Center Street Closure

Mid-Term Roads Report

The I-15 CORE project is now more than 50% complete. The construction team wants to know how well traffic has been moving during this last quarter.  Based on survey feedback, they promise to do what they can to improve traffic flow.  You can click on the link below to take the short 3-question survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/I15COREQ3MOTSURVEY

 

All responses are due by the end of the day on Friday, September 30th.

 

The Next Big Discussion: PROVO CITY'S INTERMODAL HUB AND DOWNTOWN

This post comes from Sherrie Hall-Everett.

On Tuesday, September 27th, at 5:30 pm, residents are invited to participate in a workshop at Provo City Hall (351 W. Center Street) to explore the future of the city's downtown area.

The workshop will focus on the intermodal hub and the downtown area between the Hub and Center Street. The Provo Intermodal Hub was selected as one of six sites in the region to do detailed planning work to encourage *transit-oriented development* (TOD), which is a mix of housing types, shops and office buildings within one-half mile of transit stops. For more information on the overall effort, which is getting national attention, please go to www.wasatchchoice2040.com.

Market research indicates that Utah County will add 200,000 new households by 2040 and that 25% (50,000) of those households will want to live in an "urban setting" within walking distance of shopping, jobs and transit. The workshop will give residents the opportunity to have a voice in transforming the area into a vibrant center which will give people new living choices consistent with market demand, revitalize an area close to downtown, enhance city revenues to keep taxes down, and provide a new gathering place. As the historical center for Utah County jobs, education, culture, etc., Provo has the opportunity to capture a larger share of the projected growth by transforming its downtown to capture more growth around future commuter rail and bus rapid transit lines that will be arriving in the next several years. These new transportation facilities, as well as Provo's existing downtown amenities, provide the opportunity for renewed economic and residential growth in the downtown.

RSVPs should be given to Mary at MDavies@envisionutah.org or (801) 303-1459. Residents are also invited to participate by taking a survey at www.provo.org starting on Tuesday.

A Lively Discussion

To attend a lively discussion of the iProvo Debate, you might pop in at the Facebook group called "Our Provo". The conversation can give you some background of the topic of what to do about iProvo and the bond to pay for it.
There is also a "Political Tailgate Party" planned for 5 PM on Tuesday, September 20th, prior to the public meeting on that issue. Look for it at the parking lot and lawn west of the City Center.

The iProvo Question

There will be a public hearing at the Provo Municipal Council meeting on September 20 on how to make the bond payments related to the city's fiber optic network, also known as iProvo.  The meeting will start at 7 p.m. and will be held in the Municipal Council Chambers of the Provo City Center, 351 W. Center St.

The annual bond payment for the network is $3.2 million. For over a year, Provo Mayor John Curtis has discussed in public the need for a more reliable, transparent way to pay that debt, and the possibility of a monthly charge to utility customers. The administration has developed options that it will present to the council, which controls utility rates.

The options include a fixed charge, charging a percentage of each customer's utility bill, and combinations of the two. Under each of the options, the average residential customer would pay up to $7.65 per month. The charge would begin November 1 and would continue until the bond is paid in 15 years.

Since selling the network three years ago, the city has applied the payments from the sale to the bond payments, but payments from the sale ended earlier this year, and surety funds intended to secure the payments will soon be exhausted.

The city is continuing to evaluate its options regarding the future of the network, including reselling it, managing it again, and "going dark," and will seek public input on that later this year. The new utility charge would be required to cover the bond payments under any of those options.

"We have what many cities wish they had--a fully built, city-wide fiber-to-the-home network," stated Curtis. "Many of us were not involved in the decision to build it, but we benefit either directly or indirectly, and more importantly, we have an obligation to pay for it."

Although the meeting starts at 7 p.m., the public hearing is later on the agenda. After a presentation by the administration, the public will be invited to comment.

Family Fun at the Fair

Provo City will give away a $250 Frontier Airlines travel voucher and other prizes at its annual City Services Fair on September 19 from 4-7:30 p.m. in the south parking lot of the Provo Towne Centre mall, 1200 Towne Centre Blvd. The event is free and open to the public and will feature displays and demonstrations by several city departments. Macey's will sell hot dogs and drinks.

As in the past, the fair will include Provo City Power's bucket truck rides; Provo Fire & Rescue's fire suppression demonstrations, or "burn tree;" and a helicopter landing. Other attractions include police cars, fire engines, the Learn Not to Burn Trailer, a Utah Transit Authority bus and storytelling provided by the Provo City Library. There will also be games and displays on a variety of topics such as water and power conservation.

Provo City will give away several prizes throughout the night, including the travel voucher that can be used to fly from the Provo Municipal Airport to over 80 destinations around the country. Other giveaways include passes to city recreation facilities, books, and the nicest unclaimed bicycle from the city's found property inventory, picked out, cleaned off, and tuned up by the Provo Bike Committee. Attendees enter to win the prizes by getting a "passport" stamped at the booths of different city departments.

Attendees are encouraged to bring reusable bags to hold the treats, prizes and informational material from the fair, and a camera to take photos with McGruff, Smokey Bear and Zippy the Chipmunk.

More information is available at www.provo.org.

Lions Park Improvement Project Funded Once More!

Aaron tells us that the project to continue improving Lions Park has received two $5000 grants.  This is great news.  He is now waiting on the cooperative help from the City Parks department.  Once the plan is drawn up, you will hear about opportunities to help out on Saturday mornings.

