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EMIGRATION CANYON NEWSLETTER

www.emigrationcanyon.org

UPCOMING EVENTSSaturday, May 20, 2017 FIREWISE at Camp Kostopulos4180 Emigration Canyon Rd 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

PUBLIC MEETINGSMetro Township Council 1st Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM at the Fire Station Next Meetings: April 4th, May 2nd

Community Council 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM at the Fire Station Next Meetings: April 11th, May 9th

Metro Services District2nd Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM, 2nd floor North County Building (2001 S State St) Next meetings: April 12th, May 10th

CONTACT USWe are here for you. Email the community council at EmigrationCanyonUT@gmail.com with any questions, concerns or feedback.

Greetings from your Community Council and welcome to our spring 2017 newsletter. In this edition, you will find information about our Canyon’s: ‣ new township governance structure, ‣ 15th Annual Firewise celebration on May 20 and other upcoming

events, and ‣ efforts to improve safety for Canyon residents.

With the changes in our township governance structure, it is our goal to be the primary communication pipeline between Emigration Canyon residents and the County and Township governance bodies. In order to accomplish this, we will be launching a new Emigration Canyon Community website in the coming months that will: ‣ enable us to move beyond newsletters 3 or 4 times per year to more

frequent and timely updates about news and activity in our Canyon, ‣ migrate our communication toward website and email-based

mediums, and ‣ eliminate postage and printing, allowing us to stretch our small

budget to provide more value to you, including deadfall cleanup, emergency preparedness training, and special events specific to Canyon residents.

To provide these increased services we will need know your preferred email contacts. We look forward to staying in better touch with you and hope that you will provide us with the contact information that will enable us to do so. We want to hear from you whenever you have questions or issues so that we may collect and communicate your issues to the Township and the County. Please help us to make your Community Council a two-way communication pathway.

Finally, should you be interested in being more active in the Canyon community, there are a few seats on the Community Council that are up for election in November. These seats are currently vacant and would provide an 8 month “test-drive” for anyone interested in serving. Please email me at EmigrationCanyonUT@gmail.com if you would like to learn more.

We are looking forward to spring in the Wasatch and to hearing from you.

Sincerely yours, Steve Borst Chair, Emigration Canyon Community Council

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FROM THE CHAIR PAGE 1

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METRO TOWNSHIP PAGE 2

spring 2017

FIREWISE PAGE 3

FROM THE FIREHOUSE PAGE 5

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METRO TOWNSHIP COUNCIL& MUNICIPAL SERVICES DISTRICTSubmitted by Rick RaileChair, Emigration Canyon Metro Township Council Vice-Chair, Municipal Services District

In January of 2017, Emigration Canyon became incorporated as a Metro Township, as did four other areas in Salt Lake County: Kearns, Magna, White City and Copperton. Millcreek incorporated as Millcreek City. In the November 2016 general election, the residents of each Metro Township elected five members to serve as their Metro Township Council. Our new Metro Township Council members are: Rick Raile, Chair; Jennifer Hawkes, Vice Chair; David Brems; Kathy Christensen; and Joe Smolka. The Metro Township Council has the power to enact local ordinances and oversee local municipal services.

Salt Lake County will continue to provide municipal services, although each Metro Township council will now have oversight over municipal services through the newly formed Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District (GSLMSD or MSD). The GSLMSD will serve the metro townships and unincorporated areas of Salt Lake County, as well as cities within the county that join or contract with the MSD for municipal services. The MSD will manage the revenue and the budget paying for delivery of municipal services to these areas.

The MSD is managed by a Board of Trustees including the Chair of each Metro Township, one member of the County Council (currently Richard Snelgrove), and the Mayor of Millcreek. The MSD Board of Trustees’ members will have weighted votes based on their community’s population.

Local township councils do not have the ability to directly spend taxpayer dollars. Sales taxes from areas served by the GSLMSD go toward municipal services. Since 1977, the county has paid for municipal services through a separate municipal services fund; the new GSLMSD will operate in similar fashion. Property taxes will continue to go to the Unified Police Department and the Unified Fire Authority as they have in the past.

