May 2024

Mayor's Message | May 2024

In this month's message, Mayor Dave Young honors our three departments of first responders: Fire, Police, and Public Works. These departments are at the heart of all we do as a city and the month of May is dedicated to appreciating and celebrating their contributions.

You can read the full message here.

City Council Message

from Councilmember Jeff Lambson

In the heart of our city will stand a monument, a silent sentinel of remembrance, honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.

The City of Orem is the first city in Utah County to build a Gold Star Family Memorial Monument. The monument will be part of the Freedom Plaza at the new Orem City Center. Gold Star Family is a title reserved for immediate families and relatives of military members who have died in the line of duty. These monuments are dedicated to serve as a place of honor and remembrance for these noble families, as well as the rest of the community.

We have several Gold Star Families here in Orem including the Olsen and Lamoreaux families.Both of these families have been invited to be recognized at the Memorial Day Program. There are no words that adequately express our sorrow or our gratitude to these families. They have been through an ordeal that not many of us can even imagine. But we are committed as a community to do our best to honor the sacrifices they have made. If you are, or know of another Gold Star Family that lives in Orem, please let us know.

This is a community-driven project and our very own American Legion, Orem Post 72 is leading the way in this effort. They have already donated $4,000 to kick start this project. The goal is to raise $250,000 for this cause and I invite you to join us in this effort as we make sure that our Gold Star Families know they are not forgotten.

You can learn more and donate at orem.org/star.  

Council member Jeff Lambson

The annual Memorial Day program will be held on Monday, May 27th at 10am in the Orem City Cemetery. We hope you can join us as we honor and remember those who served our national so valiantly. There will be special music provided by the Utah Baroque Ensemble as well as a keynote address by local war hero Jack Rhodes.

Upcoming City Council Meetings

TUESDAY MAY 28 | JUNE 18

You can join Orem City Council meetings in person or online. Just visit orem.org/meetings to see the agendas and start times for upcoming meetings.

Hillcrest Park is now officially open! This beautiful new park was just an idea 3 years ago and is now one of Orem's most amenity-rich and family-friendly parks. The park and facility will host many recreation programs and events. It's going to be a great addition to the city.

Over 250 members of the community gathered in Nielsen's Grove Park for a morning of service to celebrate Orem's 105th birthday. Happy birthday, Orem! We love you!

Groundbreaking of UCCU Stadium

Mayor Young and Council member Jeff Lambson represented the City of Orem at the groundbreaking of the new UCCU Stadium yesterday. It was an exciting day for Wolverines everywhere! #GoUVU



It will be located on the west side of the current Clyde Field and will be a premier venue in NCAA Division I soccer for both the men's and women's teams.

Behind The Scenes

Each year the Water Environment Association of Utah recognizes excellence in the field of water operations and this year Orem brought home two awards!

Dylan Thomas (back row, far right) was awarded Outstanding Collections Operator of the year. The sewer collections team as a whole won the Outstanding Collection System award which highlights the excellent work of the entire team to provide top notch sewer service to a community.

These guys work incredibly hard to keep Orem flowing in the right direction. We're super proud of them! Well deserved awards.

We had two new officers take the oath and join the Orem Police Department. Welcome to the team, Officers Sanderson and Moosman!

The funeral for fallen Santequin Police Officer Sgt. Bill Hooser was held in Orem. The Orem Police and Fire Departments participated in the outpouring of love and support for the Hooser family. The procession of over 750 law enforcement vehicles was a sight many will never forget.

The Orem Farmers Market is back! Every Wednesday from 5 to 9 PM in City Center Park, come enjoy great food, finds, music, friends, and family. It is a wonderful way to wind down at night and enjoy some of the best produce, crafts, art, and music Orem has to offer.

Get your unlimited carnival ride wristbands before Oremfest to skip the ticket lines and save some money at the same time. Vouchers for wristbands are now on sale at the Orem Public Library. Presale price is $30 but it will be $40 during the carnival.

Library hours are 9am to 9pm Monday through Friday and 9am to 6pm on Saturday.

Orem Gives you MORE!

Orem (and Provo) were just named the #5 most dynamic metro area in the United States by the Heartland Forward Institute. This is our 5th time in the top 30! This annual report analyzes the 382 major metro areas in the country on measures such as job growth, production, knowledge intensity, young firm creation/growth, and several other factors.

Orem Named Utah Healthy Community

Orem was just named a Utah Healthy Community by Get Healthy Utah and the Utah League of Cities and Towns. This designation recognizes communities across Utah that do an exemplary job of implementing evidence-based strategies to improve community health. Mayor Young, Council members Jenn Gale, Jeff Lambson, Tom Macdonald, David Spencer, LaNae Millett, and City Manager Brenn Bybee received the award on the city's behalf.

