Investing in “The Big Picture”

On June 7th there will be a public open house meeting at Frontier Middle School to provide information about the current stage of planning for two significant projects in Eagle Mountain. One of those projects is the building of Cory B. Wride Memorial Park. The second is future plans for landscape improvements to Ranches Parkway and Pony Express Pkwy. There will be lots of information at this meeting so I encourage you to attend. The event will be from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. I’d also like to share with you what other projects are in the works. Wride Memorial Park will be an important park in Eagle Mountain due to its central location, its designation as a regional park, and the fact that the Pony Express Trail runs right through the center of the park. Of course it is not the only park in our city, nor is it the only park that has seen or will see investments made. Likewise, the landscape medians in The Ranches are in obvious need of improvements to correct long-standing irrigation issues and runoff problems. While these projects are the first of the larger projects to see investments through utility sale proceeds, there are many other projects planned. Additionally, there are many other projects which are included in the normal City budget. Park improvements have been made to the following areas with utility sale proceeds at a cost of $278,000: Pioneer Park, SilverLake Amphitheater, Walden Park Detention, Overland Trails Park, Bobby Wren Fitness Park, Eagle Point Trail, Half Mile Rd. Trail, Skate Park Panels, 150 Trees Placed, Hidden Canyon Park, and Rodeo Ground Fence. The following park improvements have been identified for future completion (not including Wride Memorial Park), and are estimated to cost $3,135,000: Various Trail Connectivity/Completion projects, the Match Program – HOA/Neighborhood Park (Existing only), Nolen Splash Pad Upgrades for water efficiency, Pavilion at Nolen Park near Splash Pad (we are working on this project presently), $25k in Bike Park improvements from utility sale proceeds and an additional $25K from a grant we were awarded, Hidden Canyon Detention Pond improvements to finish the project, SilverLake Amphitheater Slides Park, Park Bathrooms (Smith Ranch, Walden Park, Pioneer Park, Pony Express Park), Paseo Improvements (the large vacant areas that run between neighborhoods in City Center), and a Cemetery wall. Outside of park boundaries the following open space improvements have been identified at an estimated cost $2,050,000: Pony Express Road Medians – Landscaping in The Ranches, Pony Express Road Medians – Landscaping in City Center, City Center Streetscape Landscaping, Benches, Shade Structures, & Garbage Cans along Trails. In all, there are $5,463,000 in proposed park and open space improvements planned throughout the City with utility sale proceeds. Including Wride Memorial Park at a cost somewhere in the ballpark of $3,500,000, the total for park and open space improvements totals $8,963,000. This does not account for the trail completion projects contemplated in the FY 2016-2017 budget. Utility sale proceeds are currently contemplated to invest $1,400,000 on economic development, preparedness, and transportation, leaving approximately $2,283,000 un-allocated. NOTE: Several key transportation infrastructure improvements were moved from the utility sale proceeds project list to the budget including completion of Golden Eagle Rd. and the Bobby Wren extension, along with a signal at Porter’s Crossing and Pony Express Pkwy. It is important to understand that there are far more projects than can be done in one or even two years. It will take several years to complete these projects most likely, though I fully expect that you will all notice the improvements being made very soon if you haven’t already. Obviously, these investments will benefit the community and our quality of life, but the method by which these improvements will be made is the more significant story. There are few if any cities out there that are able to invest this much money over so many different targeted improvement projects simultaneously. What is more amazing is the fact that all of these projects will be paid for in cash. Even more than that, the cash investment being made will not be negatively impacting our rainy day fund. We will remain at or near the maximum level of funds on hand allowed under State law. While Cory B. Wride Memorial Park and the landscaped medians in The Ranches are perhaps more visible projects, I just wanted everyone to have a feel for where our money is being spent and why, and to ease any concerns of placing all of our eggs in one basket. We are in a good place and getting better every day!