Fifteen years ago a few Utah County mayors asked Mountainlands Association of Governments (MAG) to put some muscle into completing the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. They also wanted a trail system in and between their communities. In 1999, MAG put Jim Price on the job as full-time trails coordinator. As MAG developed its area-wide 30 year transportation plan (Utah, Summit and Wasatch Counties), with great vision, they also planned trails and lanes for bicycles and pedestrians.

All Utah County city mayors and the Utah County commissioners oversee and approve MAG’s plans. In the last few years, MAG’s investment of $30M in trails (mostly from federal anti-congestion funds) together with its partners’ investments has totaled over $40m.

Utah County’s trails program focuses on developing a region-wide, interconnected system of bikeways and pedestrian paths throughout the county. Last week MAG and its partners opened the Murdock Canal Trail. It connects with a dozen other trails, including the Provo River Trail on the south end and the Jordan River trail on the north end. The Provo River Trail receives 150,000 user trips during peak months. Jim Price anticipates the Murdock Trail to surpass this. He counted 75,000 trips during April 2013, when the weather was relatively bad and the trail wasn’t yet officially open. PEOPLE LOVE THEIR TRAILS.

Utah County now has 192 miles of paved urban trails. MAG has funded the development of comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian plans for seven of Utah County’s largest cities. Implementation of these plans will begin in the near future.

Most importantly of all, however, is that Utah County has developed a deeply collaborative culture – each city, the County, UDOT Region 3, and MAG have worked together to build a trail system to be proud of. Without their collaboration and Jim’s intrepid proselytizing, I’m certain Utah County would not have made such remarkable strides.

Similar trail systems have been built in other areas across the state. Davis County has Legacy Trail and a substantial number of other trails, most of which now interconnect, allowing one to walk or bike from one end of the county to the other. With only a few spots remaining to be completed, the Jordan River Trail will soon reach from Davis County in the north to Utah County in the south along some of the most beautiful riverside views anywhere. Summit County and Park City have a tremendous system, as does St. George. In the not too distant future, most of the state could be connected through trails and bike lanes.

Get out and enjoy our beautiful spring weather on some of our great trails. Thanks to Jim and Chad for your constant advocacy.

The 2013 count shows Utah is moving in the right direction in every category! Measured against 2012:
-overall homelessness decreased 7%,
-family homelessness fell 11%,
-chronic homelessness reduced 9%, and
-veteran homelessness decreased 12%.

The chronic homelessness measure is an important one. It’s a marker of persistent homelessness, which often results in serious untreated medical and psychological conditions, chronic disease, and even early death. We were very pleased at the significant decrease. This represents the 8th straight year of decrease, a 74% reduction since 2005. This has been our strategic focus. Chronically homeless persons are only 10% of the homeless population, but consume 50% of available resources. Getting them into housing frees up resources for other homeless individuals and families. The chart below shows the trend in overall homelessness (in blue) and chronic homelessness (in gray) from 2005 to 2013.

Utah Homeless Point-In-Time Count: 2005-2013

These impressive strides towards ending chronic homelessness in Utah from January 2011 to January 2012 can be attributed to the State’s Housing First Initiative, which has been enabled by building new permanent supportive housing communities in Salt Lake–100 units at Sunrise Metro Apartments (2007), 84 units at Grace Mary Manor (2008), 201 units at Palmer Court (2009), 164 units in Freedom Landing, a housing facility for veterans (January 2010), and 59 units in Kelly Benson Apartments (June 2010). There are other such units in other Utah cities.

Utah’s “Housing First” approach continues to show that ending chronic homelessness is realistic. This is truly a victory. Collaboration between government, non-profit and private agencies is the key. By placing our chronically homeless population into permanent supportive housing with case management, we have seen individuals’ lives change for the better. And we’ve simultaneously freed up precious resources for people in other homeless categories.

The Point in Time count is required by the HUD to collect nationwide data on the homeless and their use of services.

In 2004, Utah embraced a nationwide movement called “Housing Works” to end chronic homelessness within 10 years, a significant undertaking which seems impossible to some. Under this model, chronically homeless citizens go from the streets or homeless shelters, into their own apartments. The housing is permanent and “affordable,” meaning tenants pay 30 percent of their income for rent. The model also provides job training and other supports to help tenants re-integrate with society. For more information, please visit http://www.housingworks.utah.gov.

I wish you could have heard the moving account given by two gentlemen who had regained their families and had good jobs after years of being chronically homeless. It was stunning to see the vision of what they had accomplished versus where they had been our goal is to give everyone the same chance.

