DAVIS COUNTY—Looking back on 2020 the pandemic overshadowed everything. From schools and businesses closing to masks and social distancing. Everyone hunkered down, working from home and only going out for essentials. Toilet paper flew off the shelves as did sanitizing wipes and other grocery items. Throw in an earthquake and a major wind storm and it was pretty much the craziest year ever. 

The first death from COVID-19 was in Davis County in March and the numbers climbed over the next few months throughout the state. Schools also closed in March, moving student learning online. Graduations, weddings and other major events were cancelled in an effort to stem the tide. 

As summer approached and case counts started to decline, restrictions loosened, businesses slowly reopened with limited capacity and people started to venture out in the “new normal.” 

The Davis School District cautiously made plans to reopen in the fall, making the announcement in July that students would return to class as usual. However, just a few weeks later, the district modified that plan to a hybrid schedule of two days of in-person learning with the other three days remote. 

Many parents were divided over the decision with both sides holding protests at school board meetings and making passionate pleas for their positions. School started in August on the hybrid schedule but less than two months in, the board voted to bring elementary students back four days a week with Friday as a remote day. 

Secondary schools were also scheduled to return on the four-day model a week after elementaries. However, the board later determined that it would be disruptive to switch in the middle of a semester for high schools and junior highs so they voted to push the return to four days until the end of the semester on Nov. 2. 

Again, both teachers and parents were upset by the decision to move from the hybrid model, citing safety concerns, but ultimately the board stayed with their decision. 

As secondary schools returned to class, high schools saw a spike in cases, forcing all of the high schools in Davis County to move into soft closure at one time or another. Soon, some junior highs and elementary schools followed. The board made the decision during the Dec. 4 meeting to continue the four-day model for the remainder of the school year, maintaining the best place for students is in the classroom.

The case numbers have continued to climb over the last few weeks prompting Gov. Gary Herbert to implement a mandatory mask mandate. Many people miss sharing a smile behind the mask but the roll out of a vaccine last week gave everyone a ray of hope.

According to the Davis County Health Department as of last Friday, there have been 21,314 cases of COVID, with 456 hospitalized and 76 deaths. 

The pandemic has taken away so much but it has also strengthened relationships and a sense of community as everyone fights together to battle the virus. Many look to 2021 to be a better year.

The fight for social justice

On the afternoon and evening of May 30, downtown Salt Lake City took on a look like never before. It began peacefully enough that afternoon, when demonstrators for the Black Lives Matter movement held a rally at the Utah State Capitol. There were speeches, and many carried signs expressing the need for social justice. The organizers’ efforts were to simply hold a public event where their voices could be heard. It was similar to demonstrations and rallies being held in cities across America as a nation raised its voices in ire after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Hours later, even as BLM members and organizers had left the area, hundreds of unaffiliated protesters started their own uprising – causing damage at the Capitol and at Library Square in Salt Lake City once they marched down State Street. Police officers dressed in riot gear intervened, one police vehicle was overturned and lit on fire, UTA bus stations were damaged, streets and buildings were painted with graffiti, and eventually several arrests were made.

When the riots got out of hand, a valley-wide call went out that officers needed assistance. “I’ve never heard that in 22 years,” said Capt. Taylor West, Patrol Division Commander for the Davis County Sheriff’s Office whose team went downtown to help. “That’s the scariest thing I’ve done as a police officer,” he said. “Protestors were lining up throwing bats at us.”

For North Salt Lake resident Kenny Akers, who was driving downtown that afternoon, it gave him a chance to intervene when he helped deescalate a potential looting event at a convenience store on 400 South. He saw an angry group coming near the store and calmly talked them out of causing more damage or looting. He has spoken on the need for peaceful interventions in the fight for social justice ever since.

On June 19, hundreds of Davis County residents met at Bountiful City Park in a “Friends for Justice” rally. Again, some came with signs expressing messages of hope. They listened to a local band and heard from a number of speakers, including Pat Oberg, a long-time teacher in the Davis School District who spoke on the importance of people working and getting along together.

The crowd then formed a line and marched peacefully up 400 North, along Main Street to 1000 North, and then back down 200 West to the park.

