ECCC NewsLetter February 10, 2023
February 10, 2023
Doesn’t it already feel like it’s been a very long winter? Well, take heart, weary shovelers, we’re only one more month and change from the vernal equinox, daylight savings time, and the first day of spring. Astronomically speaking, anyway. I’m not sure we can expect early daffodils this year, but there will be flowers aplenty next week for Valentine’s Day, and green shoots and warm breezes can only be just so far behind. In the meanwhile, here are a few timely bits of community news and events to fill the idle minutes between snowblower laps.
Public Comment on High-Rise Rezoning at Canyon Mouth Closes February 18
Many of you are probably aware of the zoning change request, now before the Salt Lake City planning commission, that would allow the construction of a high-rise, high-density residential tower just inside the mouth of Emigration Canyon and just outside the township boundary. The request involves two parcels totaling 5.96 acres that sit immediately east and below the towers on Donner Hill. The current zoning is FR-2/21,780 Foothills Residential District, which allows single-family detached homes on lots of at least 21,780 square feet (one half acre). The requested zoning is RMF-75 High Density, Multifamily Residential. The owner’s petition describes one potential use as an eight-story student housing development with two levels of parking and approximately 550 residences.
More information on this request is available on the planning commission’s website. Comments may be submitted through February 18 by email to Kristina Gilmore at: kristina.gilmore@slcgov.com. All four of the township’s representative bodies (the Metro Township Council, community council, planning commission, and EID) have submitted letters opposing the request, and all concerned residents are urged to do likewise. After the comment period ends, the planning commission will schedule a public hearing before making a recommendation to the city council. Don’t miss this opportunity to weigh in on a development that could dramatically affect traffic volume and safety on the canyon road.
CERT Training for Neighborhood Disaster Resilience Starts March 1
The effort to relaunch a Community Emergency Response Team in Emigration Township takes off this month with a hybrid online-classroom training program for all volunteers. The online portion is available today and will be followed by six, two-hour classroom sessions held on alternate Wednesday evenings, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., at Millcreek City Hall starting March 1. A final course review and disaster simulation will be held on May 13 or 20 at a location to be determined.
This is part of a county-wide effort to increase CERT participation following the 5.7 Magna earthquake of March 2020. The county’s response to that event was seriously hampered by the lack of trained and organized local volunteers who could support professional first responders with neighborhood-level intelligence and response capabilities. This vacuum certainly exists in Emigration Township, and it is made even more serious by the possibility that some canyon neighborhoods could be isolated for days or even weeks in the event of a significant natural disaster.
If you’d like to help make your neighborhood—and your neighbors—safer and more disaster resilient, we urge you to join the new CERT team. For more information, contact Tyler Tippetts at tyler@tippetts.cc ASAP.
Fire Hydrant Access: The Home You Save…
It’s a safe bet that you’ve spent a lot of time and energy moving snow this winter. By now you may be on better terms with your snowblower than your significant other, but your driveway and deck are clear for the moment, right? But what about the fire hydrant that might be the difference between minor damage and total loss in the event of a mid-winter fire? Can you even still find it? Some hydrants in the upper canyon are now so deeply buried that even their tall reflective marker stakes are disappearing like the periscopes of diving submarines. How far might a fire spread through your house while firefighters probe the snowbanks in search of water?
Whether the hydrant nearest your home belongs to the EID, the Pinecrest Pipeline Company, or Salt Lake City, the responsibility for keeping it clear and accessible belongs to you and your neighbors. If we don’t do it, nobody else will. Unified Fire Authority suggests that we maintain a three-foot clearing all around the hydrant and all the way down to the base. This allows fire crews enough room to quickly connect their hoses and saves critical minutes. The department’s Information Outreach Division has created a video that demonstrates exactly how much time can be lost when firefighters have to excavate before they can extinguish. Please take a look, then grab your neighbor and a shovel and let some daylight in around your local hydrant. The home you save might be your own.
Recycling Hygiene: How Clean Is Clean Enough?
You’ve probably heard that one contaminated item can condemn a whole truckload of recyclables to the landfill. That’s true, but it raises the question of just how clean is clean enough for recycling. To clarify, our friends at Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling offer the following tips on cleanliness and recyclability:
Does anything drip or leak out of your recyclable item? If yes, pour it out and dry before placing it in the blue can
Do not run your recyclables in the dishwasher
One good wipe with a paper towel or dishrag is good enough for the recycling can
Ask yourself, "Can what is still in here smear or soil other paper recyclables?" If yes, then it’s too dirty to recycle
If cleaning a recyclable item would take too much water, then throw it out
Never put a plastic bag into your blue can, even to hold other recyclables
They’ve even produced a short video to eliminate any trace of transferrable uncertainty. Check it out, then take those extra few seconds to be sure the items you recycle go back into the materials supply chain, not into the landfill.