Throughout their high school years, I talked to my daughters about what college would be right for them. We’ve always talked about college in our family and have visited several campuses along the way. As our daughters saw their friends choose to attend the UofU, BYU, Weber, SLCC or USU, they became more interested in where they wanted to go. Andrea chose Weber State and had a wonderful experience.

But I want to tell you about my daughter Eliza. Eliza wanted to have the whole college experience with pennants, pom-poms, and riding in a jump seat of a smart roadster wrapped in buffalo robes before the Harvard-Yale game. Well, not quite that. But she did want to live away from home and immerse herself in college life. We talked about the alternatives, but nothing caught her fancy. I suggested that she consider BYU-Idaho. That really intrigued her and her friend Tara. We traveled to Rexburg, ID to check it out. Eliza and Tara liked what they saw. They applied, were admitted and had a terrific college experience.

A lot of kids make their own way. But many don’t. Getting into college and paying for it can be overwhelming. A lot of college-worthy kids get intimidated and never attend. Most students need guidance, not only about where to go, but what to study and what to major in. Dad, you’re in the best position to counsel your daughter about her education and career choices. You know how the world works. You’re not intimidated by applications and admissions. You may have gone to college yourself, so it’s no mystery to you. You know the value of a good education in today’s competitive work environment. Your daughter probably needs your help; at least she’ll appreciate it a lot. Enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see your little caterpillar change into a butterfly. During these critical college years, a student will likely choose a career, a future and often even a spouse. Be there at the start to guide her and support her. It will always be a bond between you and your precious daughter.

Had I not suggested it, I strongly doubt Eliza and Tara would have landed at BYU-Idaho. Thankfully, it all turned out well. Tara graduated with a major which prepared her for a rich career. Eliza’s graduation was interrupted by marriage and children. But she’ll be back to finish sometime, I’m confident.

NOTE: I think highly of a technical education (Career and Technical Education), whether obtained at one of our applied technology colleges, our colleges, or a private technical school. We need the professionals who are educated and trained in our ATCs, such as machinists, welders, diesel mechanics, nurses, medical technicians, composite workers, engineering techs.

Wherever the Governor and I go, people ask what the Herbert administration is doing to grow jobs and business. The answer is simple. Government stays out of the way of the free market as much as possible. Low, stable taxation and reasonable regulations are the foundation. Equally important is Governor’s team’s regular outreach to business leaders asking what impedes their ability to expand and hire more Utahns.

Lately, industry tells us emphatically they need a better prepared workforce. Their future business success (and therefore Utah’s success) depends on that. In fact, there are thousands of high paying Utah job openings right now for those with the right skills. And what are these needed skills? Proficiency in science, technology, engineering and math, or “STEM” for short. A recent report cited the ten highest paying jobs for college graduates. All ten were STEM related.

To respond to this need, Governor Herbert, in partnership with the business community, started a STEM education initiative. Implementing a widely used best practice, Utah invested $10 million in a STEM Action Center to strategically address STEM education proficiency and to close two glaring achievement gaps– Junior High Math proficiency and College Math readiness.

The STEM Action Center will bring together the business community, public education and higher education to help close achievement gaps and introduce proven best practices and resources for teachers, students and parents. Advocacy for STEM related career fields will help students see how they can change the world and earn more money. Kids don’t know what engineers do. All they see on TV and movies is emergency room doctors and cops. They need to see the exciting prospects of working in electronics, nanotechnology and software development.

Governor Herbert’s over-arching goal is to match skilled workers with good job opportunities. That means that 66% of our workforce must acquire marketable postsecondary degrees or certificates by the year 2020.

The STEM Action Center is a positive first step to get there. 66% by 2020 is another step to get there. Aligning workforce needs with educational outcomes is essential to Utah’s continued economic success. If we align properly, high paying jobs will become the norm for us, our children and our grandchildren. Parents will provide for their families. Education needs will be funded. Government will be able to provide legitimate basic functions and live within its means. And Utah will continue to be the greatest state in which to live.

_______________________________

Lt. Gov. Bell gratefully acknowledges Stan Lockhart’s key role in preparing this piece and his invaluable advocacy for creating and funding a STEM Action Center. Stan is Government Affairs Manager for IM Flash Technologies

[1] http://news.yahoo.com/utah-excels-economy-business-chamber-commerce-report-040329836.html

[2] http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/25/news/economy/engineering-best-paid-jobs/

You might ask how you can love someone you don’t know. Somehow, we humans are able to extrapolate from the love we feel for those we love personally to feelings of love and concern for our brothers and sisters we don’t know. You don’t have to know people in a refugee camp in Kosovo to feel compassion for them.

