Mayor Lyle Holmgren – Mayors Message September 2024

I often wonder what visitors or businesspeople would think if they visited our Main Street for the first time. What would their first impression be?  Would they want to invest in our community? What would you feel if you were them?

Now, picture them visiting for the first time Tremonton’s Main Street, greeted by a street lined with new sidewalks, modern light posts complete with greenery, and perhaps lined by trees whose growth habits are more in line with its narrow sidewalks and street—the shops boasting vibrant signage and revitalized storefronts.

A beautiful appearance tells whether a community is confident and proud of itself. Those aesthetic aspects of a community are the outward signs of what lies way down deep. If a community invests in its Main Street with new sidewalks, street lights, greenery, and signage, it shows a desire to invest in itself. It shows that it believes it is successful, its future is bright, and it is worth investing in.

Our community’s voice is crucial in shaping the future of Main Street and Midland Square. We’ve had open town hall meetings where everyone’s opinions were heard. The top concern that emerged was the need to enhance the vibrancy and amenities of our downtown area.

The idea of forming a Main Street steering committee was proposed during the town hall. This committee, comprising Main Street merchants, civic organizations, business owners, the general public, and city council members, has convened multiple times to brainstorm ways to enhance Main Street’s vibrancy. Their collective efforts underscore the community’s active role in shaping the future of our downtown area.

To help with the steering committee’s decision, Councilmember Vance surveyed 26 merchants and property owners on Main Street. The merchants had concerns that the honey locust trees block their storefront signage. Others said the trees were causing property damage to their buildings. They are overgrown, some are diseased, and many have been removed over the years for one reason or another. The roots of some of the trees are causing damage to the sidewalks.

Four of the 26 merchants and property owners surveyed voted to keep or replace the current trees with more suitable ones that fit the narrow sidewalks. However, the majority, 22 votes, voted in favor of removing the trees. Despite this difference in opinion, there was a unanimous agreement on the need to replace the current light poles with more decorative ones, complete with flowerpots or other greenery, to enhance the aesthetic appeal of our Main Street.   These Main Street merchants and property owners have an essential say in its future, but so do all of us.  To gain further insight into what the community would like to see, the steering committee is preparing a survey to gain additional input from our residents on the direction we should take with our Main Street.

The current street lights on Main Street have been around for decades, and the power lines servicing those street lights are overhead. One of the first steps to revitalizing downtown is replacing the old street lighting with modern street lights.  The new lighting will illuminate the downtown area at night, adding hanging flower baskets that will give color to our downtown area during the day. Banners can be hung from the poles, allowing us to honor or celebrate community events. The sidewalks must be replaced, and trees must be removed to install the new lighting and infrastructure, including underground power and water.  It’s a little like remodeling an older home.

Rest assured, the City Council has proactively secured funding for these improvements. We’ve budgeted for the Main Street RDA, received a grant for Midland Square, and are committed to further funding without increasing property taxes.

Tremonton is the economic hub of Northern Box Elder County, and our downtown area is an integral part of that. These changes are not just about removing trees and replacing light poles but about creating a more vibrant and modern downtown area. They are intended to significantly improve Main Street’s overall look and feel, making it a more inviting and attractive place for everyone. This transformation will bring our community a renewed sense of pride and optimism, showing our desire to invest in ourselves and that our future is bright.

This is our shared vision for Main Street, a place we can all be proud of.