Washington City Boilers

Recently the Washington City Mayor and Council met on-site at the Washington City Boilers to discuss future options for this unique feature and ecosystem. The Boilers are a natural hotspring located between I-15 and Buena Vista Parkway. This "old swimming hole" has been a rich part of the history of our community. The Mayor and Council met to evaluate its current condition and discuss future options to preserve and enhance this wonderful gem of our community.

Christmas in Dixie

By Guest Writer Shannon Hinman stgeorgemom.com

Every year my family and I have attended the Christmas in Dixie Annual Tree Lighting in Washington City at Nisson Park. We have lived in Washington City for over 4 years now and this event has become a family tradition. We enjoy listening to the local school choirs and then watching the giant tree light up. We warm ourselves with hot chocolate and treats. To top it all off, Santa Clause visits. I love the look on my kids' faces when they see him and his helping elves. I feel thankful to live in an area that has everything I could ask for including a small town feel.

Christmas in Dixie 2012 Tree Lighting is Monday Nov 26 at 6pm.

Christmas Tree Lighting 2011

Christmas Tree Lighting 2010

Agricultural Business Zone

Recently the Washington City Council and Planning Commission approved the creation of an "agricultural business zone". This discussion and idea has been developing for some time. The request to create this zone was presented to the city by Sherrie Reeder, representing Staheli Farms. The purpose of this zone is to allow farmers to develop and use their lands beyond traditional agricultural uses. Allowing farmers to develop business options for their land, beyond the normal uses, gives them additional economic incentives to keep these farms functioning and maintains the open spaces found in our community. Some additional uses of the farms in our community have included: petting farms, sports parks, youth conferences, concerts, farm camps, and holiday events. We are excited about this new concept in our community and the benefits it will bring.

Annual Budget Report

Throughout the course of a year, Washington City produces a lot of reports and studies that could almost be overwhelming to one interested in an overall understanding of how the city is doing. For those individuals in our community who have an interest in knowing how the city is doing financially, the goals of departments, strategic plans, construction plans for this year and into the future and how we are performing, I would like to refer you to our *Annual Budget Report*. This award-winning report is a "one stop" location to get a good feel of what we do in the city and how we are doing it. It is written with you-the citizens-in mind and I think you will find it understandable and a good communication tool. It is lengthy because it encompasses many other independently printed reports. If you have a chance to look through this document and have some suggestions please let us know.

These City Financial documents can be found at washingtoncity.org/finance

-Roger Carter, City Manager.

Quarterly Investment Report Presented to Council

At the September 26th Council meeting, the Washington City Council reviewed the quarterly investment report from the City Treasurer's office. In early 2012 the Washington City Council approved an investment policy and directed the Treasurer to invest city funds in public investment tools that ensured safety, allowed for liquidity and maximized the investment return on these funds. The Treasurer reported a gain on investment of over $200,000 in interest earnings this year compared to what would have been an investment pool yield of $70,000. These funds are primarily located in U.S. Treasury
Securities.

Mayor and Council Review Intersection Design

The Mayor and members of the Washington City Council took advantage of a break at recent meetings in Salt Lake City to meet with UDOT on intersection design. The Mayor and council reviewed a road and traffic concept at 106th South that is being proposed as a possible solution for the intersection at Green Spring and Telegraph Street. It was very informative and will be a concept that will be presented, along with others, to the public in the near future

Covington Home

Covington Mansion 1940s

Happy Cotton Days everyone! This, of course is the week that we celebrate our heritage in Washington City. Over 150 years ago, the city of Washington was founded. What a great week this will be, to honor our heritage, marvel at how far we have come, and ponder upon our future. I hope you will all take advantage of the events of this week. For a complete list of events please look at the schedule located at
www.cottondays.org.

There is probably not a better week to formally announce the acquisition, by the city, of the historic Robert Covington Home. This home, located at approximately 200 North and 200 East, is the oldest home in Washington County and is a historic landmark to our city.

