Neighborhood Districts

Neighborhood District 4 meeting minutes – June 4, 2025 Conducting: Co-Chair Beth Hedengren Meeting attendance total = 57 (47 in person, 10 on Zoom) Neighborhood District 4 Board Members in attendance: Mel Smith (Grandview North), Secretary Steven Burton (Grandview North), Co-Chair Beth Hedengren (Grandview South), Melanie Epling (Grandview South), Spencer Macdonald (Rivergrove), Vice-Chair Kristen Cramer (Rivergrove), Co- Chair Eric Chase (North Park), Jocelyn Bracken (North Park), Vice-Chair David O. Alderks (Carterville). Elected Officials in attendance: Council Chair Gary Garrett (Citywide), Council Vice-Chair Rachel Whipple (Council District 5), Councilor Katrice MacKay (Citywide), former Utah State Legislator Marsha Judkins. Off-leash Dog Hours at Local Parks Questionnaire – Melia Dayley, Council Office Policy Analyst Melia Dayley introduced a questionnaire about off-leash dog hours at local parks. The City Council is looking for feedback from residents about possible off-leash dog hours at existing Provo Parks. This is different from the dedicated dog parts that the Parks Department has been asking for feedback on. The City Council will discuss the questionnaire findings at their meeting on June 17th. Melia mentioned that paper copies were available at the back table and that an online version would be open until the following Wednesday, June 11th. The questionnaire could be accessed through newsletters, the Neighborhood District 4 Facebook page, and other neighborhood Facebook pages. Link to the online questionnaire: https://tinyurl.com/provodog Update On South Grandview Hill Trees & Shrubs Neighborhood Coordinator Rachel Breen provided an update on the trees and shrubs on South Grandview Hill. She reported that James Cornaby, the Parks & Grounds superintendent, had confirmed that the irrigation system was functional. City Forester Chaz Addis has approved planting trees in the area. Rachel suggested that the District Board could form a committee to contact Chaz and get on the list for planting trees. Concerns were raised about the amount of sun the area receives and the annual "Light the Hill" event. The Board expressed interest in being involved and forming a committee with Grandview South board members taking the lead. Some residents voiced concerns about tall trees blocking their views. Suggestions were made to consider landscaping rocks instead of trees to avoid dead vegetation. Aaron Skabelund of the Rivergrove Neighborhood asked the Board to create another committee to investigate planting trees and shrubs on the north hillside of Lions Park that also gets a lot of sun and it’s difficult to keep plants in this area. Neighborhood District 4 Police Update Neighborhood Coordinator Rachel Breen provided an update on behalf of District 4’s Community Oriented Police Officer Brandon Hutchinson (801-852-6331, bhutchinson@provo.gov). She reminded residents to be cautious during summer when car break-ins are more common. She provided emergency (911) and non-emergency (801-852-6210) contact numbers for the Police Department. Rachel also mentioned an upcoming "Picnic with the Police" event at Lions Park on June 17th from 12- 1:30 PM and reminded residents about rules for various vehicles, including the prohibition of golf carts on city streets. She highlighted the special needs registry for family members with limited communication abilities and demonstrated how to access community crime information on the Provo Police website. She also explained that COP officers are designated to certain areas of town so they will become familiar with the neighborhoods. Residents raised concerns about e-bikes and scooters on the river trail, homeless encampments along the undeveloped part of the trail in Carterville between Deseret Industries and the car dealerships, particularly during the summer, and the frequent running of red lights and speeding throughout Provo, particularly on 820 North. One of the slides presented showed that motorized bikes and scooters are permitted on the river trail but are limited to 15 mph, which was new information for some of those present. The board agreed to pass these concerns on to the police department. Station Area Plans in Carterville – Advocate for a Hillside Trail District 4 Co-Chair Beth Hedengren discussed the ongoing efforts to convert a dirt “social path” into a paved hillside trail connecting Carterville Road to the lower neighborhood, business area, and UVX station. She explained that while progress had been made in obtaining right-of-way from property owners, the project was costly due to the steep terrain and need for it to be ADA accessible. The board planned to advocate for including the trail in UTA's station area plan for the UVX route. A Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for June 11th and a City Council meeting on July 8th, and board members will attend to support the project. Residents were encouraged to email the Planning Commission (dspublichearings@provo.gov) and City Council (council@provo.gov) to express their support for the trail. Carterville – Beehive Bazaar Event Center District 4 Vice-Chair David O. Alderks discussed the approval of a Conditional Use Permit for an event center plus Beehive Bazaar at the old Big O Tire store on Freedom Blvd in the Carterville Neighborhood. He mentioned that neighbors in lower Carterville were concerned about potential parking overflow into the neighborhood and would be monitoring the situation. 