The April edition of The Eagle’s View is ready for your enjoyment. This month, we learn about the deer crossing on SR-73, flood preparedness and learn the meaning of crab mentality. Read here.
The Eagle Mountain Blvd. roundabout project has been delayed until further notice.
The project, which will replace the roundabout at Eagle Mountain Blvd. and Pony Express Pkwy. with a traffic signal, was postponed after the City rejected a bid that came in significantly over budget.
“It was almost double what we were thinking when the bid came back,” says Bryce Mcrae, Engineer in Training with Eagle Mountain City.
According to Mcrae, the overbudget bid was the only one the City received for the project.
“One of the main reasons why we rejected it was cost,” says Mcrae. “And then, the roundabout is still working right now.”
Even during busy times of the day, the roundabout still functions with a good level of service, says Mcrae. For this reason, the City’s Engineering department feels less pressure to complete the project urgently.
“We will do this project. It needs to be done,” says Mcrae. “But for the time being, it’s not a major concern.”
The project has been of significant interest to many residents in the Eagle Mountain City Citizens Facebook group, with several individuals voicing support for, or disapproval of, the project.
“Statistically speaking, roundabouts are significantly safer than traditional intersections. Fender benders will happen, yeah. But severe accidents at higher rates of speed are basically eradicated,” wrote one resident, Mandy Lane. “Paint the correct lines on it, post some ‘how to use the roundabout’ videos and keep it.”
“Stoplight[s] will be so much better long term, especially when they widen Pony Express,” another resident, Christopher Russell, said in favor of the project. “It’s not an if, but a when we’ll need a stoplight, and it’s better to do it now than wait until the city is twice the size in population.”
Mcrae says that the four-way traffic signal will allow for smoother flow of north and southbound traffic toward Meta, and east and westbound traffic on Eagle Mountain Blvd.
“Once a signal is in, you’re just going to have smoother flows and timing throughout that whole area,” he says.
According to Mcrae, the Engineering department does not have a firm timeline for when the roundabout will be replaced. However, Mcrae anticipates the project could be completed within the next few years.
In the meantime, the City will be focusing on the Eagle Mountain Intersection Improvement Project, which will make needed improvements to four major intersections throughout the city.
The project will replace the four-way stop sign at Major St. and Eagle Mountain Blvd. with a traffic signal, add a traffic signal at Stonebridge Ln. on Ranches Pkwy., add a signal at Woodhaven Blvd. and Pony Express and extend the length of the left turn lane on eastbound Pony Express toward Ranches Pkwy.
The Intersection Improvements Project is currently out for bid. Mcrae anticipates the bid will be awarded at the May 2 City Council meeting.
Assuming material availability, Mcrae says all four intersection projects should be completed by the middle of October this year.
Learn more about upcoming intersection improvement projects.
Preparations are underway for the 2023 Municipal Primary and General elections.
The Eagle Mountain Municipal General Election will be held in November of this year, but the City Recorder’s Office has been preparing since February.
Lianne Pengra, Chief Deputy Recorder with Eagle Mountain City, says that the Recorder’s Office is responsible for putting together a candidate orientation guide and information packet each election cycle.
“It basically lists every single important date that [candidates] are going to have from the time that they sign up to the time that they are sworn in,” says Pengra.
The Recorder’s Office updates the pamphlet each election cycle to reflect changes and decisions made during the state’s legislative session, held the beginning of each year, according to Pengra.
This year, three seats on the Eagle Mountain City Council will be up for election. The terms will run from 2024 through 2027.
The filing period for declaration of candidacy will begin June 1 and end on June 7 at 5 p.m.
Residents who are interested in becoming a candidate for municipal office must file a declaration of candidacy in-person with the City Recorder’s Office.
Prospective candidates must be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years old, registered to vote and must have lived in Eagle Mountain (or a recently annexed area) for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the election.
When the filing period for declaration of candidacy closes, the Recorder’s Office will determine if a primary election is necessary. If more than six candidates file to run for City Council, then a primary election will be held on Aug. 15 to determine the six candidates that will appear on the general election ballot.