Robert Dockery Covington was called by Brigham Young to lead one of two parties to southwest Utah to investigate the ability to grow Cotton. Their arrival in April of 1857 marked the beginning of the Cotton Mission and the establishment of Washington City. The stories of these early settlers is both frustrating and inspiring as they scratched out their existence in this hot desert climate. In 1859, the Covington Mansion was built and became not only the home for Robert’s family but the first social center for the community. In the upper floor of this house was held political activities, dances, social events and church meetings. This residence became the heart and soul of this early community. (for more information on this home go to http://www.wchsutah.org/homes/covington-mansion.php)

After being on the market for some time and having suffered the fate of a down economy, Washington City was able to purchase this home at a foreclosure sale. We are very excited to bring this true gem of a site into the protective hands of the community. Over the course of the next few years we will restore this beautiful residence and open it up to our citizens. In the meantime, feel free to drive by, stop and walk the
grounds. As you stand under those majestic pecan trees and look at that stately mansion, you will be filled with a strong spirit of our history and pride in the community we have become.

Covington Home 2012

Biking Washington - Guest Blogger Shannon Hinman

Biking all year round largely influenced my family's decision to move to southern Utah and we were not disappointed. What an extraordinary feeling to jump on my bike and in minutes be riding on the slick rock of Church Rocks and the fast single track of Prospector trail. Our family also enjoys riding on the miles of paved pathways around the city. The only thing missing was a bike shop... until now.

Ian and Crystal Shockley must have felt similarly when they sold their shop in northern Utah to team up with Robbie Staheli and open Bike Fix in Washington. This new store brought with it community shop rides and the Southern Utah Junior Cycling Club. They also have plans to start an inexpensive racing series and build more trails, so I am excited to welcome Bike Fix.

Hooray for Crystal Shockley who is participating in the Ironman this year. I plan to be on Main Street in Washington with the rest of our community enjoying a free pancake breakfast May 5th and ringing cowbells for Crystal and other Ironman racers.

Dog Town Half-Marathon - Shannon Hinman, Guest Blogger

Note: We thought it might be fun to invite members of our community to share their own feelings and insights into life in Washington City. So over the next few months you will occasionally see a posting by members of our community. 

The first submittable is from Shannon Hinman. Shannon grew up in Salt Lake City and her and her husband Jack have lived here for the past five years. Their family consists of two young and very active children. Shannon and her family stays actively involved in our city and always provides us with wonderful feedback and suggestions.

Thanks Shannon for your posting.

Roger Carter
City Manager

Dog Town Half-Marathon

It was a picturesque day for the Dogtown Half Marathon. I walked out my front door and to the start line in Coral Canyon with my husband, a friend from Memphis, Tennessee, and another friend from Kaysville, Utah. I donned a long sleeve shirt from 1Law, one of the race sponsors that I received at
the Expo the day before. The sun was shining and I was happy I wore my new red "Get Bit" shorts found in each race packet. I was about run with a group of 400 of my new best friends. 

Within a few miles of the start, the race turned onto the Cottonwood Wash Trail in a beautiful canyon. This was definitely my favorite miles of the half marathon. As the trail slopped downhill I was distracted by my surroundings and gained speed. An aid station came into view, volunteers eagerly held out cups to help with hydration and fuel needs. 

I crossed the finish line and received my dog tag finisher's metal. I cannot decide if I was more excited to have a new personal best time or that I beat my husband and his two best friends. The spread of food for
participants was wonderful and I quickly shoved handfuls of grapes into my mouth. I am eager to run this race again next year and I am not letting the name of the Hell Hole 5K scare me away from running this May during Cotton Days.

-Shannon Hinman-

Business Visits

One of the goals of my office this year was to make it a point to stop and visit with our local businesses. Starting last month Mayor Ken Neilson and I have visited several of these establishments. I wanted to share with you what an enjoyable experience this has been and a little about these businesses.

We started with one of the new start-ups in our community, "Duke's Deli." This business was started by Derek "Duke" Nelson and what a great example he is of a young entrepreneur. His sandwiches are delicious, they have a personal touch, and the place is very successful. I hope you will go over and try "The Duke" for lunch and welcome their establishment to our community.

We have met with one of the real powerhouses in our city, Kohl's. This well-recognized retail store attracts shoppers from the whole southwest Utah region. They are the anchor store for the Cotton Mill II shopping center. A great deal of the amenities we enjoy in this community from our parks, to our community center, to our roads, all of this could not be possible without the sales tax we receive from these large, chain stores.