820 North Update – Bridge Reconstruction, Repaving Roads and Sidewalks District 4 Vice-Chair Kristen Cramer provided an update on the 820 North sidewalk repairs, repaving roads, and bridge reconstruction projects. The site provoriverbridge.com shows you the plan for the bridge which is much smaller than originally planned, in part due to neighborhood feedback. The river trail underpass will be ADA compliant instead of the steep scary trough it currently is. She mentioned that while the project would be primarily localized to the bridge area, it might involve some realignment of the road on both sides. Residents expressed concerns about the extent of the construction and its impact on traffic flow. A resident who lives on 800 North said there was a note that the street would be closed for 3 days, but he didn’t have access to his driveway for almost 3 weeks. Both sides of the sidewalk were closed, so the only way his kids could get to school was by walking in the street. The workers tore up his sprinklers and didn’t put them back correctly. A worker went onto his property and shut off his sprinkler valve and he didn’t find out about it until he saw that his grass was dying. He also said that he had to keep moving his car and eventually had to park blocks away from his home. He also said that when his wife asked a worker when they would have access to their driveway, he said it’s only been 3 days, but it was almost 3 weeks at that point. The workers weren’t keeping track of how long the project was going on for, they just had cones sitting in their driveway. Another resident said she has an electric vehicle, and she couldn’t use her driveway to charge her car. Her husband had to charge their car at the Rec Center and charge it in the middle of the day and walk to work. Because of the placement of the traffic cones, they must go in the opposition direction of traffic to turn to get onto their property. Another resident asked if the city is working with the Freedom Elementary School since it’s been very difficult to drop off and pick up their children. Another resident said that 820 North is a major road that residents from Grandview Hill use. There’s no signage telling them that the road below is closed, so they had to turn around and go back up the hill to exit their neighborhood. Residents said that better communication and signage is needed, especially with the upcoming bridge construction. Residents were encouraged to reach out to 311 and Rivergrove Representative Kristen Cramer (rivergrovekcramer@gmail.com). Traffic Calming On 1700 North District 4’s Mel Smith reported on efforts to implement traffic calming measures on 1700 North. They met with Provo City Traffic Manager Vern Keeslar, who confirmed that the street was on their list for improvements. The plan included adding two bike lanes, two traffic lanes, and parking on the street. The project was scheduled for late summer or fall. District 4 Secretary Steven Burton talked about requesting additional 25 mph signs for 1700 North and 1460 North. The city gave a mixed response on whether they would put up additional signs, especially since they’ll be putting up a radar “Your Speed” sign on 1460 North. Neighborhood District 4 Matching Grant Funds District 4 Co-Chair Beth Hedengren reported that District 4 had accumulated 774.75 service hours, exceeding the required 500 hours to receive their $7,500 in matching grant funds. The extra hours would roll over to the next year. She outlined how the funds were being spent, including purchasing radar “Your Speed” indicator signs for Carterville Road and 1460 North, and donating to the community garden on 820 North. Hillside Cleanup Day (Saturday, August 16th) District 4 Co-Chair Beth Hedengren announced a hillside cleanup project for August 16th from 7:30 to 10:00 AM. The project would focus on clearing debris from the hillside west of Lions Park and west of Freedom Elementary School to reduce fire danger. She emphasized the importance of the project, recalling a recent fire incident. Volunteers were asked to wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. Marvellous Catering would provide breakfast for volunteers at 10 AM. Hedengren encouraged residents to sign up and spread the word about the event. Provo Neighborhood District 4 Website The Neighborhood District 4 web page on the Provo City website lists the Public Works projects in your community which is updated each month. Also on the web page is a list of the public hearings that affect your community, with a description of each item, the meeting dates, and emails for contacting the Planning Commission and City council. https://www.provo.gov/363/Neighborhood- District-4 Public Comment During the public comment period, residents raised several issues: ● Bryce Johnson of the North Park Neighborhood proposed a two-way protected bike/mobility lane on 900 North bordering Exchange Park on the south. It’s often used anyway, but people and cars must dodge each other the way it is now. It would connect west of the river across to the hospital and on to BYU eastward. He presented the benefits of the project and its potential to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. He estimates the project would cost about $4,000. (The Neighborhood Coordinator will send Bryce a link to the matching grant application.)  ● Neighborhood Coordinator Rachel Breen showed a map of where the permanent radar “Your Speed” sign will be installed, two crosswalks will be painted, and possibly improved lighting in the Carterville Neighborhood (information from Traffic Manager Vern Keeslar). A property owner mentioned that the east-west crosswalk should’ve been installed on 2100 North, not 2150 North, so it would better connect with the top of the trail leading down the hill. The currently proposed location leads to property that owners present at the meeting will soon be developing on the east side of Carterville Road–they called it a “crosswalk to nowhere.” ● A resident expressed concerns about the poor communication and prolonged inconvenience caused by the ongoing construction on 800 North. ● Another resident suggested adding more crosswalks on 800 North between State Street and the bridge, connecting the neighborhoods between the park on 900 North and the school on 500 North. ● Concerns were raised about speeding on Carterville Road, especially after drivers pass the speed bumps in Orem. The board agreed to pass these concerns and suggestions on to the appropriate city departments for consideration. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned. The next meeting was scheduled for September 3rd, Wednesday. Attendees were encouraged to spread the word about the neighborhood meetings and their importance in improving the community.