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 front-page story.
Honorable city council, department heads, employees, and citizens, it is my distinct honor and great privilege this evening to report to you that the state of this great city is strong.
We have had a fantastic year. I am proud to say that we are consistently moving forward in a positive direction with the diligent teamwork and dedication of our professional city staff and employees and, most importantly, our caring, generous, and engaged citizens.
Over the past year, very little seemed routine. In the face of real challenges, we have been able to look to the future because of the shared vision of all of our citizens.
Our biggest news story from the past year was the proposed relocation of the Utah State Prison Facility from Draper to Grantsville City. It didn’t go viral, but it trended on Facebook.
Residents of this valley were not in favor of this move. The other communities on the site list felt much the same. It was a contentious battle. Communities did not want this intrusion.
Municipalities and volunteer groups were organized. The “No Prison in Tooele County” organization was formed and worked with the municipalities. I wish to thank all the volunteers who worked to keep the prison out of our community. Your particular efforts did not go unnoticed and were very much appreciated. Our representatives, Doug Sagers and Merrill Nelson, worked diligently for us on Capitol Hill, and I thank them. Thank you to the County Commissioners. Mayor Dunlavy and the Tooele City Council’s support never wavered. Thank you.
I also thank the Grantsville City staff. They came to work each day knowing hours would be spent in research and writing letters in an effort to keep the prison from relocating to our valley. The Grantsville City Council, including Mike Johnson and Scott Stice’s support and encouragement, will never be forgotten; I thank you. This was a giant accomplishment.
The Friends of the J. Reuben Clark Historical Farm purchased approximately 2.2 acres of the farm, which included the barns, outbuildings and the grass area to the north of the outbuildings. They will use this area for their events and plan to do restoration work on the barns. I know they will be successful. The approximate 35 acres that is remaining of the property has been master planned for the use of the community.
The long-range plan is to create a recreational facility, that includes a four-plex for baseball and softball, soccer and football fields, tennis courts, pickle courts, an indoor swimming pool for year-round use, a playground area with concession stands, pavilions for family gatherings including restrooms, parking lots, and an amphitheater and a cemetery area, for the benefit of all residents.
Our financial status is strong. We pride ourselves in providing value for your tax dollars that have been entrusted to us. I’ve said it before, “Balance today, balance tomorrow, and we will achieve our goal of a structurally balanced budget.”
For the third year in a row, Grantsville City received a clean audit. This is a great accomplishment. It is noteworthy to have the city in order both financially and administratively. We have invested in projects to build a community that offers a premier quality of life. We have proven time and again that we can and will rise to any challenge. We are a strong community.
Grantsville City received distinction from the Recycling Coalition of Utah for our community recycling program. We recycled over 352 tons that would have gone into the landfill. Grantsville City was recognized and presented with the Thomas A. Martin Local Government Recycler of the Year Award for 2015.
In July, Grantsville City was recognized for being the fifth safest community for communities under 100,000 residents in the State of Utah. This is an awesome report. I recognize and thank our police department for keeping our community safe. I know they have a thankless job. I thank our volunteer fire department for protecting our community as well. I know both of these organizations train constantly and are on call 24/7, 365 days a year for everyone in our community.
In the past year, we have joined together in a cooperative effort for economic development with Tooele City and Tooele County to promote our valley, working for the betterment of our communities. We have all moved forward with a strategic vision to help us respond to businesses and corporations interested in locating to our valley.
We must choose to recognize the opportunities in our city. The prison site is being shown to businesses for relocation. Let those successes increase our ambition for even greater prospects. We are working to find solutions for even the most vexing, longstanding struggles and we will not shrink back for fear of failure. Somewhere in all of these challenges is the door to opportunity.
Utah State University is an investment in our community. Education is the most powerful tool which we can use for change. By providing the opportunity to get a college education, we are investing in our greatest resource: our youth. There are no shortcuts to success. Companies need educated workers and employees want quality education opportunities for their families.
Upgrades to the city’s infrastructure projects were completed as planned. The West Bench Waterline was a great addition to our water delivery system, making the movement of water from storage tank to storage tank a reality. If a well goes down, we will continue to have water available for residents.