Each election cycle, voter turnout is carefully measured on the municipal, county, state and federal levels. For last year’s 2022 General Election, Eagle Mountain voting precincts had an average voter turnout of 55.67%, compared to the county average of 62%, according to the Utah County Elections Division.
Pengra says mayoral elections usually have a larger voter turnout than elections for other municipal offices.
“The margins are there that every vote really does matter,” says Pengra, noting how the 2021 mayoral election was decided by 207 votes. “If you feel passionate about something and there’s a candidate that really stands for what you believe in, your vote matters,” she says.
Pengra also encourages students to get out and vote in the Eagle Mountain City Youth City Council election, which will take place May 9. A ballot box polling location will be placed at City Hall from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“[Residents] can have their students get a jumpstart on the election season by bringing them [to City Hall] to vote,” Pengra says.
The voter registration deadline for the general municipal election in Eagle Mountain will be Oct. 27. Voter registration must be received by the Utah County Clerk before 5 p.m. that day.
Residents who are not registered to vote may still do so by casting a provisional ballot during the early voting period. If necessary, the voter registration deadline for the primary election will be Aug. 4 at 5 p.m.
Following the election on Nov. 7, newly-elected municipal officers will begin their terms at Noon on the first Monday of the new year, and will take their oath of office at the first City Council meeting in January.
For more information on Eagle Mountain municipal elections, visit the City’s Elections & Voting website.
Now is the time for Eagle Mountain residents to do a little spring cleaning.
The Spring Community Clean-up, a semi-annual service provided by Eagle Mountain City, begins today and will run until Monday, April 24. As part of the community clean-up, dumpsters will be provided at Cory Wride Memorial Park.
“We know that it’s hard for residents to get to the landfill, and a lot of residents probably don’t have trucks or trailers or access to them,” says Dawn Hancock, Eagle Mountain City Events Manager.
Hancock, who has taken part in the event each year for the last 10 years, says that the City wants to help ease the burden of spring cleaning on residents.
“We just want to make sure we’re doing our part in helping them declutter their homes, clean up their yards, keep the community tidy without it being too much of a burden on them,” she says.
Dumpsters will be available to residents beginning at 4 p.m. on Thursday, and will run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Dumpsters will also be provided from 8 a.m. until Noon on Monday.
A shredding truck will be available at the park from 10 a.m. to Noon on Saturday. Residents simply need to drop off any documents that need to be shredded and staff will shred everything on location.
Hancock says that residents may also want to watch their documents be shredded instead of dropping them off.
Residents are able to dump yard waste, e-waste (in the specified e-waste bins) and light household waste at the dumpsters.
However, animal remains, paint, commercial waste, tires, appliances, furniture, mattresses, explosives, barbed wire, dirt, rocks oversized items and any hazardous waste will not be accepted at the dumpsters.
“It’s hard for us to maintain the dumpsters when we have those big, bulky items. They fill up too fast. And then the other residents don’t have the opportunity to dump their smaller loads,” says Hancock. “So that’s why we provide the additional dump passes. [They] are in addition to the two that [residents] get annually so they can still get rid of those items but not use up their two annual dump passes.”
While mattresses, tires and refrigerators may come with an additional fee, the dump pass will allow residents to dispose of all other items at the landfill free of charge.
To assist residents further, Hancock says that this year the City has partnered with Quality Roofing and Energy to provide a dump truck on site.
“They’re a local business,” says Hancock. “So anyone who brings furniture items, appliances or those oversized items, we’ll be loading onto that trailer and then that company will take the trailer to the landfills for the residents that are being turned away.”
Because some may be turned away, Hancock asks residents using the dumpsters to remember to be kind to staff.
“Please, when it comes, be kind and courteous to the staff,” she says. “They’re just following the rules we have in place from ACE recycle and the landfill…often we get yelled at and sworn at.”
