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Trans-Jordan Landfill collected more than 80 bicycles on Memorial Day weekend 2016. These were later donated to the nonprofit organization Bicycle Collective. (Mark Hooyer/Trans-Jordan Landfill)
rans-Jordan Landfill has forged an unlikely partnership with local nonprofit organization Bicycle Collective. The landfill saves and donates dumped bicycles to Bicycle Collective, which then recycles and repairs the bicycles and gifts them to those in need. Trans-Jordan has given 488 bikes to Bicycle Collective since the project began in May 2016. “Saving bicycles—this is one thing that we could do something about,” said Mark Hooyer, executive director of TransJordan Cities Landfill. “We all have a general astonishment that so many perfectly useful things are thrown away in our culture. Here, though, we could reuse and find a new life for bicycles other than burying it in the landfill.” Hooyer said the amount of bicycles being thrown away first caught his attention when he was director at Trans-Jordan. An avid cyclist, Hooyer decided to conduct an experiment. He had staff pull out bikes from loads being dumped over Memorial Day weekend in 2016. They collected more than 80 bicycles in two
By Briana Kelley | briana@mycityjournals.com
days, a number that “fairly astonished” Hooyer and his staff. That same week, Hooyer took his daughter’s bicycle to the Bicycle Collective, a nonprofit organization that provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower-income households. As Hooyer learned about the Bicycle Collective’s services and needs, he felt it would be a good fit for the bicycles the Trans-Jordan staff had collected at the landfill. “This was the a-hah moment,” Hooyer said. “Here was a business worthy enough and capable enough to receive all of the bicycles we were collecting.” Trans-Jordan, which is a public facility, moved duly through the proper processes and soon entered into a non-financial contract with Bicycle Collective. Trans-Jordan tracks the number of bicycles and pounds of bicycles that they donate, and the nonprofit makes monthly pick-ups. Bicycle Collective refurbishes the bicycles for nominal
Local Postal Customer ECRWSS Scan Here: Interactive online edition with more photos.
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FROM DUMP TO DONATION: How the Trans-Jordan Landfill saves bikes and benefits those in need
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resale and charity purposes. For bicycles too damaged to repair, they use needed parts and pieces and then recycle the unused parts. “We get a lot of children’s bikes from Trans-Jordan,” said Sam Warrick, Bicycle Collective Salt Lake City operations manager. “There are a lot of bikes that we turn into goodwill bikes, which are bikes that we provide to people in need through various government agencies and charities.” Bicycle Collective began locally in 2002 and now has bike shops in Salt Lake, Ogden and Provo. The organization provides bicycle repair, bicycle mechanic courses, and certifications and frame-building courses. The Collective also has Earn-A-Bike program for kids and distributes free bikes to the neediest members of the community, according to its website. “We’re funded primarily by in-kind donations,” Warrick said. “The used bikes that are donated to us, we either sell them to fund our programs or directly donate them to children in need or continued on page 12…
Fundraiser benefits fallen paramedic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Council approves road connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Astronaut encourages students to reach for the stars . . . . . . . . . Bingham cheer going to Nationals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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LOCAL LIFE
Page 2 | March 2017
S outh Jordan City Journal
Dump truck mishaps damages homes, leaves thousands without power By Mylinda LeGrande | mylinda@mycityjournals.com The SJ Journal is a monthly publication distributed directly to residents via the USPS as well as locations throughout South Jordan. For information about distribution please email circulation@mycityjournals.com or call our offices. Rack locations are also available on our website. For subscriptions please contact: circulation@mycityjournals.com The views and opinions expressed in display advertisements do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions held by Loyal Perch Media or the City Journals. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the owner.
The South Jordan Team CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Bryan Scott bryan@mycityjournals.com EDITOR: Tori La Rue tori@mycityjournals.com ADVERTISING: 801-254-5974 DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING: Ryan Casper ryan.casper@mycityjournals.com 801-671-2034 SALES ASSOCIATES: Melissa Worthen melissa@mycityjournals.com 801-897-5231 Steve Hession steve@mycityjournals.com 801-433-8051 Josh Ragsdale Josh.R@mycityjournals.com 801-824-9854 CIRCULATION COORDINATOR: Brad Casper circulation@mycityjournals.com EDITORIAL & AD DESIGN: Tina Falk Ty Gorton South Jordan City Journal 9500 South 500 West Suite 205 Sandy, UT 84070 Phone: 801 254 5974
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n Jan. 11, at 5:40 p.m., a South Jordan homeowner, who preferred not to be identified, was sitting at her computer in her home office when she heard a loud wrenching sound. She looked out her second-story window and saw a dump truck attempting to back up onto her neighborhood street with its back fully raised. “I could see that the dump truck, raised back, caught the [lines] of the power poles,” the homeowner said, pointing out her office window. “I [grabbed] the phone and dial[ed] 911 because I knew it wasn’t going to end well.” She was on the emergency phone call while watching the dump truck move back and forth until it caught the power lines overhead. “He was putting so much gas on the dump truck that there was smoke coming from the tires,” she said. “I saw [the power lines] give and the pole came down. At the same time, I saw a bright white light explosion come from the back of the house. The box that was on the power lines [behind my house] exploded.” The eyewitness homeowner said a fire immediately started on the chimney of the house located at 10187 South Menteith Street. Within a few seconds, she could see flames on the front of the house, and before long, the roof of the home was also engulfed. “There is a severely handicapped person living there, and he can’t move on his own,” the homeowner said, referring to one of the residents of the home with the worst damage. The homeowner, Linda Mendoza, who lives in the house with her two adult sons, was displaced because of the fire. A heroic move was made by of one of Mendoza’s neighbors. “(The hero) is a little tiny thing, but she full out sprinted to their front door, just to see if anyone was there in the house,” the woman who called 911 said. That neighbor found one of the adult sons inside the home. When she notified him about the house fire, he was able to get out safely. The disabled son was not there. West Jordan Fire, South Jordan Fire, Bluffdale Fire and Unified Fire Authority responded to the incident. After they arrived and starting fighting the blaze, the homeowner who called 911 wondered if her own home was in danger. “I grabbed a flashlight because the power was out,” she said. “I was checking the house for smoke. I went into the backyard and saw the power pole behind my house was broken through at the bottom and had fallen into my backyard. This tree right here kept the power lines off our house and the lines were tangled up in the tree.” According to the caller, one of the firemen was able move the dump truck, owned by Silver Spur Construction, away from the powerlines. He also made sure that the dump truck driver was OK. He wasn’t injured, but the caller said he appeared to be shaken up. She said the damage done to her home included a damaged tree,
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Broken power pole (Andrea Madsen/resident)
a broken fence and a broken clothes dryer which was damage by the electrical serge. South Jordan officials said seven power poles were damaged in the incident, including three that were knocked over. “We had shingles on our roof that actually melted,” she said. “Both sides of the fence have damage. The top of the neighbor’s shed was collapsed because the [power] workers were standing on it trying to untangle the power lines. We were lucky that nothing here caught on fire, just the external damage and clothes dryer.” Two other neighbors had scorch marks on their roofs as well. A tweet from South Jordan City said the incident happened around 3800 West 10200 South. The residents of the homes involved were evacuated and unhurt. A handful of residents around the area were also evacuated as a safety precaution. The Rocky Mountain Power website also said that approximately 3,105 customers lost power at the time of the incident at 5:20 p.m. (ZIP code 84009). By 8:15 p.m., power was restored to all but approximately 140 customers. One resident, Lisa Ashton, who lives in the area affected by the power outage, had a son who was celebrating his birthday in the dark. When he blew out his candles, the power spontaneously came back on after being off for three hours. “Coincidence?” she said. “I think not.” Editor’s Note: The City Journals chose to keep the first homeowner anonymous for safety reasons. l
March 2017 | Page 3
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Spiritual & Temporal Witnesses Presentation
Two NighTs To Choose From Thursday, March 9th oR Thursday March 16th The Savior told his disciples “other sheep I have which are not of this fold.” John 10:16
7:00-8:30pm Salt Lake Community College Larry H. Miller Campus (MFEC Auditorium) 9750 South 300 West Sandy, Utah
The Mayan God Quetzalcoatl has many similarities to Jesus Christ and His Doctrine.
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LOCAL LIFE
Page 4 | March 2017
S outh Jordan City Journal
Dental school gives families something to smile about By Mylinda LeGrande | mylinda@mycityjournals.com
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here are only two dental schools currently in Utah. One of these schools is Roseman University located at 10894 South, Riverfront Parkway in South Jordan. On Feb. 3, the school offered an outreach program called “Give Kids a Smile,” which offered free education, checkups and cleanings for children. After screenings and education, participants were offered a $50 voucher to use for services at a later scheduled time. “For our event, our main focus is preventive care,” said Khalid Sadaf, a third-year student at the school. “A lot of this care come with watching for caries (cavities) before they appear or happen. By giving these oral health care instructions, we hope to prevent dental decay. If parents know how to take care of dental problems, it helps eliminate the risk a bit.” In addition to the cleanings and checkups, there were food trucks on site as well as the radio station La Grande radio, which helped to promote the event to at-risk and under-insured communities. American Dental Association sponsored for the free clinic by providing supplies. Amara Doxey attended the event with her three children. “We have a family member (Matt Nuttal), that goes to school here and is nearly graduated,” Doxey said. “We have been coming to him for dental work, and he told us about the cleanings. I’m just trying to be good about getting [my kids] in every six months. This is a good way to do it. It was really fun and well organized. The [kids] learned how to floss and brush and how to have better nutrition.” Sadaf helped to plan, organize and run the event. She explained how the process worked. Before the clients get screened, they are
Teancum, Manti and Hagoth Uyehara practice brushing teach with student Brittney Cruiz. (Mylinda LeGrande/City Journals)
assigned an escort, who will go around to different stations with them, she said. “The first one is a (cavities) risk assessment,” Sadaf said. “We have a Spanish-speaking station to help those who don’t speak English. Next, the clients are directed to different rooms where they have different activities for them to participate in.” After the activities, dental students performed the kids’ dental cleanings. Cetin Akkaya was there with his two children, Mintin and Mina. He is from Turkey and has lived in the U.S. for five years.