In the photo below, of an injured bystander at the Boston Marathon, there is another message of anonymous and spontaneous service. Notice the two men. They seem unconnected to the injured young woman; they’re probably perfect strangers. Yet these men tenderly treat her wounds and gently cradle her head. Like the Good Samaritan, they put aside personal pursuits and jumped in to help. They no doubt made a significant impact on this young woman. This is something she’ll never forget, and will turn the darkness of this tragic hour into a memory glowing with tender human sympathy and compassion. Because you have likewise encountered such anonymous kindness in your life, you can imagine how much this kind act meant to her.

Viktor Frankl also wrote that in the Auschwitz concentration camp he found those who in starving, cold, and rodent-infested conditions, selfishly and opportunistically hoarded food and refused to help or cooperate. He also found another kind of prisoner, notwithstanding their incredible impoverishment of food, clothing, warmth, and the most basic human decency from their guards; they would share the little tiny bit they had. Knowing their own health and lives were in jeopardy, they would nonetheless sacrifice to help others survive.

A class of aspiring religion teachers at BYU came to take their final exam, but found a sign on the door directing them to another building across campus. As they hurried on their way, they encountered a little girl crying who had crashed her bike and scraped her knee. They met a couple of other similar scenes along their path. Most of the students hurried past to get to their final. Those who got there on time by not stopping to help along the way failed the test. Only those few, who made the difficult decision to help those in distress—at the risk of failing this all-important test in religion, passed. As James said in the Bible, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in distress….”

We all have the chance to “make mankind our business”, as Marley warns a cowering Scrooge. In the end, the great measure of how we lived will be how we loved.

We attribute the State’s economic success to our terrific workforce, innovative business leaders, renowned research universities, and an efficient education system. Entrepreneurship and innovation are the driving force behind many of our success stories.

The Living Planet Aquarium is an example of the entrepreneurial dream. At the age of five, Brent V. Andersen’s grandmother gave him a book about the seas. The hours he spent reading this book turned into years of fascination with the underwater world and grew into his desire to become a marine biologist. He earned a degree in Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and began a great job, but not in the field of oceanography. However, one day Brent listened to an audiotape that asked questions that forever changed his destiny: “What would you attempt to do if you knew you couldn’t fail? What would you create? Who could you inspire? What wondrous things would you learn?” Brent began to envision bringing an underwater adventure to his hometown of Salt Lake City so that he could share his passion for the sea with the many landlocked Utahns who may never know the wonders of the water and how to better care for their planet Earth.

In February 1998 he left his secure job behind to pursue his dream. He moved back to Salt Lake City, formed a nonprofit organization and created The Living Planet Aquarium. Beginning in a retrofitted van, Brent began traveling to schools to teach students about the Earth’s diverse ecosystems. In 2004, he opened the doors to the first aquarium. Since opening, The Living Planet Aquarium has enriched the lives of 2.5 million visitors.

Brent Andersen has steadily and successfully pursued his great dream inspired by his grandmother’s book. He believes that if a book about the ocean could inspire him, imagine what seeing real animals close-up through engaging aquarium exhibits can do for today’s children, particularly those children who may not have the chance to visit the oceans, rain forests, the tropics and to see the plants and animals found there.

In December of this year, 2013, Brent and his associates will open the doors as a world class icon for Utah, the new ‘Loveland Living Planet Aquarium’. This 136,000 square foot facility will be a unique family “edutainment” destination for our State, drawing tourists from all parts of the world. The Aquarium is a living testament to the entrepreneurial dream. And it seems that it’s no accident that it happened in Utah.

A major shift in the Utah’s geographic population distribution has taken place. This pattern has been mirrored throughout the country. A hundred years ago, 90% of Utahns lived in rural areas and just 10% of us were city folks. Today, that ratio has entirely flip-flopped.

The Wasatch Front weathered the Great Recession fairly well, in part because of investments in I-15 in Utah County, other highway construction projects, City Creek, and technology companies growing or re-locating to Utah. Excepting the mineral-rich Uintah Basin, rural Utah didn’t share the good fortune. Farming and rural businesses struggled to survive.

However, some rural business enterprises sharpened their game during the recession, partnering with USU and economic development experts to innovate growing their businesses. With a more global mindset, they focused on international marketing.

USU Extension provides education and training for farmers or agribusinesses looking to expand. For example, they teach more efficient production methods and direct sales to consumers. Seminars and classes ranging from one-day workshops to eight-week courses such as “Starting a Food Business,” and “From Farm to Food Products,” are taught throughout the year. Participants learn to develop realistic business plans and other essential skills. To learn more or join their email listserve, contact Dr. Ruby Ward, Associate Professor, USU, ruby.ward@usu.edu or (435)797-2323.