Municipal services are services often managed by cities and are listed at right.

Municipal Engineering Services ‣ Storm Drainage Maintenance ‣ Inventory and Master Planning ‣ Design and Construction Management ‣ Storm Water Compliance ‣ Hydrologic plan reviews for development ‣ Impact fee management

Sidewalk Construction ‣ Maintenance and Repair ‣ Inventory and Master Planning ‣ Design and Construction Management

Transportation Planning and Engineering ‣ Permits ‣ Road cut permit management ‣ Special event permit management

‣Pavement inventory master planning and management ‣Street lighting master planning and management ‣Road striping management ‣Road safety audits management ‣Traffic calming program ‣Long-range planning ‣Signal warrant management ‣Signage management (Stop signs, Yield signs, etc) ‣School safety zone management ‣Active transportation

Planning and Development Services ‣Zoning ‣Planning Services

‣ General Plans ‣ Strategic (master) plans

‣Development permitting ‣Building code inspection and permitting ‣Zoning code enforcement services

‣ Business license services ‣ Storm water services ‣ Permitting services ‣ Inspection services ‣ Geographic information services (GIS)

Justice Court Services

Municipal Park Services

Community Liaison Services

Animal Services ‣ Shelter ‣ Adoptions ‣ Licensing ‣ Community education

*There may be additional services not listed ** Police, fire and garbage/recycling are separate districts and are not included

www.emigrationcanyon.org spring 2017

The Emigration Canyon Metro Township holds monthly public meetings on the first Tuesday of each month, at the Emigration Canyon fire station starting at 7:00 PM. Meeting agendas can be found online at http://pmn.utah.gov or on the fire house door no later than 24 hours prior to the meeting. All are welcome to attend.

The Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District holds monthly meetings on the second Wednesday of each month at Salt Lake County Government Center, Room N-2-800, 2001 South State Street Salt Lake City, UT 84114 at 6:00 PM. These meetings are also posted on the state public meeting site.

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Mark Your Calendars for Firewise! When: Saturday, May 20th, 2017, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Where: Camp Kostopulos, 4180 Emigration Canyon Rd

Join us for our annual community wildfire preparedness & education event. The national Firewise Communities Program started in 2002 to empower neighbors to work together in reducing their wildfire risk. This year marks the 15th consecutive year that Emigration Canyon has been recognized as a Firewise community - one of only 9 such communities in the nation! The Emigration Canyon Community Council is planning an extra special Firewise event this year to celebrate this achievement.

Come meet with Firefighter Specialists and Officers to find out what you can do to protect your family and your home during the fire season.

Come for a free breakfast catered by Ruth’s Diner, Starbucks coffee, and bring the kids for pictures and photographs with Smokey Bear and Unified Police Department’s mascot Sergeant Siren!

Come rain or shine. We’ll be under the pavilion at Camp K. Come any time between 9 and noon.

‣ Ready-Set-Go! - learn when and how to evacuate ‣ Push To Survive - learn the new CPR protocols ‣ Burn Pan - small household fire fighting 101, hands-on UFA supervised fire

suppression training ‣ UFA Fire Safety Trailer - Teaching kids about hazards in the home ‣ Fire Simulator - watch different scenarios of fire in the canyon ‣ Defensible Space - how to clear fire fuels from around your house ‣ Radon Test - information from the State of Utah ‣ Activities - fun activities and fire swag for the kids ‣ Socialize - catch up with your neighbors

What’s new at FIREWISE this year?

‣ NEW location at Camp Kostopulos

‣ NEW breakfast provided by Ruth’s Diner & Starbucks

‣ NEW mascots: Smokey Bear & Sergeant Siren

‣ NEW information: CPR, radon testing, earthquakes

Celebrating 15 years of Firewise Certification!

Additional Resources The Firewise Program - http://firewise.org

Defensible Space - http://firewise.org/wildfire-preparedness/be-firewise/home-and-landscape/defensible-space.aspx

Ready, Set, Go! Program - http://wildlandfirersg.org

Firewise Landscaping for Utah: http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FirewiseLandscaping2012.pdf

spring 2017www.emigrationcanyon.org

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HOMEOWNER CHECKLISTWildfires don’t have to destroy everything in their path. Science and research have proven that using Firewise principles in your landscaping can minimize damage and prevent losses. The work you do today can make a difference.