The dumpsters will be emptied periodically. If residents have questions about the dumpsters, they are encouraged to reach out to Eagle Mountain City on social media.
A dip in temperatures has again delayed lane restriping of Eagle Mountain Blvd., which was previously planned to be completed this week.
The restriping of Eagle Mountain Blvd. has been in the works for months, according to Chris Trusty, Eagle Mountain City engineer. A wetter-and-colder-than-average winter has repeatedly delayed completion of the project.
“It just doesn’t hold if it gets below freezing,” says Trusty. “It looked promising two weeks ago, the forecast looked good. But then we just had to kind of pull back.”
The restriping project has been a concern among some residents who have been waiting for the project’s completion since early winter. Some residents have made their concerns known in the Eagle Mountain City Citizens Facebook page.
“Since they widened the road, it’s become a guessing game where your lane is. Especially at night,” said one resident on social media in January.
“A barrier should be put up immediately and the lines need to be repainted as well – a serious accident is going to happen there if something isn’t done soon,” another resident posted.
Trusty says he recognizes that the road was striped in less-than-ideal conditions after a portion of the roadway was widened in summer 2022.
“The road was a little bit dirty when we did it before and it was cold,” he says. “And we don’t want to make that mistake again.”
In addition to colder temperatures, the amount of precipitation Utah has received since December has made it impossible to restripe Eagle Mountain Blvd. 2023 has been the third wettest year to date since 1985.
“We also want to make sure it’s dry,” says Trusty. “We don’t want to paint it and then have it rain.”
Trusty says that the weather will need to be dry and within 40-60° F consistently for three or four days before the conditions will be optimal for restriping.
Prior to restriping, crews will remove existing striping and clean the road to ensure a lasting application, according to Trusty. He says he is hopeful that warmer temperatures next week will allow crews to both prepare the road and repaint the striping.
In the meantime, the City Streets department will continue to mark the road with temporary paint and reflective tabs.
Trusty says that by waiting for optimal conditions, the lane striping on Eagle Mountain Blvd should last for several years, with periodic touch-ups every three or four years.
Restriping for Eagle Mountain Blvd. is tentatively planned for later this month, depending on the weather.
One Eagle Mountain road remains closed for repairs after the Oak Springs Channel spilled over Tuesday evening.
Belle St, located off SR-73 in northwest Eagle Mountain, was closed on Tuesday so crews could work to contain floodwater that began spilling over onto the road. After water breached the banks of the Oak Springs Channel where it crosses Belle St, it began flowing toward SR-73.
Stormwater crews received a call about water on SR-73 about 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, according to Larry Diamond, Stormwater Supervisor for the City.
According to Diamond, crews built two levees across Belle St to contain the water in the channel and built two dirt berms to divert the water away from the road.
“We hauled dirt in dump trucks, loads of dirt,” says Diamond. “I think we brought in 6 truckloads of dirt and UDOT brought two dump truck loads of dirt in.”
While crews worked to contain the flooding, deputies from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office – Eagle Mountain Division worked to slow traffic on SR-73 and divert motorists away from the flow of water.
Around 8 p.m., the flood was contained and all lanes of SR-73 were reopened, according to Diamond.
While Belle St remains closed until further notice for repairs, Diamond says he feels confident the water will remain contained in the channels until the spring runoff is finished.
“We’re being watchful of all the washes through the city, …but we feel pretty confident that we’ve got it under control as of now,” he says.
Even though the water is contained, Diamond says this does not mean it is safe for residents to go near the washes, especially the Tickville Wash, which is currently flowing at a high capacity.
“People need to know how much water is actually coming down this wash. If a person gets in there, it will wash them all the way down. There’s no way to get out,” says Diamond. “Even a grown adult, there’s so much flowing water and the water is so cold. It’s dangerous. Stay away from it.”
The Stormwater Department plans to put signs in place warning residents of the dangers of the swiftly-moving washes, according to Diamond.
