Editor’s note: The following is the full text of Tooele Mayor Patrick Dunlavy’s State of the City address that was given during Wednesday’s Tooele City Council meeting. See related front-page story.
I would like to take a moment to pay tribute to Unified Police Officer Doug Barney, who lost his life in the service to his community. This special husband and father, who was unselfishly serving his community, deserves our gratitude, as do the officers in every community — especially our police officers. They go to work every day in a very dangerous world and protect us. They allow each of us, through their service, the opportunity to live here safely with a quality of life so important to all of us. I cannot thank them and their families enough. That appreciation goes out to our fire department members as well.
Chairman Pratt, members of the council, staff members and citizens of Tooele, it is always a special occasion to stand before you and give my yearly report of the state of this wonderful city. I can proudly say the state of the city is better today than ever before. I’ve talked over the years about projects I felt were vital in moving our city forward. Projects like our new water and wastewater reclamation plant that have been completed; design and development of new water sources, which have resulted in the development of three new water production wells adding an additional 3,000 gallons per minute of additional water for our community; and road development and maintenance projects.
One of those projects was the completion of the west side of 1000 North all the way through to SR-112, along with over $14 million in road maintenance projects over the last 10 years. Also, the very important support of our police and fire departments with increases in manpower and the up-to-date equipment needed to do their job. Our accomplishments have been many, preparing our city for the future; many have already paid significant dividends.
While this last summer’s Main Street reconstruction project presented many challenges, our citizens handled it very well under the circumstances. I appreciated the patience and courtesy shown. Hopefully when the state returns in the spring to complete the project, we will all be pleased with the results.
2015 was very successful in our economic development work, with the opening of the new 600,000-square-foot Cabela’s Distribution Center that will create 235 new employment opportunities for our families. We also saw the opening of the new Airgas facility, with their higher-paying positions. I’m very grateful these companies have the confidence in us to make significant investments to come to Tooele City.
The opening of Utah State University’s new, beautiful Science and Technology Building is a wonderful addition to our education corridor, expanding education opportunities for our families. There are very few cities that have invested in educational opportunities as much as we have. By doing so, it brings more opportunities for both younger and older students. That was our goal when we created the education corridor. Our success has been very rewarding, and it has happened very quickly. The vision and support of the council made this happen. This very important work will continue.
One of our hopes as we develop the city property west of the Utah State building is the creation of a research-type business park. The establishment of the new Tooele Valley Economic Development Board will only help this vital work to continue, with many more successes to come. I’m very grateful for Grantsville City Mayor Marshall, his council and the Tooele County Commissioners for allowing a new day of unprecedented cooperation. I’m also still very optimistic the Main Street retail project will begin in the near future.
It is very important you know we are financially secure. The 10th outside, independent financial audit of my administration was just completed, and for the 10th year in a row we received an excellent rating in the management of the finances of the city. Living within our means allows us to not raise taxes again this year. Unfortunately, some important projects like our public safety building and new fire station are on hold as we seek ways to fund them. The Tooele Associates lawsuit settlement payments each year significantly impedes our ability to begin and complete our much-needed and important capital projects.
The future of Tooele City continues to evolve as the country and the economy evolve. We must always work to position ourselves for the challenges ahead. Keeping a talented, experienced workforce is key to future success. I can tell you the staff and employees that work for you have never been more talented, more experienced and more dedicated to the work of this city. It’s so gratifying to work alongside them. I thank each one of them for the outstanding work they do. Maintaining our high level of services to each of you is made possible by these employees.
As we move forward, and financing become available, we will expand our parks and our recreation facilities. We will continue expanding our water sources and complete our fire and police buildings. We will expand our library programs to meet the ever-growing demand. We will work to restore the old Carnegie Library building that houses the Sons and Daughters of the Pioneers Museum.
I’m grateful to each of you for your continued support. Decisions made are always made with each of you in mind. This beautiful city will continue to move forward. I express my thanks to an informed and dedicated city council. And as always, a big thank-you to my wonderful family. My daughters Lisa and Kenzie, my sons Patrick and Kasey and their wonderful families, as well as the most incredible, fun grandchildren any grandpa could have. Most importantly, I thank my beautiful wife, Pam, who after 49 years of marriage is still standing beside me with words of support and encouragement. I’ve been truly blessed to have a supportive, loving family.
This is a beautiful place to live. We really have something special here. I know that great and exciting things are yet to come for our City and this valley. Thank you for the privilege and honor you have given me to serve as your mayor.
Mayor Patrick Dunlavy
Tooele City