Thursday, January 29, 2009
What happened at last Tuesday's city council meeting?
This article sums up what happened at Tuesday's city council meeting.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Coming to Orem: A Bicycling Plan
The City Council met with the volunteer, citizen Transportation Commission yesterday. Among the items we discussed is developing an Orem City Bicycling Plan. The City Council gave an enthusiastic, unanimous charge to the Transportation Commission to start working on it. We discussed Ft. Collins, Colorado's bike plan and the possibility of it being a model for Orem. You can see Ft. Collins' plan by clicking here. It also appears Orem can get funding to complete most of the plan. Hooray!
Update: Read about the meeting here.
Update: Read about the meeting here.
Monday, January 26, 2009
January 27, 2009 City Council Meeting Agenda
The agenda has been posted at http://www.orem.org/ . Click "find it fast" and then "agendas" and then "City Council". We are meeting with the Transportation Commission at 4 pm to discuss transportation in Orem. I think bicycling will come up in the meeting.
Transit Trip
I recently returned from a 36 hour trip to Portland and Eugene Oregon, courtesy of UTA. The trip's sole purpose was to see, first hand, bus rapid transit (BRT) and transit oriented development. I literally rode planes, trains, buses and automobiles. It was very helpful and informative to see transit options first-hand. I get questions about BRT and now am quite confident in being able to explain it. I hope to have pictures and info. up soon. In the meantime: Eugene Emx System
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Pink Floyd, PTA and the Political Process
"It doesn't have to be like this. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking" -Pink Floyd "Keep Talking" from the album "The Division Bell"
These words came to my mind after I read an article by Ronda Rose on page 14 in this month's Utah PTA Perspectives Newsletter. I received it at today's PTA meeting.
Ms. Rose encourages PTA leaders to become acquainted with local, county and state government officials. She then recounts a personal experience. Ms. Rose describes working with local school and government officials, local staff, state transportation staff and eventually the Governor's office to resolve a situation. In closing, Ms. Rose states how important it was she and the other PTA members had started locally before going to the Governor's office and she again encourages PTA leaders to get to know local officials.
I pictured this group of school leaders, who probably didn't have a lot of experience in "the process", trying to work their way to a solution. While most policies and procedures may make sense to those who work with them every day, they may not to other members of the community. Then there are some policies that don't even make sense to me, and I have spent years in government.
Ms. Rose's experiences have caused me to reflect how I treat those who come to me with city issues. How can I make a resident's experience with Orem City as pleasant and streamlined as possible? What can I do to improve my communication with residents? I think some of the answers lie in the ability to "keep talking".
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
January 13, 2009 City Council Meeting
The agenda has been up for a few days at http://www.orem.org/ . Click "find it fast" and then "agendas". It looks like most of the items are land use related.
The City Council also has a joint meeting with the Provo City Council this Thursday at noon in Provo.
The City Council also has a joint meeting with the Provo City Council this Thursday at noon in Provo.
Retire to Orem
In Smithsonian magazine, tucked away among the ads for berets, bathrobes and bow ties was the following small advertisement: "Retire to Fearrington A charming country village near Chapel Hill, NC with bluebirds, belted cows and fascinating people of all ages. 800-277-0130 http://www.fearrington.com/".
This intrigued me. Belted cows? Fascinating people? Bluebirds? I wondered why Fearrington advertised in Smithsonian and not some other magazine? If it advertised in other magazines, which ones were chosen and why? I went to the website to see.
Fearrington is a 35 year old planned community of about 1800 people that as far as I can tell is not actually incorporated, but a "real estate community". It appears to be something like Daybreak. It is annual village events like Donald Davis' storytelling and pumpkin festivals. They have belted cows, belted fainting goats, restaurants, a spa and a village center. I can see why this would be a nice place to retire.
While I discovered Fearrington isn't actually a city with a government, the ad made me think if Orem were to advertise in a magazine in an effort to expand its population, what would the ad say? What magazines would receive Orem's advertising dollars?
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Snowplowing In Orem
A couple of weeks ago, I posted a link to Orem's snowplowing policy. Since that time, I have received emails asking about Orem's snowplowing policy. I decided to post a response (with permission) Steve Weber, a division manager in Orem's Public Works department, wrote to a resident.