From the award write-up:

"Orem City is busy doing many things to support health in their community! To support physical activity, the city offers free and low-cost community sports programs for adults and children, addressed active transportation connectivity gaps between key destinations, and adopted an ordinance that requires all new subdivisions to provide sidewalks and lights.

To support access to healthy food, Orem established a farmer’s market that actively promotes enrollment in SNAP and other food access programs for those in need, and implemented a new worksite wellness strategy around healthy eating among city employees.

Orem City also prioritizes mental health by training first responders on mental health crises and suicide prevention, hosting senior lunch gatherings, and beautifying several social gathering spaces including its local parks." 

Our good friends at the Orem Trader Joe's were honored and thanked at our city council meeting for donating over $325,000 worth of groceries to the Orem Senior Friendship Center. Many of our seniors live on very limited budgets but these weekly donations from Trader Joe's help cover the gaps. Many of the seniors who benefit from these donations expressed their gratitude on a giant thank you card.

Thank you so much Trader Joe's for being so generous!

Orem Giving Machines Raise $1.45 Million

The Mayor and City Council got the report on the Giving Machines that were stationed at University Place over the holidays and the results are staggering. Over $1.45 million was raised for both local, domestic, and international charities!

There were 18,000+ transactions at the Orem machines and over $850k will be staying here in our community to help with the important work that our partner non-profits do.

Some of the local non-profits receiving this crucial funding are: Boy's and Girl's Club of Utah County, Community Action Services, Show Up, Tabitha's Way, The Refuge Utah, and United Way of Utah County.

Thank you to all of the Orem residents who donated to these great causes and are helping make our community a better place.

Orem Is For Artists

Michael Smith - Orem Arts Council

As I am looking out my window on May 5, 2024, Looking at rain, wind, sleet and hearing forecasts of snow, I am thinking why was I nervous about moving to the desert in Utah? I spent all of my adult life in the east with the last 30 being in Connecticut, just north of New Haven.

My wife, Mary Jane, and I were both Theatre teachers in a small private school of all of that time and loved where we were. However, our three children had all attended BYU and two of them had settled in Orem and

Springville, so when we retired in 2015 we were determined to live near to them and 7 of our 9 grandchildren.

I won’t deny that has been a culture shock for us, both politically and religiously, but we have made lots of adjustments. I am thankful every day when I look out of my balcony at Mt. Timpanogos and Provo Canyon for the beauties of this place. Orem is a paradise of parks for us to visit with our grandchildren and as a place to hold family reunions.

We have both been professional actors for most of our adult lives, so we have been very active in area theaters, especially The Hale Center Theater Orem, which has become like a home to us with plenty of family! We will both be in the upcoming production of “Arsenic and Old Lace”, which will perform during August and September. Stop by and say hi when you are at the show. The Orem Public Library is also one of our families favorite places. It is a jewel to be explored. The art work is amazing!

The summer is coming and there will be many concerts in Orem City Center Park and the farmers market will again be in residence, and the Scera will be brimming with shows and concerts and Neilsen’s Grove Park is a gem not to be missed.

WE love Orem and we hope you do too. Have a great summer and hope to see you at some great events!

AT THE OREM PUBLIC LIBRARY

Gold Star Family Monument Project

If you're looking for a local cause to support this year, please consider the Orem Gold Star Family monument.



At our Lights On ceremony, we heard from the Olsens, one of our Orem Gold Star families. The gold star designation is given to families that lose a family member in the armed forces in active combat. The gold star is meant to honor the sacrifice of the living.

Kim Olsen is the Gold Star mother of Lance Cpl. Nigel K. Olsen who died in combat in Afghanistan in 2010. Nigel grew up in Orem and was a graduate of Mountain View High School.



We are building this monument, which will be the first of its kind in Utah County, to make sure the sacrifices of our Orem Gold Star families are never forgotten and they will always have a place of honor in Orem.

Donations are 100% tax-deductible and can be made online here:

Accessory Apartments:

An often overlooked aspect of affordable housing is its impact on health and well-being. Access to safe and affordable housing promotes physical and mental health, reduces stress, and fosters stronger communities. Accessory apartments are critical to the housing supply for affordable units. Reach out to planning staff or check out www.orem.org/planning for more information on accessory apartments and housing. 

Affordable Senior Housing: 

As our community grows, housing options must be accessible and affordable for our senior population. There are benefits of affordable senior housing for our community and neighborhoods! One critical option is the Affordable Senior Housing zone which allows for income-restricted units. Let us know at www.orem.org/planning your thoughts about the importance of these units and other affordable senior housing in the city! We are always exploring ideas of how to improve the options for housing for all in our community.