Follow these simple action steps now and throughout the year to prepare and help reduce the risk of your home and property becoming fuel for a wildfire:

» Clear needles, leaves and other debris from the roof, gutters, eaves, porches and decks. This reduces the chances of embers igniting your home.

» To reduce ember penetration, replace or repair loose or missing roof shingles or tiles, and caulk any gaps or openings on roof edges.

» Cover exterior attic vents, and enclose under-eave and soffit vents with metal wire mesh no larger than 1/8 inch to prevent embers from entering the home.

» Remove items stored under decks or porches; replace vegetation in these areas with rock or gravel.

» Replace mulch with hardscaping, including rock, gravel or stone. If it can catch fire, don’t let it touch your house, deck or porch.

» Remove flammable items within 30 feet of all structures including firewood piles, portable propane tanks and dry and dead vegetation.

» Dry grass and shrubs are fuel for wildfire so keep your lawn hydrated and maintained. If it is brown, trim it to reduce fire intensity, and don’t let debris and lawn cuttings linger. Dispose of these items quickly to reduce fuel for fire.

» Fire can spread to tree tops. If you have tall trees on your property, prune low hanging branches 6 to 10 feet from the ground and for smaller trees, prune low hanging branches no more than a third of the tree’s height. Remove tall grasses, vines and shrubs from under trees.

» Talk to your neighbors and create a plan for how to address your wildfire safety challenges together. Learn more about how to keep your family

safe and reduce your home’s risk for wildfire damage at firewise.org.

FIREWISETOOLKIT

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From Your Friends at the FirehouseSubmitted by Michael Conn, UFA Emigration Canyon Liaison

Easy to Read Home Addresses Homeowners in Emigration Canyon use many different ways to display addresses on their homes. But some are much easier to read than others! Please take a moment as you drive up to your house and make a note as to when you can first see your address. Think about it in terms of someone who has never been to your house before and they are arriving in the middle of the night. Is the number in an obvious place and easy to read? Is it low to the ground and could possibly get buried in snow? Has a tree or bush grown over it? Is the address facing the direction someone would normally approach from, say from down canyon?

As emergency responders we look for addresses in three main areas, above the front door, above the garage door and on a mailbox. We also recommend that numbers be 4 to 6 inches high and of contrasting color to the background they are placed on. If you would also like to have a decorative stone or a sign with your house number on it, please also make sure those numbers are of a contrasting color to the background and the address is clear of snow, bushes etc. Imagine emergency personnel responding to a 911 call at your address after dark - would you feel confident they could find you easily? If not, please consider upgrading your house address numbers as soon as possible.*

Accessible Fire Hydrants Another item to check is the fire hydrant near your home. The International Fire Code states that it is the property owner’s responsibility to ensure a hydrant is clear of obstruction 36 inches in all directions. In winter months hydrants often become buried in snow. Precious time is lost when fire crews have to dig out a hydrant before being able to connect to it. In warmer months, make sure the hydrant is clear of tree branches, bushes, and other landscaping features. Fire crews do check hydrants every year and if obstructed hydrants are found, we will inform the homeowner and discuss how to improve access to the hydrant.

Daylight Savings Time has Arrived! Please remember when it’s “time” to change your clocks, to also check and change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Most detectors have a 7 to 10 year life span and should be replaced if older. Many have new safety features and are still reasonably priced. If you are not sure how old your detectors are, there should be a manufacture date on the back or sometimes inside of the back. We can provide assistance to those needing help to change batteries in the detectors in their home.

Thank you for taking a moment of your time to improve your own safety and for helping us to respond to emergencies quickly and efficiently.