Don't Forget to Vote Today

Today is the Primary election for municipal council members.  There are four candidates for our District.
In alphabetical order they are: Jim Pettersson, Howard Stone, Kay VanBuren, and Lindsay Wiblin.  Click on their names to find information that they have provided on line.

The polling places for our neighborhood are at Freedom Academy for those in precincts 27 and 13 (east of  the street that is 1500-1550 W), and at Westridge Elementary School for those in precincts 25 and 31 (west of 1500 W, including Parkridge).

Polls close at 8 PM today.  So take action: learn about your candidates and go vote!

Crucial Conversations

This message comes from the Mayor's Blog:
Most of us think we're better at communicating but find ourselves saying the wrong thing more often than we'd like.

For that reason, United Way of Utah County and VitalSmarts have invited the public to hear bestselling author Ron McMillan at a special community event called "Crucial Conversations with Kids, Teens, and Significant Others" on Friday, September 16, from 7-9 p.m., at the Provo City Library at Academy Square, 550 N. University Ave.

Learn how to:

• Hold loved ones accountable with love and respect
• Be both 100 percent honest and 100 percent respectful
• Listen and be heard
• Manage escalating emotions when moments become heated

The event is free, although a $5 per person donation is suggested. All proceeds benefit the United Way of Utah County and its partners.

Register here by Monday, September 12 (today). Space is limited, so be sure to register early. If you have questions, contact Tara Jones at 801-724-6342 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              801-724-6342      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or tjones@vitalsmarts.com.

Bubble Sheet Voting

Provo City will use pen and paper voting, also known as optical scan voting, for municipal elections this year. After researching its options, the city found that optical scan voting was not only faster and more reliable, but also less expensive, saving the city $10,000 in election expenses.

"There are many advantages to optical scan voting," stated Provo City Recorder Janene Weiss. "For example, the ballots are simple to use, which means shorter lines. They can also be recounted manually. We found there was no longer a good reason to incur the expense of electronic voting."

The city will use optical scan voting for both the primary election on September 13 and general election on November 8. The elections will be held from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at polling places throughout the city. Provo voters can find their polling places online at maps.provo.org by typing in their name or address in the upper right hand corner and then clicking on "My Polling Place."

The online map is up to date, and includes changes since the polling places were announced in last month's city newsletter.Except for a few changes outside our neighborhood, polling places are the same as listed in the newsletter, and the same as two years ago, during the last municipal election. Municipal elections--when only municipal offices are on the ballot--occur every two years and are handled by the city instead of the county.

Four municipal council offices are up for election this year, including City Wide II, currently held by Steve Turley  and District 4 (West Central), currently held by Sherrie Hall Everett. None of the incumbents are running again this year. Only Districts 3 and 4 will have a primary elections.

Early voting began August 30 and will continue through September 9 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Provo City Recorder's Office, 351 W. Center St. Those with questions about Provo municipal elections may call the Recorder's Office at 801-852-6524.

Last call! New Opt-Out Deadline for Recycling

Provo City is extending the deadline for residents to opt out of its household curbside recycling program to September 9. A total of 2,671 opted out by the original deadline on August 7, which would have added over 10,000 more residential sanitation customers to the program, and increased participation from 24 percent to 84 percent.

The city has extended the deadline to make sure that number reflects reality before ordering new blue recycling cans and delivering them in October. "We're pleased that so many want to recycle," stated city spokesperson Helen Anderson. "But we don't want anyone to be surprised when a blue can shows up on their doorstep next month. We want to make sure residents know it's optional." The city recently sent those who had not yet opted out a postcard with the new deadline.

To opt out before the September 9 deadline, residents may call the Provo City Helpline at 801-852-6000. Those who do not opt out will get a blue can from Allied Waste in October, and service and charges will start in November. The cost is $4.75 per month, and those enrolled in either the curbside household recycling or the yard waste recycling program will be charged $2 less for regular garbage service.

Residents can find more information about the recycling program, including cost, schedule, and what to recycle, at www.provo.org.

Ten Year Commemoration this weekend

UVU President Matthew Holland will be the keynote speaker at a 9/11 Commemoration on Sunday, September 11, 2011, at 5 p.m. at the Provo Seventh-day Adventist Church, 255 South 700 East (next to Fire Station 5). There will also be a flag ceremony, a video presentation, and performances by the Payson High School Bagpipe Band. The event, which is free and open to the public, is a group effort between Provo City; Orem City; America's Freedom Festival at Provo; United Way of Utah County; the American Red Cross, Mountain Valley Chapter; and other local organizations. Please share this invitation with others who may be interested.

"Cease to be Idle!"

This month Provo is taking part in a statewide campaign to bring awareness to the problems caused by idling automobile engines.  You may have already seen the fliers or signs produced by "Idle-free Utah".  They point out that air pollution is concentrated where vehicles idle together, such as school drop off and pick up areas.

The campaign includes:

*     Curtis with Lt. Governor Gary Bell and other Utah mayors in an "Idle Free Awareness Month" news conference on September 1.

*     Provo City encouraging employees of its internal idle reduction policy, which prohibits letting a vehicle idle for more than 10 seconds except in limited situations.

*     Provo City School District bus drivers have signed a pledge to limit idling time in school bus loading and unloading areas.

*     Look for signs in every school parking lot reminding drivers to "turn the key, be idle free."

*     Volunteers are passing out bi-lingual idle reduction literature at the Festival Latinoamericano this weekend in downtown Provo.

*     Curtis has posted idle reduction information on his blog, www.provomayor.org .

For more information, see www.idlefree.utah.gov