Currently, he works in a stem coordination job but does not have dental insurance. “We found out about the event through my kids’ school, Belleview Elementary,” he said. “Before, when we lived in Arizona, we were benefiting from some campaigns for $30–$50 for cleanings, and then each six months we would go for screenings.” Allison Wright, a transplant from Maine, came to Roseman University Dental School with her two children, Jack and Kyran. She wanted them to get free cleanings by their father, Kevin, who is a second-year student at the school. “I want them to see that it is good for them to brush their teeth,” she said. The family moved here from Maine when Kevin Wright got accepted to the school. “I love coming here,” he said about the school. “I like the flexibility of the curriculum; they really make the teachers and information accessible and then give us time to learn it.” When he was asked how his kids liked their dad cleaning their teeth, he said, “My 4-year-old, Jack, doesn’t like the dentist or having things put in his mouth. For Kyran, my 1-year-old, it is his first time doing this, so we will have to see how he does, but he likes me to brush his teeth [at home].” Roseman University was founded in Henderson, Nevada, in 1999. Roseman University of Health Sciences is a nonprofit, private institution of higher learning. It is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. More than 2,500 Roseman graduates are caring for patients, conducting research and engaged in public health and policy in Nevada, Utah and across the country. l
LOCAL LIFE
S outhJordanJournal.Com
South Jordan Sodalicious fundraiser benefits fallen paramedic/firefighter’s family By Mylinda LeGrande | mylinda@mycityjournals.com
March 2017 | Page 5
Over 2,000 Homes Sold in 17 Years! How to Save Money when Selling Your Home The Wall Street Journal recently published a study by Longwood University that examined 10,065 listings. The study was published in the Journal of Housing Research in May 2012. The study found that there is a difference in the money a seller makes depending on the real estate agent they choose. They even found a price tag of $25,000 difference. When this study came out I was determined to find apple to apple comparisons on what makes a seller more money to sell their home. The problem of finding apple to apple comparisons is you either have to compare the same house (which is hard to do because most people live in their homes for 10 years on average now.) or you have to find the exact same house as the one you are comparing that was on the market the same time. For one I have many secrets I use to sell a home. I call them secrets because I do things that the normal agent doesnt do nor do they know how to do them. I can share them with you and help you use them though.
Tony Kirkham and friend Mindy Ruff with members of the South Jordan Fire Department (Toni Kirkham)
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he South Jordan Sodalicious offered 24-ounce, two-flavor sodas for free on Feb. 11. in exchange for donations made to fallen paramedic Tyson Mason’s family. The event was part of the store’s grand opening. Sodalicious, located at 1421West South Jordan Parkway, matched the donations up to $1,000 and raised a total of $2,000. The Riverton Sodalicious location also participated in the fundraiser. Kaylie Hutchings, a Sodalicious employee, was working during the event. “It was extremely busy but a lot of fun,” she said. “A lot of people came out just to support them. We like to support first responders and the military. It was a great way to help our community and [Mason’s] family.” Mason, 29, is a fallen Salt Lake City firefighter/paramedic and Intermountain Life Flight paramedic, who lost his life on Jan. 22. Mason and a nurse were returning to Salt Lake City from Uintah Basin Medical Center in Roosevelt after completing a shift at the life flight base, when they got into a car crash. Their vehicle was struck head-on by a pick-up driving near Strawberry Reservoir. Mason’s paramedic partner and a nurse, Brian Maynard, 39, of West Haven, was seriously injured in the accident but expected to recover. Funeral services for Mason were held Jan. 28 in Layton. He left behind a wife and a 2-month-old son. Kevin Auernig, owner of Sodalicious, said the fundraiser was suggested by customer, Toni Kirkham. Her husband works for West Valley City in the Fire Department and went through firefighting training with Mason. Kirkham said when she had heard that the firefighter was killed was her husband’s friend, she felt so bad about the accident that
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Fallen paramedic/firefighter, Tyson Mason (Salt Lake City Fire Department)
she wanted to do something to help. “A couple of days after the accident, I went to get a drink from Sodalicious. I asked them if they did fundraisers and was able to talk to the manager. She put me in touch with Paul Morris, the regional manager,” Kirkham said. “The cool thing is that they had just held a company meeting and discussed wanting to give back to the community.” Morris said the activity was just the type of activity the company wanted to do, so Sodalicious picked up the event. It only took four days to put the event together, according to Kirkham. “This event was a success,” Auernig said. “We are touched by how many total strangers willingly donated when they saw someone in need. We’re also grateful for all of the firefighters, paramedics and police officers from all over the valley who stopped in to drop some cash.” Loved ones have created a GoFundMe page called “Hearts for Lukas” to raise funds for Mason’s wife and newborn son. Donations can also be made at Zions Bank via the Lukas Mason Scholarship fund. l
Case Analysis A. This home just sold within the last couple months. It took almost 6 months and 2 different real estate agents trying to sell it. The ironic thing is that I sold this home 2 years ago for almost $40,000 higher. Now what has the market done in the last 2 years? The market has gone up at least 10%. Some sellers think if a lower agent commission or for sale by owner tactic would have helped them save money. In fact, the first seller got a ton more bang for their buck by using me as their real estate agent. Case Analysis B. There are new companies out there claiming to save people money and being able to sell their homes. Take this house for example. They were trying to sell for 2 months with ‘Their Homey’ to ‘save money on commissions.’ The result? They were on the market for 2 months at 245k and never sold. I listed and sold it within a couple days for a higher price at $250k. You want to save money and time when selling your home? I have many other examples like the ones above that show I will save you time and money!
No one has sold more listings in South Jordan than Utah Dave. Call South Jordan’s Neighborhood Expert today:
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www.UtahDave.com or www.DAYBREAK.com Ask Utah Dave, He's sold more listings in South Jordan than any other agent.
Page 6 | March 2017
S outh Jordan City Journal 2608 W. 12600 S. Riverton, UT 84065 801-999-4466 WWW.RUNGR8.COM
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LOCAL LIFE
March 2017 | Page 7
Expropriated: Residents lose property in Bangerter Highway project By Tori La Rue | tori@mycityjournals.com
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he 2017 Bangerter Highway project to create freeway-style interchanges at four intersections may alleviate major southwestern traffic congestion in the county, but it doesn’t come without a cost. The $208 million project will displace 96 homeowners and two businesses as the land is used to make way for the expanded interchanges at 5400 South, 7000 South, 9000 South and 11400 South. The Utah Department of Transportation will also acquire parts of nearly 100 additional properties. “We take property acquisitions very seriously,” said UDOT spokesman John Gleason. “It is the toughest part of our job, and we do it as a last resort. With Bangerter and all the development around it, there’s no other place for it to expand in these areas. These (acquisitions) were absolutely necessary to finish the project.” The Heffron story: Moving after 30 years Holly Heffron and her husband lived in their home at 5498 South Alveron Drive in Taylorsville for 30 years—all of their married lives—and never planned to leave, but that changed when they learned Bangerter Highway’s expansion would take over their property. “You don’t think it will happen to you,” said Holly Heffron whose home backed the eastern side of Bangerter’s sound wall. “Even when I knew they were going to do something to Bangerter, it didn’t cross my mind that my house would be affected. Then all the sudden someone was telling us ‘Brace yourself; you guys are moving.’” While waiting for the Utah Department of Transportation to appraise her home, Heffron began casually looking for homes online. She said she “accidentally” found the home of her dreams near 9000 South and 4800 West in West Jordan over Independence Day weekend and made an offer. The owners accepted her offer, but the deal was contingent on the price UDOT would pay for her home. Heffron described the next couple months as “nerve-racking.” “UDOT representatives were great to work with, but that may have been because I was continually bugging them and calling them for updates,” she said. The initial price tag on the Heffron home wasn’t as high as Heffron thought her house could sell for on the market, but UDOT tacked a “relocation fee” onto the check, which allowed Heffron to purchase the West Jordan house. She said it worked out to where she could close on both homes on the same day. Although overjoyed about the new house, Heffron said the switch didn’t come without emotional tugging. She and her husband drove by the site of their decades-long home around Christmas time, finding window frames missing and holes in the ceiling in their old house. Her neighbor’s house was completely missing. “That was a really weird feeling, but I think I’ve gotten over that,” Heffron said ““Moving is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I think we are better off for it. I like my new home so much better.” The Brusch story: When UDOT won’t buy a house While things worked out well for Heffron, she acknowledged that many others didn’t have a good experience with the state’s use of eminent domain. One of her friends isn’t losing property, but will likely lose home value, Heffron said. The home, which used to face hers, will soon face Bangerter’s sound wall. “I think the people who have to stay have it worse off,” she said. Melissa Brusch agrees. UDOT is taking eight and a half feet of her family’s backyard near the 9000 South/Bangerter Highway intersection for the project, and she said she’s not happy about it. “We wanted to be bought out, but they wouldn’t let us,” Brusch said. “They said they don’t have the funds, but we just
An empty lot sits between two houses on New Heritage Drive in West Jordan. The home that used to be there was demolished to make room for a freeway-style interchange at the nearby Bangerter Highway and 9000 South intersection. (Tori La Rue/City Journals)
Empty lots on Alveron Drive in Taylorsville where homes used to stand. The Utah Department of Transportation obtained the properties through eminent domain in the process to create a freeway-style interchange at the 5400 South and Bangerter Highway intersection. (Tori La Rue/City Journals)
don’t want to deal with it.” While UDOT tries to take personal interests into account when making the home purchases, the department also needs to think what will be best for the community, Gleason said, adding that there’s a certain set of criteria that must usually be met before a house will be purchased. The Brusches said they didn’t mind that the home backed Bangerter Highway when they bought it seven years ago, but bringing the sound wall eight feet closer to the house could be a deal-breaker for the young family. “I have little ones, and I want them to be able to play outside,” Brush said. “The yard will be smaller, and the on-ramp will be right in our backyard. There will be more noise and pollution, and I don’t want my kids to breathe that in.” Brusch said she and her husband haven’t decided whether they will put their house up for sale but are considering all options. “UDOT said we won’t be affected by the value, but if it’s really going to be a freeway-style, the home won’t be as desirable,” Brusch said. “The house across the street took a huge hit because of the project, so I don’t know if I want to get lowballed out there and lose money.” Brush said she’s still contacting UDOT to get an appraisal on her home to find out how much they’d pay for the property. “I’m still trying,” she said. “I just think everyone should have the option to get bought out.”
learned UDOT was collecting properties through eminent domain. “I was just shocked,” she said. “I was never contacted. I had to be the one to contact UDOT myself.” An appraiser came to look at Jensen’s home and told her how mch they’d pay her to leave her home. Jensen said it’s hard to leave because she loves the area but said she’s mostly frustrated because she wasn’t given a definite timeline. “I would have liked to build my own home, but they took so long to give me a timeline that I had to buy a home that was already built,” Jensen said. Jensen’s house, along with many in her neighborhood, was only seven years old. She and her neighbors voiced concerns that UDOT should have known about the acquisition process long before their homes were built and stopped development from occurring.
