It is difficult to believe that yet another year has passed. Time truly does fly. And yet, when it comes to seeing projects done on the government level, time seems to almost stand still. When I was first appointed to the Planning Commission 17 years ago, the hardest thing for me to grasp was that we are planning things that often won’t happen for another 10 or 20 years. A good example of that would be the intersection of 650 N and State Street. I can’t tell you how long ago we began discussing the traffic congestion in that area, but I can say it has been years of discussions. The problem has only become worse during that time.
Well, after years of discussions and planning, UDOT will begin work this month on the area between State Street and I-15. A dual turn lane from southbound State Street to 650 N will be added along with some other much needed changes. It will bring some much-needed relief in the area during both the morning and afternoon transit times. There will be changes coming as well this year to SR-193 between 1000 E and the I-15 northbound off ramp. Even with these changes, UDOT recognizes they are not sufficient to deal with the problem long-term, so future changes are already in the planning stages, but we won’t likely see them until at least 2022. In the meantime, once this present ‘fix’ is complete, you should see significant improvement in the area.
2016 was a wonderful year for Clearfield City. Many of the improvements we’ve seen are things our residents don’t typically see, like the recent purchase of all the streetlights in the city, the upgrading of the HVAC at the Clearfield Aquatic and Fitness Center and the changing to LED lights in our buildings, yet these things are still something to be proud of. In fact, the program we used will allow us to pay for the cost of the upgrades using the savings from the energy costs I am thankful for a City Council and our amazing staff who are as committed as I am to using your tax dollars in the wisest and most prudent ways.
You’ve likely seen some construction going on around the city as well. The development across from City Hall is well under way, and we will start to see things going vertical soon. When it is complete, the development will add over 100 high end apartments to the downtown area as well as approximately 4,500sf of commercial space. This is one piece of what I believe will be a rejuvenation of the State Street corridor. You may have seen the building being built just south of KFC on State Street as well. It should be complete in the Spring. Dollar Tree will occupy that building, and a drive through restaurant will be build next door to it.
While most of the development at Falcon Hill is taking place inside of the fence, there is a lot of building going on. Of the five new buildings in one stage or another of the process, one of them will be build outside the fence, just south of the existing building where Starbucks is located. This beautifully designed building will house the USTAR program. USTAR is a program that launched in 2006 with a mission of supporting technology entrepreneurs in an incubator-type environment. Having USTAR in Clearfield is a big win for us as they chose our city over several other cities in the area.
During the coming year, we will see development begin to take place in several other places in the city including the corner of SR-193 and University Park Blvd (next to AAA), Legend Hills and if things work out properly…Clearfield Station.  We will also see some projects begin that are being funded by the PARAT (Parks, Arts, Recreation, Aquatics and Trails) tax that was approved in 2014. I am excited to see these projects move forward and offer some new activities for Clearfield residents.
Finally, a HUGE shout out to the students of Clearfield High. This past month, during their annual Falcons Are Fabulous fundraiser, the students set an all-time high in the amount collected. They continue to prove year after year that Clearfield High students are the best in the State. Together, they raised over $58,000 to be donated to Child Spree, a program that provides hundreds of children with clothing and essential supplies to being the school year. I am so proud of what these young men and women have accomplished.
Yes, it is definitely a great time to live in Clearfield, and I am proud to call this my home!