There is THAT much stuff on the road?

Yeah, I know there is because I see it when I am walking and riding my bike. But it is interesting to see numbers put to the stuff on the road. And only two (albeit long) roads. Kudos to Orem's Public Works Department and its efforts to keep the hundreds of miles of streets clean.

Part of an email I received from city staff:

"Wanted to let you know that we swept State Street and University Parkway, including the along the medians, last Sunday. It took all three sweepers 12 hours to sweep these two highways. They estimate they picked up between 45-50 tons of material (sand, dirt, rocks, garbage, leaves, etc.)"

More signal heads are coming on 800 North

Hooray!

This is part of an email I received from Dave Nazare, UDOT Region 3 Director. Thank you, UDOT for working to make 800 North safer.

"The Department gave direction to the contractor to install additional signal heads at Main St. and State St. on Tuesday. We will work with the contractor to make sure that for the balance of the project there are signal heads as close to being in line with traffic as possible."

Latest 800 North Information

Greetings,

In last week's update from Justin Smart, he informed you that your weekly 800 North updates would be coming from me at chulet@langdongroupinc.com. Justin and I are working together on the project, but the contact phone remains the same (801-360-4944). If you would like to contact us via email, feel free to email Justin or me at any time.

Sincerely,
Carri Hulet800 North Public Information Teamchulet@langdongroupinc.comwww.udot.utah.gov/orem800north801-360-4944


Changes are coming on the 800 North project this week, including shifting westbound traffic to the north side of the road between 400 East and 800 East. Please take note of the coming construction activities listed below, and exercise particular caution in the work zone in the coming weeks as traffic shifts and temporary lane closures change the flow of traffic. Provided weather and other scheduling issues cooperate, crews hope to shift all traffic to the newly paved north side of the road from 400 West to 800 East the week of Oct. 22. Details will be provided in the coming weeks’ updates.

Please note that for your safety, pedestrian traffic should use the south side of 800 North for the time being. Even though sidewalk is being placed along the northern side of the road, construction activities in this area continue to pose potential safety hazards to pedestrians.

Thanks to all for your patience with construction activities. The project team is very aware of the inconvenience and delay the project causes and is working to keep progress moving.

Construction Activity Update – 10/12/07
The following are planned activities for the coming week. Please note that due to weather, project conflicts, or equipment/supply issues, schedules are subject to change.

400 West Intersection: Paving in this area should be complete by the weekend, with final signal pole placement taking place next week. Crews hope to activate this signal by the end of October. Please watch for workers in the area.
400 West to State Street: Paving along the north side of the road in this area is substantially complete for now. Crews plan to place sidewalk and concrete driveways in this area during the week of Oct. 15.
Canal Crossing at 375 East: Crews plan to begin work on the canal beneath 800 North, located at approximately 375 East, the week of Oct. 15. Reconstruction and paving in this area has been on hold pending the end of the irrigation season. With canal irrigation scheduled to end on the 15th, crews plan to finalize the roadway work on the north side of 800 North in this area as quickly as possible.
400 East to 750 East: Sunday, Oct. 14, crews plan to shift westbound traffic to the north side of 800 North, onto the new pavement. Westbound traffic will shift to the north just west of the 800 East intersection and remain on the north side until just west of the 400 East intersection. Eastbound traffic in this section will remain on the far south side of 800 North, with crews working in the middle all week. Please use extra caution and reduce speeds in the area for your safety and the safety of the construction crews. On Monday, Oct. 15, eastbound traffic in this section will be restricted to one lane to accommodate asphalt removal operations. Watch for flaggers in this area Monday. By Tuesday, eastbound traffic should be back to two lanes. Tuesday, Oct. 16, through Friday, Oct. 19, crews plan to prepare the middle section of road for new asphalt and pave. Even as left-hand turns have been restricted in this area for some time, please be aware that lefts remain restricted given work that will take place in the middle of the road and given the fact that the old pavement will be lower than the new pavement.
Sound Wall Installation: Installation of two wall sections remains pending as various property and utility issues are resolved. Wall staining and other finish work will proceed this week on installed sections.
Water Line Installation at 1000 East: Crews are installing a water line in the area of 1000 East. Please be aware of traffic shifts and intermittent lane restrictions in the area through the end of next week.
More Information
Project updates and background can be found online at www.udot.utah.gov/orem800north. This site will be updated as the project continues and details become available. For specific questions or concerns, contact the Public Information Team at 801-360-4944 or by email at chulet@langdongroupinc.com.

Neighborhood meeting next Thursday!

From Orem City:


A message from your
Cascade
Scera Park North
Scera Park South
Sharon
Neighborhoods in Action
Dear Neighbor,

You are invited to attend a special ‘Town Meeting’ for the citizens of your neighborhoods.
The meeting is designed for you to learn more about your Neighborhoods in Action organization, Neighborhood Preservation Officers and their program, Emergency Preparedness, CERT Training and what we are doing in the City to coordinate all of these programs to better help you in your neighborhoods.