The Erdmann Story: Expropriation—a convenient way to sell Brusch’s neighbor, Amanda Erdmann, had better luck getting UDOT to purchase her home. Erdmann’s husband had moved to Oklahoma for work, so she’d already hired a real estate agent to sell her home when UDOT notified residents they were looking to acquire homes within the neighborhood. Erdmann immediately contacted UDOT and told them of her situation. She said she “fought hard” to be bought out, and UDOT agreed. “We were a different situation where we lucked out,” Erdmann said. “UDOT was easier than if we would have sold our house the other way. We didn’t have to pay Relator fees or closing costs—they just showed up with the offer, but I know it wasn’t like that for a lot of other people.” The Jensen Story: Unable to build People started asking Kenzie Jensen when she was moving out of her home at 11163 South Tippecanoe Way. That’s how she said she
Future Acquisitions While UDOT does have a long-range transportation plan that extends until 2040, Gleason said the department doesn’t always know which homes will be affected. “We do our best to preserve right of way, but without environmental study process, we don’t know where the improvements will go or where alignments will be,” he said. “For the four new interchanges we started that process on December 2015, and we worked with the cities to prevent additional development or construction at that time, but until the environment process is complete, we don’t know where the improvements will go.” Gleason suggests homebuyers check UDOT’s long-term plan before making a home purchase to discover if there’s a chance that their home could be acquired in a similar process. The long-term plan is found on the department’s website in map form separated by region. Because housing developments and businesses are sprouting along the sides of the Mountain View Corridor, many residents affected by the Bangerter project have expressed concerns that a similar acquisition process will need to occur when that road expands. Joe Kammerer, project director for the Mountain View Corridor, said it’s not likely that eminent domain will be utilized to the same extent along the new western highway. Mountain View Corridor was built with the outside lanes first to preserve the right of way, he said. When that road expands, it will fill in inside lanes using the right of way they’ve already acquired, he said. l
LOCAL LIFE
Page 8 | March 2017
S outh Jordan City Journal
Recycling: Economic benefits for consumers and businesses By Mandy Ditto | m.ditto@mycityjournals.com
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ities in the Salt Lake Valley have been promoting and pushing recycling in their communities for years, but what many people don’t know is how much recycling is constantly changing. This includes the changes made to pricing and the value of different recyclable goods, which is what can make recycling seem economically viable at some times, and not so at other times. Because of supply and demand changes in the materials that companies can recycle, there’s a question of whether recycling is financially reasonable? Is it saving money, or is it costing Utah and its cities more than it is worth? Economic values of recycling According to the 2016 Recycling Economic Information (REI) report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in 2007 recycling and reuse activities accounted for 757,000 jobs in the U.S., produced $36.6 billion in wages and produced $6.7 billion in tax revenues. This means that “on a national average, there are 1.57 jobs, $76,030 million wages and $14,101 tax revenues attributable for every 1,000 tons of recyclables collected and recycled,” in the U.S., the report read. “The important thing they’re finding is that recycling provides environmental benefits, while simultaneously contributing to economic growth,” said Lesha Earl, public education representative for the Trans-Jordan Landfill in the Salt Lake Valley. “The materials recovery facility — they’re the recycling people — what they do is bail everything up, or contain it, so they can sell it to markets that need that raw material, whether it’s going through the recycling process or wherever they are selling it. From there it goes on to making new products, which is a whole industry in itself.” Recycling has become a much more complex and rich product in that it isn’t just about reusing something once, but being able to reuse raw materials — plastic, glass, metal — to produce more new products, instead of having to go to the “virgin” or unused source of materials, Earl said. There are companies that know to just buy post-consumer products to make their own products. “Rather than mining the ore out of the ground, they will go to these companies and say, ‘We’ll buy your steel cans and scrap metal,’” Earl said. Aluminum is one material that is infinitely reusable, and the cost to recycle aluminum is roughly 8 percent of the cost to mine ore, transport it to a facility, melt it and use it to create a new product, said Mark Hooyer, executive director of the TransJordan Landfill. “Why wouldn’t you, at that point? You’re talking a raw material that you can get available at far less a cost than if you’re buying brand-new aluminum ore off the boat from China,” Hooyer said. When it comes to throwing away an aluminum can, it can either spend 500 years in a landfill before it decomposes, or it can be recycled infinitely, Earl said. Circular economy This process is called the circular economy, which means keeping all of these precious products and materials for as long as possible, to get as much value out of the material as possible, Earl said. “We don’t want to throw away good money.” With the developments and changes that have been taking place over the last 50 years, it has become crucial for companies that want to stay in business to be looking at recycled products available, rather than going after raw materials to continue manufacturing, Hooyer said. There is less and less available, and so recycled goods are becoming more valuable to businesses
Recycling is not only environmentally beneficial, but also economically beneficial and viable, according to experts across the valley.
everywhere. A shift that has occurred as the need for circular economy has become more prevalent is that, instead of the consumer being the one mostly responsible for reducing, reusing and recycling, “it is now the company’s responsibility to buy products that
to the recycling plant. That is often the most expensive part of glass recycling; that’s a major part of the cost equation. The final cost is the processing cost—the cost to run equipment, repair equipment, staff to run the equipment. “ There are more than 60 public drop-off collection points across the Wasatch Front that go to Momentum Recycling’s facility, with some being paid for by the municipalities, others paid for by Momentum and others by both. Once recycled glass has been processed, cleaned and separated from contamination — bacteria, sugars, lids, caps, food — the glass is sized and then marketed to industrial users, Lair said. “That’s the other end of the equation is Owen’s Corning,” Lair said. Owens Corning is a fiberglass insulation business based in Nephi, Utah. It purchases 80 to 90 percent of the recycled glass produced from Momentum’s plant, he said. “I’ve been told that there’s a tremendous amount of energy that is saved; there’s other savings offsetting raw materials — the mining, the transport of virgin materials from wherever it is mined — using recycled glass in its place,” Lair said. “There’s a range of areas where they save money when they use recycled glass. Those savings allow them to position their products more favorably in the market, which allows them to sell more, which allows them to hire more people. It’s kind of this long chain of benefits; it doesn’t just start or stop in our plant.”
“From our perspective, we’re running out of landfill space… Once they are closed, there will be no more in Salt Lake County, and they’re going to see their rates go up because they are going to have to transport material farther away to the landfills.” are made from post-consumer materials so that they are able to enter the circular economy and are able to maintain that circular motion; they stay in cycle as long as they can,” Earl said. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation has begun to acknowledge this shift and launched a new project at the end of 2016 called “Beyond 34: Recycling and Recovery for A New Economy.” Because the national average recycling rate is 34 percent, and this initiative will encourage more recycling to create a stronger, new economy. This past January, the initiative kicked in to follow cities and companies that are being a good example of recycling, and pushing businesses everywhere to share their data and progress to potentially “unlock an estimated $4.5 trillion in additional economic growth by 2030,” according to research done for the initiative. “If you think of how many businesses are a member of the Chamber of Commerce, it’s pretty significant that their parent organization is saying, ‘We’re taking this seriously,’ Earl said. “If you want to be in business, if you want to make good money, you’ve got to be circular, the linear is a thing of the past.” The viability of glass recycling Momentum Recycling is one of the premiere glass recyclers in Utah and Colorado, and is a for-profit company, with revenues brought in from collecting and processing glass outweighing not recycling, said John Lair, President and CEO of the company. “It’s economically viable to recycle glass,” Lair said. “First, you have to pay to gather the glass; there’s a cost associated with that. Sometimes we pay that cost, sometimes the municipality pays that cost, sometimes it’s shared. Second cost is transportation—how to get that glass from the drop-off location
Why this matters Though recycling and using recycled materials is becoming more prevalent for business owners and manufacturers, much of the process and the success of a circular economy lie with community members recycling. Without recycled goods being put into curbside bins, there isn’t anything to be reused later for manufacturers. “From our perspective, we’re running out of landfill space, and there are two landfills currently in Salt Lake Valley,” Earl said. “Once they are closed, there will be no more in Salt Lake County, and they’re going to see their rates go up because they are going to have to transport material farther away to the landfills. It makes sense to save space in the landfills by diverting it.” Knowing that everyone in the valley will have to start paying for new space to dump waste once the landfills are full should be enough to motivate more people to be aware and recycle as much as possible, Earl said. Keeping more materials out of landfills and saving raw materials in the earth longer can make a huge difference in the economy for everyone. Momentum Recycling processes about 1,200 tons of glass every month, and keeping that much glass and more from the landfill will continue to save space so that costs are lower for everyone in the valley, Lair said. “The more you recycle, the less you have to pay for disposal, and the cost you pay today to dispose in your landfill is based on the fact that we have a landfill close by,” he said. “It’s not so much how you can save money today by recycling — there’s some of that — but the real motivator for people who recycle today should be about avoiding excessive cost increase in the future. It’s hard to convince people to save money later, but it is the best tool that we have to talk about what we can do today. l
GOVERNMENT
S outhJordanJournal.Com
March 2017 | Page 9
South Jordan City answers questions live on Facebook By Briana Kelley | briana@mycityjournals.com
Residents are most concerned with growth and traffic, according to South Jordan City’s recent resident survey. (South Jordan City)
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ity Manager Gary Whatcott and Public Information Officer Tina Brown tuned to residents via a live video broadcast on Facebook Feb. 1. Whatcott and Brown discussed the results of the city’s annual citizen survey and answered residents’ questions on issues and projects around the city. “I think this is a great way for the city to communicate with our residents,” Brown said. “We enjoy hearing from them and interacting with them. I’ve been so impressed with the questions our residents ask us during the live video.” Whatcott and Brown began by discussing results of the city’s annual citizen survey, available online. More than 1,500 residents responded to the online survey, answering questions about overall quality of life and important issues surrounding the city. “We’ve been doing this survey for about eight years,” Whatcott said during the broadcast. “Over the years, we have modified it slightly, but mostly it’s gauging how we are doing in delivering services, how we do interacting with the public and sharing information.” The results are similar to last year, according to the survey. Residents are generally happy with the way the city is being run, and 87 percent of residents surveyed say that South Jordan is headed in the right direction. Most residents approve of the job elected officials are doing. Safety, cleanliness, convenience and community are among the most commonly referenced positive aspects of living in South Jordan, according to the survey. Residents are most concerned about growth and related issues such as traffic now and in the near future. The survey also briefly asked about the city’s fitness and aquatics center, a subject that was explored in depth in another recent survey sent out to residents. City officials have explored expanding the fitness and aquatics pool to add a competitive swimming pool large enough for Bingham High School swim team and other swim competitions. “This survey was a primer to see if people would really want their taxes raised for these services,” Whatcott said. Expanding the aquatics
center would require a vote from the general public because it would be funded through a general obligation bond that would increase property taxes. “No decisions have been made,” Whatcott said. “The city is just wondering where the public is on this proposal.” During the live event, residents asked questions on a variety of issues, including the possible fitness and aquatics pool expansion, green waste, Daybreak, Welby Park construction and road construction projects. Whatcott said that the first major construction project is slated to begin this summer and will expand 10600 South to seven lanes. UDOT is starting to move forward on 11400 South and Bangerter Highway, and there are plans to have the latter run underneath 11400 South. Construction will also begin on 11400 South to remove the ovalabout and re-design the intersections. Whatcott said this will take longer than one construction season. As far as road maintenance, Whatcott said that the city “aggressively” follows a road maintenance schedule to save money. “We can save a lot of money by preventive maintenance,” Whatcott said. “I think we will continue to pursue this as long as the [city] council is on board, and I think they are because it gives them the biggest bang for their buck. We have a very aggressive schedule on road maintenance.” Phase one of Welby Park will also begin this summer and will include turf fields, parking, roads and open space. Whatcott also touted the city’s financial record, referring to the 2016 comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) and related popular annual financial report (PAFR) that was recently published and available to residents online. Whatcott said the city has a solid budget, good savings and good growth, all which lead to a stable tax base and a sound financial record. Whatcott and Brown finished the broadcast by thanking residents and city officials for their input. They encouraged residents who want to stay well informed to sign up for the city’s email list and follow the city on social media. l
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GOVERNMENT
Page 10 | March 2017
S outh Jordan City Journal
Council narrowly approves road connection By Briana Kelley | briana@mycityjournals.com
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n a 3–2 vote, the South Jordan City Council recently approved the rezone of property at 11054 South Lucas Lane, effectively ensuring the road adjacent to the property will connect to River Heights Drive. More than a dozen residents attended the council meeting on Jan.17 to voice their concerns about the road connection and many were disappointed by the council’s decision. “I really think it’s a shame that the road will connect,” Councilmember Chris Rogers resident Cristinne Nordgren said. represents the district where “This is my third time going to the rezone occurs. Rogers voted the city council with an issue, and against connecting the road. I was a little disappointed in their (South Jordan City) decision. Every time I attend and voice my concerns, the council decides something else. It seems the council goes against what the residents want, and it makes me lose faith in the officials I elect to represent me.” Most residents who attended the meeting voiced that they were in support of rezoning the property from agricultural (A-1) zone to residential R-2.5 zone. Doing so will allow the developer to build additional houses and finish the subdivision. However, residents were concerned with the connection of the road to River Heights Drive. Many voiced concerns over
increased traffic and decreased safety for a neighborhood that has been relatively secluded in the past. “As far as connecting the road, I am concerned most for increased traffic,” Nordgren said. “The neighborhood is now a pretty quiet and secluded area with small children who play outside all of the time. I think connecting the road will show an increase in traffic and also the dangers in regard to children playing in the roads. There are also safety concerns for our private property.” After listening to comments and city staff recommendations, the council ultimately voted 3–2 to approve the rezone and connect the road. Councilmembers Brad Marlor, Don Shelton and Tamara Zander voted in favor of the rezone. Councilmembers Chris Rogers, who represents the neighborhood in question, and Patrick Harris voted against the measure. “I felt that there were already a lot of cul-de-sacs in that particular area and that adding one more wasn’t going to create any danger to the community,” Rogers said. “The residents wanted it, the developer wanted it, and the only entity that required the road to connect to the busy River Heights Drive was the city.” South Jordan City has a “general principle” of connectivity in order to more efficiently serve its residents. The city requirements for road connection allow fire, police and other service vehicles better access to neighborhoods. “The majority’s position is that in our city, there is a general principle of connectivity and that cities that aren’t connected are problematic in terms of traffic and how traffic flows,” Rogers said. “If you put demand on very few roads, you create this funneling aspect, and it can cause problems in terms of police, fire and just general connectivity.”
