The wet weather has dumped a ton of snow on the mountains and filled Gunlock Reservoir even before the spring runoff begins. The City Staff mobilized several weeks ago to prepare for increased flows in the Santa Clara River. If you live along the river be vigilant and pay attention to weather forecasts and heed flood warnings. If you don’t live along the river and are just curious about what is going on, please don’t clog the roadways when these events are happening. Don’t rush to the river hampering emergency response vehicles and heavy equipment from doing their job. The two biggest problems we noticed during the last high water was not the floodwaters, but the numbers of looky-loos on the streets and the inaccurate reports that the Baker and Gunlock Reservoir dams were failing. These fake news posts wasted critical emergency personnel’s time and resources. They also created unnecessary stress and worry among the public and can be are a major public safety concern. Please just don’t do it.

Applications for Santa Clara 2019 Recreation, Arts and Parks (RAP) Grants are due on April 30th. In FY 2018-19 the City Council awarded nearly $20,000 in Grants to support arts related development and activities including the Tuachan Center for the Arts, Shakespeare in the Park, The Osmund Days of 47 Celebration and the Santa Clara Historical Society. Funds were also used to for some finishing touches and costumes for the Glockenspiel at Town Hall. Approximately the same amount of RAP funding is available for the Arts this year. Interested applicants need to have non-profit 501(c)(3) status and should contact the City for additional information. The county wide RAP tax also generates much needed funding for City Recreation Projects and upgrades in the City Parks.

The City Parks department is converting the 2 irrigation water features by Heritage Square and the feature on the South side of Santa Clara Drive between Vernon and Victor Streets into flowerbeds. The flowers beds will add beauty to the downtown through seasonal flowers and plants. We will order brass placards to help visitors understand the significance of the planters that represent historic irrigation systems. The new flowerbeds will add beauty to the downtown and also reduce potential of someone being hurt from falling into the existing ditches. We plan to use Dixie State College Biology student volunteers for the initial planting on Thursday March 28th and April 11th. Thanks to Brad Hays and the dedicated employees of the Parks Department for their hard work to keep the downtown beautiful.

April is a great time of year to get outside and enjoy the many activities available to residents of the City. The first time showing of Shakespeare in the Park will take place April 12th, 13th, and 15th and will be held across the street from Town Hall on the grass. You don’t want to miss the new Easter clothes on the Glockenspiel kids either. The 2019 Princess Pageant is scheduled for 7:00 pm on May 18th at the new Kayenta Arts Center building in Ivins. Monica Bracken is the Princess Pageant Coordinator and is doing a great job. The Kayenta venue offers a more intimate setting for the pageant and allows the audience to be much closer to the contestants. The event was a full house last year so get your tickets early. The City website has more information available on the pageant.

The City website is continuously being updated and we are working to make it easier for residents to stay informed about City department activities, upcoming events, agendas and scheduled public hearings with the planning commission and city council. Check it out at www.sccity.org.

Enjoy these spring days Santa Clara and remember to stay safe.

Mayor Rick Rosenberg mayor@sccity.org