We will have a panel, which will include Mayor Washburn, City Council Members, set up to address your questions. The meeting will be much more productive if you submit your questions in advance to your Neighborhood Chair.

When: Thurs, October 18th
Time: 6:30 - 8:00 PM
Where: Orem Senior Center


Cascade Chair - David Cherrington - 224-2811
Scera Park North - Monta Rae Jeppson - 225-1516
Scera Park South - Paul Overson - 223-9981
Sharon - Anne Kendall - 225-5174

Not on my list but,

being in politics, I wonder if I may end up with something from here for Christmas. . .

Premade Decisions? Not!

We councilmembers get along pretty well. Our meetings run smoothly and many times, decisions are unanimous. However, some have taken our peace and tranquility to mean we premake our decisions prior to the meeting, and the public hearing and public decisionmaking are mere formalites.

Thankfully, that isn't how business is done in Orem. We don't work behind the scenes trying to get four votes on issues before it comes to the Council. Generally, I may discuss an issue with one other councilmember, but how the Council will vote on an issue is a mystery to me until the vote is taken.

If you feel decisions are premade, you should have been at the first public hearing on last night's city council agenda. It was and still is an innocuous topic-flagpoles. It was put on the agenda because the current ordinance allows a conditional use to be granted so a flagpole can go up to 120 feet. I am very patriotic, don't mind flagpoles, but I don't like conditional uses. I was interested in establishing a permitted height and not have a conditional use process. Utah law has changed to the point where cities must approve conditional uses unless very rigorous findings are made. There was a long discussion about the issue and the city council voted to not make any changes.

I thought "I bet there are people in the audience who think this is a HUGE non-issue." It isn't a pressing issue with the City Council, there aren't a plethora of 120 foot flagpoles waiting to be approved, but the City has had bad experiences with conditional uses. In fact, most have been eliminated from the city code. But the City Council needed to discuss it. The discussion was healthy. I was so glad to learn how my colleagues felt and I respect their opinions.

The public process is-public! It may be boring, it may not be the shortest way of handling city business, it may not be the most stress-free way of handling city business, but it is the right way of handling city business and it is a way I will continue to support and defend.

Bumper Sticker Wisdom

Latest 800 North Information

From Justin Smart:

"As the temperature cools, the window of time when paving and other project work can be done begins to narrow. Construction over the next couple of weeks will focus on getting the north side of 800 North ready for travel so traffic can switch from the south half of the road to the north half. Accordingly, lane shifts and/or closures will occur sporadically to accommodate the finishing work in specific areas along the project. Please decrease your speed and raise your level of caution for your own safety and the safety of your fellow motorists.

UDOT crews are proceeding according to schedule. Provided weather allows for the completion of the majority of paving on the north side and crews can shift traffic to the new pavement by late October or early November, they will then begin utility work on the south side of the road. This work will last throughout the winter, with roadway work expected to resume on the south side in early spring of next year.

Construction Activity Update – 9/28/07
The following are planned activities for the coming week. Please note that due to weather, project conflicts, or equipment/supply issues, schedules are subject to change.

400 West Intersection: Signal work has resumed at this intersection, primarily on the south side. Signal poles are now installed on three of the four corners. In the coming week, UDOT crews will place the final pole on the southeast corner of the intersection. Crews will also begin prepping the south side for repaving in early October. During the signal activities, access may be limited or restricted and travel lanes will be narrowed in the area. Once the signal is installed and operational- likely by mid to late October – crews will analyze the possibility of permitting left turns at this intersection.
400 West to State Street: Paving was expected to begin today, but a weather-related issue on another area project in Provo canyon has delayed the paving company. Paving between 400 W and State will begin early next week, and will last 2 – 3 days. Please watch for access shifts to area businesses, but access will be maintained.
400 East Reopening: The 400 East intersection on the north side of 800 North will reopen on gravel tonight. Future paving operations will require a brief closure to this intersection again in several weeks. Please watch the updates so you can anticipate the re-closure.
400 East to 700 East: Crews have placed most of the curb and gutter in this section. Excavation and preparation for asphalt will continue in this area all week. Anticipate lane shifts and brief periods when travel will be limited to one lane in each direction. Paving in this section is anticipated in early to mid October.
Sound Wall Installation: Most of the sound wall on the project is now installed. A few areas are pending installation as various property and utility issues are resolved. The walls will be painted a carmel color on the 800 N. side, and both sides of the wall will be sealed with an anti-graffiti coating that allows for easier removal of any markings in the future. Wall painting and other finish work will proceed this week on installed sections.
More Information
Project updates and background can be found online at www.udot.utah.gov/orem800north. This site will be updated as the project continues and details become available. For specific questions or concerns, contact the Public Information Team at 801-360-4944 or by email at jsmart@langdongroupinc.com."