Scott Merrell made a pit-stop at the Helper City Council’s March meeting on Thursday evening to discuss the 2019 Lunatic Triathlon with council members.
The first Lunatic Triathlon in Helper was hosted on Aug. 24 and there were over 200 participants on race night. Merrell stated that, for the first year, he thought it was a great turnout.
However, Merrell remarked that hosting the event so late in August came with a number of issues. The first was, due to the late date, the river was high and racers were not able to participate in the kayaking section of the triathlon. The date also put racers on the off-road areas at the same time that hunt scouting was taking place.
Merrell stated that, with these issues in mind, event organizers looked at moving the triathlon to before the annual Helper Music, Film and Arts Festival, putting the event on Aug. 9, which is a Friday evening.
He also expressed that due to the nature of the triathlon, event organizers always try and host the event to coincide with the cycles of the moon and get as close to a full moon as possible. The full moon will be at its peak during the festival, but Merrell stated that he is willing to still host it earlier.
Merrell then went into the details of the triathlon, stating that it would begin around 9 p.m. Children ages five to 11 can participate for free. He informed the council that he would stay in contact with Helper City Police Chief Trent Anderson on what would be needed. Merrell has also spoke with Chief Deputy Cletis Steele at the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office. Furthermore, Carbon County Sheriff Jeff Wood proposed that for the off-road portion, the sheriff’s posse be involved.
Merrell assured the council that he carries an insurance policy for the event and each participant signs a liability waiver. He then briefly spoke with the council on how great hosting the event in Helper was and that it was highly enjoyed by those participating.
“People love the feel of Helper Main Street,” Merrell stated.
The council approved the event for Aug. 9.
Mayor Lenise Peterman then took a moment to announce a proclamation for Arbor Day. Mayor Peterman explained that the city has a tree board and a desire to become a certified tree city.
The city opened a file with the Arbor Foundation, which stated that the city does need to have an Arbor Day celebration, which typically takes place on April 26 with planting and some sort of hosted event. Mayor Peterman stated that she had already contacted Helper Middle School and Sally Mauro Elementary and is hosting an Arbor Day poster contest in the month of April with the students.
She also believes that the tree board will be planting on that day and officially proclaimed that the city will be participating in an Arbor Day celebration on April 26 this year.