Diamond says that because most of the floodwater is runoff from the foothills, there is little concern of residential flooding at this time. However, residents who would like to be prepared can pick up sandbags at City Hall (1650 Stagecoach Run) and the Eagle Mountain Community Development Building (3726 E Campus Drive) free of charge. Sand resources can be found at While Hills Park, the Rodeo Grounds parking lot, the North Ranch Park parking lot and the paved parking lot at Silverlake Amphitheater.
Diamond says the sandbags and sand resources will be available until the Stormwater Department feels all risk of flooding has passed.
To report flooding or for questions about sandbag resources, please contact (801) 789-5959 opt. #4.
As the weather warms, Eagle Mountain City’s Parks department is once again planning to combat graffiti at the community’s skate park.
The skatepark, located at Pony Express Park, is occasionally closed to residents so clean-up crews can remove graffiti and make repairs to other vandalism.
Greg Robinson, Parks and Cemeteries supervisor, is responsible for graffiti clean-up efforts. Though vandalism reports slow during the winter months, Robinson says the Parks department saw several reports of graffiti last year.
“The skate park… [vandalism] was happening on a monthly basis, minimum,” Robinson says. “Sometimes it’d be more often, like multiple times a week.”
For Robinson and the Parks department, removing the graffiti in a timely manner is considered a high priority due to what many would consider inappropriate words and depictions of human body parts drawn on the concrete.
According to Robinson, the method of removal depends on the severity of the damage.
“If we feel like it’s something we can do ourselves, we clean it up within our department,” he says. “If it’s something we feel we cannot get cleaned up, then we would hire an outside source to clean it up.”
Robinson says that the damages can range from $300 to more than $1,500 of taxpayer money to repair. It can also cost City staff valuable time that could be dedicated to other projects throughout the community.
“It’s a time thing for us, just an inconvenience,” he says. “And then, for the people that use that skate park as it’s intended to be used…they’re inconvenienced because the skate park is closed.”
According to Robinson, the Parks department installed a gate to mitigate vandalism in the skate park. However, the alleged vandals removed the gate entirely, throwing it in the weeds.
Robinson anticipates that the number of vandalism reports will increase as the summer months approach.
A study by Horowitz & Tobaly found that the primary motives for vandalism are anger/frustration, boredom, erosion, aesthetics and catharsis. It also found that vandals are primarily around 12-15 years of age, and are typically students. Robinson says this description fits the alleged perpetrators of graffiti vandalism in Eagle Mountain.
“Most of it is what you would think junior high kids would spray paint,” he says. “Most of it is inappropriate language or images, stuff like that.”
Robinson says that the Parks department has also seen an increase in vandalism lately in the bathrooms and other buildings at Cory Wride Memorial Park and Nolan Park.
Another skate park is planned as part of the City’s Smith Ranch Park effort planned to start construction this summer.
Residents who spot graffiti or other vandalism are encouraged to report it to the Parks department through the resident portal. If residents see any acts of vandalism in progress, they should notify the Utah County Sheriff’s Office Eagle Mountain division.
Eagle Mountain City has considered cameras at the skate park location to combat graffiti and other forms of vandalism. No timeline currently exists for implementing security cameras.
Meta’s Eagle Mountain Data Center first announced the winners of its 2023 Community Action Grant in March, and awarded the recipients at an award ceremony in Eagle Mountain on March 29.
“Eagle Mountain is our home, and we are committed to creating a positive impact in the communities that host us,” says William Marks, Community Development Regional Manager with Meta.
The Community Action Grant is awarded to organizations that utilize technology in their efforts to better the community.
“We are proud to support organizations and projects that meet community needs by putting the power of technology to use for community benefit, connecting people online or off, and improve STEM education through the Data Center Community Action Grants program,” says Marks.
Of the 26 winners, four were local to the Cedar Valley: Cedar Valley Elementary School, the Eagle Mountain Arts Alliance, the Eagle Mountain Performing Arts Coalition and Pony Express Elementary School.
Cedar Valley Elementary School – for collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity through Finch robots and Snap Circuits technology.
