February 2, 2022 Update

It is a snowy groundhog day today.  I hope everybody made it into work safely.  We had just a skiff of snow at my house this morning, but it still left the roads fairly slick coming in, with a few accidents along my route this morning that forced a detour or two.  And - no surprise here -  Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning so we officially have 6 more weeks of winter.

We also had some interesting topics at the city council meeting yesterday.  The Council approved a motion to keep the current structure of 5 district council seats and 2 at large seats by a 4-3 vote as we prepare to redistrict the council districts based on the 2020 Census.  They also approved adding an historic home to the historical register, approved a rezone in the Sunset Neighborhood, discussed a process for reviewing projects for the City's allocation from the American Rescue Plan Act, and reviewed the draft  General Plan.  

I also had an opportunity this morning to take officials from BYU on a tour of our new city hall and public safety building.  I am getting more and more excited about how things are coming together.  The building is mostly done on the outside, and work on the interior is moving forward! 

UPCOMING CITY EVENTS

National Girls in Sports Day I February 3 4:00 pm

The Alibis I February 7:30 pm 

Paint Night I February 1 7:00 pm

Teen Volunteer Board I February 3 6:30 pm

Gallery Talk: Dragonology and Fantasy Origins I February 4 7:00 pm

Morning Star Native American Ensemble I February 7 7:00 pm

Conversaciones I February 8 7:00 pm

The Audacity to Write a Great Story: Tips to Ignite and Sustain Your Writing Practice This Year I February 10 7:00 pm

Valentine's Ball I February 12 6:00 pm

Coppelia by Utah Metropolitan Ballet I March 3 - March 5

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• If you've been on a walk or run at any point during the pandemic, there's a high likelihood you've come across discarded face masks on the ground. David Papineau, a runner in Vancouver, British Columbia, has picked up and disposed of 25,000 masks, and he's on a mission to reach 30,000 by the end of March. Papineau isn't alone in his quest for rubbish. Apparently there's a whole trend known as plogging, where runners collect trash during their runs and then share photos of their excursions on TikTok.
• According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, both parents and policies play a role in helping young kids thrive. Experts say there’s a recipe for strong children with great futures.
• A Miami-bound luxury cruise ship with hundreds of people on board made a detour to the Bahamas to avoid being seized as part of a lawsuit over unpaid fuel. Crystal Cruises, the company operating the ship, has a Hong Kong-based parent company preparing for liquidation after seeing its business implode during the pandemic.

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

YOUR VOICE

Thanks for sharing your personal and work highlights with us! :)

UPLOAD PICTURES HERE!

EMPLOYEE / DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHT

The Police Department has announced their employees of the month! We are so grateful for our outstanding officers who go above and beyond to make Provo a great place to live!

January officer of the month:

Jordan Smith: We recognize Officer Smith for his high level of self-initiated activity. His supervisor nominated him for consistently making good DUI and drug investigations. Officer Smith is a skilled enforcement officer whose efforts make Provo City safer and better.

January civilian employee of the month:

Mike McGary:  Mike was nominated for the professionalism and skill he brings to organizing our in-house academy program, and for the support service he gives to employees assigned to off-site training. Mike is always on-time, courteous, professionally dressed, and helpful. Mike works to make training a better experience and to give new officers the best introduction to the Department in our in-house academy program.

Congratulations and thanks for all of your hard work!

FUN STUFF

After more than 40 years in the workforce, I can totally identify with this Studio C sketch.  The importance of clear, effective and frequent communication can't be over emphasized (hence this daily update habit of mine).  That's why we have such an amazing communication team in Provo and excellent PIO's - to make sure we communicate well with our community.  And we almost always beat the Provo "whisper train."  😏

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Have a great rest of your day and stay safe!

Wayne