07/10/2020
I have something to share- please read..
Regarding the City Council's concerns about traffic surrounding the proposed Smiling Faces daycare facility at 410 South Main Street:
At 2hrs 52min into the video of the City Council meeting for 6/30/2020, your own City Engineers clearly illustrate the parking lot meets and exceeds the city's own codes for parking lot clearance.
The comments from the City Councilman at 2:53:50 are slightly offensive and show that it has been some time, if any, since he has personally dropped off children at daycare. Smiling Faces runs a tight ship and there are NO "kids (are) getting out in the middle of the street and running across the road." ALL children enrolled at Smiling Faces are REQUIRED to be brought INSIDE and signed in by an adult, and the reverse upon checkout. It is quite rude for an elected or appointed city official to assume he cares more about my child's safety than myself. This same councilman expresses concern for the traffic on Main Street, when the current successfully operated daycare under the same management is on STATE Street. So a 25MPH mixed residential zone is now a greater threat than cutting across three to seven lanes of 45MPH+ traffic on a state route?
A councilmember at 2:54:55 talks about turning left out of the parking lot, which again, I repeat - have you tried turning left out of any business along State Street? The parents and adults have managed just fine at the current facility for 3+ years. You may as well suggest all cars be banned from ever turning left onto any road for that argument to hold any weight.
I'm not aware of complaints from neighbors, but any you have heard are likely a classic case of "not in my backyard." Orem claims to be Family City USA but a loud minority will scream and shout about the audacity of parents seeking childcare at their own expense so that we can go to the jobs those same residents insist we do to provide their services.
Please also recall that the previous business here was a senior assisted living facility. The applicants are not bringing battering rams into an otherwise pristine cul-de-sac and demanding a steel mill be built. A similar business already operated here, caring for a vulnerable percentage of the population with loved ones who only wanted the best for them. Smiling Faces provides the best for our most vulnerable and precious population: our children. Please do not prevent or limit their ability to do so over some red tape.
Jeff Lambson asking about traffic patterns impacted by Covid-19, but then walking back and stating 2015 is not recent enough for a traffic study: which is it? Do you want current data based on extenuating circumstances, or reliable data based on historical use? This argument could be made once a week that "traffic patterns change." Yes, based on weather, global pandemics, seasons, construction, city development, etc. That does not prevent businesses from operating.
Comments continue at 3:12:30 regarding cars parked near the driveway. Again: have you, or will you be, "red-curbing" every single driveway that opens onto State Street? You are unjustly making demands and requirements beyond those of our city code that have not been equally applied to other businesses. Taking away parking spots directly reduces their ability to run their business! "Losing students" is a loss of funding for the business owner, and a loss of childcare for your citizens!
I am again baffled by the exchanges between Terry Peterson and Tom MacDonald at 3:15:30. "100 children running in and out between cars." Where are you getting these children from, gentlemen? Apparently you're under the impression that Orem parents just open their doors each morning and say "Good luck out there son, hope you don't get killed on the way to class!" Thank you to Mayor Brunst for being a voice of reason to point out that this is not the only childcare facility in our city, as well as the existing intersection at 400 South Main Street that has legal parking and has had legal parking for decades. David Spencer's comments at 3:46:25 are absurd and insulting, stating the city cannot manage w**d abatement for an adjoining property and therefore will not be able to ensure rule compliance by the daycare facility. This insults his own employees as well as his voting
constituents: if laws are written only with the expectation that they are only obeyed as long as they can be enforced, there would be none. Smiling Faces will follow the conditions Orem City sets for them because Orem City has set those conditions, period. Please show a little faith in your citizenry.
The owners and managers at Smiling Faces have several degrees in education and have proven themselves as savvy and dedicated business people. Two public comments were read into the record from people that do not currently live in or near the neighborhood, as I do. One asked about a fence which the owners have stated they will voluntarily reinforce despite, again, already exceeding city requirements. For the third public comment expressing concern over the play area: Smiling Faces is already utilizing a space even smaller than this at their current location. They really are the best at what they do and consistently go above and beyond.
In all, this expansion and relocation of Smiling Faces is actually a safer choice and provides better opportunities for their students than the current location. There is more parking, more space, and less overall traffic. Remember they are currently operating successfully on a busier road, with fewer parking spots, which they share with a trailer park and a restaurant. If anything, Smiling Faces has proven they can make the best of any situation and meet a high standard set in less than fantastic conditions. They should not be punished for wanting to give their clients better services. Please reconsider the conditions placed upon this small locally-owned and reliable business while remembering our claim that Orem is the best place to raise a family in Utah County. Please let me raise my family here; stop making it harder than it needs to be. Your Planning Commission voted
unanimously for approval. Trust your staff and your own appointed Board members to do the jobs you assigned them to do.
And just to be clear, this "Hispanic" business (as referred to by your own council during the meeting) does not only serve the "Hispanic" community. I can't believe I even have to say this, but it is serving the OREM Community. And I am not of Latinx or spanish-speaking origin. Please do the right thing and approve this conditional use -which you can still revoke later, if needed!- during your next meeting on July 14th. Put the same faith in us that we put in you when we vote.
Thank you,Renee CaronOrem ResidentWorking ParentMore-than-satisfied Client and Taxpayer
This comment was submitted by one of our clients through the orem city public comments please read that might have some insights for the next week orem city council meeting!