Dear (name withheld):
Your email pertaining to the City's street snow removal strategy was forwarded to me. We appreciate your concerns and I hope I can address them in this email. I also received your second email pertaining to those streets that maybe weren't cleared as good as they could have been the first time but we did get to them later. For future reference, I thought I would send you a brief overview of our snow removal program and challenges. If you still have questions or need further information, please give me a call. Also, if there is a specific address where a problem exists, please let us know and we will take care of it. (Stan Orme, Street Section Manager @ 229-7534 or myself @ 229-7530)
Snow removal can be a difficult issue to deal with on a City wide basis. There are over 230 center line miles of city streets, which equates to over 500 lane miles. As an example of reference, St. George is 260 miles from Orem. So, what we are trying to do is keep a lane of traffic open from Orem to St. George and back during a snow storm over varying types of terrain and weather conditions.
Street terrain is a factor and it varies from the very flat, which encompasses most of the City, to the very steep hills of northeast and west Orem. Other factors that are taken into consideration are the types of streets, (arterial, collector, and residential), the storm itself (intensity, duration, wind, etc.), time of day that a storm hits Orem, as well as the cost to Orem's taxpayers.
Arterial streets are the major arteries which carry the highest traffic volumes as well as higher traffic speeds. These include Center Street, 1600 North, 800 South, 800 East as examples. Residential streets comprise the greatest number of miles but also have the lowest priority in most cases simply because they don't carry large volumes of traffic. However, there are exceptions. These exceptions include the steep hilly streets of north and northeast Orem, as well as along the west side and south where streets drop off the bench into the lower flat lands of the valley. We also consider streets by schools, churches, and hospitals and making sure these are open and safe traffic movement.
A storm's intensity, duration, as well as the air temperature and wind play a role in how we can deal with street snow removal. If a storm arrives just as the morning or evening commute is happening, makes our job more difficult and puts more pressure on the streets carrying the higher traffic volumes. If winds are a factor, then drifting snow can cover a street just as fast as we can clear it. How much snow is falling and at what rate plays a role in our ability to keep streets open and safe. On Monday, December 22nd for example, in about 90 minutes to 2 hours, Orem received between 6-8 inches, depending on location. That is an average of 3-4 inches per hours coming down. On average we may receive 3-4 inches in an average storm over a 24-36 hour period.
Currently our policy is not to have a 'bare pavement policy' when it comes to snow removal. What is a 'bare pavement policy'? It is a policy whereby an agency employs measures necessary to removal or eliminate all snow from its streets or highways. UDOT has a bare pavement policy largely due to the type of highways/freeways they are empowered to maintain. They carry huge volumes of traffic at much higher speeds which are considered major transportation corridors for interstate transportation as well as commuters. Bare pavement policy comes at a higher price. It takes more equipment, manpower, and material to maintain these types of streets. Our main goal in providing snow removal is for the safe movement of traffic throughout Orem. Not necessarily maintaining 'bare pavement'.
"How can we provide the best service yet not burden the taxpayer?" Winters vary from year to year. There have been winters in the past in which we received very little snow. Other years or periods, just like the past couple of weeks, we have received large amounts of snow. For example, on Monday, December 22nd, Orem and most of Utah County received upwards of 10-12 inches in a very short period of time. However, Salt Lake City received very little snow. Snow storms are much like thunderstorms, hit and miss. The so called 'lake effect' plays a role in how much snow we may or may not receive. We have a choice, we can plan and staff for storms like the one we received on December 22nd, and have the capability of dealing with every street in a quick manner, or we can staff and equip for the average snow storm. We choose the later simply because it is the one we get most often and has less impact on the taxpayers of Orem. There is no sense in purchasing equipment or having personnel which may or may not be utilized depending on the weather.
For most snow storms that come our way, I feel we do a very good job. In many cases, many streets do get down to bare pavement. Today if you look at Center Street, 800 East, 400 East, as well as many others, there is no snow except along the shoulders. Traffic is able to move smoothly, and safely at normal traffic speeds. However, because we staff and equip for the average snow storm, when a large or heavy storm hits the City, like it did on December 22nd, we aren't able to get to every street in a timely manner. On December 22nd, snow was coming down so fast that when we finished plowing and/or salting a street, it needed to be done again. We just couldn't keep up with it until we got a break in the storm, then it still took us the next couple of days just to catch up and finally get into the residential streets. However, by that time, the local traffic had compacted the snow and the cold temperatures turned it into ice in many locations and even though we did plow and put down salt at intersections throughout the night and into the next day, it is impossible to remove it. In many cases, we just have to wait for mother nature to warm things up and eventually help melt it.