Keeping rural Utah’s economy strong is a must for all of us. The State Office of Rural Development coordinates with rural partners in launching economic development initiatives and identifying barriers to economic growth. The Governor’s Rural Partnership Board, comprised of rural leaders and business people, coordinates these activities and is a funding partner for regional Small Business Development Centers (SBDC)—all for rural businesses and jobs.

We hope business expansion and development continues to be a driving economic force in rural Utah. Our Rural Development Office works with the Business Expansion and Retention (BEAR) program and partners to assist rural businesses. Utah offers limited incentives for rural business expansion. Since 2006, the Rural Development Office has visited 9,917 rural companies, fielded 3,752 requests for growth assistance, and rendered 6,365 mentoring hours to 179 new start-up companies. This resulted in rural companies’ revenues of more than $16.5M, 560 new jobs, and retention of 1152 jobs. Public funds are granted only when matched by multiples of investment from the private sector. The BEAR program investment of $1,639,000 leveraged $53M of investment in rural businesses, mostly from the private sector.

Hats off to Darcey Powell and all the other rural business owners, who even through a recession, have strengthened Utah’s rural economy.

Read more: Utah Policy – Rich Resources for Business Development in Rural Utah

Utah must maintain access to the natural features which sit adjacent to our urban areas. Children, big or small need constructive outdoor learning experiences. Too many city kids miss out on these opportunities. That shouldn’t happen in Utah. The Utah Department of Natural Resources was pleased to report the addition of middle-aged adults signing up for fishing, hunting, and birding courses which in the past were only filled with children teens and young adults.

I was thrilled the Legislature passed the Outdoor Recreation Office Act this session. This important initiative will work to expand outdoor tourism, but it’s also meant to entice children away from TV, movies and video games and connect them with the great outdoors. Research by Dr. Lepp of Kent State University showed that being in the great outdoors is good for the mind, good for the body, and great for social interaction. The economic benefits of outdoor recreation are expansive; as more people get outdoors, more jobs will be created and our society as a whole will be more healthy and productive. Even the environment benefits from recreating outdoors. Those who spend time outdoors are much more inclined to protect it.

State Parks Division director, Fred Hayes, is dedicated to one goal. “Get more people in the parks, having more fun, more often”. To achieve that goal our state parks are coming up with new activities for visitors so they’ll want to come back time and time again. By the end of this year, a number of our state parks will have both shooting and archery ranges. For those that prefer a roof over their heads, there are now cabins that can be reasonably be rented at many of our lakes. If you want to find out which state park to visit, what activities or facilities are available and make reservations, check out http://stateparks.utah.gov.

It’s exciting to see the many new innovations in our outdoors. Greg Sheehan, Director of Wildlife Resources analyzed the services offered by his division and developed a wildlife recreation program. This has proven to be a fantastic resource and touts programs like birding, community fisheries, and youth duck hunting.

Villagers saw Dr. Yunus as an angel. He thought, “If I can be an angel for $27, maybe I could become a super-angel if I double it.” However, he soon run out of loan funds, he approached bank after bank, but no bank would help him. They thought he was crazy to lend to the poorest of people. After much persistence, a bank agreed to make the loans if Dr. Yunus would personally guarantee them. The loan program grew successfully and rapidly. However, the bank ultimately withdrew.

Dr. Yunus then created Grameen Bank (Village Bank), which soon spread throughout Bangladesh. Traditional banks lend money to the rich. Dr. Yunus wanted to lend money to the poor because they need capital so much more. He took his bank to the people’s homes. He took no collateral. He broke every rule.

The bank has grown to 8.5 M borrowers, 97% of whom are women. Grameen now has branches throughout the world, including the U.S. He found that women were better borrowers because the loan went to the business and the children more reliably. Grameen has an astonishing 95-98% loan repayment rate—from the poorest people in the world. This repayment rate far outstrips traditional banks.

Working in villages throughout Bangladesh, Dr. Yunus has started over 60 such non-profit businesses designed to combat social ills that hurt the poor so directly. He overcame malnutrition-induced night-blindness in children, not by providing a pill or supplement, but by selling vegetable seeds for a penny per bag so the poor could grow their own vegetables. He sells inexpensive home solar systems to people so they can have lights and power. He says a philanthropic dollar is a wonderful thing, but a loan dollar is far better, because it comes back to be used again and again.

In introducing him, Dr. Scott Leckman said Dr. Yunus is one of Hegel’s few, who in each age feel the zeitgeist (spirit of the times) and like Lincoln and Gandhi, answer those needs in great ways.