Homecoming

Friday night was Homecoming night at Hunter High School's football game vs the Cyprus Pirates. This was an important game for both schools and many people turned out to support both area high schools. The stands were packed shoulder to shoulder with people as the game began and I was surrounded by family from various generations of high school past. I represent the family cut off point, as I had grandparents, parents, and numerous cousins that are all proud Cyprus graduates, yet I was the first one to break that tradition, being that I was in the first full graduating class of Hunter High. Since then I have family excel in Hunter athletics, academics, and student government and thus have started many new traditions. Ultimately in this game the Wolverines proved to be too much for the Pirates to handle, and the younger generation was able to console the older. I make mention of all this today, because it was an enjoyable time for everyone and a good example of the community coming together to exhibit some civic pride. Next week is a sequel of sorts as Hunter will travel to Granger in another West Valley City area homecoming bowl game. I am sure that this game will also be accompanied by a similar feel of friendly community rivalry, unity, and pride.

Transit Hub

Thursday we were pleased to join with Utah Transit Authority officials to officially open the City Center Intermodal Transit Hub under beautiful clear warm skies. This station will not only be the connecting point for numerous Bus and BRT service, but is really the first step in establishing a West Valley City Center. Future plans call for this to also be adjoining a Trax station and will also connect to an even larger City Hall Plaza that will feature different artistic amenities and be a regional gathering place. The transit is also excepted to provide a boost to the City Center redevelopment plans that will offer some taller buildings and a more urban and walkable downtown experience. After the official welcoming and recognition of those that made this project possible, those in attendance enjoyed a Mexican food treat and mingled in the plaza.

Busy Busy Week

There have been many interesting and important things happen this past week in conjunction with my West Valley City duties. In order to keep this post manageable in length I will resort to using a 'Top Seven' list to highlight these events. As always please feel free to contact me if you are interested in receiving more information on any of the following. My email address is simply corey@coreyrushton.com. Here is the list in no particular order:

1. Municipal Primary Election Day. Congratulations to all those candidates that advanced to the General Election with gratitude to the rest of the candidates that worked so hard with the best interest of our City at heart. I had the pleasure of conducting the Opening Ceremony at City Council meeting last night, and I chose to share a favorite poem of mine titled "The Poor Voter on Election Day" by John Whittier. If the poet's name sounds familiar it is because the first Hunter area school was named after him.
2. Energy Efficiency Block Grant. The City received over 1.1 million dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to upgrade and convert some city lights, traffic signals, and HVAC to more modern and energy efficient models.
3. Bond Closing. As Chairman of the City's Redevelopment agency I spent an afternoon signing dozens of documents in sextuplet to pre-close on a 9 million dollar bond that will be used to kick start the financing within the City Center Valley Fair Mall redevelopment. I was excited about the extremely good rates that we received on the bonds due to realtionship between the current bond market and West Valley City's strong financial condition.
4. Jordan River Canoe Trip. I spent Saturday morning with a couple of elected officials and City staff canoeing down the West Valley City section of the Jordan River. While on this trip we experienced "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" aspects of the current state of the Jordan River. The knowledge gained on this trip will be very valuable in my role as City representative and co-chair of the Blueprint Jordan River Committee as well as the developments planned along the river at the UCCC.
5. Street Light Purchase. After years of negotiation the City has reached an agreement with Rocky Mountain Power to purchase their street light system within the City. As owners of the street light system we will now be able to save approximately $500,000 annually as we will be on a cheaper pay schedule.
6. Partnership with Salt Lake City to combat crime. With an inter-local agreement Utah's two largest cities have partnered in a cooperative effort to fight problems associated with drugs, prostitution, and gangs. Working cooperatively with Salt Lake City and partially financed by a COPS Methamphetamine Grant we anticipate that the shared information and resources will help put an end to much of these types of illegal activity instead of just scaring criminals back and forth between cities.
7. New Animal Shelter Grand Opening. This certainly falls under the last but not least category as the new facility on 4400 West and 3500 South is a modern and beautiful state of the art facility, that is dedicated to Community Preservation and Animal Service efforts. I was also pleased to see so many animal lovers, workers, and advocates at the Grand Opening.

Labor Day Picnic

Today, Emily and I enjoyed spending much of the afternoon out at Copper Park in Magna at the annual Labor Day picnic. The park was packed with participants that came to see the vast display of unique autos at the car show and indulge in some of the various game and food options. It was especially nice to so many people from West Valley City at the park and I spent a lot of time talking with them about all of the good things that are shaping up in West Valley. I also answered a few common questions like, "When is the construction of 3500 South going to be completed?" Overall I received some good feedback from West Valley residents and enjoyed getting to know them and their neighborhoods better. With this being Labor Day I am especially pleased at how West Valley City Economic Development is taking great strides to attract and retain quality businesses and employment centers. With a number of redevelopment options currently on the table, I expect West Valley City to be at the forefront of economic recovery with good jobs and business opportunities.