Another large anchor for us is Home Depot. Home Depot and Walmart were the first large big-box stores that came to Washington. Home Depot has been a great partner in both the good and bad times here in Washington. We will forever appreciate the assistance Home Depot gave to this city during our flood times; when they opened their doors and provided tools and other equipment we needed and helped organize citizens in sand-bagging operations.

Finally, we visited with Lane and Helen at St. Helen's restaurant. This couple are true pioneers in our community. It was enjoyable talking to them and having them reminisce about their history here in Washington, the challenges and rewards. They have seen it all, from trying to familiarize the community to a new product, to road closures and tough economies. Through it all however they have offered a unique dining experience and been an important part of our community family. For you "old timers" I am not telling you anything you don't already know and for you "new comers" I hope you will take the opportunity to get to know Lane and Helen and enjoy the wonderful food they provide.

Each of these individuals and establishments are representative of all of the hard working and successful businesses that call Washington home. I appreciate what they do for our city and look forward to meeting many more of you in the upcoming months.

Roger Carter
City Manager

Washington City Youth Council

On February 13, I had the opportunity to join a great group of young people from our community as they visited the legislature, toured the state capital and met with Governor Herbert. This group is the Washington City Youth Council.

The Washington City Youth Council is in its second year of existence and has already become an example throughout the state. It has been the desire of our City Council to create a Youth Council for some time and with great leadership of some of community "go-getters" we were able to do that, this last year. Under the guidance of Volunteer Advisor: Carmen Snow and Assistant Advisor: Wendi Bulkley and the oversight of Councilmen Hudson and Turek, our council has attracted some wonderful young leaders, provided a great curriculum, and given them many opportunities to serve and engage within our community. Our Youth Council draws from Pineview, Desert Hills, and Millcreek High Schools. These young people are bright, ambitious and eager to make a difference in their community and world.

During their one-year term on the council they learn about positions in city and state government, Roberts Rules of Order, and how to effectively engage in community dialogue and process. They then put this all to good use by getting involved in our city by assisting with Cotton Days and other service projects. They have sold our famous "shadow dogs" and they visit our council meetings often. As you watch these young people you are impressed with their demeanor, their knowledge and how they represent our great city. Last year in a conference of at Utah State the Washington City Youth Council took second place as the Best Youth Council in the state of Utah; quite an achievement for the first year.

We are proud of the youth of this community. This Youth Council is indicative of the responsible, caring, young citizens we have here. We hope many of our young people will consider serving on this council. The Youth council is taking applications for next year, until February 29.

Thanks Youth Council for all of your great work! We know our future is in good hands.

Telegraph Towers

I have been asked recently what is the status of the unfinished building on Telegraph Street (across from Veterans Park). This building was intended to provide retail and office space in our downtown area. It was approved, permitted and began construction in 2010.

In approximately Fall of 2010 construction activities ceased on the property. It was communicated to the city that the reason construction had halted was due to a failure in securing the needed funds for its completion. There have been a lot of parties with various legal interests and legal positions on this project and therefore it has become a very complicated situation which is the subject of a multi-party lawsuit. And the courts will ultimately have to decide responsibility. In the meantime, the owner continued to hold an active building permit and was hopeful that all of the financial issues would be resolved. In Spring of 2011, Washington City requested that the owner provide bracing to the existing and unfinished walls, assuming that construction would begin within a reasonable amount of time. In August 2011, the owner informed the city council and staff that it would not be renewing its building permit and that the owner did not anticipate the building getting completed in the near future. Washington City then inspected the facility and believed that the wall supports/bracing, although appropriate during a construction period, would be inadequate on a permanent basis. The building was declared "unsafe" by the City. The owner appealed this decision to the local Board of Adjustments, which heard its appeal in November 2011. The Board of Adjustments ruled in favor of the city, declaring the building "unsafe" in its current state. Among other things, the owner was ordered to either complete the building, bring the walls down to six feet, or to provide sufficient support/bracing to ensure safety and permanence. The owner was also required to fence the property and provide other on-site safety measures. The owner has turned in a set of plans showing enhanced building supports/bracing and those plans are currently under review.

The primary role of the city is to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens. We feel that this building, in its current state, presents a potential danger to our community. We will continue to work with the owner and others to ensure that all safety measures are employed and dangers mitigated. We continue to hope for an acceptable resolution for all parties.

Roger Carter
City Manager