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Council members in favor of the road connection also stated that doing so would increase community and that decisions should be made for all residents, not just a select few. “Some council members also stated that they represent all of the residents of South Jordan,” Nordgren said. “However, connecting this street won’t affect all of South Jordan; it will most affect people in our neighborhood. Frankly, I was really surprised that the three city council members voted against the idea that the developer, the residents and even the mayor was in support of, and voted to have the road go straight through instead of horseshoe around.” Due to the decision, the development will not come before the city council again. However, as the development moves forward, it will come to the planning commission, and residents can give input for traffic mitigation. “The only other thing that the residents could do is approach the planning commission about mitigating the traffic,” Rogers said. “There could still be discussions about stop signs or speed bumps. The road connection is required for our code, so the planning commission will require the connection. Other things up for discussion will be traffic mitigation measures, speed limit and where the parking lot is laid out for the park—that’s where the discussion will be.” Nordgren hopes residents will come and voice their opinion and that residents in the neighborhood will have a more active interest. “I hope that we get more involvement from the people in our neighborhood,” Nordgren said. “It would be nice if more people come out and express their opinion, especially with the park coming in.” l
EDUCATION
S outhJordanJournal.Com
March 2017 | Page 11
Eastlake Elementary students celebrate Chinese New Year By Julie Slama | julie@mycityjournals.com
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or six years, Jackson Osmond has been learning Chinese at Eastlake Elementary. “Everyone knows Spanish, but learning Chinese is super cool because I’m learning characters instead of letters,” he said. “My favorite part is learning something that not everyone knows.” Jackson and his sixth-grade classmates added a splash of color and music to Eastlake Elementary’s Chinese New Year celebration with the traditional fan dance. The group performed twice on Jan. 26— once for his schoolmates and once for parents. “We all learned the fan techniques in the dance, and we practiced at first every week, but lately 10 to 30 minutes every day to prepare for the new year,” he said, adding that he volunteered to sing when they asked for vocalists. Second-grade Chinese immersion teacher Janet Craven said through learning the 2,000-year-old fan dance, students are performing the ancient tradition. “The Han Dynasty is considered the first Chinese dynasty that has cared about preserving artistic tradition, and that is a primary reason why the Chinese fan dance is still practiced today,” she said, adding that it is often performed at cultural festivals and events. “We are incorporating culture into what the students have been learning with songs about concepts and their vocabulary and worked it into the celebration during the past month.” During the celebration, each grade performed while sixth-graders emceed the event. The sixth-graders taught the family members and the non-dual immersion students and their
Eastlake Elementary students perform the dragon dance to bring in the Chinese New Year. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
families the Chinese words for congratulations and how to count to 10. “We want the students to learn language and culture. Two of our students who were emcees aren’t even in the dual immersion program but are classroom leaders who are wanting to help teach the rest of the school,” Craven said. Fifth-graders opened the program by acting out the Legend of Nian, a monster who slept 365 days and woke up hungry and would eat livestock, crops and even village children. To protect themselves, villagers would put food out in hopes that
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the monster wouldn’t attack people. When that didn’t work, most villagers left, so when a beggar came to the village, he found only a woman and a man remaining and willing to give him food and shelter. The woman told the beggar the monster already killed her son and grandson and her husband was too ill to move. The visitor told her to shake firecrackers, which would be too loud for the monster, to hang red scrolls from her windows and doors because the color was too bright for Nian and to hang lanterns out for the fear of fire. From that time on, the monster never came to the village and the saying, “one turn deserves another,” originated. First-grade students followed with songs about counting and directions. They also sang “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” in Chinese. Second-graders sang about animals and made sock puppets to illustrate them. Third-graders shared that every animal in the Chinese zodiac represented a good quality in people. Fourthgraders performed a pop song. After the sixth-grade fan dance, the school brought in the Year of the Rooster with the traditional dragon and lion dance. “The celebration gives the children the opportunity to show what they’re learning but also gives them the confidence to perform, to practice their vocabulary and pronunciation, to learn new aspects in Chinese culture and to learn skills in oral presentation,” Craven said. “For parents, they get to see what they’re children are learning and share in the happiness and celebration.” l
EDUCATION
Page 12 | March 2017
South Jordan Middle School students gain world perspective
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outh Jordan Middle School ninth-grader Zoe Brown wants to live on a beach in Greece with her sister, so she was excited to learn about Jordan and Greece in a school assembly. “When I saw the images of Greece, of the white villages and arches of the buildings, I felt as I were there,” she said. “It was amazing to hear his tales of being there.” Zoe and her classmates attended one of three presentations by Bruce Junek, who, with his wife, Tass Thacker, biked throughout the world. He tells school children through their educational PowerPoint programs about their bicycling and traveling adventures. “They show different parts of the world. That motivates kids to learn about the countries but also to set goals and plan for their future, whether it’s a trip they need to plan and save resources for or if it is how to plan for a goal and how to step-by-step achieve it,” said Sara Pouha, a school counselor. “It’s the same for what they’d like to accomplish in school now or how to earn a college degree.” During the assemblies, Junek took each grade level to a different part of the world. He started with biking through the 100-degree heat of the Cairo desert and seeing mummies that were thousands of years old. “We carried with us 5 gallons of water which was hotter than hot tub water,” he said. “We saw the Valley of the Kings where 80 tombs were not discovered by grave robbers.” He told students the last great pharaoh was a woman — Cleopatra — and that there are 3,750 steps to Mt. Sinai, the place where Jews, Christians and Muslims believed Moses was given the 10 Commandments. He also said global warming has bleached out the coral that was once red in the Red Sea. As they traveled on, he said only about one-seventh of the Greek population owns a car and most of those are smart cars. He reminded students that not only the Olympics come from ancient Greece but also music and theater. And in the 2,000 islands that create Greece, many restaurant owners will hang an octopus outside its doors so customers can pinch it for freshness. “My favorite part is that it’s never boring,” Junek told students. “We are always thinking,
By Julie Slama | julie@mycityjournals.com learning and being on our feet. We are living our dream. We’ve been told we’re too old or Tass has been told she can’t do it because she’s a woman, but when you believe in yourself and work to make it happen, you can achieve your goals.” Ninth-grader Casey Copier said they showed dedication to their dreams, especially one that they had to maintain great physical condition. “It inspires me to get all A’s as my goal,” she said. Seventh-graders then learned about the land of the Dragon — China. Junek told students that more than 1.3 billion people live in China and that it is made up of 56 different ethnic groups. He told students about China’s 9,999-room Forbidden City elevated roads and 1,600 pandas. He said middle school students go to school six days per week and have at least two hours of homework and that only atheists can hold government jobs. He said the Great Wall took 2,000 years to build. Some of the foods they tried were seahorses served on skewers and popsicles made from peas. “We tried things that we never thought we would,” he said. Orchestra teacher Richard Munro said he appreciated Junek’s overview. “He gave the students an honest overview of China about how beautiful things were but also of the conflicted culture,” Munro said. “We are making the connection between cultures in class. We’re playing two Asian songs and learning its music culture with differing harmonics.” Eighth-grader Savannah Lemmons said she is inspired to visit South Africa after Junek’s presentation. She learned that learned the duo biked through the Kalahari Desert, tracked elephants and lions on foot and visited remote tribal villages to experience the lifestyles and customs of the people. “It’s a land of contracts from beautiful, modern cities to 10,000-year-old Bushman petroglyphs from African penguins to the tallest giraffes in Namibia,” Junek said. He said the terrain greatly differs from rain forests to deserts. He also told students that Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls was twice the size of
From dump to donation (continued from front cover) adults in financial need.” Residents who are interested in participating can donate used bicycles to the Trans-Jordan Landfill or directly to Bicycle Collective. Those who could benefit from the Collective’s services can contact Sam Warrick at sam@bicyclecollective.org or Volunteer Coordinator Matt Woodman at matt@bicyclecollective.org. Residents can also visit the website www. bicyclecollective.org/ for more information. Trans-Jordan also has other programs in place to re-direct and recycle waste. The landfill has a Public Convenience Center (PCC) that recycles helmets and car seats and donates clothing to Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Utah. Trans-Jordan does not charge for hazardous waste and has a reuse shed that offers items free to the public, including paint, stains, cleaners,
Bicyclist and author Bruce Junek tells South Jordan Middle School students about different parts of the world and setting goals to reach their dreams during his and his wife’s “Images of the World” presentation. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
Niagara Falls. “The school picked the topics that fit their middle school curriculum, and we tie it to the students’ social studies, science, geography, history, art, reading and writing. We also stress healthy lifestyles, making goals and setting ways to achieve them,” he said. “Images of the World” presentations began in the 1980s with a 26-month, 22-country trip after sacrificing to save for their trip. Along the way, Junek, at the suggestion of his mother, kept a journal and would send her entries that she showed to interested friends. Soon, she made copies of his entries to share with up to 100 followers. Then, more people in the town of about 7,000 residents in Spearfish, S.D., wanted to read it, and it evolved into his first book, “The Road of Dreams.” The S.D. local school district asked the pair to give an in-service to 700 school teachers, and from there, the idea of giving assemblies to school children blossomed. l
automotive products and pesticides. Trans-Jordan likewise does not charge for loads that are fully recyclable, such as cardboard, aluminum, steel, glass, electronic waste, carpet pads and batteries. For more information on its recycling programs, visit transjordan.org/services/. Any items that arrive on a garbage truck or loads that go down to the landfill cell, however, are not recovered for recycling or reuse with the exception of large metal appliances and tires. Hooyer said these sustainable practices “give our cities and the community that we serve comfort to know that when they no longer use something that is recyclable it’s not scrapped, but it is reused by others in communities in Utah.” “Recycling gives residents a chance to bring life to something that was at its end of life,” Hooyer said. l
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March 2017 | Page 13
As Eye See It
Robotics team competes in state finals
Information on Vision and Eye Health by Dale F. Hardy, O.D.
