TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
JULY 7, 2026

Board Members Present:
Bret Rohde, Chairman—via Phone
Kristie Bowcutt, Board Member
Brent Jex, Board Member—excused
Beau Lewis, Board Member
Sharri Oyler, Board Member
Blair Westergard, Board Member
Linsey Nessen, Executive Director
Cynthia Nelson, Executive Secretary

Co-Chairman Westergard called the Tremonton Redevelopment Agency Meeting to order at 9:29 p.m. The meeting was held in the City Council Meeting Room at 102 South Tremont Street, Tremonton, Utah. Those in attendance were Co-Chairman Westergard, Chairman Rohde (via phone, listening only), Board Members Bowcutt, Lewis and Oyler, Executive Director Nessen, and Executive Secretary Nelson. Also in attendance were Zoning Administrator ChrisDean Epling, Community Director Zach LeFevre and Officer Greg Horspool. Board Member Jex was excused.

1. Approval of agenda:

Motion by Board Member Lewis to approve the July 7, 2026 agenda. Motion seconded by Board Member Bowcutt. Vote: Board Member Bowcutt – yes, Board Member Jex – absent, Board Member Lewis – yes, Board Member Oyler – yes, Co-Chairman Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

2. Approval of minutes – June 16, 2026

Motion by Board Member Bowcutt to approve the minutes of June 16, 2026. Motion seconded by Co-Chairman Westergard. Vote: Board Member Bowcutt – yes, Board Member Jex – absent, Board Member Lewis – yes, Board Member Oyler – yes, Co-Chairman Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

3. New Business

a. Presentation and Direction on Main Street Plans – Kelly Wood, Main Street Director

Director Wood said Utah Main Street and SHPO (the State Historic Preservation Office) will meet in Tremonton on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. for a walking tour and a preservation architect will answer questions. This will give you a foundation and show the direction we are hoping to go with Main Street. We have an awesome committee with a lot of talented people. We have also been working with Director LeFevre on branding and logos. Board Member Lewis said they recommend that Main Street has its own identity but goes hand-in-hand with the City. We are trying to find a good balance between the two. Director Wood said Main Street needs its own identity because you want people to identify with the vibe of Main Street. Utah Main Street will help us define what we want our Main Street district to be. Utah Main Street and Main Street America are a preservation-based model. It will mostly apply to our historic buildings but think of Ogden’s 25th Street and Center Street in Logan. They have been highly involved with Utah Main Street and have created so much change. Our Main Street is a little inconvenient with parking. So, we want to provide something they cannot get anywhere else. People will make the effort if it is something unique like the Mugs and Bananas event. People will make an effort if there is something unique. We want to make Main Street a place again and connect it to the City. Where we have the RDA funds to help Main Street, we have decided to start under the City umbrella. We could stay that way or choose to go non-profit one day. That could open up other opportunities.

Director Wood said I have been asked to be the Main Street Director. We also have Trudi Hatch, Clay Summers, Mikel Gardner, Katie Fuhrman and Brendan Blackham. This is an awesome group with so much talent. She then read through each of their bios, including their qualifications and passions. We meet once a week. Chaiya Wimber has also been in attendance and has been an asset with great connections. Our vision is a thriving downtown that honors Tremonton’s history, strengthens local businesses and creates a vibrant gathering place for future generations. Our mission statement is that Tremonton’s Main Street organization exists to preserve, promote and revitalize the historic heart of the City through community partnerships, business support, unification efforts and engaging events. We want a vibrant welcoming downtown where residents and visitors gather to shop, dine, connect and celebrate.

Director Wood said here is some background on Main Street America, who has been working for over 35 years. They have done a lot of trial and error to create a proven model with over 1,600 communities throughout the Country, with big cities and small towns. They have a proven track record and are a great resource. Through them we have tons of access to grants, preservation tips and help. They also pay for me to attend conferences and provide membership for us to Main Street America. When I first started, I did some research because I thought there had to be something already set up for Main Street to help us. When I called, they said we have been wondering when Tremonton would call us. They are excited to have us on board.

