February 20

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State of the Cities – Part I

By Jana Hassett

February 20, 2021

State of the Cities

State of the Cities – Part I of IV

Iron County, Utah Economic Review Breakfast

Patience – Cedar City, Utah

Patience may be a virtue, but it’s going to be an acquired trait for 2021 – if you want to get around Cedar City and Enoch.  UDOT has 4 major construction jobs in 2021 that will start in April.  And a transportation study will encompass a fifth I-15 site.

State of the City

Mayor Edwards shared the “state of the city” with Chamber members and guests.  From a long list of new businesses to the 40% increase at the city owned Golf course, Cedar City not only survived the pandemic, but they also thrived.  Almost every sector was up except Hospitality and Government.  Our State Park Museum was down, but held its’ own, even with mask mandates and demonstration only events.

Growth

Building permits were up 39% over 2019’s 581 to 819. A 39% increase and all-time-high for Cedar City.

Airport

After Cedar City benefitted from St. George’s Airport construction and closure in 2019, our 2020 airport repair and rebuild project came on top of Pandemic closures.  With fire suppression flights down, passenger flights moved to St George, and little private use, the project was completed ahead of schedule and ready for flights to resume.

Internet

South Central Communications has been installing broadband lines throughout the entire city. The city required they do “every neighborhood” and not cherry pick the higher income areas, as all citizens deserved access to high-speed internet service.  They continue to hook up residents and some in Enoch as well.

Historic Downtown

Historic Downtown Cedar City got a facelift – new murals, new Holiday lights, and new street light banners promoting Historic Downtown.

With a Heritage Tourism program about ready to “kick off” the promotion of our Historic downtown and surrounds will help promote the visitations to our museum.  Several special projects are in the works for the Museum so stay tuned.

Looking Towards the Future

The Utah Inland Port is working to improve freight movement throughout the state.  Their board is considering a satellite location in Cedar City to serve the southwestern region, making use of our rail, highways, and airport.  This project planning is ongoing.

General Plans

Cedar City is in the process of updating their General Plan.  They are seeking public comment at www.cedarcityplan.oorg.  You’ll find a survey for the many segments under consideration. 

The Chambers’ 2050 survey came back with priorities of making Cedar a walkable/bikeable place with affordable housing and better paying jobs.

Water projects are ongoing and exploring the revision of the city’s brand from “Festival City” is under discussion.  The Chambers’ survey received many comments on this topic.  You can read the entire report at www.CedarCityChamber.org.

Lots of information about lots of success, but none of the plans bring immediate relief for pressure points, thus patience is needed.  Be a part of the discussion and respond to the city’s survey.

Next post – State of the Cities – Part II – Community Transportation

Until then - - -

Jana Hassett

About the author

Retired Congressional Aide, Coach, Mentor and Grant Writer, Jana advocates for everyone having an elevator speech. She currently serves as Business Coach for the Ms. Biz program at the Women's Business Center of Utah, Cedar City. She's been writing blogs since 2006 and enjoys journaling.
"Passing It On" is her WHY, in honor of all those that mentored and guided her journery over the years.

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