July 2017 - City of Orem Newsletter
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Upcoming Municipal & Congressional Elections

Friends of the Library

Critical Home Repair Grants - Habitat for Humanity of Utah County

Farmer's Market @ Orem Community Hospital

Utah Film Center - Free Movie @ Orem Public Library

Colonial Heritage Festival: July 1st - 4th 

New Webpage for Road Construction Updates 

Calendar of Events

Mayor's Message: Quality of Life
2017 MAYORAL AND CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS

This year Orem has 4 seats up for election on the City Council - Mayor(1) & City Council (3). To begin learning about the candidates, click on the button above to watch short videos about each candidate discussing issues and introducing themselves.  You will also find links to their webpages.


For the second election in a row the City of Orem will be utilizing the Vote-By-Mail system.  This way of voting resulted in a 300% increase in voter turnout in the primaries and a 100% voter turnout increase in the general election.  


Here are some answers to FAQ.


When can I expect to receive my ballot?

Ballots will go out 21 days before the election. For the Primary, that would be July 25th. For the General Election, that would be October 17th.


How does the primary work?

The Primary is not actually an election because no one is elected. It eliminates candidates. Currently, Orem has three candidates for mayor. We only need two, so the top two vote-getters will move on to the General Election.  


There are twelve candidates for three council seats, and we want two candidates for each seat, so a total of six. The top six candidates in the Primary will go on to the General Election.


Will our election coincide with Congressional Race?

Yes. Candidates for the third congressional district seat will appear on ballots of voter within the third congressional district.  


The list of candidates who have filed can be found on the County’s election web page: https://elections.utah.gov/election-resources/2017-candidate-filings Those political parties that have more than two candidates for the congressional seat will be on the Primary ballot.


By when do I need to register to vote?

Overseas/military ballots must be sent out forty-five days before the election. That is June 30th.  


The deadline to register to vote by mail (postmarked) is July 17th. The County will accept voter registration forms in person up to August 8th, but it is dangerous for voters to wait until it is that close to the election, in case County staff are overwhelmed by last-minute applications and cannot process them in time.


What should I be doing now to ensure I get my ballot?

Your ballot will be sent to the address on file at vote.utah.gov.  Visit this website, click on Vote Info/Track Ballot to ensure that your information is correct.  

The Orem Public Library is offering an exciting new way for our patrons to show their support by registering as a Friend of the Orem Public Library.  This fundraising effort will help the library offer some exciting new spaces like:


  • Makerspace – an area for patrons to learn, explore and create using 3-D printers and computer software including Photoshop and film editing as well as art supplies and sewing machines.
  • Children’s Early Learning Experience – located on the main floor of the Children’s library this space will offer a safe charming and inspirational design for educational programs/activities and information literacy events. There will be board books, puppets and stage, dress-up activities, activity wall panels and developmental toys.
  • Library Auditorium – a new programming space for the 750+ library programs held each year. This auditorium will feature a stage and fixed seating.

Becoming a Friend of the Orem Public Library is easy!  You can register and make your annual donation online, or you can come to the Circulation desk where staff will assist you.


Your Friend membership will be for one year.  You will have the opportunity to make an annual donation and receive these same benefits or new benefits each year.  Your donation may be tax deductible.


Thank you for being our FRIEND!

CRITICAL HOME REPAIR - HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Habitat for Humanity of Utah County offers 0% interest loans for up to $15,000.00 for critical home repair and accessibility issues. Grants are available for up to $4,750.00 if your income is below 25% Area Median Income.


Please visit our website or contact Scott White at 801-344-8527 ext. 117 or by email at scotty@habitatuc.org for more information regarding this program.

FARMER'S MARKET @ OREM COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
For the last couple of years Orem Community Hospital has been operating a wildly-successful community garden.  Last year they hosted a "Harvest Festival" of sorts that had a great attendance, despite the rain. 

This year they plan to take it a step further and create a farmer's market that will feature homegrown/homemade natural food.  We are still working through the details of the event but are confident it will be another success. Please mark your calendars and stay posted for additional information!

When: Every Monday Evening in September (5 PM til dark)
Where: Orem Community Hospital (adjacent to the community garden)

If you are interested in being a vendor in the farmer's market please fill out an application at the website shown below.  If you have questions about the application or about participating please contact  Vanessa Palmer at
801-229-7194 or vpalmer@orem.og.
LITTLE GREY FERGIE: COUNTRY FUN
FREE VIEWING @ THE OREM PUBLIC LIBRARY

Join the Utah Film Center at the Orem Public Library (58 N. State Street) for a FREE children's film on the big screen! Our next screening in our Tumbleweeds series is Saturday, July 8th at 2:00 PM. For trailer and more information, click here.

