Tremonton City
2023 State of the City
Lyle Holmgren, Mayor

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Happy New Year! For many of us, the new year represents an opportunity to make resolutions, and set new goals. It is also a time to reflect on the year we just experienced.

As I reflect on 2022, I can’t help but think of all that happened in our city throughout the year. I am grateful for our employees and their accomplishments, for our council and their wisdom and concern for our city. I am thankful for all who call this place home, thank you for choosing to live in Tremonton. I hope you have noticed and hopefully participated in some cool things that occurred around town.

This year, we started a farmers’ market at Midland Square. There were vendors selling fresh produce, tasty baked goods, and handmade crafts. We had fun with chalk art, a giant pumpkin growing contest, and at Library Park, movies in the park. We celebrated with Hay Days and fireworks, had the county fair, and enjoyed Trick or Treat on Main.

Dozens of elementary and middle school students were recognized at our City Council meetings for being good citizens.

In August, there was a 200-year storm event that caused serious flooding in Tremonton. Initial property damage from the storm did happen and homeowners were affected, but our public works department worked night and day to drain flooded streets and storm basins in town ensuring further property damage didn’t occur.

There was a shooting at the old La-Z-Boy parking lot. Our EMS, police, and sheriff’s departments worked closely together to save lives and avert further serious threat to life or property in our city.

The fire/EMS department received grants totaling over $300,000 to purchase Stryker “Auto Loader” EMT gurneys for their ambulances and a new exhaust system for the fire department to remove vehicle exhaust from the building housing ambulances and fire trucks.

Our police department is focusing on ways to make positive impacts on Tremonton and Garland with community-oriented programs. They shared the true spirit of Christmas as officers joined together to donate their accumulated unused sick leave to help families in need. Sgt. Gailey and Officer Gilchrist spearheaded the “Holiday Give Back” where our officers collected $3,000 to help families in need.

Another community-oriented program they started this year is the pet adoption program. Abandoned pets housed at the animal control facility can now be adopted out to responsible pet owners. The program has been very successful. Many people have volunteered their time and other resources to help improve the shelter and quality of life for the animals housed there.

Tremonton is known far and wide for its public art displays. There are murals all over town. This year, Tremonton won Best of State for its public art. A new mural will be created this year recognizing the 200^th birthday of Chief Sagwitch of the Northern Band of Shoshone Indians whose people occupied northern Utah and southern Idaho for generations.

Our Parks and Recreation Department won Best in State for Class 1 cities (under 15,000 people) and won the Junior Jazz Class 1 Department of the Year

In September, the mayor of Brigham City and I had a bet on who would win the Bear River and Box Elder football game – Bear River lost – I sang (sort of) the Box Elder fight song at the Brigham City council meeting.

In addition to the ever-popular Christmas light show, our public works department and Rocky Mountain Power worked together to install electricity along the trees on main. Then the youth city council, their leaders, and other volunteers to put up Christmas lights on those trees and at Midland Square to make downtown a little more festive.

The city will receive a $407,000 grant to improve Midland Square with improved landscaping, an amphitheater, power pedestals for vendors, and public restrooms so there will be more opportunity to gather downtown for activities and events throughout the year.

The city is exploring ways to provide downtown store owners with façade grants to bring back the historical appearance of main street and make their shops more appealing.

And of course, the flower pots will be back!

Other infrastructure such as the city’s arterial and collector roads as well as intersections are being master-planned or have been built to handle increased traffic. A larger sewer line on the east side of Main Street will soon be installed, the upsizing will double its capacity.

We are wrapping up design work to improve 1000 North from approximately 2300 W. to 2900 W., improving that street’s safety for all of us, but especially for those who live in that area.

Many residents are concerned about culinary water. This year we completed a large portion of our secondary water system and service area 5 is now complete. In 2023, more than 700 additional homes will have secondary water available to them. All this further leveraging our culinary water supply.

One of our major year-round supplies of culinary water comes from the springs north of Deweyville. What if we could store the excess water from that spring during lower demand months and then retrieve it during months when water demand is high? Makes sense, right? Especially if it can be done cost effectively.

By simply pumping the excess water from the spring through existing lines during the offseason, then storing it in an existing well, the city can retrieve the water when demand is high. Increasing the capacity of our culinary water supply.

The system is called an aquifer storage and recovery (ARS) system and will be installed in 2023.

An Opportunity to Make Our City Better
Tremonton is a family-oriented, diverse, and capable community with strong business and agricultural offerings. We cherish our history and look forward to what the future will bring.

Recently, the city conducted a survey where we asked people to provide feedback to help us better understand how we can improve our community.

In general, Tremonton residents had many good things to say about our city. They love the city’s small-town feel and its welcoming, safe, and friendly neighborhoods.

One resident commented:
“I think [living in Tremonton] is about being able to walk to school with your kids. It’s about your kids learning to ride their bikes in their neighborhood. It’s about the neighbors learning your kids’ names.”

Another remarked:
“I love the community events, like the art festival or trick or treat on Mainstreet. It brings people together and everyone in the community seems to enjoy it.”

We are also a community with challenges. Many of our residents worry about what Tremonton is becoming. For example, some of us are concerned about growth and congestion, others about public infrastructures like streets and water. Still others, the City’s ability to communicate its goals and answer their concerns about issues such as growth.

All of this creates a threat of degrading trust between city government and its residents.

For example, one resident commented:
“Tremonton is growing too fast for what businesses are here. We have taken the small-town feel out of living in Tremonton by building all these apartments and homes.”

Another remarked:
“It’s a great place to live but the growth needs to be slowed down at a more sustainable rate.”

Still others remarked:
-There are not enough options for shopping or entertainment.
-I wish there was another grocery store.
-There’s not much to do here. Tremonton is growing but city policies are stuck in the past.
-“I really like Tremonton, but it’s starting to grow out of control and the city officials don’t listen to what the residents want.”

No matter whether you are a long-time resident, or just moved here. Whether you are a business owner on Main Street, commute to work, work from home, or you are a student, each of us have a role to play in our community. Since we all have a role, we need to listen to one another and work together to build a unified vision of our future. When we listen to each other, we can’t help but make Tremonton a better place for all of us.

I believe we can do all this without compromising what makes our city special.

I recognize we don’t have all the answers to all the questions and challenges that our city faces, but with a great city council, planning commission, our fantastic employees and of course YOU, we will face these challenges head on, and overcome them. We will continue to make Tremonton a place with a bright future.

So Come, Connect with Us!