Wednesday August 4, 2021 Update

I hope you are having a great day.  We had an opportunity to meet with BYU leaders during our monthly meeting today.  We had a good discussion ranging from new developments near campus to new banner designs for placement on some city streets to plans for handling back to school issues.  I am always impressed at how hard the BYU team works to make the campus and its surrounding areas work for the university and the community.

As you have probably read, Utah is experiencing a spike in Covid-19 cases again.  But I saw some interesting stats today from the state health department.

• 95.8% of new Covid cases are in persons who have not been vaccinated
• 0.13% of vaccinated people in Utah have been infected with "breakthrough" Covid
• For those over 65 years of age, the "breakthrough rate" is just under 10%

So, if you haven't yet been vaccinated, please carefully study the facts and make a decision about it.  You can learn more objective facts about the vaccine options at the CDC website and find a vaccine site at the state health department website.  

UPCOMING CITY EVENTS

The Diaries of Adam and Eve I July 29 - August 21
Recipe Swap: Breakfast I August 4 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Intro to Studio Production I August 4 7:00 - 8:00 pm

Cool Science: Ice Cream Demonstration I August 10 4:00 - 5:00 pm

Learn It: Canning 101 I August 10 7:00 - 8:30 pm

Crochet Club: Crochet Basics I August 12 6:30 - 7:00 pm

Crochet Club: Bags I August 12 7:00 - 8:00 pm

Tween Academy: Jade Mountain Academy I August 21 11:00 - 1:00 pm

Provo City Library Writing Group I August 21 1:00 - 2:00 pm

Rock The Canyon I August 28 4:00 pm - 8:00pm
Blue Skies Concert Series I Wednesdays through September 22

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• Raising Cane's grand opening was yesterday in Provo, and if you haven't given them a try, you should! The long lines are worth the wait for their delicious sauces!
• A Guiness World Record was set by Utah's own Dallas Anderson and Jon Paleka. It was a bit of an unorthodox record involving marshmallows. 
• Do you know an outstanding volunteer? Nominate them for recognition at this year's Utah Philanthropy Day celebration. Nominations open through Aug 13. 
• Provo's own first medical school is providing a unique approach to education, and it's making a difference.

YOUR VOICE

Remember to check out this section (on the right -->) where we will include polls and questions for you, as well as a form where you can highlight a coworker or tell us about what you do for the city! This can range from new babies or weddings to just wanting to give a shout-out to a fellow employee. Fill out the questions on the right, then upload pictures for us to share using the link below!  We will post your responses in upcoming editions of the update.

UPLOAD PICTURES HERE!

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHT

Speaking of the library, let's highlight Provo's library today!  Here are some quick stats:

Current annual budget:  $4.75 million

Major revenue source is property tax:  $4.26 million

Employees:  58.7 full time equivalents; 22 full-time and 72 part-time employees 

Materials circulated in 2020: 1.42 million (down from 1.6 million pre-pandemic)

E-books checked out in 2020: 444,000 (up from 391,000 pre-pandemic)

Program attendees in 2020: 33,700 in 2020 (down from 87,000 pre-pandemic)

The library operates one of the largest single-library systems in the United States in terms of visitors, library cards and circulation.  

Little known fact:  The library has a creative lab in the building where residents can produce and edit videos.  They offer classes in video production and editing, and residents can check out video equipment and use the green screen and editing software in the lab.  

We are exceptionally proud of our library staff and pleased that in citizen surveys they are often the city service most loved by our residents!

FUN STUFF

So, there has been a lot of social media chatter around former BYU and now NY Jets quarterback Zach Wilson and Tampa Bay legend quarterback Tom Brady sharing the same birthday.  Zach turned 22 the same day Tom turned 44.  A little eerie, huh?  Well, Zach decided to have a little fun with it with this tweet.  Incredible duo indeed, considering Zach has 0 Super Bowls and 0 NFL touchdowns.  Might be fun to watch what Brady and the Tampa Bay fans have to say about the post.  At least we know Zach still has a great sense of humor.

Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday.  We will be back tomorrow with favorite memes of the week and more....

Wayne