Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutNewsletter City_December 2013December 2013 Upcoming Events City Council Meeting December 4 @ 7:00 pm and December 18 @ 5:00 pm Rexburg City Hall Recreation Sign-ups December 1-31st Santa at the Carousel December 9 6-8pm Garbage pick up for Wednesday, Decem- ber 25th, Christmas & January 1st, New Years will be the fol- lowing day, Thursday December 25 & Janu- ary 2nd City offices will be close early December 24th and closed December 25th for Christmas & January 1st for New Years Day Community Update Mayors Message: What a beautiful time of year. I love the fall; With Thanksgiving, crisp morning air, the smell of pumpkin pie, and roasted turkey. It was a special time in my youth. Family would all gather around. It was great fun to be with cousins. We would make forays into the kitchen for olives and sweet pickles. We would get yelled at, but I think our mothers enjoyed our excitement of the event. It was ever more special if Grandma and Grandpa were there. There would be good stories, and he and my aunts would play the guitar and banjo. Their voices were a delightful harmony, both to our ears and our hearts, as we celebrated in thanksgiving. We kids knew that in a few weeks we would enjoy it all again with Christmas, another time of thanksgiving. These were people who had lived through the Great Depression and World War II. Perhaps the hard times were what gave them such an appreciation and zest for life. I still look to the past with a certain longing for a simpler life. It was a time when we appreciated simpler pleasures. We didn’t have television or any of the electronic games of today. There wasn’t any texting, tweeting, or facebooking. We made our own games. We shared letters with one another and were aware that the paper that the words were written on had once been in the hands of a loved one. There was no one hiding in a corner totally absorbed in some electronic “thumb game”. There was no one texting someone in the same room. We were involved with one another. We were involved in conversation. We learned from one another and vetted our ideas and thoughts through conversation with each other. This process gave us balance and direction. I fear that the art of conversation is leaving our society. We, as a society, now strike out at one another on social media or in newspapers, without the filter of polite conversation. We can even do this in anonymity, without being held accountable for ill-advised thinking. We can even bully people without consequence. My office is always open to any and all. If you have questions or concerns please come talk to me. I do long for a simpler life, with civility and respect for each other. I do long for the good old days. Perhaps we can bring some of it back. Things to be thankful for: Our city streets. Street lighting is improving and will continue to be expanded. Our Police Department; we are number eleven in the nation for safety. City streets are safer now than they were just a few years ago. Our Parks and Recreation Department; we don’t have a better way to help the youth in this day and age. Our Waste Water Treatment Department does a great job. Treated water going into the Teton River is cleaner than the water upstream. Our Water Department, our water system doesn’t have any chlorine or treat- ment of any kind. The improvements there are incredible. Our Sanitation Department is effi- cient, and with the help of BYU-I, we are able to recycle. Our Economic Development De- partment is terrific; we are continually bringing new jobs and business to the area. Rexburg Rapids continues to operate in the black. The relationship with Rexburg City and BYUI is much improved. I think of these two entities as a team of oxen. We are yoked together, what one does has a direct effect on the other. We are learning that we can evenly pull together, as a team. Like the oxen, we can do so much more through mutual cooperation. I am thankful to live in Rexburg and I am thankful to be able to be a part of a dynamic organ- ization. Richard S. Woodland Page 2 December 2013 35 N 1st E Rexburg, Idaho 83440 208.359.3020 / fax 208.359.3022 customerservices@rexburg.org Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm The Shop with a Cop program joins children who are in need with local law enforce- ment officers, providing the children with money to shop for Christmas presents for their families and themselves. The program is funded completely from donations. Underprivileged children who participate in the program are chosen by law enforce- ment officers. Children and officers will meet December 14 where they will travel together in a law enforcement vehicle, with lights and siren. First they enjoy a breakfast donated by McDonalds and then go to Kmart to shop. Not only do the children get a chance to purchase Christmas presents that they otherwise would not be able to buy, but they also get a chance to build a positive relationship with law enforcement. Donations to the program can be made at the Rexburg Police Department, 25 East Main Street, Rexburg, Idaho 83440, (208) 359-3008. After Thanksgiving, giving trees will also be set up throughout the community at area businesses where you can make a monetary donation or give a gift for a child. You can make a donation to Shop with a Cop at any time throughout the year. For additional information regarding Shop with a Cop you can visit our blog at http://rexburgshopwithacop.blogspot.com Arts and Recreation Sign-ups December 1-31 The Rec Guide will only be available online at: www.rexburg.org, click residents, under Departments select recrea- Santa at the Carousel, December 9 from 6:00-8:00 Free ride on the carousel included with your visit with Santa Business Owners: To have your business information available to more poten- tial customers (including BYU-I students), please complete the Business Regis- tration Form at rexburg.org and click the “Send” box on the form. Your infor- mation will be added to the City of Rexburg’s website. Snow Removal Reminder Responsibilities and Directions: Rexburg citizens and businesses must remove snow and ice from adjacent pe- destrian areas. These areas include, but are not limited to, sidewalks, parking lots, and driveways. Each year, many avoidable accidents happen because of improper snow and ice removal. Compliance is crucial if we are to have a safe community. Citizens and business owners must comply with the following directions in snow and ice removal: Citizens and business owners “cannot” push snow or ice across or into public streets (Idaho Code § 18-3907). Snow and ice, once removed, must be stored on the property. For many property owners, snow and ice can be stored in the yard or other locations on the property. For owners of large properties, such as businesses with large parking lots, snow and ice storage areas must be incorporated into the property (Ordinance 1026 § 5.5[A] [9]). No parking on city streets between December 15-March 1st: Ordinance 1030: "It shall be unlawful for any person to leave or store any automobile, truck, bicycle, wagon or other conveyance or vehicle, machine, implement or other item of personal property between the fifteenth (15) day of December of each year and the first (1st) day of March of the following year upon any street or alley in the City of Rexburg, Idaho, between the hours of 2:00 A.M. and 7:00 A. M.”