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Murray Journal

Council recognizes Boys & Girls Club, Child Abuse Prevention; changes made to park, pool fees

May 09, 2017 03:05PM ● By Travis Barton

Murray City Council passed a joint resolution with the mayor on March 21 to make March 27 through April 1, 2017 Boys & Girls Club Week. (Mandy Ditto/City Journals)

By Mandy Ditto | [email protected]

 

Murray City Council officially passed joint resolutions with the mayor on March 21 to make March 27 through April 1, 2017 Boys & Girls Club Week, and to declare April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. They also passed resolutions to make official changes to fees for the Murray Park Center and the Murray Aquatics Center Outdoor Pool.

“Whereas the Boys & Girls Club have been transforming the lives of young people in Murray by providing quality afterschool programs in safe, fun and supportive environments since 1967,” Mayor Ted Eyre said. “And whereas there are tens of thousands of kids who have been served by the Boys & Girls Club over the past 50 years since it became a valuable part of our Murray community,” the week was officially recognized as Boys & Girls Week.

The MurrayBoys & Girls Club will be celebrating this week with more than 4,000 other clubs and more than 2 million young people across the nation, Eyre said.

Bob Dunn, vice president of Development and Government Relations for the Club in the Greater Salt Lake area, and several staff members and kids from the Club were present for the recognition from the Council and Mayor Eyre.

“We brought just a handful of our team, it is our 50th anniversary, the first club in the state of Utah was on January 26 and we opened at the old fire station on State Street, that was the first location of the Boys & Girls Club,” Dunn said. “Now 50 years later, we have grown and been a big part of the community ever since.”

The Council also recognized and declared April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Murray City, in support of the MurrayExchange Club.

“Child abuse is a serious and growing problem that respects no racial, religious, socio-economic or geographical boundaries and whereas Utah ranks fourth in reported cases of child abuse nationally, with 210 cases reported in 2016 here in Murray City,” Eyre said, “Be it further resolved that in support of this effort to increase awareness of child abuse, Murray City will fly the child abuse prevention flag in front of City Hall during the month of April.”

The Exchange Club and Murray Excel Club will also tie ribbons on the trees and put a pinwheel on City Hall grounds for each case of child abuse reported in Murray in 2016, Eyre said.

“I would like to thank the mayor and each member of the council for assisting the Exchange Club in raising awareness for this horrible problem in our society,” said Jennifer Brass, Exchange Club president. “We all need to work together on this horrible, growing problem. Please come join us.”

Nine changes were approved for the Murray City Park Center’s fees, which include:

  • Fitness classes and daycare service will now be included in the annual membership fee,
  • Children under the age of 3 can enter free,
  • Daily admission was taken down $1 for all age categories,
  • The non-resident fee is eliminated, so non-residents pays the same amount as residents,
  • The family/couple membership category was eliminated, and instead having an add-on fee to individual memberships,
  • A veteran/active military discount was added,
  • There are now group discounts for groups of 10 or more people,
  • There will be a five percent discount on annual membership fees paid in advance, and
  • The definition for household membership was changed to include any people living in the same household.

Changes for the fees will begin May 1, and staff members at the Center will be working to make sure the public is aware of the changes, and that everything can be ready to take place by May, said Doug Hill, the city’s public services director. “We see this as a benefit to anyone who participates at the Park Center,” he said.

“Because the outdoor swimming pool is so connected to the Park Center, we also felt like we needed to make some adjustments to our fees at the outdoor pool, the changes are rather minor,” Hill said. Changes include:

  • The age of a senior for a senior pass was changed from age 55 to age 60,
  • The cost of daily admission for an adult was increased from $3.50 to $4, and
  • Season memberships were eliminated, since punch cards are available and provide a discount.

“I just want to say what a wonderful amenity the swimming pool and Park Center is, I’ve been going to the swimming pool since I was a child. I use to go with my grandmother, if you can imagine. It’s been there a long time,” said councilwoman Diane Turner.
Hill reminded the council and audience that the original swimming pool used to get water from Little Cottonwood Creek.