By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com
During summer vacation, I spent some time reading several studies related to children and vision and thought I would share some of the high points from them with parents as they prepare their child to go back to school. One of the studies, which is not really very new, and is a repeat of a prior study done by Columbia University, looked at the various tasks performed in a classroom and how much of what is done requires vision. The number was over 85% of classroom tasks required vision, not just vision was nice to have, but was required to do the task. It follows in my mind, then, that not having good vision would handicap a child’s school experience. Hard to get things right when you are not sure if the teacher just wrote a 3 or an 8 on the board. Another study that I found interesting indicated that up to 40% of children with a tentative diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder actually had uncorrected vision and/or hearing problems that made it difficult for them to attend to tasks. It appears that a tentative diagnosis means that it was not confirmed by a positive response to medication. The authors of this study were recommending that a multi-disciplinary approach to these cases would be the best method of assuring proper treatment. The last study I am going to review related to school vision screenings and why they are not adequate as an eye examination. This study was done in Kentucky and all children in the study were given both a standard school screening and then a comprehensive eye examination. 1 out of 4 children who passed the screenings were diagnosed with an eye or vision problem that needed correction in the full examination. The worst part of this report was that only 1 out of every 10 notifications sent home to the parents advising them that they needed to take their child in for a complete examination were ever returned to the school. When they followed up to see how many had been taken to the eye doctor, only 1 out of 8 parents had done that. Many reported never seeing the note so maybe it never got home, but it did show problems in school to parent communication. If you have children in your home, whether you use my office or someone else, please make good vision a part of your back-to-school preparation. You can contact my office at 801253-1374. Dr. Hardy’s office is located at 10372 South Redwood Road, South Jordan.
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ifteen-year-old Spencer Hoth became interested in robotics through a Lego Mindstorm school class. He is now the oldest member of a local robotics team made up of mostly eighth-graders competing in a FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science & Technology) Tech Challenge (FTC). Spencer, who lives in West Jordan and attends Bingham High School, doesn’t mind the age difference. “They’re really smart eighth-graders,” he said. The Diet Water team—who are so-named because “Hairless Wombats were too hard to draw”—have a lot of experience despite their age. Most have been competing in the FIRST Lego Leagues for years. Preliminary rounds for the FTC (for 14to 18-year-olds) were held in December, and 36 teams moved on to the state competition in February where Diet Water placed 14th out of 36 teams. This year’s challenge required the robot to be able to collect and fling balls into hoops and to activate lights on beacons around the edge of the arena. Diet Water Coach Michelle Estrada believes technology skills are essential for any job. “I’m not a technology person, but I recognize the value of it,” she said. “It’s a core value I want to teach my kids.” That’s why she built a 12-foot-by-12-foot playing field in her basement where the team practices. “Here, they can come every afternoon, every weekend, stay late on Fridays; some of the kids take the robot home on the weekend to work on it,” she said. “We have a lot more flexibility than the schools do when they are controlling their computers and technologies and investments. So as a home team, I think we’ve got some advantages.” Estrada said another of their strengths is teamwork. Each team member strengthens the team with personal skills Thomas Moulton and Gavin Spens are the team members most knowledgeable in Java. They receive help from Mike Spens, Gavin’s dad, who mentors the team in programming and design. Andrew Whiteley’s background is in RC (remote control) cars. He is often behind the controls, steering the robot through the competition obstacles. Alee Estrada found her niche in scouting teams at competitions. She keeps track of each team’s performances because when they get to the final round, top teams form alliances. Alee must be aware of other teams’ weaknesses to beat them and then understand their strengths to be able to work with them. Diet Water has been working on their robot since August. Being on the team requires a lot of work and time. “They have their initial ideas, they take measurements, they make a plan, they acquire the materials they need and then they do their testing,” Estrada said. “If it doesn’t work, they go back to the drawing board and tweak it and make
Team members Thomas Moulton, Spencer Hoth, Andrew Whiteley, Matt Nielsen, Gavin Spens,
it better. That process alone, having to document your thoughts and what you’re learning, is where the real learning takes place.” Estrada said the competitions are the best part of the year. There is an adrenaline rush as the team watches the initial rounds and sees what ideas others have developed. “They come home with a list of what they want to improve,” she said. The learning curve is steep; competitions bring out weaknesses in a design. The team says 70 percent of the competition is on-the-fly problem-solving. “At one competition, robots kept ramming us, and it shut our robot down,” said team member Matt Nielsen. They responded by building a Plexiglas cage to protect switches and hot-gluing plugs to secure them in place. Creative problem-solving was required when the team realized its robot needed a better way to push the beacon buttons. Between rounds, team members improvised with what they had on hand: a granola bar wrapped in duct tape secured to the front of their robot. “Building the robot has helped us have problem-solving skills,” said team member Elijah Throckmorton. “It’s helped us learn how to get through tough problems.” The skills these students are learning through their experience with FIRST programs extends beyond performing well in competitions. “I was failing math and science; I wasn’t getting it at all,” Alee said. “But once I started using math and science more in my life—now I’m in honors classes. This has just helped me do better in school.” According to a FIRST Alumni Study, students involved in FIRST programs see longterm benefits. FIRST strengthened post-high school success results 83 percent more confident in leadership roles 78 percent more confident in time management 74 percent more prepared for college courses More information about FIRST Tech Challenges and FIRST Lego Leagues can be found at www.firstinspires.org. l
EDUCATION
Page 14 | March 2017
S outh Jordan City Journal
Space shuttle astronaut encourages students to reach for stars By Julie Slama | julie@mycityjournals.com
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etired astronaut Mike Mullane knows how to keep dreaming even when the odds are stacked against him. The retired U.S. Army colonel recounted his life story to Bingham High science, engineering, math and technology students on Jan. 31. He outlined the path he took to become an astronaut and fly on three space missions on the shuttles Discovery and Atlantis before being inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame. He also is the author of “Countdown to Safety.” “I wanted to be John Glenn,” he told students. “I was lucky. I grew up in the space race and knew exactly what I wanted to do at a young age. After high school, I was going to go to the Air Force, because back then, that was the path you needed to become an astronaut.” However, Mullane didn’t get accepted to the Air Force Academy because of his poor vision. He was accepted to West Point as a third alternate. “I didn’t get in the Air Force,” he said. “I didn’t earn a varsity (high school) letter. I didn’t date the homecoming queen. I only had one autograph in my yearbook and it said, ‘You missed Korea, but here’s hoping you make Vietnam.’ Things definitely weren’t going my way.” Still, Mullane preserved. He attended West Point from 1963 to 1967. “I was afraid of failure in high school,” he said. “I wouldn’t have gotten to be where I was without West Point.” In 1967, knowing he couldn’t become a pilot or astronaut because of his poor eyesight, Mullane became a backseat test pilot. He also attended graduate school. Eleven years later, NASA developed the mission specialists
Retired astronaut Mike Mullane tells Bingham High students to challenge themselves, work hard and set lofty goals. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
for non-pilots, and Mullane was among the first group selected. “There are key reasons I was chosen,” he said. “For 10 years, I did my best at everything I did. I couldn’t see the future, but I knew what I was doing would help me and it would be important. And I was tenacious. If I failed at something, I didn’t quit. So, you don’t quit, but pursue your goal when you encounter speed bumps.” Mullane was 39 years old when he flew. “I was a little older than the average age of an astronaut,” he
said. “The youngest ever was the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin at 25. If you had an intense training, you could be ready in two years, but in reality, it was six-and-one-half years for me, and I was training all that time.” Mullane described how the space shuttle launches and how an average 200-pount man will feel like 50 pounds 4,000 miles above the earth because of free falling in space. “Nothing weighs anything when you’re falling in space, so it’s not really weightlessness,” he said. He shared how some astronauts get space sickness for undetermined reasons, how they eat dehydrated food and tortillas and how they sponge off rather than shower and use the bathroom. The highlight of the voyages was the views he had of Earth, he said. “It wasn’t a ball or a globe view of Earth, but mostly a horizon,” he said. “I saw mostly water and ice, but the northern lights and the views at night looked beautiful.” He told students to dream big. “Don’t’ sell yourself short,” he said. “You have your own life, and don’t be afraid of failure. You can challenge yourself by setting lofty goals, and you’ll amaze yourself. Nobody can discriminate you by the color of your skin, your race, your sex, your religion. They can discriminate you against your education, so make sure school is No. 1. Education opens doors to your dreams.” When asked, however, if he would have liked to live on the space station for one year versus his one-week missions, he laughed. “No, I enjoy earth too much and miss showers,” he said. l
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EDUCATION
S outhJordanJournal.Com
March 2017 | Page 15
South Jordan Middle School students prepare for college By Julie Slama | julie@mycityjournals.com
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iddle school isn’t too early to start learning about and preparing for college, South Jordan Middle School counselors say. “We want our students to think about college, the different schools in the state, how they select a college, how to prepare for college by taking certain high school classes and have enough credits to graduate and the scholarship opportunities available for colleges and universities,” guidance counselor Melanie Switzer said. During the school’s college week, counselors prepared lessons for their home rooms to go over college terminology such as work-study, concurrent enrollment and tuition as well as to educate students about tests, such as PSAT, SAT and ACT that they may take for college entrance. The counselors also gave college trivia with the morning announcements. Switzer said for many first-generation college goers, they learned about why it’s important to attend college and how that may help them land better-paying jobs to support their families. “We want to familiarize them with what is ahead so they will know how best to prepare,” she said. “We are a collegegoing culture, and we want them to have college as a goal in mind.” Guidance counselors also held several lunch activities such as a chance for students to answer college trivia that included locations of Utah colleges and universities, how many credits are needed to graduate from a Jordan School District high school and who attends college more — men or women. Several colleges donated items to award those with correct answers.
