Thanks to the Swiss Days Committee and the City Staff for their efforts and work to deliver another great Swiss Days celebration this year. I am constantly amazed at the dedication and professionalism of the people behind the scene at the event. Without their hard work, residents and visitors alike would not be able to enjoy this annual celebration of our community heritage. Thanks also to the SCI Public Safety and Fire Departments for their assistance and maintaining the peace during the event.

Speaking of the Fire Department, Chief Dan Nelson has announced his resignation effective October 10th. Dan’s wife landed her dream job near Twin Falls, Idaho and the family has wanted to live in the area for several years. Dan has done a tremendous job with the fire department for many years and will be sorely missed. His dedication to serving residents of this community is unparalleled. Deputy Chief Randy Hancey will be taking over interim Chief duties for the time being. Randy was the Ivins Fire Chief for several years before the two departments combined. We wish Dan and his family the best as they begin this new adventure in their lives.

I think September should be renamed National Disaster Month. Last September, residents of Texas and Florida were struggling to recover from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Millions of people were trying to re-cover from two of the most damaging natural disasters in our nation’s history. This year we are watching Hurricane Florence plunder the Carolinas. Lives have been lost and thousands of homes have been dam-aged, many completely destroyed by the relentless wind, overwhelming rain and resulting storm surge and flooding. Many of you have reached out to support residents via donations to assist with the recovery efforts. Thank you for your humanitarian service on behalf of those in need.

A little closer to home, residents in Elk Ridge and Mapleton have been evacuated from their homes as the Pole Creek Fire ravages the mountain forest in south Utah County. Soon their attention will turn to the increased flood risk from mountain drainages and the treat of tons of fire debris and sediment flowing into the City potentially damaging homes, farms and infrastructure. Watching these disasters ravage these small communities, rural areas and neighborhoods, I’m constantly reminded of our flood event of September 11, 2012. I still think about it every time it rains.

These events should remind us all how important it is for residents to be prepared for potential natural disasters which can happen at any time, to anyone. No one is exempt from these risks. Local government resources necessary to respond to events of this magnitude are always going to be limited. It’s going to take time, maybe even days, for assistance to be available. I’ll remind you again to be prepared to help yourselves. It’s important for all of us to set aside the resources needed and develop home emergency plans to allow you to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours to preserve life and protect property during the initial emergency response period. If you still need to complete this important step to keep your family safe, please start the process today. The next natural disaster could be just around the corner.

Enjoy the cooler temperatures and remember to stay safe Santa Clara.

Mayor Rick Rosenberg (rickr@racivil.com or mayor@sccity.org)

Another Swiss Days has come and gone and as always we must acknowledge the great volunteers and staff that help make Swiss Days such a fun and loved event. It requires many hours of planning and preparation throughout the year to assure we will have a great event. Special thanks once again this year to our coordinators, Brooke Ence and Lainee Frei, for all their special efforts, vision and leadership, and helping to move Swiss Days forward while still keeping it a fun, family event. They have enlisted many other great volunteers to help with specific activities and they all do a fantastic job. City staff also put their best efforts into making sure the event site is ready and maintained through out the event. They are the backbone of the event, making sure everything runs smoothly.
We must also thank all of the wonderful sponsors who help to make Swiss Days possible year after year. We are fortunate to have many longtime sponsors who have supported Swiss Days for years and great new sponsors who have joined in to help as well. We hope you will thank these sponsors by supporting their businesses. Please watch for the listing all of our great 2018 sponsors in the November newsletter.

We all know to change our smoke detector batteries once a year when daylight savings time ends in the fall. This keeps your smoke detectors work-ing and keeps the annoying chirp of a failing smoke detector battery from keeping you awake at night. However, more important, by keeping your smoke detectors working you may save you and your family’s lives.

• Three out of five home fire deaths result from fires in properties without working smoke detectors
• The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke detectors

The National Fire and Protection Association (NFPA) recommends replacing smoke detectors every ten years. After ten years of hanging out on your ceiling, smoke detectors are worn out and not as effective. So what do you do, there is a new generation of smoke detectors that come with ten-year lithium batteries. They are direct replacements for the standalone, wired, and combination carbon monoxide/smoke detectors that are in your home now.

I compared prices and found the new smoke detectors with ten-year batteries look very similar to older ones and cost from $14 to $49 in St George. Imagine no more standing on ladders and buying expensive replacement batteries each year. After ten years when the battery does fail, and the detector begins to chirp, the new detectors have a nuisance button to silence the chirp for 10 hours so you can get some sleep. Moreover, after ten years, these new detectors will have done their job and will need replacing.

Smoke detectors need to be placed on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas such as in hallways. You also need to press the button on the bottom of each smoke detector to see if it alarms at least once a year. Remember properly placed working smoke detectors give occupants an early warning and greater chance of escaping a deadly blaze. They save lives.

Your current smoke detectors are probably still good but don’t forget to change the batteries. Moreover, when it is time to change detectors, check in to the new smoke detectors with ten-year batteries.

GREETINGS FROM THE IVINS ANIMAL SHELTER

Bailee Sleppy, SCI Animal Control & Animal Shelter

A friendly reminder to all City resident dog owners that you must have your dogs on a leash within city limits; this includes walk-ing trails. You are required to pick up after your animal when out of your yard. These things are stated in city codes and failure to do so can result in a cita-tion. If you have any questions, feel free to contact your Animal Control Officers for more details. Have a great month!!

SHELTER CONTACT INFORMATION:
Shelter Manager Bailey Sleppy Shelter Phone #: 435-628-1049
Email: bsleppy@ivins.com

INKAS (Ivins No-Kill Animal Supporters)
INKAS4pets.org A 501©3 Nonprofit Organization Follow us on Facebook
Lois Hewitt-President 435-414-4802

WHERE TO MEET THE PETS:
Ivins animal Shelter and Adoption Center
Phone: 435-628-1049
474 North 200 West, Ivins
Hours: Monday –Saturday 8:00 am-3:00 pm
Sara Dupre-Secretary: 206-724-5902

Welcome to beautiful, cooler October, our reward for surviving the heat of summer! October is also INKAS annual yard sale! INKAS yard sale is a fundraiser show-casing generous donations that have been collected over the past months. Please stop by and join us on Friday and Saturday, October 19th and 20th from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 359 South Puerto Drive in Ivins. It’s a lot of fun finding new treasures or just something you never knew you wanted! All money raised goes directly towards helping the homeless pets and animals of Ivins and Santa Clara. Thank you for sup-porting INKAS and our mission!

If you’re out celebrating Halloween with family and friends what could be more enjoyable than stopping by the Ivins City Animal Shelter for candy and to visit the pets waiting for a home to share! Panther, a black kitten, and Smith, an adult black cat, would love nothing more than to be your Halloween treat and be chosen to go to a forever, loving home!

Visit all the kittens, cats and dogs in the Ivins shelter on petfinder.com.