We completed several street projects this year. We spend what we can to rebuild, repair and seal our roads. We will continue to evaluate streets to determine where projects line up. We will maximize every available dollar to achieve our long-term goals.
Our public safety building is a work in progress with many steps to be completed before groundbreaking.
The Hollywood Park is becoming a place that families can enjoy. This is a beautiful addition to our city with a new playground area, a pavilion, baseball backstops, soccer nets and trees. Cherry Street Park received a complete paving of the parking lot and bleacher areas. It is wonderful to see families enjoying and having fun in our parks. Maintaining quality park amenities and beautiful open public spaces require a constant investment to provide recreational opportunities for all our residents.
Our prospects for the future are exciting. There are many opportunities to make our community a better place. We have many significant projects that are in different planning stages. A few of the projects are the Deseret Peak Sewer Line, a Safe Route to School grant for a sidewalk to run along Durfee Street from Hale Street to Quirk Street, and we are still working with UDOT for a pedestrian-activated crossing on Main Street at Hale Street.
The Main Street Project will need to be completed. Our Main Street water line was installed in the 1940s with many different sizes of pipe mostly made of cast iron. It is in a sad state and needs to be upgraded desperately. Our Main Street sewer line is undersized and also needs to be upgraded.
We have asked UDOT to remove the crown from the roadway as the storm water follows the natural fall of the ground and when it gets to Main Street, the road acts like a dam and causes flooding issues.
This is an essential project that will allow Grantsville City and other utility companies to upgrade their systems. This project will affect businesses and residents. We plan to meet with everyone on the Main Street corridor once we have a confirmed start date from UDOT. Information will be sent to all citizens in the newsletter.
We have watched the Tooele Main Street Project with great interest. We will try to avoid some of the difficulties that were experienced there.
The north wall of the Donner-Reed Museum needs to be restored as the adobe is returning to Mother Earth. We have completed most of the engineering work to make sure the building is structurally safe. This is a big undertaking and we are working to preserve this historic site.
We continue to invest in projects to build a community that offers a premier quality of life.
I would like to take a moment to recognize all the volunteers throughout our community.
Thank you for your time, energy, and talents that you so selflessly give. You are the foundation of our community’s strength.
I would also like to recognize our military veterans and their families. You are true heroes and your sacrifice allows us to enjoy our freedoms. Thank you for your unselfish service to our country.
I am committed to fostering our relationship with other government agencies. We have been successful working together and I thank Mayor Dunlavy, the Tooele City Council, the County Commissioners, Representative Sagers, Representative Nelson, Mayor Whitney, Mayor Johnson, Mayor Thomas, Mayor Crawford, and other leaders throughout the county. I have seen what working together can accomplish.
One of the toughest parts of delivering the annual State of the City is finding the proper words to adequately thank an exceptional group of people, the employees of the city, for the results they deliver day in and day out for our community. It is an honor to serve alongside such remarkable, talented, and dedicated individuals. Thank you.
I truly appreciate the work of the city council. You have a tremendous responsibility. I know you care greatly and are invested in our community. With much gratitude, thank you for your service.
To my family, my mother, Ruth, my wife Corene, my sons, Ryan and Colin and their wonderful families, I love you very much. Your encouragement and support are my strength.
You are my greatest joy and achievement. I am very proud of you. What a wonderful blessing it is to have your foundation of family close by. I love my work, but I could not do it without your support.
As I stand before you tonight, I am so humbled and honored. It is a privilege to serve as mayor of this great city. I thank you for giving me the amazing opportunity to serve for the past six years. I’ve learned more about myself than I ever could have imagined. I give my best each and every day when I leave home and go out to serve the city I love.
As we enter 2016, I’m firmly convinced that greatness is here in the City of Grantsville.
Great communities don’t just happen. They are the result of hard work, exceptional people, and dedicated partners. The State of the City is secure, strong, and our future is great. The City of Grantsville is not just another city; it’s our city. Our city is stronger than ever. Grantsville’s greatness is real. It’s specific. It’s tangible.
God bless you and God bless the City of Grantsville.
Thank you,
Mayor Brent Marshall