As part of College Week, South Jordan Middle School students sign paper banners to colleges they would like to attend after high school graduation. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
Another popular lunchtime activity was for students to sign their names to a piece of paper indicating their college choice. Faculty and staff also signed the posters to show students the schools they attended. “It’s a chance for our students to ask faculty and staff about college and to get information informally. It helps create
dialogue, and we make it fun so the kids love it,” Switzer said. Seventh-grader Ella Whitehead said she loves the University of Utah and showed her pride for that school by signing its fight song. “I want to go there or Harvard,” she said, adding that she would like to study to become a veterinarian. “I’ve learned a lot about college facts this week and the application and scholarship process. There’s a lot to being accepted in college beyond getting good grades in the right classes.” Ninth-grader Zoe Brown wants to follow in her parents’ footsteps and attend Brigham Young University. “It has an awesome accounting program,” she said. “I’ve learned about the application process and what is needed to go along with that.” Eighth-graders Savannah Lemmons said she learned about college scholarships and funding. She hopes to attends Texas A&M. “I’ve learned a lot about getting ready for college through this week,” she said. “It’s been helpful.” Guidance counselor Kelly Graham said students have learned about opportunities in the state from large universities to small colleges and from four-year institutions to two-year schools. They also learned about open enrollment versus applying to a college. “We want everyone to have the mindset that there is college ahead and that high school is not the end of their education,” Graham said. “We do several lessons throughout the year, but this week we concentrate on letting them know the basics so they start focusing ahead in their future.” l
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EDUCATION
Page 16 | March 2017
Carpe Di End
Elk Meadows students learn about careers, managing finances By Julie Slama | julie@mycityjournals.com
Elk Meadows third-graders learn about managing money during the school’s annual Kids Marketplace where students assume careers and need to pay for housing, transportation, food and other monthly expenses. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
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E
lk Meadows students recently gained insight on adult life through learning about careers and managing their money. First, Elk Meadows hosted Tool/ STEM Day, a chance for students to rotate to several parent speakers who shared about their careers and tools in their job, which related to the science, technology, engineering and math fields. “It’s never too early for kids to contemplate what they should do for a living, and this lets them learn what careers are there, especially in the STEM area and how much education they need,” Principal Aaron Ichimurra said. “Both Tool/STEM Day and Kids Marketplace give students a bit of pride when their parents come in to volunteer.” Organized by Jordan School District’s work-based learning department, the Tool Day careers varied from computer science and software development to the medical fields to aviation and electrical engineering. Faith Taylor’s dad, Adam, oversees 50 employees as a computer help desk manager, but he stressed some key points to being successful in his job. He showed the students the basics of a computer, comparing how it works to putting together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “Try new things and be patient,” he said. “The more you are willing to learn, the more you can learn and then, the smarter you will become.” First-grade students also suggested listening and helping as good job skills. “I need to be nice to people if I know how to do something that they don’t. They don’t want to listen to someone cranky. They want someone with a positive attitude. That will get you far in whatever you do,” he said.
Parent Adam Taylor teaches Elk Meadows first-grade students about the basics of a computer and his job as a computer help desk manager at Tool/ STEM Day, an opportunity for students to learn about careers and tools in parents’ jobs. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
First-grade teacher Daniel Hunting said he hopes students learn about different occupations. “I hope they make the connections between school and careers and what they need to learn to pursue different jobs,” he said as the group listened to Tool Day volunteer Jeremy Powers share how he underwent 16 years of education after high school while learning to be a dentist. Teacher Jody Comte said learning about people’s careers ties into community helpers, which is part of kindergarten’s curriculum. “We learned from a police officer that he is a leader in his job and in the community and tied it into the Leader In Me program we have here at the school,” she said. Emergency doctor Brad Cowley told students to consider their options in the sciences. “Continue with your school because there are many careers from engineering to computers to medicine that you can explore,” he said. Third-grader Parker Egginton said she appreciated learning about computer software. “I learned that you use math in whatever job you have,” she said. Classmate Bella Fortmuller said the nurse guest speaker taught students about taking care of their bodies and how to make patients feel better. “I’d like to be a doctor because it’s good to help people,” she said. Bella also participated in the thirdgrade Kids Marketplace, where she got to pretend to be a doctor with a salary of $400 per month. “Kids Marketplace is fun,” she said.
“I learned you should spend your money wisely and put some in the bank so you always have some.” During Kids Marketplace, thirdgraders are given a career with a monthly salary. Throughout a period, they visit tables representing different areas such as bank, housing, groceries, animal shelter and transportation. This allows thirdgraders to learn how to balance a budget, said Lori LeBeau, work-based learning coordinator. “We supply books, which they read beforehand to prepare them and so they can be learning about saving money, balancing a budget and needs versus wants,” she said. “We want them to learn the importance of saving and waiting to make big purchases and come away with a solid idea of money management.” Third-grader Zoe Lindsey, who was given veterinarian as her career, said ] she paid $5 for a hamster at the animal shelter, but that was after she bought groceries first “so I don’t starve.” “I learned it’s hard to be an adult and do adult things like making sure there is enough money for everything instead of just the fun things,” she said. Her classmate Brayden Hansen, who was an oil company owner, said he bought clothes first, putting needs before wants. “It’s a fun thing to use fake money to buy whatever pretend items we want,” he said. “I bought a pet raccoon, but I’d really like to have a lizard.” Their teacher, Whitt Lovell, said he plans to have discussions and writing about what they learned as a follow-up to the event. “I hope they each learned to spend wisely to become a happier person,” he said. l
SPORTS
S outhJordanJournal.Com
March 2017 | Page 17
Bingham cheer having a great season, looking forward to Nationals By Billy Swartzfager | billy@mycityjournals.com
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heerleading competition season kicked off on Dec. 3 for the Bingham Miners. The squad has performed well for many years, and the 2016–17 season has been no exception. Bingham started the year at an event at Cottonwood High School and took first place in its division, which is called Super Large Varsity Advanced. The following week, Dec. 10, the team took second place at a competition at the South Towne Expo Center. The competitions are judged on several components. The routines are scrutinized and scored based on the difficulty of the skills performed, which includes choreography, execution, jumps, tumbling, stunts, baskets and pyramids. Judges deduct points from the team’s score for mistakes. There is a total of 100 possible points. As the season progresses, Bingham has usually procured their position at Nationals, which will be held in Anaheim, California, Mar 24–27. In order to be eligible for Nationals, a team has to receive a score of 75 in a National qualifying event, which Bingham accomplished early in the season. Bingham began 2017 with a first-place finish at an event at Roy High School on Jan. 7. The team followed that strong performance
Bingham High School cheerleading squad poses for a picture this year. (Amber Thomas/Bingham Cheer)
with another at Murray High School on Jan. 21. The Miners took second place in the 5A all-girl division and also picked up the Spirit Award for having the most fans supporting them. Bingham is led by the current 5A Coach of the Year, Amber Thomas, who has been at the helm since 2008. During her tenure, the team has won a National Title four times, the most recent being in 2015. The Miners took third last season. This year’s goals fall in line with the recent successes the group has experienced. “We want to place as high as possible at Nationals,” Thomas said. “But, we want to make
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sure the experience as a team is as positive, memorable and rewarding as possible.” The squad’s captains are Savi Ward, Bella Archuleta and Estee Mason, all of whom are seniors. According to Thomas, the captains are extremely motivating, competitive and very loving of their teammates. “They lead by example,” Thomas said. “They are on the floor when the coaches are not, and their presence keeps the team cohesive.” The most recent event for Bingham, considered to be the equivalent of a state tournament, was held on Jan. 28 at Salt Lake
ART SHOW The 10th Annual South Jordan Art Show, located in the Gale Center auditorium, will be held through March 10, 2017.
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Community College. Again, the Miners went out and competed well, winning first place. According to Thomas, the team didn’t perform as well as it usually does, but its routine was more difficult than other teams competing. Mason was also recognized at the competition for her academic excellence. The team has had an eventful year. On top of the competition season, the girls cheer at all of the various games and events throughout the school year. The team practices every day and spends a lot of time preparing for the games to which it travels. The team even accompanied the football team to an exhibition game in Texas. The 23 young ladies had the opportunity to tour the Dallas Cowboy’s stadium and were also on ESPN. “It was great for them to be able to go out and represent Bingham High School and Jordan School District,” Thomas said. Thomas said this team is prepared to take all of its best out on the floor with them when its gets to Nationals. “This year’s team is very, very talented.” she said, “They work together and have a lot of fun and passion for what they do. They love each other really.” l
SPORTS
Page 18 | March 2017
S outh Jordan City Journal
Bingham hockey team has a winning year, shows growth on and off the ice By Billy Swartzfager | billy@mycityjournals.com
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The Bingham hockey team from earlier this season (Eric Allen/Bingham Hockey Trustee)
Y
ou may not know it, but Bingham has a hockey team. The team isn’t necessarily connected with the high school, other than the squad being made up exclusively of youth who attend Bingham. Because hockey is a club sport and not sanctioned by the Utah High School Activities Association, few South Jordan folks may follow of Bingham’s team, though they are a pretty decent group, with a record well above .500, sitting at or near fourth place in their division. Most high schools don’t have a hockey team, so the way the different competitive brackets are made up differs from traditional high school sports. There are two high school divisions, division one and division two. Bingham, along with traditional rivals, Brighton and Herriman, belongs to division two. Murray and Riverton also play reside in division two. Most of Bingham’s games are against division teams, though they play a few independent teams made up of players from all over. There are only 18 players on this year’s team, which is small for hockey. Many of the players have only learned to skate within the last year or two, while others have been playing the game since childhood. Bingham is led by senior captain Taylor Telford, who leads the team in goals and assists, senior assistant captain Jordan Hansen and junior assistant captain Alex Brown. Just off the ice, the squad is led by head coach Jason Telford and assistant coach Mike Brown. Eric Allen is the team’s trustee, which, according to Allen, is similar to the team’s manager or owner. The coaches, along with Allen, bring a lot of experience to the team. “The coaches have both played and been around hockey for a long time,” Allen said. “We
are fortunate to have them both.” The group practices at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns and focuses on various different aspect of the game, including basics. The team also learns basic various aspects of life. “We teach them the fundamentals, of course,” Allen said, “But we also teach them about life and how to succeed after hockey and high school.” Because there are fewer hockey teams in the state than other sports, the team participates in games and events that are a little farther away from home. The team travels to Cedar City each year, a trip the players enjoy. The team also participates in a Christmas tournament in Provo annually, though this year Bingham chose to sit it out. To stay in shape and to look for new possible recruits, the team even takes part in a summer league. It is an opportunity for all incoming freshman to play with the team prior to the actual season as well as keep players skating. The team plays once a week during summer months, keeping players and coaches on the same page. According to Allen, hockey isn’t too well known in the community, and the players are always trying to find new participants who may be interested in the game. It’s always a goal of the team and its coaches to help the game grow. The coaches, players and Allen himself all love the game and want as many young people to give it a try as possible. It’s never too late, either. Allen’s own son didn’t start playing until he was a sophomore. “It’s always very gratifying to watch the tremendous amount of growth the kids experience throughout the season,” Allen said. “The growth on the ice leads to leaps and bounds in their self-esteem and self-worth.” l
SPORTS
S outhJordanJournal.Com
March 2017 | Page 19
Bingham swim team has a year full of personal bests By Billy Swartzfager | billy@mycityjournals.com
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he Bingham High School swim team had a very successful 2016–17 season, which began back in October and wrapped up with the state championship swim meet on Feb. 10 at Brigham Young University. Fourteen Bingham swimmers qualified for the state swim meet after a superb showing at the region swim meet on Jan. 27, where many swimmers dropped time in their events and even recorded not one but two personal best times. One of Bingham’s yearlong goals was to drop as much time as possible from the beginning of the year to the end. As a team, and individually, the Miners fared well with that goal. It wasn’t an easy goal to achieve, either. The swimmers practiced weekdays after school for two hours. They also practiced on dryland two days a week for an hour before school began. The team even found time for additional morning practices for certain swimmers to maintain the competitive edge. The group logged an incredible amount of time and yardage in the pool. The swimmers’ hard work was rewarded with their incredible showing at the region meet, which, according to one of the team’s head coaches, Rachel Kankamp, is the culmination
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The 2016–17 Bingham swim team (Treasureyourmemories Photography)
of several months’ hard work. “The first part of the season is really hard, but the hard work pays off through the season,” Kankamp said. “We had an awesome region meet.” Another goal Bingham had at the beginning of the year, and also one with which it had a lot of success, was to come together as a team. The group’s older swimmers acted as leaders and set the tone for the team members to support one another.
