What is the City Doing?

In the midst of all the conversation about the prison relocation I recognize that many people may be wondering what else is going on within the City. I know that many of you have voiced concerns over the condition of the fields for soccer and baseball. I am aware of the condition of the fields, and we do have plans to make investment into both the baseball diamonds and the soccer fields at Cory Wride Memorial Park. We have applied for a sizable grant for the baseball diamonds and will get a final answer on the status this fall. The funds from that grant would go to various improvements, including parking, turf, and lighting. A section of trail along Half Mile Road was recently completed. This trail is in The Ranches off of Ranches Parkway, behind the Willow Springs condos. Our streets department has also completed a section of trail in Eagle Point which connects Summer Way to Pioneer Park, and then goes on to tie in to an existing trail along Eagle Mountain Boulevard. Our Parks department has completed several projects. The irrigation system on the north end of Pioneer Park in Eagle Point is finished and some trees and turf installed. The same work is underway on the east end of the park. Irrigation, sod, and trees will also be installed in the unfinished section of Overland Trails Park. The skate park will soon be seeing some work done on maintenance and upkeep. The entry to SilverLake Amphitheater is also having work done to complete irrigation systems and will be receiving sod and trees. In City Center, a fitness park is in the late stages of planning and will see the installation of static fitness stations, parking, sod, and trees. This small park will be located at the intersection of Bobby Wren Boulevard and Pony Express Boulevard. Concerning the soccer fields at Cory Wride Memorial Park, you may be aware that voles have made holes in the field. Some have raised concerns over the safety of children playing on the fields where the holes present a hazard during play. I was aware of the holes, though I had never seen any on the actual field where games are played. After walking the field, I saw the spots that residents were concerned about. Being an open field, the voles are problematic. We may not be able to eradicate the voles, but we will look into ways to better control the problem. In the mean time, we filled the holes that are on the soccer fields a little over a week ago. At 48 square miles, Eagle Mountain is a big place. We have a lot of land to manage and keep up with, though we do so with surprisingly few employees. There is no doubt that there are other opportunities to improve our open spaces and parks. There is much more in the planning stages right now. I do want our residents to know that good things are on the horizon for our city. We are being strategic about the projects we take on so that we can make rapid progress while keeping the cost of government low. Thanks for your patience as we work through these projects and I encourage you to get out and enjoy the open spaces we have. We hope you love the changes, and we look forward to making more improvements.