*The Emigration Canyon Community Council is working with Salt Lake County to obtain reflective address plates for residents for a small fee. ECCC will have information about that program and how homeowners can participate later this year. Please look for that information in upcoming newsletters or on our website.

www.emigrationcanyon.org spring 2017

Canyon Homes Need Defensible Space Everyone knows yard work can be daunting and warmer weather means both our favorite plants and trees in bloom but also other fast growing vegetation that is hard to keep up with! But an annual spring cleanup project can help protect your home and increase your family’s safety so please consider a defensible space evaluation. Increasing defensible space means reducing the fuel load of overgrown greenery around your property to decrease the likelihood of your home burning if a wildfire threatens your area. Best Firewise Practices divide your property into 3 Zones. Zone 1 - is your house and the area extending 10 feet out from it in all directions. Houses constructed of fire resistant material like brick or stucco, with fire resistant asphalt or metal roofs, have a much better chance of withstanding a wildland fire than houses with wood siding or cedar shake roofs. But preventive measures in this zone can makes a huge difference whether or not your home falls victim to wildfire. Cleaning out roof gutters, raking leaves and debris collected around the edges of your home and deck could save your home. More often than not, it is tiny drifting embers called ‘fire brands’ that start little fires in these areas that result in burning down houses and not high flames coming down the hill. Zone 2 - refers to the area 10 to 100 feet away from your house. This is where you want to reduce vegetation as much as possible. Trim back and limb up trees, take out dead fall and break up the continuity of fuels. This helps reduce direct flame encroachment that could destroy your home. Zone 3 - is the area 100 feet or more from your house. This is usually ‘Mother Nature’s’ domain but often there are some easy ways to help ‘her’ out to also decrease this vegetation and further decrease fire danger. Give the UFA a call and we’ll walk your property with you and show you where you can make vegetative fuel reductions and other ways to protect your home and family. Please call Michael Conn with the Unified Fire Authority at (801) 809-2210 to schedule a defensible space evaluation or email me at mconn@ufa-slco.org.

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NOTICES

Email ListPlease sign up for our new email list. If you have previously signed up, please sign up again - our apologies! Our next newsletter will be sent out electronically, so please make sure you sign up at: https://goo.gl/rfX5zi

Reverse 911Everyone should register cell phone numbers for “Reverse 911” so emergency responders can reach you. Go to http://vecc9-1-1.com/voip-registration/ to learn more, or vecc911.onthealert.com to sign up.

Flood Control Sandbags SLCo Public Works provides residents with 25 free sandbags for flood control. Pick up at 604 West 6960 South in Midvale. If you need more than 25 for a particular project, call Rich Judson at (385) 468-6578. More info: http://slco.org/flood-control/flood-preparedness-manual/

Green & Bulk Waste Disposal Wasatch Front Waste & Recycling will deliver one free waste trailer to your house for either green or bulk waste. Go to www.wasatchfrontwaste.org or call (385) 468-6325 to reserve your trailer.

Graffiti If you have any information or see anyone tagging signs in the Canyon, please call Unified Police Dispatch at (801) 743-7000. For graffiti removal, call Public Works at (801) 363-4723.

AT&T Coverage Do you have cell service through AT&T? You can help encourage AT&T to improve coverage in the Canyon by downloading AT&T’s “Mark the Spot” app to report dropped calls, slow data, and areas of no coverage.

Fall 2017 Elections Elections will be held this fall for seats on the ECCC and Metro Township Council. Any Canyon residents may run. Check our website and http://slco.org/clerk/elections/candidate-information/ later this spring for info about how to run.

spring 2017

Canyon Road Safety Reminder

Warm weather is here again (a little early) and with it comes increased numbers of bicyclists and joggers in our canyon. 

Remember that whether we drive, bike, jog or walk along Emigration Canyon roads, we are all equal and legally allowed users. 

Drivers must yield at least 3 feet of clear space between their vehicles and bicyclists. As a driver encountering a bicyclist on a narrow section of road, you must yield to the bicyclist who has the right-of-way.  If you cannot safely pass the bicyclist due to oncoming traffic, slow down behind the bicyclist, relax, take a breath,  then pass the bicyclist when it is safe to do so. Let’s have ‘ZERO Canyon Accidents’ this season!