They did this throughout the year by staying positive and encouraging everyone else to remain positive as well. While swimmers were in the water, those who were not could be seen and heard loudly cheering their teammates on, providing the needed positivity and inspiration that can be hard for a swimmer to find while alone in a pool. “This year’s team isn’t cliquey at all,” Kankamp said. “They really came together as a whole team this year, like I’ve never seen.”
The third goal Kankamp spoke of was to get as many swimmers qualified for state as possible. With more than a dozen young swimmers qualifying for the big meet, the Miners accomplished this goal as well. Going into the state meet, Bingham was especially looking forward to the boys and girls 500-yard freestyle, as well as the 200-yard freestyle and the breaststroke events. Kankamp considered all of those events to be strengths for her team. The seniors who participated in the state meet were Logan England, Conlee Guy, Josh Richardson and Ryker Ross for the boys’ side of the team, and Hannah Roberts and Kelley McCall on the girls’ side. The state tournament was a tough one this year, but Bingham had some great performances. The girls’ team placed 12th overall and the boys’ placed 14th. Roberts placed eighth in the 200-yard freestyle and sixth in the 500-yard freestyle. McCall placed ninth in the 500-yard freestyle as well. The girls group also took 10th place in the 400 free relay, which included Kelley and Roberts as well as juniors, Jenna Hodnett and Lindsey Young. Junior Landon Stalnaker led the boys group with a fifth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle and a fourthplace spot in the 500-yard freestyle. l
Page 20 | March 2017
SPOTLIGHT
S outh Jordan City Journal
Deseret First Credit Union
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M
ore than half a century ago, it was proposed to the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that a credit union be organized to serve employees of church offices. Founded in August of 1955, what is known today as Deseret First Credit Union is now a recognizable Utah institution. The credit union began as the LDS Church Office Credit Union with 71 members who deposited $697 in savings and took out $200 in loans in the first month of operation, according to Darrell Kirby, the public relations specialist at Deseret First. By the end of 1955, those numbers had grown to 196 members and $8,265 in savings and $9,028 in loans. From its beginning, Deseret First Credit Union has served as the financial institution for employees of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Today, Deseret First is a fullservice financial institution serving nearly 60,000 members and employees of the LDS Church and its affiliated businesses throughout the world. But it’s not just their history that makes Deseret First Credit Union stand out. “What I find most significant is the special relationships that are created between Deseret First members and our staff,” said Jason Detton, manager at the Jordan River branch in South Jordan. “It is very much a neighborhood credit union. I always
think of the old TV sitcom, ‘Cheers’, Deseret First is the place where everybody knows your name.” Like all businesses, there have been economic and other challenges encountered by Deseret First Credit Union. “But, it has always emerged even stronger from those headwinds,” said Kirby and explained that keeping up with the changing needs of its members is always challenging and fun at the same time. Deseret First has implemented many new technological advances to help members more easily access and manage their accounts. Throughout its history, the credit union has tried to gauge the evolving financial needs and desires of its members, which have predictably and sometimes unpredictably evolved over the years. “Deseret First strives to develop and offer services that will best serve its members as they progress through the timeline of their life from college to LDS missions for some, and marriage, children, homeownership, and retirement for many others,” Kirby said. Kirby explained that locality is the most important thing to Deseret First. “In many cases, [credit unions’] headquarters are in the areas they serve, so they know what the local conditions are like and the needs of members, potential members, and citizens in their localities,” said Kirby. “Thus, they can tailor their services to meet those unique local financial needs.”
Deseret First has 11 branches in Utah and partners with 5,000 branches and 30,000 ATMs of other credit unions through the CO-OP Network across the United States and several other countries. Deseret First members now receive increased access to their accounts wherever they live, work or serve church missions. “We are a credit union that helps the LDS community,” said Desiree Pingree, the manager of the Sandy Quarry Bend branch. “Our culture is to help people and provide the financial tools they need to reduce or get out of debt.” l
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SPORTS
March 2017 | Page 21
Locals race at King of Hammers By Greg James | gregj@mycityjournals.com
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he largest Ultra4 race in the country has several competitors from right here in Salt Lake City. The King of Hammers offroad race was held on public lands in Johnson Valley, California, Feb. 4–10. The event includes motocross, UTV, every man’s challenge and professional division races. “I have been down to help other drivers and watch several times,” said Matt Murphy, better known as ‘Murf Dog’ by his friends and competitors. “This will be my first time as a driver. I do not have any experience as a driver.” Murf Dog is from West Jordan and races his brand-new, custom-built Jeep in the 4800 class of the Ultra4 racing series. The King of Hammers is the opening race of the season held each year in the California desert. It is considered the Super Bowl of off-road racing. Murf Dog qualified eighth-fastest in his class. He finished in 9 hours and 41 minutes. His race was marred by a flat tire right at the beginning that he never recovered from. Robby Flandro, or Captain Rob as he is known to his friends, finished just 16 minutes past his cut off time, but officials are reviewing his placement because he stopped to help a driver with an emergency fuel leak. Flandro is from West Valley and competes in the 4800 class. “(King of Hammers) was awesome to see. We wandered around and watched the races all week. I can’t wait to go again next year,” Taylorsville residents Louie Herold and Ed Rappleye said almost simultaneously, talking about their trip to the race. “We just acted like we knew what was going on and had lots of fun.”
Matt Murphy from West Jordan finished the King of Hammers off-road race in 9 hours and 41 minutes. (Louie Herold/Murf Dog Racing)
The race began in 2007 as a dream by its founders Jeff Knoll and Dave Cole. The competitors start side by side, two vehicles every 30 seconds. Each team must pass through several checkpoints and can never stray more than 100 feet of centerline on the race course. The driver with the fastest elapsed time is declared the winner. The race attracts tens of thousands of fans, racers and sponsors to the two-week-long event. The dry lake bed becomes a thriving city. Mechanics, racers and fans roam from car hauler to temporary garage. Each one preparing his car for the 100-mile
grueling off road desert race. The event is broadcast over a live internet feed to more than a half a million viewers each year. The course is outlined for competitors through GPS coordinates. It combines stretches of dry lake bed. The cars can reach speeds of 100 mph. It also includes rock climbing through mountainous terrain. “Each racer has a time limit to complete the course,” Murphy said. “I think the rocks are going to be the hardest part. I just hope I can finish. I figure I have about $120,000 into my car.” The race has evolved from 12 cars racing for bragging rights to more than 300 teams registered for the event this year. Cars from around the world have been shipped in to participate. It has become the largest off-road race in North America. “This is my first time driving King of Hammers,” said Taylorsville resident Rawlin McGhie. “I have worked two other times as a pit crew. I am just going to try to keep the car together and finish. I have so many sponsors and friends that take time off work to come and help me.” McGhie was the 2016 Dirt Riot National Series point champion. He raced in the 4400 class. He did not finish the event after he lost power steering. He drove the car nearly 26 miles using his winch to steer the car but was unable to make the repairs to resume the race. “It was not the race we had envisioned,” McGhie said. “We will be back next year better prepared for sure.” Shannon Campbell from Gilbert, Arizona, was the overall winner. He finished the course in 6 hours 46 minutes. l
Page 22 | March 2017
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SPORTS
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Bruins eye title defense By Greg James | gregj@mycityjournals.com
March 2017 | Page 23
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Cole Kesler from Laguna Beach, California, comes off the bench and is averaging 14 points per game. (Scott Fineshriber/SLCC athletics)
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he Salt Lake Community College mens basketball team at is the defending national junior college champion, but looking around the locker room of this season’s team there isn’t one member of that champion team. Despite that, the Bruins have not lost a step and hope to repeat last season’s magic. “Our battle is to get better within ourselves, head coach Todd Phillips said. “We have a team that is learning to play together, and sometimes it is a mystery of what we need to do. This team is night-and-day different. We have no returners from last season. We have a lot of talent, but they are young, and most of them are just out of high school.” The Bruins are in second place in the Scenic West Athletic Conference. They are 6-3 and are coming off a disappointing 75-74 loss to Utah State Eastern. Freshman Chris Gray missed two critical free throws with six seconds remaining in the loss. The team had trailed by as many as nine points with six minutes remaining. Freshman Dalven Brushier scored eight points, including two three-pointers, to cut into the Eagles lead, but they were unable to secure the victory. “We have some big-time athletes,” Phillips said. “Some of them can jump out of the gym. Chris (Gray) is an extremely athletic kid. He plays to his emotion. When his motor is going hot, he is a beast. We are working to help him take the next step in his game. When he is coming at you, it is scary sometimes.” Gray and fellow freshman Isaiah White lead the team in scoring. Gray is a 6-foot-6 forward with an impressive vertical jump. White stands 6-foot-7 and, although he is less imposing, he finds a way to the hoop. Both average 13 points per game. White scored 26 points in a preseason
The 6-foot-7 freshman Isaiah White is a rebounding force for the Bruins. (Scott Fineshriber/SLCC athletics)
game against Pima Community College. Gray leads the team in field goal percentage at 56 percent. “I think all my baskets are little highflying,” Gray said. “We’ve got to close games out and find the hot hand and run with that. Our goal is to get to the national tournament.” Bench play has been a key to the team’s success. Freshman Matt Conway, from Pleasant Grove High School and 2014 Deseret News 5A most valuable player, returned from an LDS mission to anchor the Bruins’ bench. Against Colorado Northwestern, he pitched in a seasonhigh 37 points, one point shy of a Bruin record. “That was a breakout game for Matt,” Phillips said. “He is figuring it out and how to play with the team. It has been great to see him play well.” The Bruins will close out their season by hosting the SWAC mens basketball tournament March 2-4. The NJCAA national championship is scheduled for March 20 in Hutchinson, Kansas. In Phillips’ six seasons, he has helped move 30 players onto four-year schools to continue playing basketball. Phillips said the chemistry is difficult when the team is different every year, but they are coming together. “We are all friends,” Conway said. “I need to come out aggressive every night. We definitely want to get the rebound and get out and run.” “We have a lot of Division I connections, and I feel some of the best facilities in the country,” Phillips said. “Salt Lake is a great place. We also work hard with Utah kids.” Phillips had served as an assistant at SLCC before being hired as its head coach. He also coached at Westminster College. l
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Page 24 | March 2017
S outh Jordan City Journal
Specialized class teaches safety, social and swim skills By Travis Barton | travis@mycityjournals.com
