Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Housing Crisis

As we individually and collectively battle against the economic recession I have become more and more aware of the impacts and hardships placed upon members of our West Valley City community. The housing market continues to a focal point of economic woes and as a City Council we have seen applications for new housing projects almost entirely off of the map. The City has little regulatory control to influence the housing market, but as a City we recognize the importance of having healthy neighborhoods and the impact that that has on numerous other areas of City life and services. I reported some neighborhood trends during one study meeting and the rest of the City Council supported me in asking the executive staff to draft and send a letter to individuals and entities that do have regulatory influence or legislative means to affect the housing foreclosure crisis and subsequent fall out. As every community is experiencing things differently it is also important to provide West Valley City's perspective. The following is the body of that letter that sent:


As you no doubt have been painfully aware over the past many months, stability of the housing markets has continued to be an issue. As part of our efforts to continue the struggle to maintain and strengthen our neighborhoods, we thought a reminder of our ongoing efforts and the importance of the support of our friends at the federal level would be appropriate.

Foreclosures and the negative impact they have on rates of home ownership and strength of communities and neighborhoods continue to be an issue for us. While we have been blessed in the case that our foreclosure numbers are relatively widespread and not concentrated in neighborhoods, they do indeed exist, and properties in foreclosure or close to foreclosure number in the thousands in our city.

There are a number of ways that we have combated the effect of this on our city. We have a very strong police, neighborhood support and legal presence that have done everything we could do to encourage and support quality of life in our neighborhoods. Another component of that effort has been our use and cooperation with federal programs including Community Development Block Grants, HOME Investment Partnership, housing assistance programs, etc.

Your continued support of these and other federal programs such as the Home Affordable Modification Program is appreciated. Although we don’t directly participate in programs such as this, the important and positive effect on our community is important nonetheless.

Thanks again for your great support of us in the past, and we implore you to continue and strengthen that support as it is possible.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Summer Open Letter to West Valley City Residents

The following is my open letter to the residents of West Valley City as published in ths August edition of The West Valley Journal:


Silver Linings
A message from Councilmember Corey Rushton

Recently I paid a visit to Kennedy Junior High and engaged in several conversations recollecting the esteemed faculty and school traditions that I enjoyed while attending that institution years ago. Upon reflection, I am extremely grateful to Mrs. Page and her Freshman English Class for providing me with a foundation in various literary works that I still ponder and utilize to this day. One such book that we intently studied was, “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens. This classic tale of thematic social commentary begins with the famous lines, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

I repeat these words because I feel a similar sentiment among many of the West Valley City residents and businesses that I serve. I realize that current and lingering economic conditions have produced many challenges and hardships. However, I am as optimistic as ever about the future progress of West Valley City and want to share some positive developments that have come forth from the midst of this recession.

The city has been able to take advantage of historically low interest rates by refinancing several outstanding bonds. The hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings will help reduce overall debt and benefit the taxpayers. Also, we are witnessing monetary savings throughout our bid process, as more companies are submitting competitive bids to work on city infrastructure. Many of these bids have come in hundreds of thousands of dollars below budget, giving us more purchasing power for reinvestment opportunities. Additionally, city departments have all had to tighten their operating budgets, requiring them to identify excess and increase productivity. During this time the police department is pleased to report an overall reduction in violent crimes.

Many of these innovative principles can be incorporated on an individual level and I encourage everyone to look for new ways to save resources, to reinvest in their homes, and to find new ways to be productive members of the community. To this Charles Dickens would agree, for he also wrote, “Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” Take advantage of these times and together we will move forward as a city one household at a time.

Police & Fire and 30th Reunion

Sometimes as a community and as individuals we get caught up in number of various city issues like development, events, and aesthetic issues and momentarily lose sight of the paramount importance of the most important issue facing any city-Public Safety. The professional men, women, and canniness that serve and protect our city effectively do their jobs round the clock. When an emergency rises we are fortunate to have their services ready to respond. A high profile leader from another community once told me that if he couldn't have public safety officials from his own city respond to an emergency then he would definitely want West Valley City officers and fire instead. This and other conversations have provided me with good feedback and I am proud that public safety leaders in many other communities across the Wasatch front got their training and start in West Valley City. As it is always important to keep this in mind I was thrilled when Police Chief Nielsen and Fire Chief Evans presented myself and other members of the City Council with our 30th Anniversary Police and Fire Badges. The badges were frame to presumably prevent me from either losing or attempting to use them with an inscription that reads:

Councilmemember Corey L. Rushton
Proudly serving and protecting the citizens of
West Valley City
Presented by Chief Thayle "Buzz" Nielsen
Chief John Evans


Also recently a number of previous members of the City Council gathered for a 30th anniversary lunch. It was great opportunity for all to share memories and review City progress as well laugh at each other. I am grateful for the vision and efforts of those that have served before I have and how they have strongly positioned West Valley City for the future.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Jordan River Update

West Valley City was the first city to sign on to the inter-local agreement in establishing the Jordan River Commission. Since the Mayor was out of town performing Sister City duties in Taiwan the duty and honor of signing this resolution was passed to me as Mayor Pro Tem. We had a signing ceremony where several interested legislators, municipalities, and other interested agencies attended. You can read more about that event here:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700046083/West-Valley-City-enters-Jordan-River-Commission.html

I was also invited to the Utah Watershed symposium to give an update of the proposal to the many various water experts in attendance. That event also saw many other municipalities sign onto the inter-local agreement. In semi-conjunction with this event I organized a Jordan River kayak trip for interested members of the City Council and Executive Staff. Many of West Valley City departments were represented on the trip as we paddled are way through the West Valley section of the river. We stopped mid way to take a break and to examine some of the challenges and opportunities by foot before continuing on. Since the trip everyone involved has expressed a better understanding and an increased appreciation of the Jordan River. West Valley City will continue to be at the forefront of preserving and promoting the Jordan River.

Subsequently, I attended West Jordan's City Council meeting where they discussed the merits of the Jordan River Commission. The West Jordan City Council was gracious enough to allow me some time to answers questions and give some perspective. As they continue to debate this measure I was pleased to see a ringing endorsement from KSL on the matter:

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=238&sid=11966959

We will continue to move forward in this process and look for collaborative efforts to enhance this natural amenity.

Urban Farm Initiative

Utilizing the scare resources in our region and a robust agricultural heritage is a big part in our community's fabric and history. The Rushton family tomato farm has been an enduring staple in the Hunter area of West Valley City for decades. Through this I have realized the importance and the benefits that local urban farms have on the community. The open space, the natural environment, and boost to the local economy are all highly desirable commodities even if you are not a vegetable consumer. Salt Lake County has come to similar conclusions and wants to utilize unused space for similar purposes including plant production for bio fuels. As interest in sustainable initiatives such as this grows it is important to look for ways to partner with this County initiative to better serve West Valley City residents. Here is a list of progress as reported by the Salt Lake County:

•Assignment of Urban Farming duties to the County's Open Space Coordinator.
•A functional Urban Farming Technical Advisory Committee that includes representation from of a variety of land use and farming interests, including representatives of Wasatch Community Gardens, Slow Food Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,Utah State University, Utah Department of Agriculture, Great Salt Lake Resource Conservation District to name a few.
•Urban Farming program guidelines that were presented to the County Council on October 27, 2009.
•An Open House introducing the Urban Farming program was held on January 21, 2010.
•An RFP for commercial farming was issued on April 23, 2010.
•20 acres of a 200 acre parcel growing safflower as a bio fuel feedstock crop.
•80 acres in Bluffdale that was purchased as a future park site is actively farmed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
•29 acres spread among 5 unique parcels under contract for local food production (1parcel is still in contract negotiation phase.)
•An active refugee community garden near the Redwood Recreation Center under the leadership of Ze Xiao and Michael Gallegos.
•29 acres spread among 23 parcels identified as potential micro-farming/community garden sites. Additionally, the County's Urban Farming program continues to attract local and national press.

The City Council had a recent presentation on the community garden near the Redwood Recreation Center and it is shaping up to be a good addition to West Valley City.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Utah Debut


Just a quick update, as today I received word a that Dickey's BBQ Pit, a Texas based resturant will be opening a location in West Valley City. From the looks of thier website it seems like it will be a good addition to the already diverse group of food choices that have emerged on 5600 West. The Dickey BBQ Pit Wesbsite explains their company history as:

"In 1941, the Dickey family opened the original Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Dallas. Nearly 70 years later, we are still a family business with the same goal: “Serve everyone great barbecue.”

Our family’s secret to success? We have a passion for barbecue and a passion for our customers. We take great pride and care in both."


You can explore more at: http://www.dickeys.com/index.aspx