The youngest of our citizens, along with parents and grandparents, had an exciting visit from Santa Claus at a breakfast with him on December 13, 2008, at the Senior Center, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. . Breakfast included pancakes, scrambled eggs, ham, cereal, diced fruit, hot chocolate, milk and juice Following breakfast, the children had the opportunity for an individual visit with Santa, as their parents beamed, and cameras flashed. Various fun activities and creative projects for the children went on throughout the morning. The activity was under the direction of Shauna Meyerhoffer, with helping elves Stacee Meyerhoffer, Dean and Lois Slater, Glen Meyerhoffer, Cara Meyerhoffer, and volunteer helpers from America First Credit Union. This year the occasion was sponsored by the Marriott-Slaterville Branch of America First Credit Union, who donated $500.00, and the city. Cost to the participants was $1.00 for children and $2.00 for adults. A Christmas party for elected officials, staff, and volunteers was held on December 18, 2008, following the monthly Council Meeting. A dutch oven dinner, catered by Debbie Stanger was served, consisting of chicken, baked potatoes, salad, rolls, and cheese cake. All in attendance enjoyed the dinner and visiting, and appreciated the efforts of Shauna Meyerhoffer in coordinating the event. EMERGENCIES Emergencies certainly aren't times to which we look forward. It is important that we prepare as best we can to deal with ones that come. The city and other agencies plan and suggest help for residents. CERT training was again offered beginning Thursday, February 7, 2008, at 6:00 p.m. Dixie Little was in charge of the series of classes, and more residents were trained in emergency response. Residents were reminded of preventative steps for lowering damage from earthquakes, in the April issue of the newsletter. FEMA suggestions were given on securing objects in the home and for family drills on how to react in the event of an earthquake. In the December issue of The Pioneer Post, the CERT Emergency Management members urged residents to take time to prepare for an emergency or disaster. Hopefully, we will not face a disaster, but being prepared alleviates many problems. They suggest: Plan: Practice your family emergency plan. Consider disasters: Prepare and practice a plan for various types of emergencies, such as fire, earthquakes, floods, and severe storms. Read and review: Keep your plan updated, and review it often. A 72-hour kit: Prepare and keep current your 72-hour emergency kit. We have seen fires, flooding, violent winds and storms this year in our nation. People have had to rely on their own preparations for days or weeks. Any experienced ham radio operation who would like to volunteer such services in the community in a disaster, is asked to contact City Administrator Bill Morris at his office. An Emergency Management Training Class for all elected officials, will be held on Thursday, January 29,. 2009, at the West Point City Hall, with a dinner served to those in attendance. President Dennis Ilium asked council members to attend this class. HEALTH Are you anticipating new arrivals at your address? You could be acting as host or godparent to more than 31 billion new arrivals this summer. The Pioneer Post for April told us that we, individually, can provide conditions favorable to producing that many mosquitoes in just six generations from one mosquito. In a good weather year 15 generations can occur from that one mosquito. The average mosquito lays 100 eggs every 10 days, during which time the egg hatches and becomes an adult. So if you don't enjoy these abundant guests, (and possibly West Nile Virus), you should check your property for any standing water, including that in old tires. Your neighbors, and the whole community will thank you. 19