Eagle Mountain Arts Alliance – to provide sound and camera equipment and streaming technology to reach out to the Eagle Mountain community.
Eagle Mountain Performing Arts Coalition (Eagle Mountain Symphony Orchestra and Eagle Mountain Community Theatre) – for technology such as laptops, speakers, keyboards and video production equipment to enhance the sharing of local performances.
Pony Express Elementary School – to support a school greenhouse to help students learn about science, nature, plants and the environment.
According to Marks, the Community Action Grant program has provided millions in funding across the United States and Europe since the program first started in 2011. In Eagle Mountain, $630,000 has been awarded through the program in the last three years. More than $2 million in additional STEM, sustainability and small business grants have also been awarded in Eagle Mountain during that time, says Marks.
“As a company focused on community, we are humbled by the work that you do to make our community a better place,” says Marks of the grant recipients.
Below is a complete list of the 2023 Data Center Community Action Grants Recipients.
- ACE Mentor Program of Utah, Inc.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County
- Cedar Valley Elementary
- Centro Hispano
- Dan W. Peterson School
- Eagle Mountain Arts Alliance
- Eagle Mountain Performing Arts Coalition
- Equality Utah
- Forge Forward Project
- Fox Hollow elementary
- Just for Kids of Utah County
- Orem Junior High
- Parkside Elementary
- Pony Express Elementary
- Provo Bicycle Collective
- Salt Lake Community College Foundation
- Tech-Moms
- The Happy Giraffe Company
- The Leonardo Museum
- The V School
- United Way of Utah County
- Utah 4-H – USU Extension
- Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind Education Foundation
- Utah Valley University
- Valley View Elementary
- Vista Heights Middle School
One individual was killed after being buried by an avalanche near Cedar Fort on Monday.
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office received a call just after 6 p.m. reporting that at least one individual had been trapped by an avalanche in Pole Canyon, northwest of Cedar Fort.
A 38-year-old man, later identified as Brett Howard Warner, of Highland, was snowmobiling with a family member near the top of Pole Canyon when the avalanche started, according to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
“The avalanche apparently slid down the ridgeline about 1,500 feet down the mountain – a distance of about a little more than half a mile,” says Sgt. Spencer Cannon, Public Information Officer with the UCSO.
Warner, who was an experienced snowmobiler, was carrying backcountry avalanche safety equipment and deployed his emergency airbag, meant to prevent the wearer from becoming completely buried by an avalanche, but the Utah County Sheriff’s Office says it was ineffective against the volume of snow.
Both Warner and the other snowmobiler were also wearing emergency beacons, says Cannon.
“The way those beacons work is that it’s on ‘transmit mode’ when you’re up engaging in your activity. If something happens and somebody gets buried, as we believe happened in this situation, then you turn your own beacon on to ‘receive mode’ so you receive the signal from the person who is in trouble.”
Utah County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue arrived on the scene by LifeFlight and DPS helicopters, according to Cannon.
Though the rescue mission did not pose “unreasonable risk” to team members, Cannon says the area still has “considerable” avalanche danger.
“Conditions like this area are very difficult… It’s challenging, it’s very steep terrain,” he says. “There are other areas in this bowl-shaped area where avalanche conditions exist, and you have to be cautious of those possibilities.”
Rescuers used new technology, a long probe that emits noise when contact is made with an avalanche victim’s transmitter, to find the location where Warner was buried. At 8:19 p.m., Warner was discovered deceased under 22 feet of snow by Utah County Search and Rescue.
Rescue crews recovered Warner’s body and removed it from the mountain with the help of the DPS helicopter crew.
Cannon says the avalanche traveled more than half a mile and it was estimated to be more than 30 feet deep at the bottom of the slide.
According to FEMA, an average of 28 people die each winter in avalanches in the United States. Learn more about avalanche preparedness.
The March edition of The Eagle’s View is ready for your enjoyment. This month, we hear about civility in politics, Eagle Mountain’s pigeons and prepare for earthquake safety. Read here.
