Grantsville is a growing community, with an estimated 9,838 residents based upon 2014 census estimates.
That’s more than a 10 percent growth in population since the 2010 census and housing development has increased following a slowdown during the peak of the Great Recession.
With growth comes change, and candidates for the Grantsville City Council were asked to look toward the city’s future as the population swells.
Six candidates are competing for three open seats and at least one new face will join the council, with councilman Mike Johnson not running for re-election after serving his second term.
After property in Grantsville made the final cut for consideration by the state’s Prison Relocation Commission, council candidate Jewel Allen said the city needs to be more involved in the economic development of the city.
“I think the prison issue was a wake-up call for the city,” she said.
While there is some vision from the city for economic development, Allen said she thinks that more can be done.
Krista Sparks agreed that Grantsville needs to be more assertive in planning for future development as more opportunities come from continued growth.
“We need to stay on top of that and be proactive,” she said.
Sparks and Allen agreed that the planned Main Street reconstruction project in 2019 will be an opportunity for more growth along the city’s main corridor. Sparks said updating the city’s sewer and water infrastructure would be a boon for future business and population gains.
With the number of city residents expected to keep growing, Jaime Topham hopes to find ways to incentivize small business growth in Grantsville. While she isn’t sure financial incentives are necessary, Topham said the city should make it easy for business to get started in the city.
“It would be important for them to come into the community,” she said.
Topham and incumbent Scott Stice both mentioned the need for more restaurants.
Stice also thinks that redevelopment of the Main Street corridor will be a responsible way to get more businesses downtown. New businesses on the properties between Main and Durfee streets would create less of an impact by using the existing infrastructure, he said.
“I’d really like to see the vacant lots inside the town fill up first,” Stice said.
Incumbent Neil Critchlow said he wants to see more manufacturing jobs and other career-based opportunities to keep residents from having to move away to find jobs.
With new people moving to town every year, Critchlow said the city needs to have a cohesive vision for the future guided by its residents. The city should look to residents for information on where new parks are needed and in determining the roads with the highest volume of traffic, he said.
“I would like to see more input from people from outside of the old part of Grantsville,” Critchlow said.
Most of the residents living outside of downtown Grantsville are in satellite subdivisions. Growth is expected in the areas to the city’s west and east from recent annexations, Stice said.
The broader geographic spread of the city will create a need for the city to expand its police and fire coverage, Stice said. The growing residential tax base and public safety fees should offset the expansion, he said.
Allen said the city’s proposed $4 million justice center, which would house the police department and court, will leave open space in City Hall to take on additional employees as government services grow with the demand.
Topham said growth in Grantsville is being driven by young families with children and believes the city could use a community recreation center. She also said the city’s road infrastructure in areas like Cooley Street is in desperate need of significant upgrades.
While there will be a need for expanded public safety coverage if Grantsville continues to grow, Sparks said she doesn’t believe the city — and its taxpayer’s wallets — need to take on the entire burden.
She said she remembers her father volunteering at the Donner-Reed Museum and believes similar efforts can help keep the city’s public spaces maintained, such as the cemetery.
The spirit of volunteerism comes from events like the Grantsville Sociable and Fourth of July parade, Sparks said.
“Once they feel that sense of community, they buy in,” she said.
Stice agreed that the city’s strong traditions should be considered a selling point in attracting new growth to Grantsville.
“Once they come here and see Grantsville, they want to be a part of it,” he said.
Allen, who moved to Grantsville 14 years ago, said it’s important to enhance and strengthen the city’s historic district but said new people bring with them more ideas and benefits to the community.
Topham agreed that the city’s heritage and historic sites should be preserved, but believes modern buildings like the library bring value to the community as well.
“It’s about the people, not the property,” she said.
Preserving open spaces is a key part of maintaining the feel of Grantsville as a rural community, Critchlow said. Farms on Willow and Pear streets, for instance, should be maintained as the city grows, he said.
“We need to maintain the atmosphere as much as we can,” he said.