. Also enjoy music, hot chocolate and cookies. It’s a free event!
Dec. 3 – 5:30 p.m.
Planning Commission Special Work Session @ City Hall.
Dec. 4 – 6:30 p.m. City Council Meeting @ City Hall.
Dec. 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Taylorsville/SLCC Orchestra holiday concert titled “Sounds of Solstice” @ Bennion Jr. High. Free admission!
Dec. 7 – 2 to 4 p.m.
Saturday with Santa @ the Taylorsville-Bennion Heritage Center, 1488 W. 4800 South. See ad on Page 3 of this section. Free event!
Dec. 10 – 6:30 p.m.
Planning Commission Meeting @ City Hall.
Dec. 14 – 10 a.m.
Wreaths Across America Day @ City Hall and the Taylorsville City Cemetery. This two-part ceremony honoring veterans begins at City Hall, followed by the laying of wreaths around 11 a.m. at the cemetery, 4567 S. Redwood Road.
Dec. 25 – all day
Christmas Day. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays! City Hall will reopen on Thursday, Dec. 26.
Find our calendar of events every month on the city’s website, where you can also submit your own events for possible publication. Go to www.taylorsvilleut.gov
December 4-5
Lifehouse Performing Arts Academy presents The Little Princess
December 7
SLC Ballet presents The Nutcracker
December 8-9
Deseret Experimental Opera presents Winter Spirits
December 15
TICKETS AT SaltLakeCountyArts.org
Bells of Joyful Sound presents Christmas Dreams December 13-14
Serena Webb Dance Theater presents The Nutcracker and the Mouse Queen December 20-21
Jazz Arts of the Mountain West presents The 2024 JAM Christmas Follies
City Leaders, TVPD Participate in Virtual Weapons Training
Taylorsville City leaders recently joined TVPD for part of our recent 40hour Back to Basic SWAT School.
Mayor Overson, as well as members of the City Council, Citizens Advisory Board and city sta , participated with TVPD in a virtual weapons training. Such virtual-reality simulations help police o cers de-escalate potentially dangerous situations that cause many fatalities. The scenarios are designed to teach critical concepts, such as o cer presence, communication skills, verbal and non-verbal cues, less-lethal use of force and more.
At a recent City Council meeting, Mayor Overson described the experience as eye-opening. "It rea rmed to me how important our public safety o cers are and how they have to react in just a split second and make some life-and-death decisions," she said.
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
Congratulations to O cer Mecham, our latest Employee of the Month. O cer Mecham has three years of experience in law enforcement and is currently assigned to our patrol division. Prior to joining TVPD, he served as a patrol o cer with the Salt Lake City Police Department. Additionally, Officer Mecham studied Culinary Arts at Salt Lake Community College. Given that experience, we are grateful he chose the path of law enforcement — jokingly, we know it would have made him a prime candidate for our fellow brothers and sisters running the local rehouses!
O cer Mecham was nominated as Employee of the Month by one of our local business owners, Cli Anderson, who owns and operates a 7-Eleven in the city. Cli noted that he has interacted with several of our TVPD o cers when they stop in to grab gas or a snack. He said he believes “the true essence of service of a police o cer isn’t just about enforcing the law; it’s about making a positive impact in our community through acts of kindness.” Cli then recounted a “heartfelt story about O cer Mecham that embodies this spirit.”
Cli shared the story of a single mother who came into the store and prepaid 77 cents for gas, as that was all she had at the moment. When she went to ll her tank, O cer Mecham took out his personal credit card and asked the cashier to prepay $20 in fuel. He then went out and lled the vehicle with the additional amount. The next day, the mother returned to 7-Eleven and thanked Cli , who quickly let her know that it wasn’t him who had added the extra funds but rather the o cer who had been in the store at the same time. Cli said it’s “acts like these that truly uplift our community and remind us of the incredible people serving in our police department.”
Thank you, O cer Mecham, for being a part of Team Taylorsville!
Taylorsville Cross-Country Team Claims Historic Championship Title
Celebration surrounded the Taylorsville High boys cross-country team this past month, after the runners claimed their rst state title in school history.
The team was rst honored by the City Council and Mayor at City Hall, where the students gave a rousing cheer and received backpacks and other gifts from the city. Then, the community celebrated the team with a bus parade down Redwood Road to the school.
Coach Guy Mackay says he and his sta have been building the team for the past four years. "They run for each other, that’s what they do,” he told the Deseret News. “None of them want to let each other down.”
Mayor Kristie Overson said the team will be “one that goes down in the school’s history.”
“They have an extreme determination to be the best they can be, and they realize that there are no limitations as to what they are capable of,” she said. “Congratulations to these amazing athletes!"