— Tom Haraldsen|tom.h@davisjournal

Windstorm causes immense damage in county

Davis County residents have grown to be very familiar with what we call the “East Winds,” those winds that whip down through the canyons, form cloud “covers” over the peaks, often topple trees and fences and usually ruin signage on businesses. Still, the storm that came through on Sept. 8 was among the strongest in recorded history for the county.

The storm itself began to subside by late that day, but over the course of five days, through Sept. 12, an all-hands-on-deck effort that involved municipalities from Weber to Utah Counties (and beyond) helped local officials with massive cleanups, restorations and repairs. Damage estimates from the storm were in the millions.

More than 100 power poles were downed among cities in the county, hundreds of trees were blown over, and there was so much debris left on city streets and in residents’ yards that a collaborative effort was necessary to haul it away to the county landfills.

Bountiful City Power director Allen Johnson called fellow municipal power company leaders asking for assistance. The response was immediate and phenomenal. Logan, Lehi, Payson, Spanish Fork, Springville, Provo, Murray and even St. George sent trucks and personnel to help with the cleanup. Top Engineering LLC (a contractor for traffic control) and Hunt Electric also assisted in the effort to get power back on to thousands of homes and businesses that were without it, some for as long as three or four days.

Landfills worked with the cities as well to help with disposal of the debris. Again, communities such as Park City, Saratoga Springs, West Point, Orem, Lehi, Cedar Hills and Clinton provided trucks and personnel to help with the cleanup.

City leaders said this storm caused much more damage than the last large wind event in 2011, which occurred in December when many trees had shed their leaves, were lighter and thus less prone to being toppled. Also, in September, many lawns and gardens were still being watered, making the grounds softer and more vulnerable for trees and large plants.

Another victim of the storm was business signage. Even nearly four months after the storm, many backlit signs in front of businesses are yet to be repaired. Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported from the Great Windstorm of 2020.

—Tom Haraldsen|tom.h@davisjournal

‘Braves’ mascot to be retired

BOUNTIFUL—A petition by two Bountiful High graduates to change the ‘Braves’ name because it was offensive, started a groundswell of opinions, both pro and con that prompted administration to take a closer look. 

Bountiful High Principal Aaron Hogge formed a committee made up of parents, students, Native Americans and other stakeholders to listen to all sides of the issue. As part of the discussion, two listening sessions were held, giving the public a chance to weigh in. 

After several months of consideration, Hogge announced in December that the mascot would be retired after the graduating class of 2021.

“My whole goal is to rally students together in unity,” said Hogge. “It kind of came to our attention in the summer and we received direction from the Superintendent and the school board to examine the use of the Indian face and a B with a feather as a mascot.”

The Braves mascot will remain for the 2020/2021 school year and in the coming months a new mascot will be chosen, he said. “After 70 wonderful years rallying behind the Braves – it’s time to look at a new name.”

— Becky Ginos|becky.g@davisjournal

Bountiful Veterans Park opens to public

Nov. 11 was Veterans Day, but also a cold, wet morning and in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. A grandiose ceremony had been planned for the opening of the Bountiful Veterans Park adjacent to city hall, but those plans had to be changed. 

That did not mitigate or lessen the significance of the amazing park.

The park is a labor of love – completely funded through private donations and built largely with volunteer effort – and a fitting tribute to many Davis residents who’ve served in the U.S. military. It was dedicated in a small ceremony that morning and has already been visited by scores of both local and out-of-town residents. And officials still plan on holding a larger ceremony on Memorial Day 2021.

A committee of volunteers from the area has served during every facet of the park’s construction, from initial design to the laying of granite pavers with the names of servicemen and women. Chris Simonsen, chairman of the Bountiful Veterans Park Board of Directors and a leader of the effort from the beginning, still gets emotional when talking about the park and what it means to those who’ve served. 

“I think back to May 12, 1969, the day I boarded an aircraft for basic training,” he recalled. “And I remember coming back home before I began my service. A lot of veterans feel that we were so blessed to come back. It took more than three years from start of the conception to completion of this park, and it’s perfect – peaceful, quiet and in the heart of the city.”