 

Recommended for ages 4+

 

Cast: Elias Søvold-Simonsen, Stein Winge, Jeppe Beck Laursen, and Dagny Backer

 

Fergie is no ordinary tractor. Plenty of old tractors and vehicles have “souls”, but Fergie has an actual soul. Thanks to a magical spark plug that beats like a heart, Fergie is a living, thinking, feeling tractor! And more than anything else: charming and loveable! Fergie’s heart beats for his family and friends on and around his farm: best friend Gustav, farmhand Grynet, farmer Goggen and Gamlefar.


COLONIAL HERITAGE FESTIVAL - SCERA PARK
The Colonial Heritage Festival offers something for every member of the family. Visit colonial artisans, exhibits, demonstrations, & join in the great debates, public trials, & storytelling in the Old South Church. From our Mayflower replica to John Smith’s Armor and the Colonial School, children will be attended to by teachers from the Alpine School District. Children will be able to play Colonial games & participate in the daily children’s chores.

Military enthusiasts can visit the gun displays, experience the cannon firing on the green and watch military skirmishes between the Continental Army & the British Redcoats. Join the Culper spy ring & help get messages to the key players in the battle, but be careful or you could end up in the pillory. Exhibits include the apothecary shop, blacksmith, cooper, broom maker, gunsmith, spoon maker, potter, bobbin lace maker, silhouette cutter , chandler, Isaiah Thomas Print Shop, women’s boutique, home life, frontier life, & much more.
WEBPAGE DEDICATED TO ROAD CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
Nothing says "summer" like the smell of hot asphalt and the sight of orange construction barrels.  While we can't make it go away, we can do a better job of keeping you up-to-date as to the when, where, and why of each project.  

Next time you see the cones please visit us at www.orem.org/construction so we can inform you what is happening.  Thanks for your patience as we build a better Orem.
CITY OF OREM - CALENDAR OF EVENTS
This summer there will be no shortage of events and activities for you and your family!  Keep up with all Orem City events by following the link below.
MAYOR'S MESSAGE: QUALITY OF LIFE

A while back while attending a play at the Hale Center Theater, I ran into some good friends from Provo.  They mentioned how much they like attending the theater in Orem.

 

Last week while attending the play Hair Spray at the Scera outdoor shell, I thought I would visit with the people around me.  As I talked with the couple behind me I learned that they were from Provo.  They said they liked coming to the Shell.  I then visited with the couple next to me and they were from American Fork.  As I went around the circle of people near me I learned one couple was from Pleasant Grove an another single lady was from Alpine.  They all love coming to the outdoor theater for plays and concerts under the stars on beautiful summer nights.

 

At the Senior Friendship Center when I was attending the wonderful Flamingo Days event and celebrating with our great seniors I met a lady who had joined the center who was from Provo.  She said she loved coming to the Orem Senior Friendship Center because of all of the great people she met and fun she was having.

 

At the All-Together Playground I have met people from all over Utah Valley who bring their kids to play there. At the Orem Recreation Center I have met people from Alpine and from Spanish Fork who have joined and like it there due to the large recently relined pool and the open spaces in some of the work out areas.

 

It is interesting to me how many people from other cities I meet that attend events in Orem and join Orem facilities.  We have great recreation and arts in our city that are valued and appreciated by many in the county.

 

We are lucky to have such great parks, such great theaters, such good recreational facilities, and such a great senior center.  And mostly we are lucky to have such good people who run these venues.

 

In this last year the Orem/Provo area was ranked first for the best city in the nation for successful aging by the Milken Institute and first for the best city to raise a family by Forbes magazine.  We truly have a great city with a high quality of life.

 

I hope that we may all appreciate being able to live in a safe, clean, city with so many amenities that add to our quality of life.  We have beautiful neighborhoods where many keep up their houses and yards in an attractive manner.

 

We have many great families and neighbors who help each other.  Yesterday at an intersection in front of the city center an older gentlemen had his car quit running and could not get it to move.  I pulled over to a strip mall to park and see if there was anything I could do.  Before I could call to get him some help, five other cars stopped in the street and people jumped out and pushed his car to safety on a side street.  That is the great kind of people we have living around us.

 

I am thankful to live in such a great environment where we have such wonderful facilities and great people to help enjoy life together!


Mayor Brunst