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hough the Otter Swim Club may not contain actual otters, it does give swim instruction. The club is a Salt Lake County program designed for children with an autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities to improve swimming fundamentals, water safety and social skills. “Really, every kind of aspect in life is what this program benefits, so it’s really amazing,” said Ivy Hausknecht, Salt Lake County adaptive aquatic manager. Hausknecht oversees the Otter Swim Club (OSC) program. Run year-round, OSC is available at various county recreation centers throughout the valley including Fairmont, Holladay Lions, Gene Fullmer, Dimple Dell, J.L. Sorenson and Magna. With drowning being the leading cause of death for children with autism, there is strong need for programs like the OSC. Hausknecht said the water proves vital for individuals who may have sensory processing sensitivities. “The water is so beneficial for that. You just can’t get that feeling anywhere else in life than being in the water,” Hausknecht said. “For some kids when they kind of have those sensory sensitivities, the water just touching their entire body kind of calms them and gives them a sense of relaxation and that 45 minutes is awesome for them.” Water bodes well especially for the general population of kids with Down syndrome who may experience joint issues, making it difficult to be physically active on land. Hausknecht said water allows for them to do everything. “They get great exercise, they get to learn this really important life-saving skill that a lot of us take for granted,” Hausknecht said. OSC, designed for youth ages 3-18, is divided into four levels for swimmers to progress through: water orientation, beginner, intermediate and advanced. Swimmers in the advanced level have the opportunity to compete with the county’s pre-competition teams. “Water orientation is meant for kids who are terrified of the water then work their way up to the swim team level so that is really cool,” Hausknecht said. With the program running in four-week sessions, the amount of kids accepted into each level is dependent upon the number of teachers. OSC averages one teacher per three kids. Hausknecht said different centers have varied staffing numbers. For example, Fairmont has enough where they can accept up to 10 kids in each level while other centers carry only one or two levels. Growing up with family members experiencing disabilities, Hausknecht said while those relatives are now grown up, she wished programs like these had been around
Teachers and swimmers perform their team cheer at the end of the Otter and Adaptive Swim classes. (Travis Barton/City Journals)
sooner. “If there were options like this 15, even 10 years ago, it could’ve changed their lives,” she said noting 20 percent of Salt Lake County has some form of disability. “We’re really pushing (adaptive programs), I just see how it could’ve benefited my family back then.” But working with the kids themselves might be Hausknecht’s favorite part of the OSC. “These kids, the smile on their faces, this is kind of their highlight coming to these practices once a week, they look forward to it. When they get to the pool, seeing how excited they are to be there it makes you excited to be there,” she said. OSC doesn’t have to be limited to these six centers. Hausknecht said if people want this program at other facilities they can call her. Once she sees it’s desired at another location, Hausknecht begins forming a plan to place OSC there. “I just need those requests so the more the community knows that we have this program, the more it will grow,” she said. “I want people to know that we can grow, they just have to call.” To contact Hausknecht or learn more about the program, call (385) 468-1903 or email at ihausknecht@slco.org. l
March 2017 | Page 25
S outhJordanJournal.Com
SPOTLIGHT
C&C Ballet
Business Spotlights are a service offered to our advertisers to help them inform our readers about their businesses. For information on scheduling a Spotlight, please call us at 801-254-5974 or email us at ryan.casper@mycityjournals.com
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he directors at C & C Ballet opened their doors in South Jordan 27 years ago with the desire to offer classical ballet training to the children in the south valley area. They opened with one dance room and only offered classes in classical ballet. Since then, C & C Ballet has seen tremendous success and has steadily grown each year. In 2008, they outgrew the space that they had occupied for 18 years, but found a beautiful new space with three spacious studios to accommodate the needs of the students. C & C Ballet has nearly 400 students, and offers classes in classical ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, creative and contemporary. C & C Ballet offers professional training, age appropriate music, great costumes and a safe environment for dancers. Each faculty member is highly qualified in the style of dance that they teach. Many have received degrees and/or professional training, which enriches each student’s dance experience. For the past five years, C & C Ballet has been recognized with the The Best of State award in the dance studio category. They continue to find ways to improve the dance environment in Utah by providing students a place to develop talents, self-esteem, confidence and the skills to take what they have learned and improve the world by
sharing their abilities with others as they move on to college and professional careers. In addition to offering dance instruction, Director Angela Curtis believed there was a need to expand the classical training of the dancers. She wanted to expand the love of classical ballet not only for the dancers, but for the public as well in hopes they will better appreciate the art. With this goal in mind, the non-profit South Pointe Ballet Company was founded. The formation of this company has allowed students to perform many classic ballets such as “Sleeping Beauty”, “Swan Lake”, “Giselle”, and most recently “Les Sylphides”. These ballets are open to any child who wishes to audition. Dancers and audience members alike have learned to love the history and elegance of classical ballet thanks to these performances. C & C Ballet looks forward to leading the growth of dance in South Jordan and training dancers of the future. For information on classes and South Pointe Ballet Company performance opportunities visit them at 10128 S. Redwood Road in South Jordan or call the studio (801) 254-0112. Find them online at www.candcballet.com or on Facebook. l
Page 26 | March 2017
S outh Jordan City Journal
Jump into Spring Organization – Is there an App for That?
A
by
JOANI TAYLOR
common question I’m often asked is, “how do you get so much done in a day?” After all, in addition to running a busy Coupons4Utah.com, I also own a travel blog, 50Roads.com and contribute to a grocery website Crazy4Smiths. com. I have a segment on KUTV, write this article monthly and still find the time to hang out with my out-of-state grandkids. Initially, this tough question left me struggling for an answer. After a little thought I realized my most productive days come down to one handy tool. No, it’s not mood-altering drugs (good guess though). The answer is my phone. Now, if you’re like me in the 50-something age range, I know what you’re thinking, “Get a grip, we don’t need no stinkin’ phones!” And admittedly, I did just write an article about the importance of writing down your goals. So, let me be clear, I ALWAYS put my phone away during meals and it NEVER goes to bed with me (two habits I highly recommend for everyone). I’m of the mentality that I own my phone, it doesn’t own me. And while some days it proves to be more of a distraction, this one tool can keep me productive all day. Here are a few apps I use that you could find useful too.
sync my calendar to all my devices and put everything on. I even use it to block out times to take a moment and breath, to go to the gym, read a book, and even plan a vacation. Keeping to a schedule is my No. 1 tip for staying organized. If you’re an iPhone user check out Awesome Note 2 app. It brings together to-do lists, notes and your calendar. These are just a few ideas that will help you organize your time. You can find more apps we’ve shared on Coupons4Utah.com/get-app. The next time you feel overwhelmed with a task, you might just look to see if there’s an app for that. And remember to always check the privacy terms before registering. l
Grocery: ListEase is a free grocery app for your phone and even works with an Apple Watch. After a brief learning curve and initial set up, I found it easy to use for not only groceries, but for to-do lists to. There’s even links to coupons. If you’re a Smith’s or Macey’s shopper they both have great grocery list apps with coupons too. Photos and Kids’ Art: Keepy is a new free app that allows you to organize kids’ artwork and allows the user the ability to share it with family members who live far away. The app also allows you to record voice-over stories about your photos. Google Photos: There are tons of apps out there with cloud storage, but my personal favorite is Google Photos. It’s easy to use, free and offers editing options. Calendar: Yes folks, if you aren’t already, you need to learn to use your calendar. I
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Life
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A
fter God created Adam and Eve, he plunked them down in the middle of a garden and told them to start naming dinosaurs. Adam dove headfirst into the task and went to work giving names to the millions of creatures walking around his backyard. They lived together in ignorance and innocence, walking around naked and coming up with funny names like “chicken turtle” and “spiny lumpsucker.” After a time, Eve thought there had to be more to life than mind-numbing sameness every. single. day. She’d walk to the forbidden Tree of Knowledge and stare into its branches, wondering how bad knowledge could be. Then along came a snake and blah, blah, blah—knowledge entered the Garden of Eden. Adam came home from work that afternoon to find Eve wearing fashionable fig leaves. Before he could comment, Eve enthusiastically told him all the amazing things she had learned. Knowledge was awesome!! Adam was furious. He didn’t need no smart woman telling him what to do. He turned to reprimand Eve, but she was writing poetry, doing math and creating crafts to put on her Pinterest board. Not to be upstaged by a lowly rib-woman, Adam stormed off through the jungle, getting his
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nether-regions caught on brambles, until he came to the Tree of Knowledge. And the rest is history. Or is it? Fast forward to 2017 and male/female relationships haven’t improved much. It wasn’t until the last 100 years that women decided things had to change. They ate from their own trees of knowledge and became proactive in voicing opinions. What was the overall reaction from men? “These women are crazy. To the institutions!” “Why can’t women just be happy?” “Don’t they know they have inferior minds?” “Where’s my dinner?!?!” Nevertheless, we persisted. Our mothers and grandmothers and greatgrandmothers fought against the stereotypical bra burning, hairy armpitted, unsmiling, Birkenstockwearing feminists. They tussled with men who found them shrill, incompetent and wholly ungrateful; men who were possibly afraid of what a smart woman could do. We’ve quietly listened to blonde jokes, put up with mansplaining bosses and held our tongues for hundreds of sexist and/or patronizing comments. But maybe we can find common ground. I’m sure many young men feel the pressure to become muscular like Thor, brave like a Navy Seal and wealthy like that Monopoly guy. I’m sure men battle with confidence issues, body image concerns and are always trying to look smarter than the
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women in the room. So, see! Common ground. Feminism is the promotion of women’s rights based on equality, meaning anyone who believes women are (at least) equal to men is a feminist. And, come on, really? We’re at least equal to men. Here’s my vision for the next 100 years (assuming we survive the next four). • Women take an equal role in leadership, possibly creating an effective education system. • Men embrace a woman’s ability to communicate with emotion and passion as a strength, not a weakness. • Girls around the world are educated, respected and live in peace. • Someone creates a gluten-free cinnamon roll recipe that doesn’t taste like cinnamonflavored concrete. (Okay, that last one has nothing to do with equal rights. But still. Get on that, Pillsbury.) Smart women shouldn’t be scary to men. We still do the majority of child-rearing and you don’t want a stupid person raising the next generation. Maybe in 200 years, this could be a headline: “Is America Prepared for a Male President?” Maybe, like Adam and Eve, we can work together to create a new world. l
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