An example of the volunteer effort that went into completing the park was the laying of sod. Last summer, as temperatures soared to more than 100 degrees on a Saturday, more than 30 people showed up to help put down a third of the sod in the complex. Others have helped with landscaping projects as well.

The initial construction’s fundraising efforts garnered well over $1 million. There are plans for another phase of construction at the park, and information can be found online at bountifulveteranspark.org.

                                                                         —Tom Haraldsen|[email protected]

Ice ribbon ushers in Bountiful Town 

The site of ice skaters sailing over a smooth glass-like surface in downtown Bountiful may have seemed unusual, but certainly no more than spotting a Zamboni machine! Now, you can see both thanks to the opening of the Bountiful Ice Ribbon that was formally dedicated at the Bountiful Town Square on Dec. 5.

Mayor Randy Lewis was joined by city council members and other local dignitaries to cut the ribbon and usher in the ice ribbon, a 7,000 square foot ice skating venue that curls around the south end of the square. Lewis said the ceremony marked “the true beginning of Bountiful Town Square.”

The square culminates a two-plus year process of construction on the site of the old Stoker School. Once that building was razed three years ago, officials began in earnest to design and create the new square that the city calls “a gathering place for families, and a generator for downtown businesses.” The ice ribbon was a collaborative effort between Bountiful City and the South Davis Recreation District.

“For any project like this to be completed, it takes vision and work, and then the meshing of design and construction,” Lewis said. “This could not have happened without the combined efforts of the city and the recreation district. It is an extension of the great ice-skating arena they operate at the South Davis Recreation Center.”

The ice ribbon is managed by the SDRD, with staff operating a skate rental facility onsite. Reservations must be made in advance to skate on the ribbon, at least for now. You can do so on the rec center website at https://southdavisrecreation.com/.

In the spring and summer, other elements of the square will also open for use, including a recirculating stream that runs through the area, an outside amphitheater for small concerts and other performances, and more. Long-time residents will also be happy to know that the large sycamore trees on the north side of the square were preserved when the old Stoker School was razed.

                                                                                   —Tom Haraldsen|[email protected]

Plane crash kills two

CENTERVILLE—A retired Davis County Sheriff’s Deputy Sheriff/Paramedic and a Salt Lake man were killed when the experimental airplane they were in went down near Legacy Parkway in Centerville on June 25.

Lt. Jason Sorensen, 47, died June 29 after undergoing treatment for severe burns sustained in the crash. Andre Kostrzewa, 72, who owned the plane was also killed.

Centerville police responded just before 1 p.m. to a report of a plane crash west of Legacy at 1950 North. Witnesses said it was losing altitude and made a hard bank then went into the ground.

Two bystanders ran to pull the men out of the aircraft and suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation. Sorensen and Kostrzewa were transported to the University of Utah where Kostrzewa was pronounced dead and Sorensen was in critical condition in the burn unit. Sorensen underwent two surgeries, including one to amputate both legs before passing away.

Sorensen was a full-time hoist paramedic and pilot with Intermountain Life Flight.

                                                                                         — Becky Ginos|[email protected]

Truck accident causes significant BOUNTIFUL—Several people were injured when a truck came careening down 400 North and slammed into multiple cars and took out a power pole, leaving parts of the city without power.

The accident happened Dec. 10 just before 9 a.m. at the intersection of 400 North and 400 East. The truck was traveling at a high rate of speed when it hit two cars and then plowed into several parked cars. 

“That pole was one of our main transmission lines,” said Bountiful Power & Light Director Allen Johnson. “It covers roughly from 400 North to 1800 South on the east side. We had to reroute that. It probably took about 30 minutes to isolate and get the power back on.”

The truck also took out the traffic controller (signal). “It exploded and the pedestal it’s on so we’ll have to put in a new one,” Johnson said.

The accident injured four people including the driver of the truck. Three people were treated and released and the fourth was in serious but stable condition after the incident. “It caused extensive damage across a wide area,” said Bountiful Police Lt. Dave Edwards. “The collision with parked cars and the curb eventually stopped the dump truck.”

Edwards said the cause of the accident is still under investigation. “The driver indicated the brakes went out as he was coming down the hill. We believe it was a mechanical failure but we haven’t received the report yet.”

                                                                                         — Becky Ginos|[email protected]