City Hall
Goes
Green for Nationwide Initiative Honoring Veterans
Taylorsville City participated in the National Association of Counties’ Operation Green Light this year, setting all its outdoor LED lights to green for the week leading up to Veterans Day on Nov. 11.
“This important initiative shines a light on the service of veterans and their families,” Mayor Kristie Overson said at a recent City Council meeting. “We appreciate our veterans, and we like to highlight them in many ways. Displaying City Hall with green lights was just one small way we could do that.”
Last year, the initiative drew participation from more than 300 counties. The national e ort is designed to raise awareness about the unique challenges veterans face and the resources available to assist them and their families at the county, state and federal levels.
2024-25 Youth Council is Sworn In and Ready to Work
This year’s Youth Council was sworn in by Mayor Kristie Overson before the City Council and they are already on the job.
In all, 21 students are serving on the Youth Council for 2024-25. This is the largest group ever, including one freshman, seven sophomores, 12 juniors and one senior.
"They are all outgoing and willing to get to know each other," said Youth Council Coordinator Kristy Heineman. "They have already come up with some ideas for things they want to learn and projects they would like to do. I have high hopes for this year."
Among their upcoming events, the youth will participate in the Utah League of Cities and Towns’ Local O cials Day at the Legislature and the Youth Council Leadership Conference at Utah State University next year.
“We are so grateful for their dedication to the community and the time and commitment they share toward making the city the best place to be,” Mayor Overson said. “These young people truly are our future leaders, and their service makes a real di erence in our community.”
Taylorsville Bennion Heritage REMEMBRANCES
Canal Road Subdivision was Once a Family Farm with a Few Hundred Chickens
This month’s article highlights the life history of Joseph and Delta Blake.
The Joseph Elijah and Delta Cox Blake family moved to 5445 South by the South Jordan Canal Road from Hinckley, Utah. In their words, “We were greeted by Alex Lee, an Englishman who had homesteaded but lost the farm with his brother Arthur. They had built an English cottage with gas handlers, a coal stove and a cellar.”
When the Blakes moved there, they brought nine children with them who helped with the farm work, such as thinning beets, loading hay, picking apples and hoeing weeds in the corn and other crops. In this way, they helped enough that very little outside help was necessary. As a result, the farm was debt free in a relatively short time.
As the Blakes recalled, “After a long day’s work, we used to swim in the canals that ran through our property. We called them the upper and lower canals.
“We were rather crowded in our rst little cottage, which consisted of two bedrooms, no bath, a kitchen and sleeping porch.” Eventually, this house as torn down and another home was built and is still used today.
One of their children said, “We had no electricity, so our bath water and wash water were heated in tubs, and wash boilers. There was a well on the farm and Dad piped water to a tap by the house. At this time, we had been using a scrubbing board in the tub to clean our clothes. Then, Dad xed a gas motor on a washing machine, which helped so much!”
After Joseph Blake su ered a heart attack and was recuperating, his wife took care of a few hundred chickens. She later contracted cancer and died on Oct. 12, 1954. Her husband lived for four more years, passing in December 1958. After his death, a co-op was formed and the Blake Heights Subdivision was created.
You can learn more about the Blakes, their family and the histories of many other Taylorsville residents at the Taylorsville-Bennion Heritage Center, 1488 W. 4800 South. Drop on by!
Don’t Miss These Library Events
The Taylorsville Library has planned several programs during the month of December. You’ll want to mark your calendar for these events:
TEEN ROBOTS 101 AFTER HOURS — TAYLORSVILLE GIVES BACK — Nov. 1-30.
MUSIC & MOVEMENT | THE NUTCRACKER — Tuesday, Dec. 3, 10:30 a.m. Dance your way through the popular songs from Tchaikovsky's ballet, “The Nutcracker.”
TEEN CERAMICS PAINTING PROGRAM — Friday, Dec. 6, 3 p.m. Celebrate winter with an art activity. Stop by the library and paint a ceramic. Supplies provided. Best for tweens and teens, ages 10 and up.
HOMESCHOOL “WHO WAS” BOOK CLUB — Monday, Dec. 9, 1 p.m. Learn about people and places with books from the ‘Who Was’ series. The group will talk about the book, learn cool facts and do other fun activities. December: “What is the Story of Ebenezer Scrooge?”
VIRTUAL ADULT LECTURE | J.R.R. Tolkien and the Enduring Popularity of Middle Earth — Monday, Dec. 9, 7 p.m. Register at: thecountylibrary.org/LectureSeries. Discover the timeless appeal of Tolkien’s literary works and explore how “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” transcend fantasy to o er deeper insights into our world, becoming modern-day myths.
