Eagle Mountain has several boards, commissions and councils that it has formed to help City Government and its residents. One of those is the Senior Citizens Advisory Council (SCAC). The SCAC is currently the most active of the non elected councils in Eagle Mountain. The Eagle Mountain senior population may not be very big in size but is very active. Joye Roberts is the chair of the SCAC, and has been a resident of Eagle Mountain for the last 10 years. When asked why they moved to Eagle Mountain she answer that besides the affordable housing, small community and room to grow, that they wanted to be located close to their three children. “One in Provo, One in Lehi and one in Riverton. They are close enough to help us when we need help. When we were looking for a home something kept leading us to Eagle Mountain. We have lived here a little over 10 years so we moved in just before the last growth spurt. We got involved with the Senior Group shortly after moving here it has been a great 10 years.” In years to follow we may see an increase in the senior population in Eagle Mountain as others move to be closer to their children and grand children. My parents recently moved to Eagle Mountain as well for just that reason, to be closer to family.
Donna Burnham, a member of the Eagle Mountain City Council and the council liaison for the SCAC, talks about her impressions on the importance of the SCAC in Eagle Mountain. “The senior council plays an important role for our city. Not only do they provide multiple activities for our seniors, but they also volunteer at all our city events, and do service projects throughout the city. They are positive, fun and energetic. If you haven’t come to the senior center yet, give it a try. They will make you feel welcome.”
When Roberts was asked what the biggest 5 accomplishments the SCAC achieved in the last 5 years she supplied the following list.
- Put an emphasis on Service to our community with service projects, such as planting the flowers at the Eagle Mountain Cemetery, we supplied the labor the parks department the flowers. We made bears of love and donated them to the Police, fire department and EMTs. We made pillow cases for children and donated them to the pediatric unit of Utah Valley Hospital in Provo. We do some kind of service project once a month on the 2nd Monday. We also help out at some of the events department’s activities, such as cleanup day, pony express days, Halloween Village, and the open house at Cory Wride Park.
- Maintaining a fiscally responsible budget. I believe in managing our budget to not have wasteful spending. Yet being able to have activities to benefit the seniors.
- Working with the city to get a place for the seniors to meeting without having to work around the city’s schedule for city hall.
- Purchasing a wheel chair for the Senior Bus so that when we go on activities that involve some walking that all can participate.
- Maintaining a calendar of events with set days that do not change Such as Bingo every third Monday evening. We create a calendar once a month and make sure the City has a copy so our activities can be put on the City Calendar, and web site.
The SCAC does not stop there, they have an active community calendar. Roberts continues, “With the new center open we are now able to have on a regular basis craft, art, and just socializing during the day. We had our first such activity on October 3 it was a big success. I guess what I am saying is that we have more of the seniors in the area joining us. People that have never been to an activity before. Down the road we plan on adding a few more of these days. Getting the Center ready to have the meals like most senior centers is one of our next goals.”
The Senior Center was recently opened for them to use. The Daily Herald in Sept 2018 reported this about the new Senior Center, “The new center, a remodel of existing office space adjacent to City Hall and United Fire Authority Fire Station 251, houses a main meeting room, a dedicated arts and crafts room, a kitchen and office and storage space. Roberts is very excited about the arts and crafts room, because they can hold regular oil painting classes there.”
The project started when Mayor Pengra was in office. Roberts explains, “The process of getting the Center up and running. We starting actively working on this right after Mayor Pengra was elected, especially after the sale of the utilities. Then when the Sheriff’s department moved into the City Office building we lobbied (I guess that is a good word to use) Mayor Pengra to give us the Public Safety Building for a center. It took some time to get the funding approved to remodel the building,. I believe we had been working on this for the last 4 to 5 years now it is a reality. We loved working with Mayor Pengra, Mayor Painter, and finally Mayor Westmoreland to see this project through.”
She explains the new center “gives a place where the Seniors in the area can gather to socialize, play cards, put together puzzles, and get out of their houses without having to travel to far to communities outside of this area. This will be nice in the winter where they would not have to travel on bad roads for a long distance.”
Roberts also mentioned several of the city staff that helped make it the senior center possible. “Aaron Sanborn, Jeff Weber, Kevin Johnson, Linda Peterson and Ted Kranendonk. We appreciate their efforts to see this accomplished. I am sure in the last few months they put in a lot of effort and hard work to see this to the end.”
She lists the new senior center as the biggest accomplishment she has had since serving on the SCAC. “The New Senior Center, which will help grow our senior family.” She continues that it also, “is keeping the seniors busy contributing to the community.”
Building up the SCAC has not always been easy, there have been some stumbling blocks along the way. Roberts explains, “My biggest stumbling block is finding people willing to donate their time on a regular basis to serve the seniors. Maintaining a Board that functions as a team. We have a wonderful board in place right now, but in the future as time goes on and members of the board leave for some reason, filling that position with good people is a challenge.”
Roberts has been serving on the board for the last 5 years as the chairman of the board. “I often say I was drafted. When the previous Chairman wanted to resign, and 2 other members of the board were moving I was asked to step in and fill a vacated position. I serve because I want this program to grow and I feel in the next 3 years that we can accomplish great things for the seniors of this area. I love our senior family.”
If you would like to get involved in the SCAC by either donating time or joining in their activities, you can do so by visiting the Eagle Mountain website and checking out their community calendar. http://eaglemountaincity.com/departments/special-events/events-calendar. The SCAC currently consists of 5 members, Joye Roberts (chair), Eva Bassett, Wand Magness, Karen Scott, and Marsha Taylor. The City Council liaison to the SCAC is currently Donna Burnham.
I want to thank Joye Roberts for the time she spent answering my questions and helping create this article for Cedar Valley Sentinel (formerly i84005).
Additional Resources
Daily Herald – Eagle Mountain opens first senior citizen center
Mike Kieffer – Editor-in-Chief, Cedar Valley Sentinel
Mike Kieffer is a dynamic leader and community advocate based in Eagle Mountain, Utah. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Cedar Valley Sentinel, a local publication dedicated to informing, inspiring, and elevating the Cedar Valley community through honest and accurate journalism. With a passion for fostering connections, Kieffer has made it his mission to highlight local businesses, provide reliable news, and support community development.
Beyond his editorial role, Kieffer is the owner of Lake Mountain Media, LLC, a company specializing in media and communications, and the co-owner of Quail Run Farms, which focuses on sustainable farming and community engagement. He also actively contributes to the local economy and culture as a member of the Eagle Mountain Chamber of Commerce.
Kieffer’s dedication extends to preserving and promoting the history and heritage of the Cedar Valley area. He often participates in community-centered events and media, including podcasts that explore the unique aspects of life in the region. Through his varied endeavors, he remains a steadfast advocate for the growth and enrichment of the local community.