Happy Monday, everyone. I hope your weekend was great, and the events of this holiday week even greater. Our family was busy for sure, and part of the fun was getting our front yard ready for the holidays. A few new items for yard décor this year, which I hope will thrill the grandkids!
UPCOMING CITY EVENTS
A Night of Bluegrass with The Fabled Folks I November 15 7:00 pm
Learn It: Medicare 101 I November 16 7:00 pm
Learn It: Gluten Free Cookies I November 17 7:00 pm
Barlow Ballet presents The Nutcracker I November 17 - November 20
Teen Dungeons & Dragons Club I November 18 6:30 pm
Utah Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra presents European Adventure I November 22 7:30 pm
Joshua Creek Christmas I November 29 7:00 pm
Ryan Shupe Christmas I November 30 7:30 pm
Learn It: Zentangle Holidays I December 1 7:00 pm
A Christmas Carol | December 02 - December 20
Light Up Christmas! I December 3 - December 4
Utah Valley Handbell Ringers I December 6 6:00 pm
Learn It: Holiday Menu and Meal Planning I December 7 7:00 pm
Teen Writer's Group I December 9 7:00 pm
Holiday Recipe Swap I December 11 1:00 pm
Your Voice
One of the ideas that came through the earlier survey was the desire to make the update more interactive. So, today we are asking you 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 left, then upload pictures for us to share using the link below! We will post your responses in upcoming editions of the update.
NEWS YOU CAN USE
- President Biden has signed the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, praising it as a bipartisan win.
- Ryan Smith of Qualtrics is rebranding the Jazz. His next idea is to rebrand the state of Utah, though not everyone is excited about that potential change.
- There are more jobs than jobless in Utah, says a new report, due to employees quitting their jobs in record numbers. Utah and Nebraska are the top two, according to the report.
- Utah is joining the ranks of states suing over the Biden vaccine mandate for health care workers.
- The update to the Thanksgiving Point Area Plan has been released, and includes adding 5,000+ housing units.
PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA
HOT-BUTTON ITEMS IN PROVO
Let's talk about recent discussions at the City Council level about parking, especially the new option for paid on-street parking. This framework, which was adopted by the Council last week, along with the potential application of the program in the Joaquin Neighborhood south of the BYU campus, has generated some controversy and some misconceptions.
The paid on-street parking framework includes some important tools which could help with better and more effective on-street parking management in Provo. The Council proposal includes the following features:
- Parking on a public street within OSPM zones may be restricted by either of the following parking management strategies:
- Paid timed parking or
- Paid timed parking with optional permits
- Vehicles that are parked in a timed parking zone must pay the established rate.
- Timed rates will be market driven; high enough that parking spots are regularly freed up, but not so high that on-street parking is not being utilized fully.
- Payment would be made through a mobile app. City staff are working on options for drivers without a mobile device.
- Vehicles with valid permits are exempted from the timed parking rate in that OSPM zone.
- Permit holders pay for one year of access to an OSPM zone rather than paying the timed rate.
- To obtain a parking permit, the permit holder must prove ownership of, or residence at, a building with frontage along the OSPM zone with a maximum limit of two permits per property/occupant.
- The boundaries of all OSPM areas shall be shown on an official On-Street Parking Management Area Map adopted by the Municipal Council.
This is an innovative approach to resolving some key issues that may apply in specific areas. It may seem challenging to implement and to explain to those who might reside in one of these zones, but it does apply the best of free market principles. On-street parking is an asset owned by the City, and "congestion pricing" is a good way to ensure that the goals of having sufficient on-street parking and of encouraging full use of off-street parking by changing the price points. When a commodity like parking is free, drivers will often make choices to park inconveniently, or to park at a long distance from their destination. Making parking a consumer good with a cost associated will create an incentive for drivers to make better decisions.
While this framework adds an important tool to our parking management toolbox, where and when to apply the framework to a specific area becomes the rub. At a town hall meeting last week, the Council heard from a very large number of residents in the Joaquin area with both pros and cons about how the system would work. The arguments were primarily about costs for students living in the area who now park for free on-street, and about finding a way to limit on-street parking for non-student residents to minimize the risk of drivers parking so as to block driveways, sidewalks, and crosswalks and those who move garbage cans on collection days in order to park on street.
There will be two more town halls on the topic to allow more time for interaction on the issue. Time will tell on this one, but I give the Council sponsors high marks for developing a creative solution that will take some strong political will to implement.
FUN STUFF
It is time for the fall holidays, and this little survival tip video should help you (and me) make it through Halloween, Thanksgiving and the best our family time has to offer. Courtesy of our neighbors at Dry Bar Comedy.
Have a great rest of your Monday!
Wayne
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.