Grantsville City Mayor Brent Marshall said the state of the city “is stronger than it has ever been” in its 150-year history during his address Wednesday evening.
Marshall highlighted the addition of Purple, the Alpine-based mattress company, to the industrial base of the community and the 200 new jobs it brought. He also discussed the city’s new $3.6 million justice center, which will house the police department and court system.
“This 13,000-square-foot building that will be the home of our Municipal Court and our Police Department, is giving both departments more area that they need desperately,” he said.
The city is currently interviewing candidates to fill the police chief vacancy following former Chief Kevin Turner’s retirement on Feb. 1, Marshall said. He praised the police department for its efforts to keep the community safe.
“Through their service to our citizens, we live here with a quality of life that is important to all of us,” Marshall said. “Thanks to their efforts, we live in one of the safest communities in the State.”
The mayor also praised the city’s volunteer fire department and plugged its need for a new pumper truck in the coming budget process.
Marshall also discussed the financial stability of the city, which received its fifth consecutive clean audit.
“Living within our budgets has kept us from having to raise taxes,” he said.
Marshall’s State of the City address also laid out a number of infrastructure projects that will be completed in Grantsville in the coming year and beyond, including significant improvements like the Main Street reconstruction slated for 2019.
The city is preparing to seek bids for engineering on replacement for aged water and sewer lines through work in conjunction with Utah Department of Transportation’s Main Street reconstruction, Marshall said.
“This is an essential project that will allow Grantsville City and other utility companies to upgrade vital infrastructure in timing with UDOT’s project to cause the least amount of problems to the citizens and commercial properties,” he said.
Marshall said the city’s streets will be evaluated this spring and prioritized for repairs following a hard winter.
“This will be the first year that we will have Prop 1 money to help with these repairs,” he said. “We will maximize every available dollar to achieve our long-term goals.
Other smaller projects include adding sidewalk to Durfee Street between Hale and Quirk streets, as well as Quirk Street between Cherry and Durfee streets. Marshall said the project will create another safe route to school for students and keep pedestrians off the side of the road.
A pedestrian-activated crossing will also be installed at the corner of Main and Hale streets, with a flashing amber and solid red lights to create a safer road crossing area.
Marshall also highlighted the formation of the Grantsville Historic Preservation Commission and the city’s efforts to secure state funds for the repair and preservation of the Donner-Reed Museum.
Marshall reflected on his tenure in office and the difficult decisions the city government made during the Great Recession.
“We made choices that put us firmly on course,” he said. “The decisions will guide and galvanize our progress for the next 50 years. By any measure, Grantsville is better off than when we started our journey seven years ago.”