The Board then watched a video. Director Wood said Main Street America has four main points to do to make change and bring Main Street back to life. First, is organization. The Main Street model supports the idea that people who are affected by a decision should help shape it. I love that idea. I have been meeting with business and property owners and having such good dialogue. The feeling of being heard has been refreshing to them. The organization component is the backbone of Main Street. It brings people together, manages outreach and communication channels and tracks progress. They track progress of how many jobs are added and how much revenues are brought in each year from your efforts. We will have to turn in reports as we get going. It works to ensure design efforts align with community goals, supplies leadership structure and a volunteer base. The goal being that each committee member will lead a committee of volunteers to support each main point. A lot of people have already reached out with enthusiasm and asked to help. The second point is economic vitality, which is thought to be the engine of Main Street. This focuses on recruiting, retaining and strengthening local businesses. The Main Street Committee works to build relationships with local business owners; to identify challenges they are facing and build awareness of how we can best support them. I have had conversations about parking, dumpsters in common areas, how to access parking and people who are worried about their Main Street parking. They have asked us to create a building inventory. That would include pictures, square footage and the resources in those buildings. Some Main Streets will advertise events to the State or even nationwide, showcasing their sites. We have a lot of good plans to fill those buildings. Another thing the economic vitality component does, is it helps facilitate access to grant opportunities, funding options and other educational resources provided by Main Street America to support small businesses. Since we have been accepted into the Main Street program, that qualifies us automatically for grants. We are tier one because we are just starting, but once we get tier two, we will have more grant opportunities. Today I got four webinars on small business support and different loans you can get. I can send those out to all our small business owners. Next is design. People relate to what they can see. Design creates a unique brand for our Main Street and helps avoid the generic. We want to create something that fits our story and history. People will come for that. People are looking for unique places and experiences. That is what we are trying to create. What is exciting is we have a historic Main Street. There are towns popping up all over that do not have that. They are just generic and trying to figure out how to create a brand. Us towns that have historic Main Streets can create something great, we just have to utilize it, refresh it and preserve what we have because you cannot create that. I am a lover of old things. I drive a 1976 International Scout and have been restoring my 100-year-old house for 26 years. People like to come where there is character. They will go through the effort to park and walk and do things because of what we can create. Our Main Street has potential. Design shapes the physical environment by creating a community identity, inviting public places and setting the stage for community events and experiences. Design decisions should be a part of a set of cohesive and intentional design standards that guide business signage, facades, sidewalks, green spaces and streetscapes, lighting and wayfinding signs. There is a plan for trees. According to studies, people are 70% more likely to go into a store if there are trees. They are not just a visual, people want to be where there is green stuff. Those are conversations we need to start having. We are finding out what trees we can have that will not mangle the buildings. A few business owners are adamant about no trees. We want good trees we can space out. The final point is promotion. The promotion component amplifies Main Street success by shaping how people see and engage with Main Street. Promotion is where we are taking charge of the story. We want to focus on the positive. There is so much good, and people are excited to see change. We will work on those promotions. This will also help build public trust and perception. They recommend we start social media pages. We have set up a few specifically for Main Street but want to get our branding in line.

Director Wood said we have a lot of work, studies and plans that have been done in Tremonton. A lot of money has gone into that. We are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That moves us fast on the Main Street track because a lot of cities are applying for grants and waiting for that work to be done. When I first started, I brought up the National Register of Historic Places and how we need to work with that. Someone said that is the golden handcuffs. It costs people money and ties businesses, but that is a misconception. If they are on the National Historic Places, they do not have to do anything. They do not dictate to them what they can or cannot do to their businesses. It does not increase their property taxes. What it does is it gives them a lot of access to grants. If they are willing to use preservation standards, the preservation architect can help those business owners work through that. They can also qualify for federal and state tax credits. When they show you the figures, it is a lot of money for these property owners. That is a benefit. They are not forcing them to do it, but if they will, they will have a lot of access. If we were not part of the National Historic District already, property owners would have to pay to have someone do the research. None of them have to pay because this is already done. Our Main Street has character and something that no one else can replicate. People say our Main Street is ugly, but here are a few AI generated images that show the potential of our buildings. These before and after show what these buildings could become. See how fast that changes the vibe on Main Street. There are certain things historic buildings should have that usually get stripped over time, including a big glass window front. Those little things make a huge difference.