When large storms, such as the one that occurred on December 22nd, hit Orem, we also employ other city crews from other Departments. We have employed members of the Water Section with clearing city streets over the past several days. In some, rare cases, we will hire private contractors, such as Geneva Rock for example, to help. Such was not the case last Monday, December 22nd, but that option is available to us and we have used it in the past.
I hope I have been able to address your concern and answer some of your questions. As I stated earlier, if you know of a specific problem/location, please let me know and we will response and see what we can do to resolve it. We too don't want a situation whereby someone can be hurt or serious damage can occur. In between storms we continue to work on problem areas as well as keeping our equipment prepared for the next storm.
If I can respond to any questions you may still have or if you need further information, please contact me.
Sincerely, Stephen Weber
seweber@orem.org
Division Manager
Department of Public Works
801-229-7530
Dear (name withheld):
Your email pertaining to the City's street snow removal strategy was forwarded to me. We appreciate your concerns and I hope I can address them in this email. I also received your second email pertaining to those streets that maybe weren't cleared as good as they could have been the first time but we did get to them later. For future reference, I thought I would send you a brief overview of our snow removal program and challenges. If you still have questions or need further information, please give me a call. Also, if there is a specific address where a problem exists, please let us know and we will take care of it. (Stan Orme, Street Section Manager @ 229-7534 or myself @ 229-7530)
Snow removal can be a difficult issue to deal with on a City wide basis. There are over 230 center line miles of city streets, which equates to over 500 lane miles. As an example of reference, St. George is 260 miles from Orem. So, what we are trying to do is keep a lane of traffic open from Orem to St. George and back during a snow storm over varying types of terrain and weather conditions.
Street terrain is a factor and it varies from the very flat, which encompasses most of the City, to the very steep hills of northeast and west Orem. Other factors that are taken into consideration are the types of streets, (arterial, collector, and residential), the storm itself (intensity, duration, wind, etc.), time of day that a storm hits Orem, as well as the cost to Orem's taxpayers.
Arterial streets are the major arteries which carry the highest traffic volumes as well as higher traffic speeds. These include Center Street, 1600 North, 800 South, 800 East as examples. Residential streets comprise the greatest number of miles but also have the lowest priority in most cases simply because they don't carry large volumes of traffic. However, there are exceptions. These exceptions include the steep hilly streets of north and northeast Orem, as well as along the west side and south where streets drop off the bench into the lower flat lands of the valley. We also consider streets by schools, churches, and hospitals and making sure these are open and safe traffic movement.
A storm's intensity, duration, as well as the air temperature and wind play a role in how we can deal with street snow removal. If a storm arrives just as the morning or evening commute is happening, makes our job more difficult and puts more pressure on the streets carrying the higher traffic volumes. If winds are a factor, then drifting snow can cover a street just as fast as we can clear it. How much snow is falling and at what rate plays a role in our ability to keep streets open and safe. On Monday, December 22nd for example, in about 90 minutes to 2 hours, Orem received between 6-8 inches, depending on location. That is an average of 3-4 inches per hours coming down. On average we may receive 3-4 inches in an average storm over a 24-36 hour period.
Currently our policy is not to have a 'bare pavement policy' when it comes to snow removal. What is a 'bare pavement policy'? It is a policy whereby an agency employs measures necessary to removal or eliminate all snow from its streets or highways. UDOT has a bare pavement policy largely due to the type of highways/freeways they are empowered to maintain. They carry huge volumes of traffic at much higher speeds which are considered major transportation corridors for interstate transportation as well as commuters. Bare pavement policy comes at a higher price. It takes more equipment, manpower, and material to maintain these types of streets. Our main goal in providing snow removal is for the safe movement of traffic throughout Orem. Not necessarily maintaining 'bare pavement'.
