October 11 2021 Update

It is great to be back in the office today - although it has been eerily quiet.  Most of our office is engaged in today's Provo Advantage Economic Summit at the Timpanogos Golf Club.  You all probably know I am not a golfer.  I tried in college but it was clearly not my game.  😉  But given more than 600 emails I needed to read, it was good to have a quieter morning.  

I'm still feeling a bit down after Saturday afternoon's football game.  Add to that the defeat of my KC Chiefs having a lackluster season, I'm still smarting from the weekend.  But there's a good opportunity for both teams to bounce back.  

UPCOMING CITY EVENTS

Lark and Spur Concert I October 11 7:30 pm 

TRIBUTE presented by Utah Metropolitan Ballet: Art and Heart I October 8 - 9

Conversaciones/Conversations I October 12 7:00 pm

Paranormal Percussion I October 15 - October 16

Superhero Academy I October 16 11:00 am

An Evening of Dance with Grupo Folklórico Tollan I October 18 7:00 pm

Crochet Club: Crochet Basics I October 19 2021 6:30 pm

Crochet Club: Hats I October 19 7:00 pm

Covey Tapestry of Dance I October 19 7:30 pm

Halloween Book Page Wreaths I October 20 7:00 pm

TrickTok or Treat I October 21 7:00 pm

AuthorLink with Brandon Mull I October 22 6:00 pm

Swing 4 Cancer Benefit Concert I October 23 4:00 pm

Teen Takeover: Magical Mayhem I October 23 6:30 pm

Paint Night I October 26 7:00 pm

Catapult I October 26 7:30pm

Learn It: All About Stress I October 27 7:00 pm

Ammon and Liahona Olayan I October 27 7:30pm

BYU Young Company: Luna I November 1 7:00 pm

Learn It: Buying Your First Home I November 2 7:00 pm

A Christmas Carol | December 02 - December 20

Light Up Christmas! I December 3 - December 4

The Alibis I February 7:30 pm

YOUR VOICE

Thanks for sharing with us! Don't forget to upload your photos below and share with us some of you hobbies, exciting news, and anything else you would like to share with your fellow city employees!

UPLOAD PICTURES HERE!

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• Google Maps now has some eco-friendly options that will help guide drivers on the most fuel-efficient routes.
• China could be ready to mount a 'full-scale' invasion of Taiwan by 2025, island's defense minister says.
• A ship's anchor may have caused a massive oil spill off the coast of Southern California. Crews are actively working to clean the area.
• Workers at all of Kellogg’s U.S. cereal plants went on strike. A spokesman for the union stated that “The company continues to threaten to send additional jobs to Mexico if workers do not accept outrageous proposals that take away protections that workers have had for decades,”

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

HOT-BUTTON ITEMS IN PROVO

You will notice in the social media posts above that we are beginning a community discussion about adding a new stop for the UVX bus rapid transit line near BYU.  I have to admit - I still have scars from the initial community engagement process on creating the Provo-Orem BRT, now known as UVX.  Those who are here at the time will remember that it was very divisive in our broader community as well as here in Provo.  There was a city council election in which BRT was a defining issue.  There were efforts at securing signatures and court battles to put one of the actions of the City Council on the ballot.  There were very contentious public hearings.  And there were lots of questions about the size, scope and impact of the project.

At the end of the day, the project was constructed and, pre-pandemic, ridership surpassed expectations.  Both BYU and UVU entered into contracts with UTA to offer free fare for all BYU and UVU students, employees and their families across the UTA system.  And federal grants were secured to make UVX free fare for the early years.  

The original BRT design included a three stops to serve BYU - one of the largest ridership generators on the planned system.  One was planned on 900 East near the BYU creamery, one near the MTC, and one near the football and baseball stadiums.  Because of community concerns, the 900 East station was relocated to just south of the BYU campus on 900 North and 700 East.  In recent months, the City has received about 150 emails asking us to consider restoring the 900 East station.  In response to those who submitted these emails, we worked with UTA, the Mountainland Association of Governments and BYU to develop a scenario that would add a station on 900 East.  We will be hosting two public open houses on on October 13 and 20 in Provo to discuss the scenario.  UTA and MAG models suggest that that added station would add several thousand riders daily, and current cost estimates are about $4.2 million.  We don't currently have a definitive funding source figured out, but we think most of the cost will come from county, federal and UTA funds.  

We look forward to sharing more information with the Provo community and hearing what they have to say at these open houses.  

FUN STUFF

For today, I thought I would share some submissions to the Tonight Show Hashtags last week with the hashtag #mycrazyinvention.  I can sure see a need for all of these awesome ideas.

Thanks for all you do!  Looking forward to another great week in Provo.  Drive safely everyone as we likely see our first winter weather of the season later this week!

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Wayne