~ Tremonton Times Vol. 1 No. 1 ~ January 2022

“I HAD FAITH IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOWN OF TREMONTON” — David Holmgren, Mayor of Tremonton, 1927 – my grandfather.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our community as your mayor. We have a great community with friendly, industrious and generous folks. Although we have much going for us, and a lot has been accomplished, we also have challenges which need to be addressed.

Just ten years ago, unemployment was one of our uppermost concerns. At that time, we were experiencing 9.4 percent unemployment. Employers were laying off workers and families were leaving our community.

Today, unemployment in Box Elder County is around 1.3 percent, our economy and job markets are strong. Our retail sector is as robust as it has ever been. In just ten years, Tremonton’s sales tax revenue, a key indicator of the strength of our retail economy, more than doubled to more than $2.2 million and this year is on track to increase even further.

We are experiencing extraordinary growth and for many of us, change is sometimes difficult. It seems that everywhere we look homes, townhomes, apartments and retail shops are being built. Main Street is expanding with new restaurants, retail stores and businesses. It is interesting to note that more than 60 percent of the housing growth and much of the business growth our city is experiencing comes from within. It is a good thing when our sons and daughters can find work and continue to live in Tremonton if they choose. People from outside our city are discovering what a great community we have, and they want to live here as well. We are better off when people come from other places, with different backgrounds, to live in Tremonton. From the beginning, Tremonton has welcomed people from all walks of life. We learned from our earliest days that a diverse community is a better community.

Our heritage is rich. By the time our city was only 4 years old, businesses recognized Tremonton as a place of considerable promise for business development. The arrival of the railroad, canal system and agriculture in the 1900’s as well as the eventual home of the Box Elder County Fair and Rodeo in 1925 helped secure Tremonton as a place of considerable opportunity and the economic hub for Northern Box Elder County. Today, businesses are continuing to locate and expand in Tremonton and surrounding areas, creating a strong economy and labor market.

The city has responsibly planned and prepared for this growth for many years. The mayor and city council have been actively planning a secondary water system for more than 4 years. As a result, a good share of Tremonton has, or soon will have, a secondary water system installed to their homes. For every home that converts to secondary water, enough culinary water is then available for two or three additional homes.

We are conserving water! During August 2021, we saved over 25 percent of our culinary usage over August 2020. Culinary water will continue to be a major concern for Tremonton, so we are cooperating with the Box Elder Water Conservancy District to secure additional culinary water sources.

The wastewater treatment plant underwent a major improvement this summer and fall. Last year, the plant underwent improvements to meet new EPA standards. Garland’s new treatment plant will go online soon and will free up wastewater resources used by Garland, increasing our plant’s capacity in Tremonton by an additional 40 percent.

Education is our key to improving the quality of life and creating a better community in Tremonton. We have skilled and dedicated teachers, administrators and volunteers who educate our children but many of our schools are reaching capacity. We must work closely with our school district so they understand our need for additional teachers and classroom space.

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.

Because of the planning and vision of the city council, Tremonton was one of the first cities in Utah to install fiber-optic broadband. This service provides high speed Internet to homes, businesses and to our schools. It has provided the opportunity for a new type of workforce – those who work from home. Today, people can be employed almost anywhere and work out of their home in Tremonton. For these employees, working from home is simply the new way of working.

We now have a combination full-time and volunteer fire department. This year, we hired a new fire chief, combined the Tremonton and Garland police departments in 2019 and recently hired a new police chief.

Agriculture continues to be an important part of our community and its economy. The value of crops and livestock produced in our county total more than $150 million annually. Tremonton is home to many suppliers of machinery, seed and other agricultural supplies farmers and ranchers rely on. We want these agri-businesses to remain vibrant. We also recognize the importance of farmers and ranchers in our valley. After all, they are the ones who originally settled Tremonton! We want those who produce food and fiber to continue to do so for as long as they wish. Farmers and ranchers are an important part of our economy, and we all enjoy the quality-of-life agriculture affords us.

I recognize that there is much work ahead as we meet the challenges that our town faces. Growth, infrastructure and schools, for example, are ongoing concerns. I do believe that if we want to resolve these challenges, we need to take time to speak with one another, to understand one another and work with one another. We won’t agree on everything, but we aren’t going to solve these issues by not communicating. We get there by building bridges. As we do this, we will come closer to resolving the issues facing the community we all love.

So, with a great city council, planning commission, our fantastic employees and of course YOU, we will face these and other challenges head on and Tremonton will continue to be a place with a bright future. Indeed, I too have faith in the development of the town of Tremonton!