Spanish Fork’s Main Street serves as a local downtown and regional thoroughfare, creating complex planning requirements. “The street functions as a Utah Department of Transportation corridor, handling traffic from multiple communities while maintaining its role as the city’s commercial heart,” Mayor Mendenhall notes. “We’re trying to be intentional about the safety, walkability, and vibrancy of it.” Utah maintains its AAA bond rating and balanced budget requirements, providing stability that supports long-term development projects. Commissioners focus on investments that generate future returns rather than short-term fixes. “Our commissioners are fantastic, also a younger bunch as well, and they really do a good job of holding true to our values and holding true to the history that’s made us such a great place to live,” Nair explains. “But then also planning for the future, looking ahead, seeing how we can invest a dollar today that’s going to pay off with tens of hundreds of dollars tomorrow.” Blair emphasizes the uniqueness of this collaborative approach after experiencing other metropolitan areas. “I spent some time in Denver, a metropolitan area just south of Denver just like we are here south of Salt Lake City and I’ve got to tell you that the potential for Utah County to welcome in yet another million people by the year 2065 is going to require working together as a community at all levels.” INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND HERITAGE PRESERVATION Utah County balances massive infrastructure projects with preservation of its agricultural heritage, creating a development model that honors the past while preparing for future growth.“We have a large roadway project to connect the south part of the county. Loafer Mountain Parkway is a road we’ve just opened a new thoroughfare to help better connect some of the existing population base to the more growing population base in the south part of the county,” Nair explains. The project addresses traffic flow as the county approaches one million residents 285 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 09 UTAH COUNTY, UT
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