Director Wood said this leads us to the facade grant program. We have been doing a ton of work on this, but it will have to be approved. The good thing is we have RDA funds. Most cities start with nothing. The goals we have chosen to define the facade grant program is, number one, stimulate private investment in downtown Tremonton and restore economic vitality in the core of our City by creating an attractive, pedestrian-friendly downtown district, which draws new businesses where customers choose to gather for dining, shopping, and entertainment. Number two, to generate revitalization by focusing the investment on the core of our historic Main Street. These buildings are highly visible to customers, neighboring merchants, residents and create a visual first impression on visitors and impact the culture of our community as a whole. Number three, to beautify historic Tremonton so it reflects positively on our community, neighboring residential areas, and creates a feeling of pride for residents and business owners. This is a proposal we’ve come up with by talking to several business owners. When asked about costs, Director Wood said $3 will be granted for every $1 invested by the business owner, up to $50,000. So, if every business on Main Street in the proposed boundary participated, that would be about $1.5 million. The revitalization experts we have spoken to say facades are the biggest thing you can do. Our sidewalks are horrible, but we do not want to put in new sidewalk and then have to put a utility through it when they redo something on a facade. I think you first start building momentum.

Director Wood said we are also working on event planning. Our goal is to do four events per year. First will be back to school, but back to old school event in September. A retro back to school night. The Pie Dumps granddaughter is now making hot rolls and gravy. We want them there selling those, along with people bringing out their old cars. We will have music at Midland Square and just a fun night for people to gather and celebrate back to school. We will then have a Christmas event, piggybacking on the City’s event. That one will be during the day and ours will be at night. We are also looking at Christmas decorations to bring back to Main Street. One would be a big tree at Midland Square with a lighting event. We are building our inventory and have established one-year, three-year, five-year and ten-year goals. We have been reviewing and studying the urban planning documents. We have a big binder full of plans and a lot of surveys, and work that has gone into those. We are in a good place. We have been building relationships with downtown property and business owners. Then branding and activation before launching our social media. The cool thing about the Main Street model is it involves the community, your residents, business owners, property owners, City leader and everyone in that conversation. This is a good, positive thing bringing people together. The Board watched another video then thanked her for her presentation.

b. Discussion and consideration of RES RDA 26-06 adopting the Tremonton City Agency Report for the Tremont Center Community Development Project Area for 2025 tax increment year

Administrator Epling said I took last year’s report and the report before and made sure it was current. There were some corrections I found from last year to this year that were made. I also spent time revising and updating all the figures. I pulled all the information from the County website and documents I needed. It just updates where we are. It is kind of a long report. We just collected the taxes from the RDA and those numbers needed to be updated. It was due July 1, but the State had technical difficulties with their website so they gave us an extension.

Motion by Board Member Lewis to accept the resolution. Motion seconded by Board Member Oyler. Roll Call Vote: Board Member Bowcutt – yes, Board Member Jex – absent, Board Member Lewis – yes, Board Member Oyler – yes, Co-Chairman Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

4. Adjournment

Motion by Board Member Oyler to adjourn the meeting. Motion seconded by Board Member Bowcutt. Vote: Board Member Bowcutt – yes, Board Member Jex – absent, Board Member Lewis – yes, Board Member Oyler – yes, Board Member Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

The meeting adjourned at 10:17 p.m.

The undersigned duly acting and appointed Executive Secretary for Tremonton City Corporation Redevelopment Agency hereby certifies that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes for the RDA Meeting held on the above referenced date. Minutes were prepared by Jessica Tanner.

Dated this __________ day of __________________, 2026.

____________________________
Cynthia Nelson, Executive Secretary