Health Fair

Mountainlands Community Health Center is putting on a health fair for the neighborhood from 5 to 8 PM on August 24th at their Provo location at 900 East and State Street. This Health Fair is to introduce Mountainlands to the community and to show what services the Health Center provides. 

The folks at Mountainlands plan to have booths performing health checks, a rock climbing wall, helmet safety, a Zumba demonstration, and more. 

Mountainlands is a not-for-profit organization that provides a pharmacy and medical, dental, and mental health services in one convenient location. They serve those in need regardless of their ability to pay or their insurance status. They accept medicare, medicaid, SCHIP, and many other insurances, as well as those without insurance.

Details on the Night Out

The post on July 19th announced the National Night Out Against Crime on August 19th.  I have now received new details that I think should be passed on. It is as follows:

The Provo Police Department wishes to announce that they will be hosting a National Night Out Against Crime on August 2nd from 6-8 pm at the Kiwanis Park located at 820 North and 1100 East.  Everybody is invited to come and meet with their neighbors, to get know local police officers, firefighters, volunteers and leaders from their community.

Come and find out about crime prevention programs such as Mobile Watch, the Neighborhood Watch program and McGruff safe-houses. 

All who live in Provo are invited to bring their bicycles and have them registered for free on this night. There are hundreds of bikes recovered every year that are never returned to the owners because they were never registered. It makes good sense, register your bike for free.

There will be fun and games for children, along with treats for all ages.  If you are lucky, you might even be served a hot-dog straight from the grill by our new Chief of Police, Chief Gregory!

Chief Gregory says:  "National Night Out provides an opportunity for our police department to continue to build relationships and partnerships with our citizens with a focus on crime prevention and crime reduction.  Our strongest and most important tool in reducing crime is our partnership with our community.  The Provo Police Department is dedicated to crime reduction through crime prevention, community-police partnerships, and problem-solving policing."

The National Association of Town Watch started the National Night Out program 28 years ago to heighten crime prevention awareness by generating support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs; and to strengthen police-community partnerships.  Neighborhoods and cities around the country will hold similar events the same night. 

Along with thousands of other cities nationwide, we encourage you to "turn on your porch lights" on August 2nd in support of our community's National Night Out.

Come out to this fun family event.  Let's all join in to help keep Provo safe.

For  more information contact:  Janna-Lee Haigh at 801-852-6271

Tour of Utah

Provo is one of six cities chosen to host part of the 2011 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. The Tour of Utah is a six-day professional cycling event.
Cycling teams from around the world, including some that have appeared in the Tour de France, will race through Provo on August 11, the second stage of the event.

We want you to know this for three reasons:
1) It's going to be really cool and you may want to watch.
2) If you don't want to watch, you'll want to avoid the roads that will be closed for it.

Streets affected by road and driveway closures from Noon to 3:30 are:  South State Street from Springville going North to 900 East; all of 900 East and proceeding down 2230 North to University Ave; north on University to 4800 North; 4800 North 300 West. Race finishes at the Vivint complex at 4931 North 300 West.

3) We need about 300 volunteers to help with Provo Stage 2 of the race. There will be a meeting for volunteers on Wednesday, July 27, at 5:30 p.m., in the Municipal Council Chambers of the City Center, 351 W. Center St.   The volunteers will be course marshalls in driveways to keep other people off the course. If you are looking for a service project for your family or group, this would be great one.

For more information about volunteering, road closures, and how to watch the race, visit the Tour of Utah at tourofutah.com
(Remember to volunteer for Stage 2!)
Names of two volunteers will be drawn for an iPod or a gift card to LaJolla Grove in Riverwoods.
For additional information please contact Janeen Jones, TOU Volunteer Coordinator at Provo City 801-852-6161 or cell 801-859-6769.

Property Tax Hike Proposal

The Provo Municipal Council will hold a public hearing considering up to a 16% property tax increase on August 9, 2011, 6:00pm, at the Provo City Center, 351 West Center Street.

A series of public informational meetings will be held with Council Members to discuss your specific questions regarding the proposal at the following times and locations:

Tuesday, July 26 at 6:30 pm, District 5, Sterling Beck, Municipal Council Chambers, 351 W. Center St.

Wednesday, July 27 at 6:30 pm, District 3, Midge Johnson, Spring Creek Elementary School Wednesday, August 3, 6:30 pm, District 1, Cynthia Dayton and District 2, Rick Healey, Timp High School Thursday, August 4, 6:30 pm, District 4, Sherrie Hall Everett, Lakeview Elementary

The meetings have been arranged as close to the neighborhoods of these Council members as possible.  However, residents are invited to attend any of the meetings that are convenient for them. So, although Sherrie Hall Everett is our City Council Member, attend a meeting that is convenient.

More information regarding the impacts of a property tax increase may be found at http://council.provo.org.

Truth in Taxation

The information that was shared with Council Members regarding property taxes at the last Council Meeting is now posted to the web with explanatory notes. If you are interested in the nuts and bolts of your property taxes, you'll find them here:

https://sites.google.com/site/provocitybudgetfy2012/

 

Recycling by Doing Nothing!

I posted once before about the change to the City's blue can recycling but now the date of the change is upon us!  There are also some new developments that you may not have heard about -- unless you are one of the few reads the information that comes in your utility bill. 


The Provo Municipal Council recently approved a new OPT-OUT recycling program for all residential garbage service customers in Provo. Many are already participating in the every-other-week household curbside recycling program for paper, plastics, cardboard, and aluminum and tin cans. Under the opt-out program, those not already participating will be automatically enrolled on November 1, 2011, unless they notify the city by August 7, 2011, that they do not want to be included.

If you want to opt-out, here is where you can find information about how to do it.  I hope you will not opt out but will join your neighbors in reducing the waste going into the land fill. 

I urge you to look over the information on the Provo City Sanitation web page to get up-dated on the program. When I first started recycling with the blue can only plastics labeled 1 or 2 were acceptable.  I was surprised to learn that I now can recycle plastics labeled 1 throught 7!  And I didn't know that I could send paper, including old phone books, to the yard waste composting station (1625 S Industrial Pkwy).  Did you know that there are locations listed for recycling such things as tires, glass, antifreeze, computers, and car batteries?

If you are disappointed to be required to pay for the recycling service, consider this:  You can opt out and still recycle by delivering your recyclables to bins located at the composting station and at Kiwanis Park (820 N 1100 E). However only plastics labeled 1 and 2 are accepted there.

If you are already a blue can recycler, you will be receiving a new can, since the service provider is changing after the 26th.  After servicing the container that day, Waste Management will be picking up their containers.   All Waste Management blue containers should be placed out and left out for Waste Management to remove. 

Because the City is expecting to double the number of residents recycling with the OPT-OUT program, they have divided each daily route in half effective August 1st.  You will still be receiving every other week blue container household recycling service.  However, for example, half of Monday's route will be serviced by Allied Waste on August 1st (Schedule A) and the other half will be serviced on August 8th (Schedule B). 

The new container should have a Pick Up Schedule on the lid of the container that identifies the resident's weekly schedule. 

Feel free to pass this information on to others that you think need it.