Welcome to Mapleton City

It was certainly a long, unusual spring, with lots of heavy rain and un-spring like weather. It's taken a toll on our streets - three "hundred year storms" inside of a few weeks is difficult for any drainage system to handle. I appreciate our public works and public safety crews who have worked hard to deal with these problems as they've arisen (or sunk, as the case may be.) It seems floods, sinkholes, and knee-deep muck only happen in the wee hours, so tending to them promptly often requires some real sacrifices on the part of our city workers. At this writing, there are still some troublesome spots which we will deal with as soon as we can.

Please call us if you encounter an urgent infrastructure problem like a flood or pavement failure. We appreciate those of you who bring these issues to our attention. It's important to all of us here at the city offices that hazards and damage are taken care of quickly, before someone gets hurt, property is destroyed, and things get expensive or dangerous. Don’t be shy about calling - we need your help to alert us to these problems, particularly after hours. If the city offices are closed, call Dispatch at 489-9421.

Hopefully, the worst of the weather is behind us and it's finally time to enjoy some of the best months of the year. Thanks to the rain, there is still an abundance of green on the hillside and in fields and yards. It's the time of year to be together - the rising sun brings us out of our homes for early morning walks, the early evenings bring us together as friends at backyard barbecues and block parties, while the height of the growing season unites us as neighbors sharing peach and cherry harvests and desperately giving away zucchinis. It’s the best time of the year.

I appreciate all of you who have given of yourselves recently to help your neighbors. About two dozen of our residents this spring volunteered their time to become "CERT-ified" (Community Emergency Response Team.) They attended a two months long course to learn how to help their neighbors in the event of a city-wide disaster. It required many hours in the classroom, followed by participation in a rather harrowing and realistic mock disaster, during which they applied their new skills in a real-world setting. I very much appreciate CERT Director Dee Bradford and his new Assistant, Derek Haynie. Both of these men are dedicated, caring, and enthusiastic. We are grateful for their service and look forward to more of you becoming involved in this very important effort.

I am also very grateful to our Mapleton Youth Council. We have a very large group of participants this year. These energetic young people have given back to the city in various ways over the past months. Of particular note, in April, they organized a fund raiser, which was hugely successful. These young men and women presented a check to the city for nearly $1,000, which they requested be deposited in our Public Safety Building Fund at Central Bank. We are so grateful to them for all they’ve done. They are a credit to their parents, teachers, and to the city and we are proud of them.

We’re proud to be celebrating this year the Fiftieth Anniversary of our Volunteer Fire Department. We are blessed to have such a dedicated and professional group. In spite of the fact firefighting is grueling work, some of the original members of the very first crew are still helping put out our fires all these years later.

What a blessing all of these guys are to us! I recently attended one of their training meetings and was grateful to have the opportunity to get to know them better. In spite of the seriousness of their business, they are a really fun group. If you have time on your hands, and don’t mind getting those hands dirty and wearing yourself out to help your neighbor, fill out an application to join them. All things considered, the pay is pathetic, but you’ll be joining a great tradition.

Finally, speaking of tradition, the City Council and I are looking forward to spending the day with all of you on July 24. The day starts early, with the traditional Wake Up Call, courtesy of the Public Safety Department. (Warn your out of town guests to expect lots of sirens that morning - it’s supposed to be just for fun, but we’ve scared a few people in the past.) Flag Raising is in the park, followed by breakfast also at the park, then the 9 a.m. parade, lunch, games, and entertainment (all at the park,) the Crafts Show in the Memorial Hall and other activities lasting into the afternoon. Finally, plan to end the day with a terrific musical program and Fireworks at the Ira Allen Park.

Last year as the celebration day wrapped up, I looked around the sea of people on blankets and camp chairs, having fun and laughing with their neighbors and friends and I couldn’t think of a better way to end a wonderful day. It makes for great fun and wonderful memories. I’m so grateful to all of you for the work you put into making our celebration of our pioneer heritage the highlight of the summer and of the entire year. I hope you’ll join with us as we keep our fingers crossed for good weather luck, and look eagerly forward to the best day of the year!

Mayor Laurel Brady, 801-489-7516 (Home) mayor@mapleton.org