Editor’s note: The following is the full text of Grantsville Mayor Brent Marshall’s State of the City address that was given during Wednesday’s Grantsville City Council meeting. See related story on A-1.
Honorable city council, staff, citizens and guests, I consider it a great honor and privilege to serve as Mayor of this great city, and to have the opportunity to stand before you and proudly reflect on some of our accomplishments over the past year. We have completed many of our objectives for the year. We have many ongoing and upcoming projects for you to be aware of.
Our capital project list seems to always be growing with projects of different magnitude and degree of importance.
Last year the capital projects for the city parks were creating a paved parking lot and adding a restroom at Hollywood Park. Our Cherry Street Park also received some much-needed upgrades with a new restroom at the tennis courts and a new playground. The Hollywood Park is scheduled for more improvements with a new pavilion and playground area. It is an enjoyment to see the smiles of families having fun in our parks.
Our street improvements are ongoing projects. Each year we spend what we can of our limited, restricted funds to continue to rebuild, repair and seal our roads. We do a yearly evaluation of the streets to determine the need. This process is always ongoing.
The city is beginning the largest road project our community has had in quite a few years. This project is the reconstruction of Main Street and will run from the intersection of SR-138 and SR-112 to Clark Street and SR-138. In this project we would like to remove the crown of Main Street with newly updated sidewalks, curb and gutter. Based on funding from the state (SB160), construction for this project will begin in the next couple of years. At that time, the city will have the opportunity to replace water and sewer infrastructure that needs to be upgraded desperately. We are currently looking for grants to help pay for this upgrade.
We completed the Booth Street Project. The purpose of this sewer upgrade was to eliminate two lift stations and install a larger capacity pipe going to the treatment plant from Main Street. It does provide a higher level of service to prevent effluent water from backing up into homes. This improvement provides the east side of the community the ability to grow.
We have put out for bid the West Branch Waterline. It will connect the South Willow Water Tank to the South Water Tank. This will allow the transfer and movement of water with the aid of an inline pump station creating redundancy within our water zones. This will prevent the type of issue we had last year on the Fourth of July in the southern zone.
We completed the Deseret Peak Annexation, which extended Grantsville’s boundary to the east side of Sheep Lane and which includes the Reckitt Benckiser Building. This annexation encompassed 3,622 acres and keeps municipal services within the city’s boundaries.
Balance today, balance tomorrow, and we will achieve a goal of a structurally balanced budget. For the second year in a row, we received a clean audit. This is a great accomplishment. There has been a great effort by the staff and elected officials to have the city in order, both financially and administratively.
Economic development is always at the forefront. We have been entertaining two major companies: One is a Fortune 500 company and the other is not small by any means. Decisions for locations by these companies are not made quickly. Research and investigation are done with many government agencies, on workforce availability, the level of education of the citizens, education opportunities, and amenities in the community. These are difficult determinations for any company to make. Somewhere in all of this challenge is opportunity.
The prison location in Tooele Valley and/or Tooele County is our most fluid project. You’re on; you’re off. You have new sites you did not even know existed. Throughout this process, the support form citizens has been very gratifying. Their emails to the Prison Relocation Commission have had a big impact. They have brought the community together. As this project evolves, there will be a lot of media attention surrounding the site selection.
I would be remiss if I did not thank our emergency services, the fire and police departments, for the protection of our community. They are always there, 24/7. I would like to extend our appreciation for their dedicated service on the community’s behalf.
I would also like to thank all of our municipal employees for dedicating their professional abilities toward improving our city. Their level of excellence is reflected throughout our workforce.
I extend my gratitude to the many volunteers who serve and have served over the years throughout our community. Though it goes often overlooked, their service, past, present and future, is the foundation of our community’s strength.
I would also like to recognize our military veterans and their families. Thank you for your service to our country. You remind us all what sacrifice and honor are. Your contributions are truly appreciated.
Every day, I get the opportunity to work with other government agencies for the common good of our valley. We have seen the success of working together. I thank you, Mayor Dunlavy, Tooele City Council, county commissioners (past and present), and all the other mayors and communities throughout the county.
I would like to share my admiration to the members of the city council and my appreciation of the work you do. You have a vital role in achieving the city’s goals and always put the city’s best interest first. Albert Einstein said, “Somewhere in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” You, the council, have a very difficult job and I would like to publicly thank you.
I love my wife, Corene, my sons, Ryan, Colin, and their families. They are my greatest joy and achievement. They are my support and encouragement. What a wonderful blessing it is to have family close by.
I have been blessed with great mentors in my life, each offering sage advice. Wisdom is rare and when you are lucky enough to receive it, you should strive to orient your life around it.
As Mayor, I have seen change in our city. I have seen the strength of our community. It is resilience that carries us through the hard times, and allows us to imagine and work for the brightest future together. It’s how we will meet our challenges. It is how we will move forward. If I had one wish, it would be that God continues to bless the citizens of this great community. And God bless America.