SENIOR HEALTH CLASS | Get the Most of Retirement: Use Your Gift of Time Wisely — Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2 p.m. Learn principles and practices that will help you make the most of your time as you age. Presented by Salt Lake County Aging & Adult Services.
MIDDLE EARTH MAP MATCH — Monday, Dec. 16, to Saturday, Dec. 21. How well do you know the places of Tolkien's Middle Earth. Test your knowledge to earn a small prize.
TOLKIEN'S MIDDLE EARTH CONTEST — Monday, Dec. 16, to Saturday, Dec. 21 What place in Middle Earth would you most like to visit? Enter our prize drawing for a chance to win the Lord of the Rings extended movies and audiobooks.
RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE — Friday, Dec. 20, 10 a.m. Give blood to help others. Schedule your appointment: redcrossblood.org or 1-800-RED-CROSS.
NOON YEAR'S EVE DANCE PARTY — Tuesday, Dec. 31, 11:30 a.m. Dance in the new year! Perfect for little ones who can't stay up until midnight.
LIBRARY CLOSURES: Tuesday, Dec. 24: Early closure at 2 p.m.; Wednesday, Dec. 25: Closed all day; Tuesday, Dec. 31: Early closure at 6 p.m.; Wednesday, Jan. 1: Closed all day.
TAYLORSVILLE SENIOR CENTER 4743 S. Plymouth View Drive
DRUMS ALIVE! CLASS: Every Wednesday at 2 p.m.
SENIOR CENTER WILL BE CLOSING AT 1 P.M. ON CHRISTMAS EVE The center will be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day.
ANNUAL COLLECTION DAY
DECEMBER UPDATES
Christmas Tree Collections
Did you know that Wasatch Front Waste & Recycling District diverted 27 tons of Christmas trees from land lls last year?
WFWRD o ers Christmas tree removal for your post-holiday convenience. During the month of January, WFWRD will begin picking up trees from residents who complete the request form on their website (www. wasatchfrontwaste.org) or call the WFWRD office at 385-468-6325.
To have your Christmas tree picked up, please ensure you remove all decorations and place your tree at the curb. Trees will be collected the day after your regularly scheduled pickup day. Due to high demand, it may take more than one week to complete all requests.
• WFWRD only accepts real trees — no arti cial trees.
• Trees must be free of decorations, ornaments, lights and snow.
• Please place trees curbside, not in your waste or green bin.
Thank you for helping to keep the holidays green and sustainable!
Green Waste Collection Schedule
WFWRD’s Green Waste Collection service will end for the season on Dec. 13, 2024, and will resume on March 9, 2025. WFWRD appreciates your e orts and participation in this valuable program. Thanks to your support, the district has successfully diverted an estimated 6,000 tons of green waste from land lls this year, and they have composted the same amount to create healthier soil in our communities.
If you would like to begin participating in WFWRD’s green waste program in 2025, please visit www.wasatchfrontwaste.org or call the district at 385-468-6325.
Sustainable Gift Wrapping
The holiday season is a time of joy and giftgiving. However, with the tradition of giving comes an increase in waste, particularly from wrapping paper and packaging. While giftgiving is a cherished tradition, many common materials such as foil, glittery paper, and ribbons are not recyclable and often end up in our land lls.
This year, consider opting for more sustainable and eco-friendly wrapping alternatives. Choose recyclable wrapping paper when wrapping your gift or use cloth; it’s a reusable option that can last for years.
‘Tis the Season to Take Care of Your Pipes
As cold weather settles in, your plumbing can be at risk. Freezing temperatures can cause pipes to burst, leading to some of the costliest repairs a homeowner can face. Here are a few tips to help you avoid these unexpected issues.
Insulate Exposed Pipes — Any water or drain pipes located in unheated areas, such as crawlspaces, attics or exterior walls, should be properly insulated. To provide extra protection, consider wrapping them with electrical heating tape before adding insulation.
Check Exterior Faucets — Make sure outdoor faucets, or hose bibs, are free of leaks. Be sure to disconnect garden hoses from the faucets and drain them to prevent damage from freezing temperatures.
Water Supply Safety for Vacant Homes — If your property will be unoccupied for an extended period, it's a good idea to shut o the water supply valve inside the home. If a leak occurs while you're away, it could result in severe water damage and costly repairs.
Taking these simple precautions can save you from the hassle and expense of plumbing problems this winter.
Also, TBID will hold a public hearing on their budget on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 3 p.m. at the district o ce.
If you have any questions, please contact Taylorsville-Bennion Improvement District by calling 801-968-9081 or visiting www.tbid.org. Follow TBID on Facebook and X.