"How can we provide the best service yet not burden the taxpayer?" Winters vary from year to year. There have been winters in the past in which we received very little snow. Other years or periods, just like the past couple of weeks, we have received large amounts of snow. For example, on Monday, December 22nd, Orem and most of Utah County received upwards of 10-12 inches in a very short period of time. However, Salt Lake City received very little snow. Snow storms are much like thunderstorms, hit and miss. The so called 'lake effect' plays a role in how much snow we may or may not receive. We have a choice, we can plan and staff for storms like the one we received on December 22nd, and have the capability of dealing with every street in a quick manner, or we can staff and equip for the average snow storm. We choose the later simply because it is the one we get most often and has less impact on the taxpayers of Orem. There is no sense in purchasing equipment or having personnel which may or may not be utilized depending on the weather.
For most snow storms that come our way, I feel we do a very good job. In many cases, many streets do get down to bare pavement. Today if you look at Center Street, 800 East, 400 East, as well as many others, there is no snow except along the shoulders. Traffic is able to move smoothly, and safely at normal traffic speeds. However, because we staff and equip for the average snow storm, when a large or heavy storm hits the City, like it did on December 22nd, we aren't able to get to every street in a timely manner. On December 22nd, snow was coming down so fast that when we finished plowing and/or salting a street, it needed to be done again. We just couldn't keep up with it until we got a break in the storm, then it still took us the next couple of days just to catch up and finally get into the residential streets. However, by that time, the local traffic had compacted the snow and the cold temperatures turned it into ice in many locations and even though we did plow and put down salt at intersections throughout the night and into the next day, it is impossible to remove it. In many cases, we just have to wait for mother nature to warm things up and eventually help melt it.
When large storms, such as the one that occurred on December 22nd, hit Orem, we also employ other city crews from other Departments. We have employed members of the Water Section with clearing city streets over the past several days. In some, rare cases, we will hire private contractors, such as Geneva Rock for example, to help. Such was not the case last Monday, December 22nd, but that option is available to us and we have used it in the past.
I hope I have been able to address your concern and answer some of your questions. As I stated earlier, if you know of a specific problem/location, please let me know and we will response and see what we can do to resolve it. We too don't want a situation whereby someone can be hurt or serious damage can occur. In between storms we continue to work on problem areas as well as keeping our equipment prepared for the next storm.
If I can respond to any questions you may still have or if you need further information, please contact me.
Sincerely, Stephen Weber
seweber@orem.org
Division Manager
Department of Public Works
801-229-7530
Recent News Articles
The post title ain't pretty, but it describes today's post:
Here is a link to an article in Wednesdays' Daily Herald about Orem City's efforts to remain financially in the black. State law requires that cities have a balanced budget, something the federal government can't seem to do. Even if the state law didn't require it, I as a councilmember would require Orem to have a balanced budget.
Here is a link to a Daily Herald article in today's paper about Jared The Galleria of Jewelry opening in Orem. The store is located on the NE Corner of University Parkway and State Street.
Here is a link to a recent Deseret News column mentioning In-N-Out Burger may be heading north. Yum!
Here is a link to a Salt Lake Tribune article about Hillcrest Elementary receiving a Utah Title I High Performing School Award. Congratulations on your success!
Here is a link to an article in Wednesdays' Daily Herald about Orem City's efforts to remain financially in the black. State law requires that cities have a balanced budget, something the federal government can't seem to do. Even if the state law didn't require it, I as a councilmember would require Orem to have a balanced budget.
Here is a link to a Daily Herald article in today's paper about Jared The Galleria of Jewelry opening in Orem. The store is located on the NE Corner of University Parkway and State Street.
Here is a link to a recent Deseret News column mentioning In-N-Out Burger may be heading north. Yum!
Here is a link to a Salt Lake Tribune article about Hillcrest Elementary receiving a Utah Title I High Performing School Award. Congratulations on your success!
Monday, January 05, 2009
Orem Library News
There is an article in today's Daily Herald about the Orem Library's updated website. The article also includes information on the Library's new 42 inch touch screen computer. There is a funny "how to use the touch screen computer" video I am hoping the Library will post soon. You can find the Daily Herald article by clicking on this post's title.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Orem Community Arts Directory
I just found handy resource at the Orem Arts Council website. It is a directory of facilities, individuals and organzations that are involved in many different art forms. The directory ranges from woodcarving groups to theater rentals to art museums to performing groups. Check it out by clicking this post's title.
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